Best Sinica Podcasts (2026)

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Eric Olander: After the Maduro Capture — Assessing China's Real Exposure in Venezuela 1:10:07

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3d ago1:10:07

1:10:07

This week on Sinica, in a joint episode with the China-Global South Podcast, I speak with Eric Olander, host of the China Global South Podcast and founder/editor-in-chief of the China-Global South Project. In the early hours of January 3rd, U.S. forces carried out a coordinated operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolá…

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Michael Brenes and Van Jackson on Why U.S.-China Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy 1:02:45

9d ago1:02:45

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This week on Sinica, recorded at Yale University, I speak with Michael Brenes and Van Jackson, coauthors of The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy. Their argument is that framing the U.S.-China relationship as geopolitical rivalry has become more than just a foreign policy orientation — it's a domestic …

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Paul Triolo on Nvidia H200s, Chinese EUV Breakthroughs, and the Collapse of the Sullivan Doctrine 1:24:50

16d ago1:24:50

1:24:50

Happy holidays from Sinica! This week, I speak with Paul Triolo, Senior Vice President for China and Technology Policy Lead at DGA Albright Stonebridge Group and nonresident honorary senior fellow on technology at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis. On December 8th, Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that he would ap…

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Mark Sidel on China's Oversight of Foreign NGOs: Eight Years of the Overseas NGO Law 1:04:28

25d ago1:04:28

1:04:28

This week on Sinica, I speak with Mark Sidel, the Doyle Bascom Professor of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a senior fellow at the International Center for Not for Profit Law. Mark has written extensively on law and philanthropy in China and across Asia, including widely cited analyses of how the Chinese security s…

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Guest Host Iza Ding with Deborah Seligsohn: Inside COP30 in Belem, Brazil, and China's Climate Leadership 2:05:54

1M ago2:05:54

2:05:54

This week on Sinica, I'm delighted to have Iza Ding as guest host. Iza is a professor of political science at Northwestern University and a good friend whose work on Chinese governance I greatly admire. She's joined by Deborah Seligsohn, who has been a favorite guest on this show many times. Deb is an associate professor of political science at Vil…

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Murder House: Zhong Na on the Silicon Valley Tragedy That Exposed the Cracks in China's Meritocracy 49:58

1M ago49:58

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This week on Sinica, I speak with Zhong Na, a novelist and essayist whose new piece, "Murder House," appears in the inaugural issue of Equator — a striking new magazine devoted to longform writing that crosses borders, disciplines, and cultures. In January 2024, a young couple, both Tsinghua-educated Google engineers living in a $2.5 million Silico…

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Finbarr Bermingham of the SCMP on Nexperia, Export Controls, and Europe's Impossible Position 51:01

2M ago51:01

51:01

This week on Sinica, I welcome back Finbarr Bermingham, the Brussels-based Europe correspondent for the South China Morning Post, about the Nexperia dispute — one of the most revealing episodes in the global contest over semiconductor supply chains. Nexperia, a Dutch-headquartered chipmaker owned by Shanghai-listed Wingtech, became the subject of e…

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Caixin Deep Dive: Chinese Local Governments Risk Replicating Mistakes of LGFVs 5:00

2M ago5:00

5:00

Culture-and-tourism investment companies emerge as a new financing channel for localities, but diverted funds and undistinctive projects leave many operating like LGFVs and facing the same financial pressures. Note: The conversation segment of this episode was generated using AI and has been edited for accuracy. It is based on this Caixin story: In…

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Caixin Deep Dive: Chinese Firms Face Shifting Global IPO Landscape 12:09

2M ago12:09

12:09

Tighter rules proposed by the Nasdaq are expected to send some would-be issuers searching for more welcoming markets in London or Hong Kong. Note: The conversation segment of this episode was generated using AI and has been edited for accuracy. It is based on this Caixin story: In Depth: Chinese Firms Face Shifting Global IPO Landscape Subscribe no…

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We Were Right: Kaiser and Jeremy Reunite to Riff on the China Vibe Shift 54:07

2M ago54:07

54:07

This week on Sinica, I welcome back Jeremy Goldkorn, co-founder of the show and my longtime co-host, to revisit the "vibe shift" we first discussed back in February. Seven months on, what we sensed then has fully borne out — there's been a measurable softening in American attitudes toward China, reflected not just in polling data but in media cover…

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Lizzi Lee on Involution, Overcapacity, and China's Economic Model 1:24:51

2M ago1:24:51

1:24:51

This week on Sinica, I chat with Lizzi Lee, a fellow on the Chinese economy at the Asia Society Policy Institute and one of the sharpest China analysts working today. We dig into the 4th Plenary Session of the 20th Party Congress and what it reveals about China's evolving growth model — particularly the much-discussed but often misunderstood push a…

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Foreign Affairs Editor Daniel Kurtz-Phelan on Shifting Views of China 1:05:08

2M ago1:05:08

1:05:08

This week on Sinica, I chat with Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, editor of Foreign Affairs, about how the journal has both shaped and reflected American discourse on China during a period of dramatic shifts in the relationship. We discuss his deliberate editorial choices to include heterodox voices, the changing nature of the supposed "consensus" on China pol…

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The View from Behind Xi Jinping's Desk, with Jonathan Czin 1:19:43

