ChinaPower

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Mr. Ryan Fedasiuk joins us to discuss the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) efforts to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Mr. Fedasiuk explains the findings of his new report, which analyzes critical AI defense industry suppliers to the PLA and the implications for China’s ability to compete with the US on AI defense technology. Mr. Fedasiuk says AI technology will be central to the PLA’s goal of becoming a “world-class” military force and for preparing the PLA for “intelligentized” warfare. In addition, Mr. Fedasiuk argues that through AI technology, the PLA has the potential to compensate for areas where it has historically been vulnerable, such as undersea warfare. He also discusses PLA’s procurement of different AI technologies, including intelligent autonomous vehicles. Lastly, he explains that only a small portion of identified AI suppliers to the PLA are subject to US export controls or sanctions regimes, and he analyzes the corresponding policy implications for the United States.Ryan Fedasiuk is a research analyst at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). His work explores military applications of artificial intelligence, as well as China’s efforts to acquire foreign technology. Prior to joining CSET, Mr. Fedasiuk worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Arms Control Association, the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, and the Council on Foreign Relations, where he primarily covered aerospace and nuclear issues. His writing has appeared in Foreign Policy, Defense One, the Jamestown Foundation’s China Brief, and CFR’s Net Politics.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Professor William Kirby joins us to examine the changing dynamics in the US-China educational relationship. Professor Kirby explains that education has been one of the central parts of US-China relations since the 1870s and has internationalized education in the US. Professor Kirby describes the origins of China’s top universities, noting that many were created in partnership with the United States. He also argues that academic exchanges have benefitted American universities by attracting international talent. In addition, Professor Kirby says the United States needs to promote the learning of the Chinese language and study abroad in China to balance the number of Chinese students studying in America. Lastly, Professor Kirby recommends that the Biden administration should restart the Fulbright Program and re-open previously closed Chinese consulates, and highlights the importance of academic exchanges in maintaining connections with China. Professor William Kirby is Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and T. M. Chang Professor of China Studies at Harvard University. He is a University Distinguished Service Professor. Professor Kirby serves as Chairman of the Harvard China Fund, the University's academic venture fund for China, and Faculty Chair of the Harvard Center Shanghai, Harvard's first University-wide center located outside the United States. 

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. David Finkelstein joins us to discuss the PLA’s new joint doctrine and how it will impact China’s military modernization. Dr. Finkelstein describes his research process behind his new report and predicts the major new components of the doctrine. He argues that the concept of an integrated joint force represents a major doctrinal development within the PLA and is a response to a paradigm shift in how warfighting is conducted in an information-centric era. In addition, Dr. Finkelstein emphasizes how the joint doctrine will enhance the PLA’s abilities to engage in all types of military operations, including high-end conventional operations. Lastly, Dr. Finkelstein analyzes the possible internal and external challenges the PLA will face when implementing the new doctrine, and how this timeline aligns with China’s military modernization goals for 2027, 2035, and 2049. Dr. Finkelstein is a vice president of the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) and director of CNA’s China & Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Division. He is a long-time student of Chinese military and security issues, serving as a member of the National Committee on US-China Relations (NCUSCR) and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). A retired US Army Officer, Dr. Finkelstein has spent his career in several tactical assignments, to include in Panmunjom, Korea, and in various China and Asia-related positions at the Pentagon, and has taught Chinese security issues at West Point. He is the author of “The PLA’s New Joint Doctrine: The Capstone of the New Era Operations Regulations System.”

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, we are joined by Mr. Daniel H. Rosen to examine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on China’s economic power. Mr. Rosen describes the variables that contribute to China’s economic power and recounts how China’s economy was initially impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. He also discusses the primary measures the Chinese government took to rejuvenate its economy and evaluates which measures were the most significant. In addition, he evaluates the prospects of Chinese economic growth (both quarterly and yearly) and analyzes the various scenarios that may arise. Lastly, Mr. Rosen explains the potential impact of the Chinese Communist Party’s “Common Prosperity” political campaign on China’s economic growth.   Mr. Daniel H. Rosen is a founding partner of Rhodium Group and leads the firm’s work on China, India and Asia. Mr. Rosen has twenty-six years of professional experience analyzing China’s economy, commercial sector and external interactions. He is widely recognized for his contributions on the US-China economic relationship. A native of New York City, Mr. Rosen graduated with distinction from the graduate School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University (MSFS) and with honors in Asian Studies and Economics from the University of Texas, Austin (BA). 

