Sinica Podcast

530
Politics #183

A weekly discussion of current affairs in China with journalists, writers, academics, policymakers, business people and anyone with something compelling to say about the country that's reshaping the world. Hosted by Kaiser Kuo.

Recent Episodes
  • Industrial Policy, "Overcapacity," and U.S.-China Trade: A Conversation with Cambridge's Jostein Hauge
    Jun 10, 2025 – 01:08:02
  • Seeking the Next DeepSeek: the Chinese Generative AI Algorithm Registry, with Kendra Schaefer
    Jun 4, 2025 – 01:03:57
  • Bonus Ep: Rubio's Visa Revocations, with Jeremy Goldkorn [Explicit]
    May 29, 2025 – 00:49:42
  • Ukraine, China, and the Emerging Geopolitics of Resource Security
    May 22, 2025 – 01:28:57
  • House of Huawei: Eva Dou of the Washington Post on Her New "Secret History" of Huawei
    May 21, 2025 – 01:08:40
  • NEW! China Talking Points Ep. 1: Trade Truce, J-10C Dogfight, and What Comes Next
    May 15, 2025 – 01:04:49
  • China's DeepSeek Moment — a talk given April 17 2025 at Carnegie Mellon
    May 14, 2025 – 00:30:45
  • Broken Engagement: Veteran China reporter Bob Davis on his new collection of interviews
    May 7, 2025 – 01:15:47
  • The EU-China Relationship in the Age of Trumpian Disruption, with Finbarr Bermingham of the SCMP
    Apr 29, 2025 – 01:06:46
  • Live at Pitt: CMU's Benno Weiner on the Evolution of China's Minzu Policy
    Apr 23, 2025 – 00:52:07
  • Sinica Live at Columbia University, with Yawei Liu and Yukon Huang
    Apr 17, 2025 – 00:58:15
  • Life, Love, and Loss in China: Hazza Harding's story of resilience
    Apr 3, 2025 – 01:19:20
  • Is China Gaining Ground in Technology Diffusion? A Conversation with Jeffrey Ding
    Mar 27, 2025 – 00:45:52
  • Evolutionary Psychology and International Relations, with Jeremy Garlick
    Mar 21, 2025 – 01:26:24
  • Live in Berkeley: Jessica Chen Weiss and Ryan Hass on the U.S. and China in 2025
    Mar 12, 2025 – 01:02:08
  • Introducing the Trivium Podcast, now on the Sinica Network
    Mar 6, 2025 – 01:18:29
  • Studying China in the Absence of Access: Rediscovering a Lost Art — Part 2, with Alice Miller and Joseph Fewsmith
    Feb 27, 2025 – 01:23:23
  • China’s Strategy in Global Power Transitions: Challenges in a Turbulent World — A panel discussion
    Feb 24, 2025 – 01:10:01
  • The War for Chinese Talent in America, with David Zweig
    Feb 23, 2025 – 01:14:00
  • Getting China Right: Senator Andy Kim at the Hopkins SAIS Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs
    Feb 14, 2025 – 01:10:16
  • Back to the 80s: For Trump, is China the New Japan? with Andy Liu
    Feb 13, 2025 – 01:05:14
  • Is the U.S. Experiencing a Narrative Shift on China?
