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China 21
by 21st Century China Center, Harris Doshay
China 21 is produced by the 21st Century China Center at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy. We are a leading university-based think tank that produces scholarly research and informs policy discussions on China and U.S.-China relations. This podcast features expert voices, insights and stories about China’s economy, politics, society, and the implications for international affairs. Learn more at china.ucsd.edu
Episodes
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U.S.-China Relations at a Crossroads — Serah Beran and Victor Shih
In this episode, recorded in November 2025, Victor Shih sits down with Sarah Beran to discuss key developments in U.S.-China relations and how the relationship has evolved and may continue to evolve in the second Trump administration.
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Bureaucracies at War, Featuring Tyler Jost
Center Executive Director Lei Guang recently sat down with Tyler Jost to discuss his new book, Bureaucracies at War. This podcast features highlights from their conversation, focusing on how Jost’s analysis sheds light on the dynamics of today’s U.S.-China tensions.
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The Micro-Foundations of Capitalism
In this episode, UC San Diego Professor Barry Naughton talks globalization and economic development in China, Russia and India with Temple Professor Roselyn Hsueh.
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Retrofitting Lenism - Dimitar Gueorguiev and Harris Doshay
21CCC Assistant Director Harris Doshay sits down with Syracuse Associate Professor and UCSD Alum Dimitar Gueorguiev to discuss his latest book, Retrofitting Leninism. In it, they explore the logic of popular participation in authoritarian regimes and the ongoing struggles faced by the CCP.
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The DOJ's China Initiative: Where it went wrong, and why - Susan Shirk and Carol Lam
Susan Shirk, Chair of the 21st Century China Center, and former U.S. Attorney Carol Lam sit down to discuss the ways the China Initiative, from flaws in its inception to views towards the future of DOJ espionage prosecutions.
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Xinjiang from Qing to Xi - James Millward & Micah Muscolino
Micah Muscolino interviews James Millward, a leading scholar on China and Central Asia at Georgetown University. They connect the history of Xinjiang in the Qing Empire, to assimilationist policies and terrorism of the 2000s, and to present day large-scale repression and cultural genocide of...
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Epidemic Control & Medical Diplomacy - Mary Brazelton & Micah Muscolino
This episode is an extended interview adapted from the China Throughlines web series, which features UC San Diego’s China historians in conversation with their colleagues on the echos and connectedness of China’s storied past to the twenty-first century. Mary Augusta Brazelton is University...
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Remembering June 4 - Perry Link & Paul Pickowicz
The 21st Century China Center is premiering a new web series: "China Throughlines" - featuring UC San Diego’s China historians in conversation with their colleagues on the echos and connectedness of China’s storied past to the twenty-first century. In this audo excerpt from the pilot episode…
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Rural China Copes with Covid-19 - Scott Rozelle
Since the novel coronavirus outbreak in the megacity of Wuhan in December 2019, lockdowns were also implemented across China’s vast countryside, home to more than 700 million people. Dr. Scott Rozelle, senior fellow at Stanford University FSI and co-director of the Rural Education Action Program,...
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Investing in US-China Relations - Weijian Shan and James Kralik
As we are living through a historic pandemic and ever more turbulent U.S.-China relations, we revisit a conversation recorded at our last public lecture right before the lockdown. 21st Century China Board Chair James Kralik interviews investor and best-selling author Weijian Shan about his memoir...
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Lessons from 1989 - Wang Dan and Victor Shih
Wang Dan 王丹 speaks with Victor Shih on the lessons from the 1989 student democracy movement. They discuss Wang’s journey as a young student leading up to the Tiananmen Square protests and his life since. Wang describes his mission for Dialogue China - and the discussions he’s fostering about...
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Interpreting the Xi Dynasty - Geremie Barmé & Susan Shirk
Geremie Barmé is an esteemed historian, journalist, translator and film-maker. He spoke at UC San Diego in January on resistance movements in two Chinese cities - the case of Tsinghua Prof. Xu Zhangrun’s 許章潤 dissent, and the protests in Hong Kong. Prof. Barmé is the editor of China Heritage, a...
