John Pomfret’s Chinese Lessons

US-China Commission Chair Carolyn Bartholomew and Vice-Chair Alex Wong discuss the annual US-China Commission report to Congress and its recommendations.

WSJ chief China correspondent Lingling Wei joins Misha to discuss what the stakes were of the Biden-Xi summit at APEC, what it achieved, and what to look for next in US-China relations.

Admiral Sir Ben Key, First Sea Lord, talks about his life on the sea, the Royal Navy around the globe, and its growing role in the Indo-Pacific.

Larry Summers discusses why America is committed to economic interdependence with China and how to protect US interests going forward.

Admiral Linda Fagan, Commandant of the US Coast Guard talks about what Coasties do in the Asia-Pacific and around the world, their new cutters, and about leading the service.

Misha is joined by his Hoover colleague, historian Frank Dikotter, to talk about Frank's new book, China After Mao, how the West misunderstands the Party's nature, and why the idea of a liberalizing China has always been a chimera. 

Misha is joined by Alex Joske, author of Spies and Lies, to talk about China's covert foreign interference and influence campaigns, run by the Ministry of State Security.

Misha is joined by occasional co-host Cindy Yu and veteran Sinologists Rana Mitter and Jude Blanchette, to take apart the 20th Party Congress, Xi’s “running the table,” the Hu Jintao shocker, and the Party’s new era. 

Hoover Institution fellow Michael Auslin is joined by eminent strategist Sir Lawrence Freedman to talk about whether Putin will use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, how China is expanding its nuclear arsenal, the relationship between political and military leadership, and Freedman’s favorite nuclear-themed movie.

Misha is joined by former Anna Puglisi, former National Counterintelligence Officer for China, and Matt Brazil, author of Chinese Communist Espionage, to discuss just how widely and successfully Chinese spies have penetrated American business, government, and academia.