    Feb 3, 2025 – 01:02:12
  • The State of China, with Adam Tooze, Qing Wang, and Zichen Wang — Moderated by Finbarr Bermingham of SCMP
    Jan 30, 2025 – 00:48:49
  • New Podcast Series – "Studying China in the Absence of Access: Rediscovering a Lost Art" from Johns Hopkins SAIS
    Jan 23, 2025 – 01:15:23
  • Xiaohongshu's "TikTok Refugees," with Ivy Yang and David Fishman
    Jan 19, 2025 – 01:03:52
  • Lizzi Lee on China's Economy and the Trump Presidency
    Jan 16, 2025 – 01:20:52
  • Inside Shen Yun and the Epoch Times, with NYT's Nicole Hong and Michael Rothfeld
    Jan 9, 2025 – 01:08:09
  • Under Pressure: Michael Cerny and Rory Truex on China Discourse in the U.S. Foreign Policy Community
    Jan 2, 2025 – 01:06:13
  • Australia, China, and the Economics-Security Nexus with Amy King of ANU
    Dec 19, 2024 – 01:21:57
  • China's EV Explosion, with Ilaria Mazzocco of CSIS
    Dec 12, 2024 – 01:14:17
  • Jane Hayward of King's College on Teaching China through YouTube
    Dec 5, 2024 – 00:50:39
  • U.S.-China Crisis Management and Crisis Prevention, with Michael Swaine
    Nov 21, 2024 – 01:16:36
  • Granta's Chinese Literature Issue: A Chat with Editor Thomas Meaney
    Nov 14, 2024 – 01:09:23
  • Decoupling, De-risking, and the Great U.S.-China Disconnect, with Supply Chain Expert Cameron Johnson
    Nov 7, 2024 – 01:01:48
  • Tsinghua's Da Wei: New Survey Research on Chinese Perceptions of Security
    Oct 31, 2024 – 00:58:39
  • Xinhua's Liu Yang and Jiang Jiang of "Got China" Get Western Journalism
    Oct 24, 2024 – 00:55:15
  • Veteran China Ad Man Bryce Whitwam on China's Livestreaming e-Commerce Market
    Oct 17, 2024 – 00:57:51
  • Retrofitting Leninism and Re-examining Hawkishness in China with Dimitar Gueorguiev
    Oct 10, 2024 – 01:11:31
  • Criticism and Conscience: A Conversation with David Moser
    Oct 4, 2024 – 01:20:57
  • The Case Against the China Consensus, with Jessica Chen Weiss of SAIS
    Sep 26, 2024 – 00:52:58
  • Space Debris: How Can the U.S. and China Avoid the Tragedy of the Commons, with Nainika Sudheendra
    Sep 19, 2024 – 00:47:02
  • Priority Pluralism: Rethinking Universal Values in U.S.-China Relations
    Sep 16, 2024 – 00:39:06
  • The Chinese Game Industry’s Journey to the West — Rui Ma and Rob Wynne on the Success of Black Myth: Wukong
    Sep 12, 2024 – 00:58:40
  • The Tragedy of Old School Beijing Hip-Hop with Olivia Fu
    Sep 7, 2024 – 01:02:56
  • Does Beijing Really Want Trump?
    Aug 28, 2024 – 00:16:25
  • The Swifts of Beijing, with Terry Townshend of Birding Beijing
    Aug 15, 2024 – 00:58:00
  • Bonus: A Free-Range Father in a Tiger Mom World — Reflections on Chinese and American Education
    Aug 14, 2024 – 00:13:26
  • China's Response to U.S. Semiconductor Export Controls, with Paul Triolo and Kevin Xu
    Aug 8, 2024 – 01:35:08
  • Eric Olander on China in the Global South
    Aug 1, 2024 – 01:03:57
  • A Letter from Beijing
    Jul 25, 2024 – 00:34:05
Recent Reviews
  • plee83
    Thoughtful and wide ranging
    Have so appreciated this podcast and the range of perspectives and issues it covers. Kaiser is a thoughtful, warm host, and seems to draw out the best of his guests. He navigates the complexities of modern China and its place in the world with nuance, without falling into the trap of binaristic moralizing that dominates mainstream discourse. Thankful for his and these voices.
  • MLakeor
    One of the more balanced long-form podcasts on China
    Pleasantly surprised to stumble upon this podcast. While the host certainly has unique insight to the topics, he’s also a gracious host to provide a platform for a wide range of guests. Definitely recommend if you are tired of the “conventional wisdom” about China.
  • LarryLyndon1726
    A Strange and Sad Decline
    The recent episode with Benno Weiner on China’s minzu policy was shocking. I have been a listener for many years, and I greatly appreciated Kaiser’s ability to speak from different perspectives, even when I disagreed. This episode changed that. I was horrified by how Kaiser defended the suppression of minority cultures and languages with half-baked whataboutisms and straw man arguments. I am glad that Benno eloquently rebutted these points, not that this is difficult. It was just embarrassing. It made me seriously wonder what has happened—this is deeply strange and far beneath the level of discussion I had grown to love. I won’t be listening anymore.
