China in the World

Following the 20th Party Congress, China’s paramount leader Xi Jinping engaged in a flurry of high-level diplomatic meetings with heads of state from dozens of countries in East and Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Hoang Thi Ha, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, about Xi’s recent diplomacy, China-ASEAN relations, U.S.-China competition in Southeast Asia, and environmental issues in the Mekong subregion. Hoang Thi Ha is a Senior Fellow and the Co-coordinator of the Regional Strategic and Political Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Her research focuses on major powers in Southeast Asia and political-security issues in ASEAN, ASEAN human rights cooperation, ASEAN in Indo-Pacific discourse, and ASEAN’s institution building. Ms. Hoang joined the ASEAN Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam in 2004. She then moved on to work at the ASEAN Secretariat for nine years, with her last post being Assistant Director, Head of the Political Cooperation Division.

Amid the war in Ukraine, the Biden administration has maintained focus on China and enjoyed robust bipartisan support for pursuing a tough approach to Beijing. Recent U.S. export controls on semiconductors and related chip manufacturing equipment have raised the stakes of U.S.-China competition, and many in China now feel as though the United States is seeking to slow China's rise. Beijing, for its part, is not backing down from U.S. pressure. Unprecedented military drills around Taiwan after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei roiled bilateral ties. How might the U.S. midterm elections impact Biden’s China policy? Will Beijing amend its approach toward Washington after the 20th Party Congress?One day after the U.S. midterm elections, Paul spoke with Chong Ja Ian, a nonresident scholar at Carnegie China, Yun Sun, a senior fellow and co-director of the East Asia Program and director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, and Da Wei, the director of the Center for International Strategy and Security at Tsinghua University and a professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University. This panel is the first of the Carnegie Global Dialogue Series 2022-2023 and is available to be viewed on the Carnegie Endowment's website. https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/11/09/carnegie-china-global-dialogue-u.s.-china-relations-after-midterms-event-7975 If you enjoy listening to the China in the World podcast, consider checking out the Carnegie Endowment’s suite of podcasts:https://carnegieendowment.org/the-world-unpackedhttps://carnegieendowment.org/events/carnegieconnectshttps://carnegieindia.org/interpretingindiahttps://carnegieendowment.org/grandtamashahttps://carnegieeurope.eu/europeinsideout

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Evan Laksmana about U.S.-China dynamics in Southeast Asia and Southeast Asian views of U.S. foreign policy in the region. Haenle and Laksmana touch on the role of ASEAN, the Quad, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework as well as China and the United States’ competing visions of regional order.Evan Laksmana is a nonresident scholar at Carnegie China, where he examines U.S.-China dynamics in Southeast Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific. Laksmana is also a senior research fellow with the Centre on Asia and Globalisation at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He is also a nonresident scholar with the Lowy Institute for International Policy. His research focuses on military change, civil-military relations, and Southeast Asian defense and foreign policies.If you enjoy listening to the China in the World podcast, consider checking out the Carnegie Endowment’s suite of podcasts:https://carnegieendowment.org/the-world-unpackedhttps://carnegieendowment.org/events/carnegieconnectshttps://carnegieindia.org/interpretingindiahttps://carnegieendowment.org/grandtamashahttps://carnegieeurope.eu/europeinsideout

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Qi Dongtao about U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan, China’s new Taiwan White Paper, the state and trajectory of cross-Strait relations, and the implications of shifts in U.S. policy, including those related to the potential passage of the Taiwan Policy Act introduced by the U.S. Senate. Haenle and Qi also discuss Dongtao’s new article published in the Journal of Contemporary China, “Urban Chinese Support for Armed Unification with Taiwan,” that examines which groups on the mainland show stronger support for armed unification with Taiwan and what factors contribute to their support.Dr. Qi Dongtao is Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore. Qi Dongtao received his Ph.D. in sociology from Stanford University in 2009. His research interests include Taiwanese nationalism and politics, cross-Strait relations, U.S.-China-Taiwan triangular relations and Chinese nationalism. Dr. Qi is drafting a book manuscript tentatively titled, Taiwan and the Cross-Strait Relations amid Great Power Competition, which explores new developments and challenges in cross-Strait relations since 2016. 