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Defending Digital Rights - Rebecca MacKinnon & Molly Roberts
Rebecca MacKinnon is the director of Ranking Digital Rights, a program at New America promotes freedom of expression and privacy on the internet by creating global standards and incentives for companies to respect and protect users’ rights. She was a Pacific Leadership Fellow at the Center for...
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China Tripping (Part 1) - Paul Pickowicz, Perry Link, Jeremy Murray
Paul Pickowicz, Perry Link and Jeremy Murray speaks with guest host Lazlo Montgomery in this special co-produced episode with China History Podcast, with excerpts from their new book “China Tripping: Encountering the Everyday in the People’s Republic” and discussion about how traveling to China...
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China Tripping (Part 2) - Paul Pickowicz, Perry Link, Jeremy Murray
Paul Pickowicz, Perry Link and Jeremy Murray speaks with guest host Lazlo Montgomery in this special co-produced episode with China History Podcast, with excerpts from their new book “China Tripping: Encountering the Everyday in the People’s Republic” and discussion about how traveling to China...
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Mobilizing Without the Masses - Diana Fu
Diana Fu describes the evolution of activism, citizenship and civil society in China, and how NGOs engage in unconventional mobilization under authoritarian rule, based on her research on migrant workers and labor organizations. Diana Fu is an associate professor of political sciences at the...
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US-China Rivalry Roils Asia - Danny Russel & Steph Haggard
Steph Haggard speaks with Danny Russel about the intensifying U.S.-China rivalry that is ushering in new dynamic in the Asia Pacific region. They address the trade war, negotiations with North Korea, American alliance with Japan, the Indo-Pacific strategy, and warn against the notion of…
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Will China Save the Planet? - Barbara Finamore
Barbara Finamore, who founded the National Resource Defense Council’s China program, discusses with China Focus editor-in-chief Charlie Vest about China’s clean energy sectors, domestic environmental activism and its push to develop renewable energy infrastructure abroad. Barbara Finamore founded...
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AI, 5G, and the Race for Tech Supremacy - Elsa Kania
Elsa Kania discusses the potential and concerns of cutting-edge technologies that are underpinning the competition between the U.S. and China, especially in the race towards supremacy in AI and 5G Elsa Kania is an independent analyst, consultant, and co-founder of the China Cyber and Intelligence...
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US-China Symbiosis - Joe Tsai & Susan Shirk
Alibaba’s Joe Tsai speaks with Susan Shirk in front of a live audience on a wide-ranging conversation about current trade disputes, security concerns, technological competition, and the innovation and collaboration capacity for U.S. and China. Mr. Tsai is the co-founder and Executive Vice…
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China's Investment Outlook - Andy Rothman & Victor Shih
Andy Rothman speaks with Victor Shih on the opportunities and volatility of investing in the People's Republic and the outlook on China's impact on global economic growth. They discuss the risk of including China's bonds and SOEs in passive indices, the challenge of data verification and spurring...
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Unlikely Partners On the Cruise To Reform - Julian Gewirtz
In the critical period of China’s opening in the 1980s, Chinese policymakers invited Western economists to learn and debate the way forward for China, and that’s the subject of fascinating research by Julian Gewirtz in his book “Unlikely Partners: Chinese Reformers, Western Economists, and the...
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US-China Trade Disputes - Victor Shih, Natalia Ramondo, Barry Naughton
As President Trump’s team continues trade negotiations in Beijing this week, we bring you this recently recorded conversation between GPS professors Natalia Ramondo, Barry Naughton and Victor Shih. They discuss the current threat of tariffs by both countries, and implications on multilateral…
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Soul of a Superpower - Ian Johnson & Richard Madsen
Ian Johnson joins Richard Madsen to discusses how today’s Chinese Communist Party is striving for a national set of values, and how ordinary Chinese are seeking for deeper meaning in their lives, and the lessons for the rest of the world in this global populist moment. Ian Johnson is a...