  • Cpatel05
    Keep it up!
    Great podcast and a host!
  • Billywhitty
    Amazing host, insightful guests.
    Long time listener, Kaiser is a brilliant man and an excellent host. He is always well prepared for every interview and asks very thoughtful questions. He interrupts guests less than he used to, which is great. I would give the show five stars, however there was a time when the intro of the show was “we cover China with neither fear nor favor.” It feels to me in recent months Kaiser and the guests he invites on are rarely critical of China (besides Mr. Hessler). Kaiser is constantly going on about how we need to have more “cognitive empathy” for the Chinese people and government. He seldom brings on guests and discusses with them how they could potentially have more “cognitive empathy” for the west.
  • Bloxk
    Good but needs to beware of political partiality
    Great material but the hosts need to steer clear of partisan politics to avoid diluted analysis.
  • Slanebrain
    Incomparable!
    Depth, breadth, insight, earnest and honest intensity. THANKS and as Don Francisco says “Que Sigue!”
  • NewFanOfStoics
    Biased?
    I would like to give both Kaiser and Adam benefit of the doubt, and say they are calling a spade a spade. However, their discussion puts 100% blame on US for the current state of U.S. - China relations. An alien listening to this Podcast without any prior knowledge would go home thinking US is the big bad bully and China is an innocent child worthy of the World’s protection.
  • bloemen!
    great Sinica lives on
    Sinica has been part of my life for the last decade. It has educated me on the complexity of Chinese history, culture and society that informed my time living in Beijing and since back in Africa. Kaiser Kuo’s passion for building bridges between China and US is so valuable in our world of diminishing trust, nuance and common humanity. May the show and the power of dialogue and conversation continue to grow.
  • Plasticlain
    The best conversations on China
    I love the perspectives on this show - it manages to stay accessible while still going really deep beyond media headlines. The experts really know what they’re talking about and provide much needed nuance.
  • Listner No.1
    Just the right combination of breath and depth
    By far the best current events China podcast for English speaking audiences.
  • ColoradoNugget
    Kaiser’s Pod is the Best One on China!
    I’ve been listening to Sinica for several years, mostly while taking long walks in my neighborhood. Kaiser Kuo makes the time sail by with thought-provoking discussions and interviews with a wide variety of guests who are true experts on China and U.S.-China relations. He approaches China “without fear or favor”, as he said in his intros. This podcast will enhance the understanding of the Middle Kingdom for anyone who takes the time to listen weekly.
  • Crystalash
    Interesting topics, meh host
    Nice podcast that provide some much needed non-American centric views with regards to foreign affairs, if not all that in depth. However, the host could use some training in interviewing and speaking. Too much mumbling and rambling with a proclivity to cut off the guests at random that disrupts the flow of the main argument and goes in some trivia weeds, while always raise his voice to override others’ interjections. Would be much better if he takes into consider that these are not merely lively conversations between him and the guests, but also shows to be listened to an audience.
  • amortuga
    Hong Kong one country 2 system
    Hong Kong S.A.R. China one country 2 system and it’s engagement in East West tussle, rather than where East meets West. The November elections and the anticipated escalating of anti China rhetoric.
  • SHGuy212
    Thanks for your dedication
    Have been listening to you guys since I first moved to China over a decade ago and thrilled to see you’re keeping it going now. Best China podcast there ever was. Thanks for the education. All the best.
  • Patme996
    Glad you’re back
    Great news to hear about your return after what was feared to be a permanent hiatus. As someone who’s lived in Chengdu since 2010, you’ve been an invaluable resource to help me build a clearer picture of the society in which I live. I’m feeling relieved. Thanks!
  • smokewitz
    Robert Daly Episode is Required Listening
    Long time listener of Sinica / SupChina…Kaiser and Jeremy are my jam and are beloved by Zhongguo tongs and heady expats who respect their incredibly knowledgeable and thought provoking perspectives on China. Of all my years listening, the episode with Robert Daly was one of Kaiser’s finest yet. Keep up the great work Sinica team and I hope to come to a live event soon!