3M ago1:19:43

1:19:43

This week on the Sinica Podcast, I speak with Jonathan Czin, the Michael H. Armacost Chair in Foreign Policy Studies and a fellow at the Brookings Institution’s John L. Thornton China Center. His new essay in Foreign Affairs, “China Against China: Xi Jinping Confronts the Downsides of Success,” challenges the dominant Western narrative of Xi Jinpin…

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Caixin Deep Dive: Why Singapore Sovereign Fund Sues Chinese EV-Maker Nio 6:46

3M ago6:46

6:46

Nio shares slump in Singapore and Hong Kong after a Caixin report detailing GIC allegations. Note: The conversation segment of this episode was generated using AI and has been edited for accuracy. It is based on this Caixin story: In Depth: Why Singapore Sovereign Fund Sues Chinese EV-Maker Nio Subscribe now to unlock all coverage from Caixin Globa…

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Caixin Deep Dive: Visa-Free Travel, U.S. Tariffs Drive Chinese Companies to Malaysia 7:41

3M ago7:41

7:41

Chinese investment is reshaping Malaysia, from booming flights to factory floors, as trade shifts and visa-free travel deepen business ties between Beijing and Kuala Lumpur. Note: The conversation segment of this episode was generated using AI and has been edited for accuracy. It is based on this Caixin story: In Depth: Visa-Free Travel, U.S. Tarif…

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The Symbolism of the Flying Tigers: Peking University's Wang Dong on the American Volunteer Group and its Historical and Diplomatic Usages 38:57

3M ago38:57

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This week on Sinica, I chat with Peking University's Professor Wang Dong (王栋), an international relations scholar at the School of International Studies at Peking University, where he also serves as Deputy Director and Executive Director of the Office for Humanities and Social Sciences and the Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding. Pro…

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Jasmine Sun on Silicon Valley through a Chinese Mirror 1:11:18

4M ago1:11:18

1:11:18

This week on Sinica, co-host Tianyu Fang makes his debut on the show to join me in interviewing his Stanford classmate and talented writer Jasmine Sun, who studies the anthropology of disruption. This summer, she took a trip to China with a group of friends with different levels of China experience, from people raised in the country to total novice…

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Yascha Mounk on China and Western Liberalism 1:22:03

4M ago1:22:03

1:22:03

This week on the Sinica Podcast, I chat with well-known author and public intellectual Yascha Mounk about his recent fascination with China, his approach to learning about the country and learning Chinese, and his thoughts on how China fits into the current crisis of Western liberal democracy. 7:15 – Yascha’s experience of living in China and learn…

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Caixin Deep Dive: Former Securities Regulator Yi Huiman's Corruption Probe 6:59

4M ago6:59

6:59

While Yi was ICBC chairman, his son introduced a $4.5 billion CICC fund deal to the state-owned bank, sources tell Caixin. Note: The conversation segment of this episode was generated using AI and has been edited for accuracy. It is based on this Caixin story: Exclusive: Ex-CSRC Chief Yi Huiman Faces Corruption Probe Likely Linked to ICBC Subscribe…

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What Did the September 3 Parade Mean? 1:43:11

4M ago1:43:11

1:43:11

This week on Sinica, I speak first with retired Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, a frequent commentator on Chinese military and security affairs and a prolific writer now at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, and with Rana Mitter of the Harvard Kennedy School and author of Forgotten Ally, a book about World War II in …

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What Does China Want? The Authors of a New Paper Challenge the DC Consensus 1:29:32

4M ago1:29:32

1:29:32

This week on Sinica, I chat with Dave Kang (USC), Zenobia Chan (Georgetown), and Jackie Wong (American University in Sharjah, UAE) about their new paper in International Security titled "What Does China Want?" The paper, which has generated quite a bit of controversy, takes a data-driven approach to examine the claim that China seeks global hegemon…

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Caixin Deep Dive: How China's Crypto Ban Makes Disposing of Seized Assets a Lot Harder 12:15

4M ago12:15

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The ban leaves a legal void, complicating efforts by authorities to dispose of seized digital assets from crimes. Note: The conversation segment of this episode was generated using AI and has been edited for accuracy. It is based on this Caixin story: In Depth: How China's Crypto Ban Makes Disposing of Seized Assets a Lot Harder Subscribe now to un…

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Caixin Deep Dive: China's Inclusive Finance Success Leaves Banks Burdened 8:00

5M ago8:00

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China's inclusive finance has expanded rapidly under government push, but banks are caught in a bind — balancing policy goals with mounting risks. Note: The conversation segment of this episode was generated using AI and has been edited for accuracy. It is based on this Caixin story: In Depth: China's Inclusive Finance Success Leaves Banks Burdened…

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Trump's India Tariff Tirade: A Gift to Beijing? With Evan Feigenbaum 1:03:36

5M ago1:03:36

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This week on the Sinica Podcast, I welcome back Evan Feigenbaum, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Evan served for many years as a State Department official, was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asia among his numerous positions in government, and was instrumental in buil…

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The Engineering State and the Lawyerly Society: Dan Wang on his new book "Breakneck" 1:32:43

5M ago1:32:43

1:32:43

This week on Sinica, I'm delighted to be joined by Dan Wang, formerly of Gavekal Dragonomics and the Paul Tsai Law Center at Yale University, now with the Hoover Institute's History Lab. Dan's new book is Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, and it's already one of the year's most talked-about books. In this conversation, we go beyond w…