China In The World

As the war in Ukraine drags on, China-EU relations face mounting uncertainties. Beijing has attempted to tread a fine line between maintaining its strategic partnership with Russia, while mitigating downward pressure on relations with the European Union. China’s 12-point position paper is the latest sign of Beijing’s attempt to portray itself as a neutral party to the conflict in Ukraine. On the other hand, China’s failure to use its influence on Russia to respect the UN Charter has cast doubt in Brussels on the sincerity of Beijing’s plan. Despite their differences, China and the EU maintain common interests in promoting global trade and addressing challenges like climate change. How is Beijing’s position on the Ukraine war impacting China-EU relations? Can Brussels and Beijing cooperate on transnational issues, while managing their differences? What role can Europe play in rising U.S.-China competition?Paul spoke with Dan Baer, senior vice president for policy research and director of the Europe Program at

On this joint episode of the China in the World podcast and the Asia Chessboard, Jude Blanchette interviews Paul Haenle and two of his former White House National Security Council (NSC) colleagues, Michael Green and Faryar Shirzad, about U.S. policy toward China during the George W. Bush administration. The three experts begin by recapping economic and security ties between the United States and China at the outset of the Bush administration in 2001, discussing the administration’s China policy and the legacy of its approach to Asia more broadly. The conversation then turns to the broader implications of trends in U.S.-China economic relations, which are increasingly characterized by heightened government controls and expectations of loyalty among multinational firms. Next, they emphasize the importance of placing the U.S.-China relationship on better footing and improving communication. They observe how the Bush administration’s efforts to shape the geopolitical environment around China have borne out today

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the China in the World podcast, Carnegie China is launching a series of lookback episodes, using clips from previous interviews to put current international issues in context. For the third episode in this series, the podcast looks back on 10 years of dealing with the North Korea challenge.Developments on the Korean Peninsula have undergone major changes since the launch of the China in the World podcast. In 2011, Kim Jong-un succeeded his father, Kim Jong-il, as supreme leader of North Korea, beginning his tenure with a series of internal purges and a more assertive military posture. While the Obama administration was able to reach a moratorium agreement with North Korea on nuclear and long-range missile tests in February 2012, the agreement was quickly broken in April 2012 with an attempted space launch of the Unha-3. Between 2013 and 2016, North Korea held three nuclear tests, followed in 2017 by North Korea’s first successful test of an intercontinental ballistic mis

The ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute recently released its State of Southeast Asia 2023 Survey, which gauges the views and perceptions of Southeast Asians on geopolitical developments affecting the region over the preceding year. The 2023 survey reveals that Southeast Asia’s top preoccupations include recessionary pressures, potential military tensions, and a ‘slow and ineffective’ ASEAN. China continues to be regarded as the most influential economic and political power in the region, while the US has sharpened its edge over China in the event of a "forced choice." Japan remains Southeast Asia's most trusted major power. In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Ms. Sharon Seah, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the ASEAN Studies Centre, about the findings of the 2023 survey.Ms. Sharon Seah is a Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the ASEAN Studies Centre Coordinator and the Climate Change in Southeast Asia Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Prior

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the China in the World podcast, Carnegie China is launching a series of lookback episodes, using clips from previous interviews to put current international issues in context. For the second episode in this series, the podcast looks back on ten years of China-Russia relations, one year into the war in Ukraine.China-Russia relations have evolved significantly since the launch of the China in the World podcast. In 2014, Russia announced its annexation of Crimea, which at the time was viewed with ambivalence in China. While Beijing abstained from the UN Security Council resolution to invalidate the 2014 Crimean referendum, China simultaneously criticized the Western sanctions regime imposed on Russia. Over the course of the following 10 years, Moscow and Beijing gradually expanded their economic, diplomatic, and security exchanges to the point where, today, many view the China-Russia relationship as the strongest it has been since before the Sino-Soviet split in the 1960s.

On this joint episode of the China in the World podcast and the U.S.-China Nexus podcast, Eleanor Albert interviews Paul Haenle and two of his former National Security Council (NSC) colleagues, Dennis Wilder and Faryar Shirzad, about U.S. policy toward China during the George W. Bush administration. The three experts assess president Bush’s approach to China and the strategic perspective that guided U.S. engagement with Beijing as well as its hedging strategy against the prospect of a more ambitious China. In many respects, Haenle, Shirzad, and Wilder find that the Bush administration's economic and security initiatives served as building blocks for the United States’ current strategy in the Indo-Pacific. The conversation touches on the China section of the recently published Hand-Off: The Foreign Policy George W. Bush Passed to Barack Obama (2023), an edited volume with 30 commentaries and newly declassified transition memoranda, made public for the first time.The U.S.-China Nexus podcast: https://uschinadia