  • jonm19383
    Doesn’t even try to be even handed
    This show doesn’t try to give a critical, even-handed view of events. Very pro China. I remember he had a guest on that write a critical report(“US Taiwan relations in new era”)of the us foreign policy(nothing wrong that). He asked the guest to give their overall view of who was at fault for tensions. Before letting the guest speak he prompted him to discuss America’s faults and not china’s. It was not enough for the host to bring on a critical voice(again nothing wrong that), he had to make absolutely sure the guest gave the pro china answer he wanted to hear! This bias accounts for the rating. It would a good show if the host tried to bring balanced takes but he doesn’t.
  • Helladankfire
    A1 content and presentation
    Love this podcast. It has a unique feel due to they way Kaiser segments his work. We get to hear from compelling guests who are experts and Kaiser is always on top of the subject and is able to ask great questions which allow listeners to glean even more insight to matters. Highly recommend for China news
  • David in SoPo
    Still the best China podcast
    They still offer the best mix of the social scientific, the high cultural, and the humanistic when it comes to China podcasts.
  • athirkell
    Can China Create a Smart City?
    The recent Sinica podcast episode on Xiong’an, China’s designer city, fascinated me. Although China probably won’t produce the flying cars we had all hoped for after watching the The Jetsons, a TV show beloved by Boomer kids, maybe China can build a low pollution, high tech city where traffic jams are unknown and everything works. Of course, it will also be a high-surveillance city. Will this project come to fruition? Will people want to live there? Will Western democracies want to copy some of the Chinese urban planning successes? Will the Star Fleet academy be located in Xiong’an? Lots to think about here.
  • Traveler at large
    Well researched, lively considered professional presentation
    As someonecwho has specialized in East Asia and lived in China, this is one of my favorite podcasts for considered and intelligent conversation on relevant matters to China and the surrounding region. Sincerely recommend for anyone sho wants to better understand the what and why of events and flows in and around the PRC.
  • elpcreek326566swdw
    Guests Quality
    Enjoyed most of the guests on the show with few exceptions - the few with extreme views who, IMHO, doesn’t fit the show’s mantra that promotes nuanced discussions on China. Those who stands out are current U.S. or Chinese government officials and hacks such as Kishore Mahbubani. With these guests biased view towards U.S. or China, and for their selfish reasons, they contribute little to the mostly interesting academic style discussions on this show.
  • robin1042
    Strangers in China
    The Sinica Podcast is always great—highly informative and even-sided. Right now, it’s presenting “Strangers in China”—highly riveting!
  • A Less Confused Listener
    Excellent
    Thoughtful; in depth; knowledgeable …extremely important. Everyone should follow this and make use of it to try to understand our relationship with China and China’s relationship with us. A must listen.
  • JackBootThug
    An excellent podcast.
    I really appreciate the discussions by knowledgable guests that don’t feel compelled to drop sound bites for ratings or votes. Great job Kaiser.
  • StanP55
    Awesome pod
    Just discovered. Great job with Evan.
  • enelsonpa
    Expert Debrief of Pelosi Visit to Taiwan
    A must-listen de-brief on Pelosi’s visit. Kaiser and Jeremy give a balanced view of Taiwan’s latest international crisis from the US, Taiwan, and CCP points of view. One insight regarding the CC Party is that over recent years the internationalists are gone or were not promoted. So, there are fewer constrained people to balance out the hot-blooded wolf warriors.
  • Dhjdjdjdjfjfkfk
    Excellent!!
    Must listen for people interested in understanding China deeply. If you just listen to the mainstream american political discourse about China, you have no idea how much you are missing.
  • gilbertboys
    The real deal.
    Not much fluff, a lot of substance and the host is consistently on point.
  • Codybroken
    Top notch
    Host is brilliant and has a wonderful rich voice Excellent guests and I’m a metal head myself
  • Howie Beale
    Stop Simp-ing.
