Advertise on podcast: The US-China Podcast

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

Clinical trials are an essential part of developing new medicines and treatments. In recent years, China has become an increasingly important center for clinical research and drug development.  On September 22, 2026, Dr. Amy Abernethy, cofounder of Highlander Health and former principal deputy commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Dr. Ruby Wang of LINTRIS discussed the differences between U.S. and Chinese approaches to clinical trials, including the tradeoffs between speed, safety, and research quality. How is China's growing role in drug development changing the global pharmaceutical landscape? Might the United States and China work together on clinical research?  This conversation builds on discussions at the National Committee's 2026 U.S.-China Track II Dialogue on Healthcare, held in Hangzhou, during which American and Chinese experts shared thoughts on the accelerating pace of biomedical innovation in China and opportunities to maintain cooperation in healthcare despite tensions in the bilateral relationship.  Click here to learn more about the speakers.

Chinese public opinion is often overlooked in discussions of U.S.-China competition, yet it shapes how Beijing defines threats, prioritizes interests, and calibrates its foreign policy. As tensions span trade, technology, Taiwan, and regional security, understanding how Chinese citizens view these issues offers critical insight into both domestic constraints and external behavior.  In this interview recorded on March 31, 2026, Nick Zeller, Renard Sexton, and Yawei Liu discuss findings from China Pulse, a joint survey project by The Carter Center and Emory University. They examine Chinese attitudes toward the United States as a security threat, expectations around the trade conflict, views on Taiwan, and perspectives on China's role in key regional relationships, and what these trends reveal about the trajectory of U.S.-China relations.  About the speakers

At the beginning of the current decade, views of China were near historic lows in many countries. Recently, however, positive opinions of China have become more widespread, as measured in a recent Pew Research Center survey, and more people now have confidence in Chinese President Xi Jinping to do the right thing regarding world affairs. Still, in most of the 37 countries surveyed, and particularly in some of the wealthier ones, views of Xi remain more negative than positive. Views of China are also more positive in Latin America, Africa and parts of South and Southeast Asia than in wealthier European and East Asian countries. Anxieties about China persist, including concerns about its government's respect for personal freedoms, the possibility of territorial conflict with its neighbors, and interference in the affairs of other countries.  In an interview conducted on August 7, 2026, Pew Research Center Associate Director Laura Silver joins Steve Orlins to discuss changes in global perceptions of China over the past few years.  About the speaker

The strategic landscape of the Korean Peninsula is shifting. President Trump's recent reduction in military exercises with Seoul and his olive branch to Pyongyang raise new questions regarding the future of the U.S.-South Korea alliance, especially as North Korea deepens its military partnership with Russia. Meanwhile, denuclearization, previously a common goal of Washington and Beijing, grows increasingly uncertain as the two countries' priorities diverge. This conversation examines whether the United States and China still share a policy toward North Korea, how changes in Pyongyang's foreign policy are reshaping the region, and what a transforming U.S.-South Korea alliance means for Seoul.   On August 25, 2026, Jonathan Corrado of the Korea Society spoke with Victor Cha and Susan Thornton to discuss the U.S. and China's diverging policies toward North Korea and who will manage the next crisis on the Korean Peninsula.  About the program: https://www.ncuscr.org/event/do-the-us-and-china-still-share-a-north-korea-policy/

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a major military campaign against Iran, resulting in the assassination of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The campaign triggered a rapidly evolving crisis across the Middle East, disrupting energy markets, closing Gulf airspace and waterways, and sending geopolitical and diplomatic shockwaves through the region, including casting uncertainty over the anticipated Trump-Xi summit at the end of March.  In an event recorded on March 9, 2026, Yun Sun and Gedaliah Afterman, in conversation with Lincoln Hines, unpack how the Iran war is testing China's relationships across the Middle East, what Beijing's response reveals about the limits of its regional influence, and what a fundamentally reshaped Middle East, potentially including a post-Islamic Republic Iran, means for the broader trajectory of U.S.-China relations.  About the speakers

How did an American teacher turn $5,000 into 50,000 trees in China, changing a desert into a forrest? Ron Sakolsky joined us on September 8, 2026, to share his story.

From territorial disputes over uninhabited islands to the threat of military action in the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea is a tense environment. Japan, China, and the United States have strong economic and security interests in the region, positioning it to be a major geopolitical flashpoint if conflict breaks out. As politics in the area are further complicated by Russia-China military collaboration and dynamics on the Korean Peninsula, the need for open channels of communication to mitigate risk remains important. How can Japan, China, and the United States manage tensions in the East China Sea?  Sheila Smith joined us on August 7, 2026 to explain factors behind tension in the East China Sea and what Japan, China, and the United States can do to manage the situation peacefully.  Learn more about the speaker and watch the video here.

Trade between the EU and China account for almost 30% of global trade and 35% of global GDP, but the balance and structure of their trade relationship has changed in recent years. As China's exports moved up the value chain, the goods it sent to Europe started competing with products already manufactured in Europe, creating tension. However, it's difficult for the EU to confront and change its economic relationship with China since  individual European nations feel trade frictions differently and economic relations with the United States are also under pressure. How will the EU move forward with China and the United States?  Agatha Kratz joined us on August 20, 2026 to share how the EU-China trade relationship is evolving and where it's headed.  Click here to learn more about the speaker and watch the video.