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Ballasting the US-China Relationship - John Pomfret & Paul Pickowicz
Historian Paul Pickowicz interviews acclaimed author John Pomfret about patterns in the long history of US-China relations, and how it informs the controversies in the current moment of Sino-American relations ranging from the impact of Chinese students on US universities, Xi Jinping’s end to...
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Qualcomm & U.S.-China Tech Rivalry - Tai Ming Cheung, Mikko Huotari, Barry Naughton
Tai Ming Cheung, Mikko Huotari and Barry Naughton unpack the China factor in the case of the U.S. government’s protection of Qualcomm, and discuss what kind of tools and policies will emerge as the rules of engagement in international investment and technological competition continue to become...
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Xi Without Limits - Victor Shih, Susan Shirk, Barry Naughton, Lei Guang
21st Century China Center faculty reflect on Sunday's announcement by Chinese Communist Party to end term limits on the presidency, clearing the way for President Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely. Even in the context of the party's authoritarian rule, it is a significant break from rules...
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China's Political Order - Francis Fukuyama & Barry Naughton
Professors Fukuyama and Naughton trace the origins of the Chinese state, its historic economic modernization, and how the current Xi Jinping era is challenging assumptions and theories about political order and decay. They also discussed the relationship between political freedom and…
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The Specter of Global China - Ching Kwan Lee
UCLA sociologist Ching Kwan Lee discusses her new book that is the result of over six years of ethnographic research in Zambia on Chinese capital and labor. In The Specter of Global China: Politics, Labor, and Foreign Investment in Africa, Prof. Lee analyzes the peculiarity of outbound Chinese...
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Thailand-China Relations - Somkiat Tangkitvanich
Dr. Somkiat Tangkitvanich, President of the Thailand Development Research Institute, discusses current Thailand-China relations and the impact of Chinese investment and infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia. Dr. Tangkitvanich is a leading Thai expert in the areas of trade and investment...
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American Grand Strategy in Asia – Stephan Haggard & Michael Green
Does the Trump Administration have a grand strategy in Asia? How does an "American First" posture square with the idea of a free and open Asia Pacific? Stephan Haggard interviews Michael Green on the president's visit to Asia and how it reflects the recurring themes in the long arc of American...
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Left, Right, Middle Kingdom: Ideology in China – Jennifer Pan & Yiqing Xu
Scholars Jennifer Pan & Yiqing Xu discussed their paper on “China’s Ideological Spectrum,” which has generated widespread acclaim and discussion. They analyzed data from an opinion survey of more than half a million Chinese citizens, and find that public preferences in ideology are not simply…
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China's News Media - Wang Shuo
Caixin's Managing Editor Wang Shuo 王烁 describes the challenge for investigative journalists in China in the context of a changing media landscape and state control of information. He also discusses the stories his team has worked on, from high-speed rail accidents, to the one-child policy, to...
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Hong Kong’s Movement for Democracy - Evans Chan
Director Evans Chan (陳耀成) talks about his latest documentary “Raise the Umbrellas,” the politicization of Hong Kong identity and media, and the city's democratic future and implications for Greater China. (Trailer: https://youtu.be/Q2kxtQW-nAA) Chan is an independent filmmaker, who has been...
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US-China Trade – Gordon Hanson & Charlene Barshefsky
Gordon Hanson and Charlene Barshefsky discuss China’s commitments and market reforms since joining the WTO and the path ahead in the trade relationship between the world’s two biggest economies. They explore the policy and enforcement tools the US has to confront China over the imbalance and lack...
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Chinese Dream on Wheels: China & The Future of Cars - Michael J. Dunne
China is now the biggest auto market, including electric vehicles. Michael Dunne discusses the government's role in guiding the car industry, competition and cross-border investment among Western and Chinese firms, and implication for clean energy, infrastructure and job-creation in both…
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SHIFT+Asia: Digitizing Chinese Studies - Karl Gerth & Tom Mullaney
Dr. Karl Gerth interviews Dr. Tom Mullaney about his journey in building a digital humanities community for Asian studies and how a new set of analytic tools are disrupting and transforming the practice of teaching history and understanding various phenomena in China. Karl Gerth is a professor of...