    Kaiser Guo, more like SIMP Guo. What happened to this guy? What is it with these neo-liberal think tankish podcast and organizations like the National Committee on US China Relations in their constant assumption China will do the right thing and come together with the global community? Besides that, this show is good. My favorite are the Rana Mitter episodes.
  • Jedermann 55
    balanced and intelligent
    This podcast is balanced and intelligent. Kaiser does an excellent job hosting it. If you are a china-hugger or a china-slugger, you probably won't like it. If you are looking for deeper sophisticated analysis, this is the place.
  • Derek Dees
    Critical information, critical analysis, primary resource heavy
    As our two societies continue to tussle, there’s never been a better time to get more informed about China. Sinica’s coverage is committed to China watching “without fear or favor” and features a deep list of knowledgeable guests each week. Having been China-involved for a number of years and now not being able to visit China on business trips, Sinica’s (indeed SupChina’s) content really helps me to keep current with primary source information. I hope also that Sinica/SupChina can grow into a more prominent position in media America, such that Americans can become better informed about the enormous, fascinating topic of China! **pro-tip - don’t be afraid to read up on a guest’s most recent or pertinent paper when Kaiser prompts you to do so.
  • Ani G
    Great for a novice, too.
    I’m new to learning about China and this podcast has been key for me. It is informative without being didactic, represents many angles and makes me smarter without first making me feel stupid. It’s provided me with suggested reading and other sources that are enriching my quest to become more “Sinoliterate”. Thank you for for evident careful thought that goes into these hours.
  • Leonickx
    Surprise
    At last, a deeply informed, nuanced, subtle and sophisticated look at China. An outstanding show that is constantly surprising: it forces us to think about China—and the world—in new ways. It reveals China’s complexities and contradictions in unexpected ways.
  • Dondee-Don
    The Tiger Leading the Dragon
    Absolutely excellent podcast providing exceptional detail on the Taiwan/Mainland economic and political relationship as well as amazing info on the peculiarities of Taiwan and Foxconn. Full of humorous moments which make it even better. Brilliant stuff by both speakers.
  • Peter Lorentzen, Economist
    The granddad of China podcasts
    This is the Granddad of English-language podcasts, and still essential.
  • tamlers mistress
    China numba wan
    Kaiser should just stop interviewing people and solo every episode lol — dude is as insightful and knowledgeable as they come. All jokes aside, great podcast for anyone interesting in *actually* understanding something about China.
  • bluesand900287
    Much needed voice
    This is a show with well balanced view on China. One that is very rare these days, but much needed in the current debate of this very complicated topic.
  • NCR Veteran Ranger
    CCP apologists
    Gave a listen as it was recommended by a friend.
  • Fuzzy Socks
    The Western lies on XinJiang
    In light of “discovering” thousands of children’s remnants in the Catholic schools, one can’t help but draw conclusion to the origin of lies concerning forced labor and genocide in XinJiang.
  • Long time in China
    Loved the podcast on ‘Beethoven in Beijing’
    Thank you for this wonderful podcast. Can’t wait to see this documentary and to see some concerts in Beijing
  • lrhhrl
    Needs more Jeremy
    This one varies week to week. Some are worth it, others are easy to delete. Usually Kaiser’s solo interviews are not worth it. Jeremy adds something different since Kaiser has clear and obvious jaded views that he does not hide. Much better when it’s a multi-party discussion.
  • Anonymous11.88
    Good content, cheap microphone or poor mastering
    I listened to the 2nd most recent episode today and the host sounds muffled or far away and the music is dubbed too loud to hear clearly. It can be very difficult to make out what they’re saying.
  • sllimaraik
    The host interrupt guest repeatedly
    The guests are always well informed and present really interesting & nuanced perspectives. Very insightful. BUT the hosts are obnoxious. Both repeatedly interrupt and/or talk over guest. If you want to do the talking, perhaps don’t do interviews. Also, the intro music is too loud. It’s not pleasant at all.
  • Derivatives Trader
    Fantastic China focused policy content
    I love this podcast. Anyone who is interested in foreign policy / China / geopolitics needs to listen! Really smart hosts / guests who understand China talking about important issues!
