The US-China Podcast

Over $6 trillion of trade flows through 8 chokepoints in the South China Sea, with at least 50% going through the Taiwan and Malacca Straits alone. The United States, China, and other countries heavily rely on these maritime routes to import and export crucial goods. As the Strait of Hormuz crisis continues to unfold, countries across the globe are now looking at the South China Sea as the next potential economic chokepoint. What are the United States and China doing to ensure stable and safe access through maritime passages in the South China Sea?  Brian Hart joined us on October 16, 2026, to share how crucial maritime chokepoints are to the global economy and what the United States and China are doing to upkeep or undermine international shipping stability.  In July 2026, Brian co-authored a CSIS brief on chokepoints in the South China Sea, read the full report here. Read his full bio and watch the video here.

In November 2025, during an unscripted exchange in the Japanese Diet, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that a hypothetical Chinese attack on U.S. forces defending Taiwan could constitute a survival-threatening situation for Japan. The remark set off the sharpest downturn in relations between Tokyo and Beijing in years. China responded with a broad pressure campaign, including a travel advisory, suspended seafood imports, restrictions on rare earth and dual-use exports, and measures against Japanese firms, alongside renewed accusations of Japanese militarism. Nearly a year later, the two governments remain at an impasse with Beijing maintaining that relations will not fundamentally improve until Takaichi retracts her remarks. The dispute has exposed vulnerabilities in supply chains that Japan and the United States share, reinforced Japan's commitment to reducing its economic dependence on China, and raised questions in Tokyo about U.S. support at a time when Washington is seeking to stabilize its own relationship with Beijing.  In an interview conducted on September 15, 2026, Indiana University's Adam Liff and the University of Montana's Kristin Vekasi join Georgetown University's Evan Medeiros, NCUSCR board member and Public Intellectuals Program fellow, to discuss what Prime Minister Takaichi actually said about Taiwan, how Beijing has used economic pressure in response, and what the rift means for the United States.  About the speakers

Discussions of U.S.-China competition in artificial intelligence (AI) tend to focus on chips, but AI also runs on electricity, and here the two countries diverge sharply. China generates roughly twice as much electricity as the United States, and its capacity continues to grow rapidly. The United States leads in AI laboratories and chip technology, but interconnection backlogs and equipment shortages limit how quickly its grid can expand, even as electricity demand from data centers is projected to more than double by 2030.  In an interview conducted on October 23, 2026, Baruch College's Gang He and Johns Hopkins SAIS's Jeremy Wallace join the Asia Society Policy Institute's Kate Logan to discuss what grid capacity means for AI development in both countries, how China's "East Data, West Computing" strategy is reshaping where data centers draw their power, and what is at stake for electricity costs, emissions, and grid reliability.  About the speakers

In July 2026, a bipartisan delegation of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), led by Chair Randall Schriver and Vice Chair Mike Kuiken, traveled to China for the first time since 2019. The delegation met with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, and the People's Liberation Army in Beijing, then traveled to Hangzhou and Shanghai. Along the way, commissioners visited Zhejiang University, a wearable technology company, and a biotechnology research and testing facility, and met with American business leaders and diplomats.    Congress established the USCC in 2000 with the mission of examining the economic and security dimensions of the U.S.-China relationship. Its twelve commissioners, appointed by the leadership of both parties in the House and Senate, deliver an annual report to Congress with policy recommendations, a number of which have impacted China-related legislation..   In an interview conducted on October 5, 2026, USCC Chair Randall Schriver and Vice Chair Mike Kuiken join NCUSCR President Stephen Orlins to discuss their impressions from the trip, including China's growing confidence in its global role, the widespread diffusion of electric vehicles and solar power, and China's emergence as an innovator in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, along with the policy questions that raises for the United States.  About the speakers  

The pool of top AI talent is limited, but they play a crucial role in building this transformational technology. More than half of the world's top AI researchers come from China, but not all of them stay there. In 2022, 46% of top global AI talent was working in the United States and 27% in China, but by 2025 that changed to 34% in the United States and 41% in China. What can the United States do to attract and keep top AI researchers?  Damien Ma joined us on October 15, 2026 to explain the importance of people in the U.S.-China AI competition.  Click here to watch the video and learn more about the speaker.

Over the past year, China-related products, aesthetics, and digital content have gained traction in the United States, from Chinese New Year marketing campaigns and consumer brands to memes, shopping apps, tourism videos, and C-dramas. This growing visibility marks a notable shift from the intense Sinophobia that peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid heightened geopolitical tensions.  On August 5, 2026, Rebecca Fannin and Shaoyu Yuan discussed with Michael Berry whether these cultural influences can significantly reshape how Americans understand and relate to China.  About the program: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/a-cool-cute-china-chinese-cultural-influence-in-the-united-states/ 

China's center-local relationship is one of the clearest signals of where the country is headed. Beijing sets broad, nationwide goals while provinces, cities, and counties decide how to carry them out. Drawing on cases from high-speed rail, the electric vehicle industry, and population policy, this conversation examines how local governments bargain to advance projects they favor while resisting objectives they do not. On September 16, 2026, Samantha Vortherms and Xiao Ma discuss how the central government governs from the top through tools such as cadre rotation and inspection teams, and why some localities move faster than others. They also ask who bears the cost when leaders move on, leaving debts and unfinished projects behind. The balance between the center and localities is shifting under Xi Jinping, raising the question of what this means for China's future development.  Click here to lean more about the speakers.  

By 2025, China had twice as many college students as the United States, four times as many STEM graduates, and double the number of STEM Ph.D.'s. In Higher Education in China, Gerard A. Postiglione examines the world's largest state-directed higher education system within the complex interplay of China's social, economic, and geopolitical ambitions.   Dr. Postiglione describes the tension between domestic imperatives and global aspirations. As China aims to cultivate a world-class higher education system by 2035, it faces three formidable challenges: graduate employment, equitable access, and governance reform. How do both elite Chinese research institutions and rapidly expanding second- and third-tier colleges navigate these pressures amid a shifting landscape shaped by urban-rural inequality, labor market demands, and technological disruption?   In an interview conducted on August 20, 2026, Dr. Gerard Postiglione joins Margot Landman to discuss how China's evolving academic system may influence its long-term trajectory and, perhaps, the global order of knowledge and innovation.  About the program: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/higher-education-in-china-domestic-demands-and-global-aspirations/  

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday life in China, shaping how people learn, work, communicate, and interact with technology. How are these experiences shaped by generation, geography, and access to digital technology? This conversation will explore AI's impact across Chinese society, from education and digital literacy to the future of work and workforce adaptation.  On September 29, 2026, Silvia Lindtner and Selina Xu join Louise Matsakis to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping everyday life, education, and society in China as well as how China's approach to AI regulation compares with developments in the United States. Click here to learn more about the speakers.

For decades, China's rapid economic rise has drawn Western businesses eager to tap its vast market — but that bilateral trade relationship is now under severe strain. Escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing are threatening global commerce and forcing businesses to fundamentally rethink their China strategies.  In this conversation, National Committee President Steve Orlins interviews Ker Gibbs, former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai during the Obama, first Trump, and Biden administrations, about his new book, The Fragile Dragon: Trade, Trump, and China's Vulnerabilities. Drawing on unparalleled access to leaders on both sides of the Pacific, Gibbs examines why U.S.-China tensions have reached a breaking point and what it means for global stability. He also offers practical guidance for businesses navigating the narrow corridor between what China wants and what the United States will allow — and how to structure for resilience as the relationship grows increasingly fragile.  About the speaker