Veteran diplomat Bill Klein recalls the turbulent Trump years at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing

This week on Sinica, Kaiser chats with William (Bill) Klein, who served as acting deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing from 2016 to mid-2021. In a wide-ranging conversation, he offers insights about his postings at AIT in Taiwan in the aftermath of the Sunflower Movement, the APEC meeting in Hangzhou, and the vicissitudes of Sino-American diplomacy during the turbulent Trump years — Taiwan issues, the trade war, Huawei and diplomatic hostage-taking, the COVID-19 outbreak, and much more. Bill offers a measured and balanced view, exhibiting the same thoughtfulness and empathy that made him a great diplomat.2:56 – The aftermath of the global financial crisis as the inflection point in U.S.-China relations4:14 – Taiwan and the Sunflower Movement: Bill's years at AIT8:33 – The G20 meeting in Hangzhou, 201612:12 – Chinese perspectives on the U.S. presidential race of 201616:40 – The Tsai Ing-wen phone call19:17 – Trump pulls out of Paris21:09 – The onset of the Trade War24:44 – Ambassador Terry Branstad, his relationship with Xi, and what he accomplished27:48 – The conflict over Chinese technology: Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, and the Two Michaels.35:20 – The Trump response to early reports of the Xinjiang camps39:35 – The view from the U.S. Embassy as the SARS CoV-2 virus began to spread47:26 – The emerging Chinese consensus on U.S. intentions toward China — and how the Houston Consulate closure was a turning point.A transcript of this interview is available on SupChina.com.Recommendations:Bill: Project Hail Mary, a science fiction novel by Andy Weir.Kaiser: "The Modern Chinese Novel," an online course available free on YouTube by Christopher Rea.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.