  • Ghoast_of_ZhaoZiyang1989
    Kaiser Kuo is a CCP Apologist
    Kaiser Kuo is an apologist for the Communist Party for the following reasons. Firstly, he tends to promote a theme that we should have empathy for the Chinese people based on their brutal history of imperialism and self inflicted wounds, which I think many people can agree with at first glance, even myself. However, implicit in this claim is if you advocate human rights for the Chinese people, regardless of your political orientation, you do not have empathy for them and are engaging in cultural imperialism. On the contrary, promoting democratization and human rights for China is a fundamental aspect of having empathy for the Chinese people, especially because it’s what most of them want. According a survey conducted by prominent sinologists called ‘How East Asians View Democracy’, 72.3 percent of the Chinese public polled said they believed that democracy is "desirable for our country now," and 67 percent said that democracy is "suitable for our country now.” And, even for those Chinese who oppose democratization, it would be ridiculous not to attempt to persuade them otherwise because it would improve their quality of life, especially in regards to labor rights. In regards to “cultural imperialism”, it’s not like McDonalds and Cocacola warships parked off the coast of Canton and started another Opium War. It was Deng Xiaoping et. al.’s decision to open up China and expose their population to new ideas the developed world had to offer. It is apologetic to ignore the aforementioned points because it legitimizes the horrible things the Communist Party does against the better interests of their populace. Secondly, on his associated Facebook page, he routinely allows the political views of many indoctrinated mainland Chinese and their sympathizers to take precedence over anyone who promotes human rights. It’s ok with him if a mainland Chinese person advocates that the South China Sea belongs to China. However, those who argue for democratization and human rights are barraged with condescending remarks about not having empathy and engaging in cultural imperialism. They are often not given space to fully argue their point and are gaslighted and cursed at. Thirdly, in direct conversations with Kaiser, he has claimed that well documented human rights abuses happening in Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, and on the mainland are hyperbole in western media, along with how China is constantly threatening Taiwan with military invasion. He has also mentioned that the Communist Party’s degradation of Hong Kong’s One Country, Two Systems policy does not matter to him. This perspective is bewildering considering it’s nearly impossible to get accurate news about these topics in mainland China, with outside sources being the only option. How someone could not care about Hong Kong being absorbed into the mainland is unsettling. Finally, underlying every one of the aforementioned points is a degree of racism towards those who are non Han-Chinese and especially white. Used within the context of Kaiser et. al., the term “cultural imperialism” implies an action that only white westerners do under the guise of democratization. Apparently, the multiple times China imperialized its neighbors throughout history, the tributary system, the annexation of periphery regions, threatening Taiwan with invasion, building islands in the South China Sea, and concentration camps in Xinjiang do not count. The concept that a white person may have a compelling argument for why China should democratize and have human rights does not seem conceivable them. Kaiser has never experienced China as someone who is not ethnically Chinese, so he has never felt the the full burden of institutional racism taking place against non Han-Chinese under the regime, thus limiting his perspective. In conclusion, Kaiser should realize that promoting human rights for China is a fundamental aspect of having empathy for the Chinese people and to ignore this is being apologetic for the CCP. He should realize that the company he keeps is a reflection of who he is and, so far, it’s not good company if human rights is what he truly values. He should also develop his media literacy skills. I hope his racism will end. I say this as someone who worked and lived in developing mainland China for almost ten years, has Chinese family, is literate in the Chinese language, is well educated in the social sciences, is a secular anti-imperialist democratic socialist, and identify in part as Chinese.
  • longrun26.2
    Excellent, informative podcast
    This is an excellent, highly informative, balanced, and very entertaining podcast on contemporary China. Absolutely worth listening to for anybody interested in contemporary Chinese society, politics, economics, and foreign affairs.
  • Zpundit
    Disappointed
    the first episode of Mary Kay Magistad's brand new podcast, On China's New Silk Road, is disappointing. Mary Kay resorted to the tired cliches and politically correct narratives such as “china debt traps”, “one million” Uyghur, with no back up data and evidence. She quoted exclusively people who support her narratives. Very disappointed
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork on this page are property of the podcast owner, and not endorsed by UP.audio.