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Trump & China: Bipartisan Policy Recommendations - Susan Shirk and Winston Lord
Two China policy veterans: Prof. Susan Shirk and Amb. Winston Lord are members of a high-level bipartisan task force that launched a report on US Policy Toward China, with detailed policy recommendations for the Trump administration. They offer an overview of the comprehensive list of issues...
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Make America & China Laugh Again - Jesse Appell
Intercultural comedian Jesse Appell, founder of US-China Comedy Center in Beijing, shares his fun and educational journey of learning what makes Chinese people laugh, and bridging cultural gaps with humor. www.ChinaFocus.us hosted Jesse's performance at UC San Diego on Feb. 6 as part of his…
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China’s Green Leap Forward - Julio Friedmann & David Victor
Dr. Julio Friedmann unpacks the environmental and energy challenges in China - the world’s largest energy user, largest emitter, largest market and largest cleantech enterprise. Interview is followed by excerpt from conversation with Dr. David Victor Dr. Friedmann is the senior advisor for energy...
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U.S.-China Relations After Obama - Melanie Hart
Dr. Melanie Hart reviews America's foreign policy towards China in the last eight years, and looks ahead to opportunities and challenges in US-China Relations in light of constructive milestones and the US presidential elections. Dr. Hart is currently a Senior Fellow and Director of China Policy…
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The Cross is Red: Christianity in China - Richard Madsen
The Chinese Communist Party issued new directives for religious affairs earlier this year, especially calling for religions to serve national interests. What does this new project to “sinicize” religions imply for religious practice in China? For Christians in China, how are they adapting as…
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13th Five Year Plan - Deborah Seligsohn & Jack Zhang (十三五: China’s Development Roadmap)
Deborah and Jack unpacks the details and highlights of China’s latest five-year-plan, the most basic and authoritative document that charts out the country’s strategic vision, covering policies, measures and targets on domestic social issues, to the environment, to education and economic...
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Running a Bank in China - Victor Shih & Ken Wilcox
Professor Victor Shih speaks with Ken Wilcox of Silicon Valley Bank on the lessons learned from running a joint-venture with a state-owned bank and how banking practices have evolved during recent financial crises in China. Victor Shih is a leading expert in examining the intersection of China’s...
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China's Internal and Regional Politics - Susan Shirk & Stapleton Roy
Two of the most influential China Hands, Professor Susan Shirk and Ambassador J. Stapleton Roy, discuss the current state of Chinese politics, the South China Sea, and US foreign policy toward China. Susan Shirk is the esteemed chair of the 21st Century China Program, and former Deputy Assistant...
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Poverty Alleviation in China - Albert Park
Professor Albert Park of Hong Kong University of Science & Technology talks with Samuel Tsoi about his research on human capital and labor, firm performance, poverty and inequality, rural-urban migration, and the social safety net in the People's Republic of China. China 21 is produced by the…
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Reporting from China - David Barboza
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Barboza reflects on his decade-long journey of reporting on China's economy, culminating in his investigative article on the hidden wealth of China's political elite, published by the New York Times in 2013. David Barboza has been a Shanghai-based...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
China 21 is produced by the 21st Century China Center at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy. We are a leading university-based think tank that produces scholarly research and informs policy discussions on China and U.S.-China relations. This podcast features expert voices, insights and stories about China’s economy, politics, society, and the implications for international affairs. Learn more at china.ucsd.edu
HOSTED BY
21st Century China Center, Harris Doshay
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China 21 currently has 47 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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China 21 is produced by the 21st Century China Center at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy. We are a leading university-based think tank that produces scholarly research and informs policy discussions on China and U.S.-China relations. This podcast features expert voices, insights...
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China 21 has 47 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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China 21 is created and hosted by 21st Century China Center, Harris Doshay.
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