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Adam Segal joins us to examine Beijing’s ongoing crackdown on China’s technology sector. Dr. Segal argues that company blacklists from the Trump administration served as a driver for Chinese technological decoupling and caused an increasing domestic focus within China on data collection and security. He explains how China’s new phase of technology crackdowns closely aligns with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) goals on antitrust regulation, social inequality, innovation, cybersecurity, and political stability, and states that new regulations are a means of exerting party control. Dr. Segal then discusses the new competitive landscape between Chinese state regulators and how such a landscape may impact domestic innovation. Lastly, Dr. Segal explores what these new regulations mean for US-China technology exchange and how these new dynamics will shape the future of the Chinese technology sector.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. M. Taylor Fravel joins us to discuss whether China has become more militarily assertive toward its neighbors during the pandemic. Dr. Fravel argues that, although some expected the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to halt or reduce its activity during the Covid-19 pandemic, the level of Chinese assertiveness seen prior to the pandemic has continued during the pandemic. He adds that the PLA’s ability to dispatch medical teams within China during the pandemic while maintaining its pace of operations in regional disputes shows that China is reaping the rewards of two decades of PLA modernization. Lastly, Dr. Fravel describes the benefits of increasing US collaboration with countries on the front lines of Chinese disputes.Dr. Fravel is the Arthur and Ruth Sloan Professor of Political Science and Director of the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Fravel studies international relations, with a focus on international security, China, and East Asia. His books include, Strong Borders, Secure Nation: Cooperation and Conflict in China’s Territorial Disputes, (Princeton University Press, 2008) and Active Defense: China's Military Strategy Since 1949 (Princeton University Press, 2019). His other publications have appeared in International Security, Foreign Affairs, Security Studies, International Studies Review, The China Quarterly, The Washington Quarterly, Journal of Strategic Studies, Armed Forces & Society, Current History, Asian Survey, Asian Security, China Leadership Monitor, and Contemporary Southeast Asia.

On this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Laurel Miller joins us to discuss the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and to assess China’s next steps in the region. Ms. Miller argues that China will continue to be cautiously involved with Afghanistan to fulfill its long-term vision of establishing peace and stability in the nearby region. She also estimates how China may use its influence in Pakistan to boost its political relations with the Taliban. Although Afghanistan was a bright spot for US-China cooperation in peace-process issues, Ms. Miller says that previous collaboration was exaggerated and that the brightness has been dimmed in recent years. Lastly, she weighs the likelihood of US-China cooperation on Afghanistan going forward.Laurel Miller is the Director of International Crisis Group’s Asia Program, where she leads the organization’s research, analysis, and policy advocacy in and about Asia’s regional matters. Prior to joining the International Crisis Group, Ms. Miller was a senior foreign policy expert at the RAND Corporation. From 2013 to 2017, she served as the deputy and then acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the US Department of State.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Yanzhong Huang joins us to discuss China’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on China’s power. Dr. Huang assesses how China’s handling of the pandemic is viewed within China and around the world. He also discusses China’s Health Silk Road and its role in advancing China’s interests amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, Dr. Huang analyzes the differences between the countries that have received Chinese vaccines and those that have received Chinese masks and PPE. Lastly, Dr. Huang evaluates China’s influence within international health organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), and provides recommendations for how the United States can work with China to combat the pandemic.Yanzhong Huang is a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, where he directs the Global Health Governance roundtable series. He is also a professor and director of global health studies at Seton Hall University's School of Diplomacy and International Relations, where he developed the first academic concentration among U.S. professional international affairs schools that explicitly addresses the security and foreign policy aspects of health issues. He is the founding editor of Global Health Governance: The Scholarly Journal for the New Health Security Paradigm. 

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Ambassador Kurt Tong joins new host Bonny Lin to discuss China’s approach toward Hong Kong. Ambassador Tong describes how the Hong Kong citizenry has responded to China’s recent policies in the city. He argues that Beijing initially prioritized tolerance toward Hong Kong when implementing its “One Country, Two Systems” policy; however, such tolerance has recently declined. Ambassador Tong also explains how China’s foreign relations impact its policies toward Hong Kong. In addition, Ambassador Tong provides predictions for the future of the China-Hong Kong relationship and compares Beijing’s past and current goals in the city. Lastly, he analyzes the Biden administration’s responses to the current situation in Hong Kong and provides recommendations for the administration’s Hong Kong-related policies in the future.Ambassador Kurt Tong is a Partner and member of the Executive Committee at The Asia Group, where he leads the firm’s work in Japan and Hong Kong, and on East Asia regional policy matters. Prior to joining The Asia Group, Ambassador Tong served as Consul General and Chief of Mission in Hong Kong and Macau, leading U.S. political and economic engagement with that important free trade hub. Prior to that role, he served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs at the State Department from 2014 to 2016, guiding the Department’s institutional strengthening efforts as its most senior career diplomat handling economic affairs.

This special "best of ChinaPower" episode explores China’s efforts to integrate its military and civilian sectors to support its military development and broader national security agenda. Our guest, Mr. Greg Levesque, discusses how Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) fits into China’s grand strategy and evaluates how effectively it has implemented the program to date. Levesque also weighs the risks and rewards of MCF in Beijing’s strategic calculus, and offers a path for how the US and its allies can respond to the growing nexus between military and civil development in China.Greg Levesque is co-founder and CEO of Strider, a technology company enabling organizations to combat intellectual property theft and supply chain vulnerabilities outside of the cyber domain. Greg has advised and supported Fortune 500 companies as well as US and European government agencies on matters of economic statecraft, particularly around China.This episode was first released on May 5, 2020. Listeners can find Bonnie Glaser's new work with her China Global podcast.