The international order is shifting. Besides COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to major crises that threaten global stability. While the European Union, the United States, and their allies and partners struggle to preserve peace in Europe, tensions are rising across the globe in the Taiwan Strait. To what degree has the world order shifted in 2022? How might the United States respond to intensifying challenges from Russia and China? How can the United States leverage the support of its allies and partners? During a live recording of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle sat down with Anja Manuel to examine ongoing challenges to the global rules-based order. This discussion is the second of Carnegie China's 2022 Distinguished Speakers Series and is available to be viewed on the Carnegie Endowment's website. https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/08/25/distinguished-speakers-series-anja-manuel-on-international-order-and-disorder-event-7922

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Anushka Wijesinha about the ongoing political and economic crisis in Sri Lanka. The discussion covers the domestic and international causes of Sri Lanka’s debt crisis, Beijing’s role in the Sri Lankan economy, and the path forward for debt restructuring negotiations between Colombo and Beijing. The two also touch on the broader impact of China’s development financing in the global south in the context of rising inflation and interest rates around the world.Anushka Wijesinha is a Sri Lankan economist and international consultant. He has worked at the World Bank, International Trade Center, ADB, and UNCTAD. Anushka is the co-founder of Centre for a Smart Future, an Asia-based think tank. He also serves on the Board of Directors of three leading financial services companies – Seylan Bank PLC, FairFirst Insurance Ltd, and HNB Finance PLC.

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Ali Wyne about his new book, America's Great-Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition. Wyne’s book examines an increasingly salient yet poorly defined feature of international politics: great power competition. The book charts the similarities and differences between the current geopolitical environment and that of the Cold War, the nuances between the challenges posed by China and Russia, the strengths and weaknesses of their strategic partnership, and the principles upon which an affirmative rather than reactive U.S. grand strategy can be based.Mr. Ali Wyne is a senior analyst with Eurasia Group's Global Macro-Geopolitics practice. Wyne is also a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a David Rockefeller fellow with the Trilateral Commission, and a security fellow with the Truman National Security Project. Wyne’s latest book is America's Great-Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition, published by Polity Press in July 2022.

The Strategic Importance of the Indo-PacificSpanning from East Africa to the West Coast of the United States, the Indo-Pacific is a large and complex region encompassing two oceans and countless islands and maritime powers. In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Darshana Baruah about maritime security in Asia as well as recent developments in the Indo-Pacific. Having both recently participated in the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Paul and Darshana discuss key takeaways from Asia's premier security summit. Darshana also shares her perspectives on shifting geopolitical dynamics in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Islands as well as new trends in India’s foreign policy.Darshana M. Baruah is a fellow with the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where she leads the Indian Ocean Initiative. Her primary research focuses on maritime security in Asia and the role of the Indian Navy in a new security architecture. Darshana’s research on the Indian Ocean can be found here: https://carnegieendowment.org/publications/interactive/indian-ocean-map.

Almost 18 months into his presidency, Joe Biden’s approach to Asia is coming into focus. The administration has instituted new economic, security, and diplomatic policies to bolster U.S. involvement in the Indo-Pacific, providing clues to its priorities through high-profile events such as the publication of its Indo-Pacific Strategy in February and Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s speech outlining its China policy in May. Amid an economic slowdown, the war in Ukraine, and the closely watched leadup to the Chinese Communist Party's 20th Party Congress, how would Beijing respond to the latest developments in Washington's stance toward Asia? And can Washington finally find a way to keep up with China’s growing presence in the region? During a live recording of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle sat down with Evan Medeiros, Penner Family Chair in Asian Studies and the Cling Family Senior Fellow in US-China Relations at Georgetown University, to explore the Biden administration’s approach to Asia. This discussion is the first of Carnegie China's 2022 Distinguished Speakers Series and is available to be viewed on the Carnegie Endowment's website. https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/06/16/distinguished-speakers-series-evan-medeiros-on-u.s.-china-competition-event-7894

As the United States reduces its footprint in the Middle East, China is stepping up its diplomatic and economic engagement in the region. Beijing has already struck notable deals with longstanding U.S. partners such as Saudi Arabia while maintaining strong ties to Iran. How will regional countries navigate intensifying U.S.-China competition? What role will China play on economic, diplomatic, and security issues in the Middle East? And how might the United States respond to Beijing’s growing influence in the region?During a live recording of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle spoke with Amr Hamzawy, director of the Carnegie Middle East Program, He Wenping, professor at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Bilahari Kausikan, chairman of the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore. This panel is the fifth of the Carnegie Global Dialogue Series 2021-2022 and is available to be viewed on the Carnegie Endowment's website. https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/05/11/china-s-growing-role-in-middle-east-event-7874