U.S.-China: Searching for Common Ground
by David Skidmore and Kyle Munson
The transition between administrations in Washington, D.C., and the global effort to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic provide the opportunity to reassess U.S.-China relations and whether our two nations might reclaim common ground for building a more productive partnership. This podcast—a public extension of Drake University Professor David Skidmore’s Spring 2021 course on U.S.-China relations—will gather insights from diplomats, scholars, journalists, businesspeople, and others involved in the affairs of both nations. We’ll analyze sources of conflict as well as opportunities for cooperation.
Episodes
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The Future: Student Voices
The topic: As a final wrap-up episode we look back at everything we've heard throughout the series and what the collective wisdom suggests for the future of U.S.-China relations. Our guests: It's time to give the students more of a voice in this discussion. What have they remembered most from all...
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Podcasting: Matt Sheehan and Holly He
The topic: Producing any podcast series is a journey featuring plenty of twists and turns. And producing a series on U.S.-China relations can be especially challenging considering such a vast intertwined history to be addressed, on top of all the modern divergent views, outright disputes, and key...
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Business: Kit Spangler
The topic: Often in this podcast series we focus on the big picture: Taiwan’s relationship to the Mainland, the contrasting strategies of U.S. presidents in tackling trade, or the massive influence of technological expansion. But what about the details of playing out international relations on…
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Biden and the pandemic: Thomas Wright of Brookings
The topic: How will--and should--the Biden administration go about fashioning its policies across the range of issues that make up U.S.-China relations? Should we expect major shifts compared to the approach of the Trump presidency? What can we glean from the views and backgrounds of Biden's key...
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Citizen diplomacy: Kim Heidemann
The topic: U.S.-China relations rest upon more than the formalized chess moves of presidents and diplomats. Far greater in scope and depth are the people-to-people exchanges in business, education, arts and culture, journalism, nonprofits, tourism, and so much more. These societal ties provide...
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Tech: Professor Tom Lairson of Rollins College
The topic: Huawei, ZTE, TikTok, WeChat: The list of Chinese high-tech companies that have been characterized as threats to American national security continues to grow. But how real are such purported threats? And are efforts to digitally "decouple" from China realistic? Are there alternative…
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Agriculture: Bill Niebur, crop scientist
The topic: In the wake of the Trump-era trade war and COVID-19 pandemic, what will become of the heavy ag trade between the world's two superpowers? What are the primary food security concerns for each nation? How do other large international markets such as Brazil affect the relationship? How...
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Security: Professor Zhu Feng of Nanjing University
The topic: As China’s military modernization shifts the balance of power in East Asia, the naval forces of the U.S. and China find themselves facing off in tense encounters across the maritime routes off China’s coastline. How can the dangers of military conflict and escalation be controlled as...
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Politics: Professor Ren Junfeng of Fudan University
The topic: How does American politics appear from the perspective of a Chinese scholar? How do Chinese observers process the U.S. electoral system through the prism of China’s own historical and contemporary political development? What are the most important things that Americans and Chinese…
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Journalism: Austin Ramzy of The New York Times
The topic: Journalists serve as critical intermediaries between American and Chinese societies, reporting and interpreting events for audiences in both countries. Yet China has become an increasingly difficult place for American journalists as Chinese authorities have denied visas, placed...
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Superpower rivalry: Professor Wu Xinbo of Fudan University
The topic: There's little question that China’s rising power poses new challenges for American foreign policy-makers. But to what purposes does China intend to put its newfound economic and military capabilities? Do Chinese leaders seek to overturn the basic rules and institutions of the existing...
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Diplomacy: Former U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad
The topic: Former Iowa Governor and U.S. Ambassador Terry Branstad has a history of about 40 years with China, most notably his recent service in Beijing where he led negotiations on everything from the trade war to nuclear tensions with North Korea. Branstad’s unique perspective on U.S.-China...
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Introduction to U.S.-China: Searching for Common Ground
David Skidmore and Kyle Munson outline a new podcast series intertwined with a Spring 2021 international relations course at Drake University. Click here for a complete transcript of this episode. David Skidmore is a Professor of Political Science at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he...
About this show
The transition between administrations in Washington, D.C., and the global effort to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic provide the opportunity to reassess U.S.-China relations and whether our two nations might reclaim common ground for building a more productive partnership. This podcast—a public extension of Drake University Professor David Skidmore’s Spring 2021 course on U.S.-China relations—will gather insights from diplomats, scholars, journalists, businesspeople, and others involved in the affairs of both nations. We’ll analyze sources of conflict as well as opportunities for cooperation.
Hosted by
David Skidmore and Kyle Munson
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