Nearly twelve months ago, Russia launched a large-scale land invasion into Ukraine, upending the post-Cold War landscape in Europe. While the United States and NATO quickly coalesced around the defense of Ukraine, many countries in Asia and the developing world have carefully balanced their relations between Russia, Ukraine, and the West. China, for its part, has straddled several competing objectives–calling for an end to hostilities in Ukraine, yet maintaining a close strategic partnership with Russia.Amid the war in Ukraine, trade between Beijing and Moscow is on the rise. Chinese and Russian diplomats maintain frequent contact. Bilateral military exercises continue unabated. Still, little evidence suggests that China is evading Western sanctions, and Chinese diplomats continue to express rhetorical support for territorial integrity in Ukraine. How is the Ukraine war impacting China-Russia relations? Are there limits to the China-Russia partnership? Will relations between Moscow and Beijing grow more or le

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the China in the World podcast, Carnegie China is launching a series of lookback episodes, using clips from previous interviews to put current international issues in context. For the first episode in this series, the podcast looks back on ten years of U.S.-China diplomacy following the postponement of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned visit to China in early 2023.The China in the World podcast has spanned three U.S. administrations and covered several historic bilateral meetings, from Obama and Xi’s summit in Sunnylands, California in June 2013 to Trump and Xi’s meeting at Mar-a-Lago in April 2017. This episode gives a glimpse into the evolution of U.S.-China relations during a pivotal decade and sheds light on what can be accomplished during high-level meetings–what went right and what went wrong during past meetings. The episode features clips from Paul Haenle’s interviews with over 20 American, Chinese, and international experts on foreign affairs: Ste

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently visited Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting resulted in 14 bilateral cooperation agreements, including over $20 billion in new investment pledges, as well as commitments to manage maritime differences in the South China Sea. In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Charmaine Misalucha-Willoughby, Associate Professor in the Department of International Studies of De La Salle University, about the Marcos-Xi meeting, China-Philippines relations in the South China Sea, and the evolution of the Philippines' approach to China across multiple administrations.Dr. Charmaine Willoughby is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Studies of De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines. Her research focuses on the Philippine’s foreign policy, ASEAN’s external relations, and major power relations in Southeast Asia. Dr. Misalucha-Willoughby joined De La Salle University in 2008. Her works include

Despite some progress on the border dispute, China and India remain at odds. Beijing’s assertiveness in the Himalayas has pushed New Delhi closer toward the United States and Europe, and there are few signs that the two Asian powers can mend their strained relationship.Though New Delhi’s ties with Washington are warming, the latter has been frustrated by the former’s refusal to join Western sanctions on Russia. And while India has further embraced the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and strengthened ties with other Asian countries, it has been reticent to fully align with Washington in several areas. Their differences notwithstanding, can China and India find common ground? Where are the limits in U.S.-India ties?Paul spoke with Vijay Gokhale, nonresident senior fellow at Carnegie India and the former foreign secretary of India, Han Hua, associate professor at Peking University and director of the Center for Arms Control and Disarmament in the university’s School of International Studies, and Ashley J. Tellis

Following the 20th Party Congress, China’s paramount leader Xi Jinping engaged in a flurry of high-level diplomatic meetings with heads of state from dozens of countries in East and Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Hoang Thi Ha, Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, about Xi’s recent diplomacy, China-ASEAN relations, U.S.-China competition in Southeast Asia, and environmental issues in the Mekong subregion. Hoang Thi Ha is a Senior Fellow and the Co-coordinator of the Regional Strategic and Political Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. Her research focuses on major powers in Southeast Asia and political-security issues in ASEAN, ASEAN human rights cooperation, ASEAN in Indo-Pacific discourse, and ASEAN’s institution building. Ms. Hoang joined the ASEAN Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam in 2004. She then moved on to work at the ASEAN Secretariat for nine years, with her la

Amid the war in Ukraine, the Biden administration has maintained focus on China and enjoyed robust bipartisan support for pursuing a tough approach to Beijing. Recent U.S. export controls on semiconductors and related chip manufacturing equipment have raised the stakes of U.S.-China competition, and many in China now feel as though the United States is seeking to slow China's rise. Beijing, for its part, is not backing down from U.S. pressure. Unprecedented military drills around Taiwan after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei roiled bilateral ties. How might the U.S. midterm elections impact Biden’s China policy? Will Beijing amend its approach toward Washington after the 20th Party Congress?One day after the U.S. midterm elections, Paul spoke with Chong Ja Ian, a nonresident scholar at Carnegie China, Yun Sun, a senior fellow and co-director of the East Asia Program and director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, and Da Wei, the director of the Center for International Strategy and S

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Evan Laksmana about U.S.-China dynamics in Southeast Asia and Southeast Asian views of U.S. foreign policy in the region. Haenle and Laksmana touch on the role of ASEAN, the Quad, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework as well as China and the United States’ competing visions of regional order.Evan Laksmana is a nonresident scholar at Carnegie China, where he examines U.S.-China dynamics in Southeast Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific. Laksmana is also a senior research fellow with the Centre on Asia and Globalisation at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He is also a nonresident scholar with the Lowy Institute for International Policy. His research focuses on military change, civil-military relations, and Southeast Asian defense and foreign policies.If you enjoy listening to the China in the World podcast, consider checking out the Carnegie Endowment’s suite of podcasts:https://carnegieendowmen

