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by Center for Strategic and International Studies
China is one of the 21st century’s most consequential nations, and it has never been more important to understand how the country is governed. Pekingology is the podcast that unpacks Chinese politics, the inner workings of the Communist Party, and how China's domestic and foreign policy will impact the world. Pekingology is hosted by Henrietta Levin, Senior Fellow with the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS. It is produced by Gina Kim.
Latest Episodes
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- 2 weeks ago48 min
How China's Economic Miracle Shattered
In this episode of Pekingology, Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Logan Wright, author of the new book Broken China: How the Economic Miracle Shattered and What it Means for the World. Logan argues the Chinese economy is already shrinking, in large part due to its overextended financial system. Logan and Henrietta discuss what happens when the tools on which Beijing relies to control the economy stop working, why China's stalling economy is causing problems for its trading partners, and how Chinese financial policy may be fueling organized crime around the world.
- 4 weeks ago49 min
China’s Global Strategy Under Xi Jinping
In this episode of Pekingology, Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Steve Tsang, Director of the SOAS China Institute and co-author of the new book China’s Global Strategy under Xi Jinping, to discuss China’s ambitions under Xi Jinping and the ideas shaping Beijing’s approach to the world. They discuss the importance of Xi’s personal worldview in understanding Chinese foreign policy, how his consolidation of power has changed foreign policy decisionmaking, and the role of regime security, ideology, and nationalism in shaping China’s national interests. The conversation also explores why China’s vision for a new international order is inherently global, how the Global South concept has become central to China’s broader ideological ambitions and engagement with the world, and how Xi’s recent focus on economic and technological power supports China’s pursuit of global preeminence.
- Sep 17, 202655 min
Ambassador Dan Kritenbrink on US-China Summits and Strategy
In this episode of Pekingology, Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Ambassador Daniel Kritenbrink, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, and Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council, to discuss U.S.-China diplomacy and the upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Drawing on decades of experience engaging with senior Chinese officials, including Xi Jinping, Kritenbrink reflects on Xi’s leadership style and China’s increasingly confident approach to the United States and the international system. He discusses the role of leader-level diplomacy in managing U.S.-China competition, lessons he learned from preparing for Xi’s 2015 state visit to Washington, and what effective communication between Washington and Beijing looks like behind closed doors. They also examine what to expect from the Trump-Xi summit, the prospects for maintaining what Kritenbrink describes as a “fragile truce” between the two countries, and the economic, technological, and security issues that will continue to test U.S.-China relations.
- Sep 3, 202645 min
Kurt Campbell on China Strategy and Diplomacy
In this episode of Pekingology, Henrietta Levin, Senior Fellow with the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies, is joined by Kurt Campbell, former Deputy Secretary of State and President Biden’s “Asia Czar.” He is currently Chairman of The Asia Group and Distinguished Fellow in Diplomacy with the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Henrietta and Kurt discuss how Beijing views American power, the development of U.S. strategy towards China, U.S.-China diplomacy and the characters that sat on the Chinese side of the table, and more. To learn more about Kurt Campbell’s perspectives on China, you can read his April 2025 Foreign Affairs article, co-authored with Rush Doshi, Underestimating China: Why America Needs a New Strategy of Allied Scale to Offset Beijing’s Enduring Advantages, and his 2016 book, The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia.
- Aug 20, 202648 min
China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia
Founded in 2001 by China, Russia, and key Central Asian states, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) marks its 25th anniversary this year. With Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to attend the SCO Leaders' Summit in Kyrgyzstan later this month, the organization has become an increasingly important platform for advancing Beijing's vision of a multipolar international order as China's economic, political, and security influence across Central Asia continues to grow. In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Bradley Jardine, co-author of the new book, Backlash: China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia. Henrietta and Bradley unpack China's goals for the upcoming SCO summit, as well as China's long history in Central Asia. They discuss Beijing's use of Silk Road narratives to frame its contemporary engagement with Central Asia, Chinese leaders' top priorities in the region - from border security, to energy resilience, to construction of an increasingly Sinocentric regional architecture - how Central Asian governments quietly manage tensions over repression in Xinjiang, and whether the "debt diplomacy" narrative holds up. They also explore the collision of Chinese and Russian interests in Central Asia, and how the SCO became a leading component of the new international order China is working to build.
- Aug 6, 202641 min
Inside China's Dual Economy
China is generating groundbreaking advances in electric vehicles, battery technology, applied artificial intelligence, and industrial robotics. Yet Chinese households are facing stagnant wages, consumption is weak, and public confidence in the economy appears to be declining. In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Alicia García-Herrero, a leading expert on Chinese economics, to unpack China's "dual economy." They discuss why President Xi has prioritized global technological leadership over economic opportunity at home, why many of China's most successful companies struggle to turn a profit, and whether rapid AI adoption will boost growth or imperil social stability. To learn more, read Alicia García-Herrero's recent article in China Leadership Monitor, "China's Dual Economy: When Strategic Ambition Hollows Out the Foundation."
- Jul 23, 202634 min
Embodied AI and the Transformation of China’s Robotics Industry
China is rapidly emerging as a global leader in robotics and embodied artificial intelligence, leveraging its manufacturing scale and deep supply chains to shape the future of automation. In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Wendy Chang, Senior Analyst at MERICS, to unpack the significant advances – and limitations – of China’s robotics sector and its embodied AI ecosystem. They discuss the politics that have driven huge amounts of capital towards innovative Chinese robotics companies, why China’s humanoid robots may not be quite as impressive as they initially appear, and the global implications of China's robotics ambitions. To learn more about China's embodied AI strategy, you can read the new MERICS report from Wendy Chang, Rebecca Arcesati, and Altynay Junusova: Embodied AI: China's Ambitious Path to Transform Its Robotics Industry.
- Jul 9, 202649 min
Avoiding War in the South China Sea
Ten years after an international tribunal found the vast majority of China’s claims in the South China Sea to be unlawful, the risk of conflict in this vital global throughway remains stubbornly high. This week on Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Greg Poling, Director and Senior Fellow of the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and Southeast Asia Program, for a wide-ranging discussion on China’s strategy, successes, and failures in the South China Sea. They examine the evolving nature of China’s maritime claims, why Beijing cares so much about small rocks in the middle of the ocean, and why the South China Sea has become a major flashpoint in U.S.-China relations. To learn more about the South China Sea, you can read Greg’s book On Dangerous Ground: America’s Century in the South China Sea. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/on-dangerous-ground-9780197633984
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About Pekingology
China is one of the 21st century’s most consequential nations, and it has never been more important to understand how the country is governed. Pekingology is the podcast that unpacks Chinese politics, the inner workings of the Communist Party, and how China's domestic and foreign policy will impact the world. Pekingology is hosted by Henrietta Levin, Senior Fellow with the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS. It is produced by Gina Kim.
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