Pekingology

Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute and a scholar of Chinese politics, explores China’s global strategy under Xi Jinping. They examine Xi’s personal worldview, power consolidation, regime security, ideology, and nationalism. The conversation also covers Taiwan, China’s vision for a new international order, its ambitions in the Global South, and how technology and economic strength can deliver global influence without equivalent responsibilities.

Daniel Kritenbrink, veteran U.S. diplomat and former ambassador to Vietnam, draws on decades of China policy experience to examine Xi Jinping’s leadership and China’s global ambitions. He discusses summit diplomacy, lessons from the 2015 Xi-Obama meeting, and the challenge of preventing conflict. The conversation explores the fragile U.S.-China truce, technology controls, Taiwan, trade, tariffs, and the limits of personal diplomacy.

Kurt Campbell, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Indo-Pacific coordinator, discusses Beijing’s view of American power, Xi Jinping’s ideological worldview, and the evolution of U.S. strategy toward China. He reflects on pivotal diplomatic encounters, Chinese officials and party politics, Biden’s Indo-Pacific legacy, Trump-era policy tensions, and the stakes of a future summit in Beijing.

Bradley Jardine, journalist and China–Central Asia analyst, draws on Moscow and Beijing experience and his new book Backlash. He traces Silk Road narratives, Xinjiang’s role in shaping regional security, China’s secretive outposts and economic projects, local pushback and skepticism about debt-trap claims, and the tug-of-war between Chinese and Russian influence across Central Asia.

Alicia García-Herrero, economist and expert on Chinese and Asian economics, explains China’s “dual economy.” She explores how technological ambition outpaces household prosperity. She discusses state support for advanced industries, unprofitable scale-driven firms, and how AI and local politics shape wages, consumption, and employment.

Wendy Chang, a MERICS senior analyst who studies Chinese tech and policy, explains China’s push into robotics and embodied AI. She discusses how manufacturing scale and capital fuel rapid robot development. She contrasts flashy humanoid demos with limited true autonomy. She also covers policy drivers, regional clusters, and global supply chain implications.

Greg Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and South China Sea expert, explains why tiny rocks and maritime maps matter for regional power. He traces China’s evolving claims, gray-zone coercion at sea, and flashpoints like Scarborough Shoal. The conversation also covers naval involvement, risks of accidental escalation, and how Southeast Asian states and diplomacy try to manage growing tensions.

Sam Chitwin George, Senior Fellow and China foreign policy expert, explains Beijing’s long-term view of the postwar order and how pragmatic adaptation shaped its strategy. He discusses China’s tension between expanding ambitions and cost aversion. He traces shifts from staying low to protecting overseas interests and contrasts China’s approaches in Ukraine, Iran, Russia, and Myanmar.

Alexander Gabuev, director at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and expert on China–Russia ties, walks through the deepening Xi‑Putin relationship. He highlights leader-driven dynamics, China’s calculated support for Russia’s war, energy and sanctions strategies, and sensitive arenas like Central Asia and the Arctic. Short, sharp takes on what each side gains and where limits might appear.

Adam Farrar, former White House Korea director now a Bloomberg geoeconomics analyst, breaks down China–North Korea dynamics. He discusses Beijing's leverage via trade and its cautious approach to denuclearization. He examines Russia's growing role, what an Xi trip to Pyongyang would signal, and realistic U.S.-China cooperation to curb risky North Korean moves.