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Qi Dongtao about U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan, China’s new Taiwan White Paper, the state and trajectory of cross-Strait relations, and the implications of shifts in U.S. policy, including those related to the potential passage of the Taiwan Policy Act introduced by the U.S. Senate. Haenle and Qi also discuss Dongtao’s new article published in the Journal of Contemporary China, “Urban Chinese Support for Armed Unification with Taiwan,” that examines which groups on the mainland show stronger support for armed unification with Taiwan and what factors contribute to their support.Dr. Qi Dongtao is Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore. Qi Dongtao received his Ph.D. in sociology from Stanford University in 2009. His research interests include Taiwanese nationalism and politics, cross-Strait relations, U.S.-China-Taiwan triangular relations and Chinese nationalism. Dr

The international order is shifting. Besides COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to major crises that threaten global stability. While the European Union, the United States, and their allies and partners struggle to preserve peace in Europe, tensions are rising across the globe in the Taiwan Strait. To what degree has the world order shifted in 2022? How might the United States respond to intensifying challenges from Russia and China? How can the United States leverage the support of its allies and partners? During a live recording of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle sat down with Anja Manuel to examine ongoing challenges to the global rules-based order. This discussion is the second of Carnegie China's 2022 Distinguished Speakers Series and is available to be viewed on the Carnegie Endowment's website. https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/08/25/distinguished-speakers-series-anja-manuel-on-international-order-and-disorder-event-7922

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Anushka Wijesinha about the ongoing political and economic crisis in Sri Lanka. The discussion covers the domestic and international causes of Sri Lanka’s debt crisis, Beijing’s role in the Sri Lankan economy, and the path forward for debt restructuring negotiations between Colombo and Beijing. The two also touch on the broader impact of China’s development financing in the global south in the context of rising inflation and interest rates around the world.Anushka Wijesinha is a Sri Lankan economist and international consultant. He has worked at the World Bank, International Trade Center, ADB, and UNCTAD. Anushka is the co-founder of Centre for a Smart Future, an Asia-based think tank. He also serves on the Board of Directors of three leading financial services companies – Seylan Bank PLC, FairFirst Insurance Ltd, and HNB Finance PLC.

In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Ali Wyne about his new book, America's Great-Power Opportunity: Revitalizing U.S. Foreign Policy to Meet the Challenges of Strategic Competition. Wyne’s book examines an increasingly salient yet poorly defined feature of international politics: great power competition. The book charts the similarities and differences between the current geopolitical environment and that of the Cold War, the nuances between the challenges posed by China and Russia, the strengths and weaknesses of their strategic partnership, and the principles upon which an affirmative rather than reactive U.S. grand strategy can be based.Mr. Ali Wyne is a senior analyst with Eurasia Group's Global Macro-Geopolitics practice. Wyne is also a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a David Rockefeller fellow with the Trilateral Commission, and a security fellow with the Truman National Security Project. Wyne’s latest book is America's Great-Power Opportunity: Rev

The Strategic Importance of the Indo-PacificSpanning from East Africa to the West Coast of the United States, the Indo-Pacific is a large and complex region encompassing two oceans and countless islands and maritime powers. In this episode of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle speaks with Darshana Baruah about maritime security in Asia as well as recent developments in the Indo-Pacific. Having both recently participated in the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Paul and Darshana discuss key takeaways from Asia's premier security summit. Darshana also shares her perspectives on shifting geopolitical dynamics in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Islands as well as new trends in India’s foreign policy.Darshana M. Baruah is a fellow with the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where she leads the Indian Ocean Initiative. Her primary research focuses on maritime security in Asia and the role of the Indian Navy in a new security architecture. Darshana’s research on the Indian

Almost 18 months into his presidency, Joe Biden’s approach to Asia is coming into focus. The administration has instituted new economic, security, and diplomatic policies to bolster U.S. involvement in the Indo-Pacific, providing clues to its priorities through high-profile events such as the publication of its Indo-Pacific Strategy in February and Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s speech outlining its China policy in May. Amid an economic slowdown, the war in Ukraine, and the closely watched leadup to the Chinese Communist Party's 20th Party Congress, how would Beijing respond to the latest developments in Washington's stance toward Asia? And can Washington finally find a way to keep up with China’s growing presence in the region? During a live recording of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle sat down with Evan Medeiros, Penner Family Chair in Asian Studies and the Cling Family Senior Fellow in US-China Relations at Georgetown University, to explore the Biden administration’s approach to Asia. This

As the United States reduces its footprint in the Middle East, China is stepping up its diplomatic and economic engagement in the region. Beijing has already struck notable deals with longstanding U.S. partners such as Saudi Arabia while maintaining strong ties to Iran. How will regional countries navigate intensifying U.S.-China competition? What role will China play on economic, diplomatic, and security issues in the Middle East? And how might the United States respond to Beijing’s growing influence in the region?During a live recording of the China in the World podcast, Paul Haenle spoke with Amr Hamzawy, director of the Carnegie Middle East Program, He Wenping, professor at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Bilahari Kausikan, chairman of the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore. This panel is the fifth of the Carnegie Global Dialogue Series 2021-2022 and is available to be viewed on the Carnegie Endowment's website. http