Broken Engagement
Our series of interviews with top U.S. policy makers of the last 30 years has revealed how and why the American approach towards China has morphed from seeking closer ties to a desire for estrangement.
Articles
Robert O’Brien on America’s Greatest Foreign Policy Failure Since the 1930s
The former national security advisor discusses the possibility of bombing Taiwanese chip fabs in any conflict, the fallout from January 6th and how a second Trump administration would approach China.
Rahm Emanuel on Seeing China as a Strategic Adversary
The U.S. ambassador to Japan talks about China’s threat to the Philippines and other nations, shoring up America’s alliances in the Indo Pacific, and why he likes to send tweets trolling Beijing.
Gary Locke on Family and Trade Ties with China
The former Commerce Secretary and ambassador to China talks about how his background shaped his approach to dealing with Beijing, the pivot to Asia and negotiating Chen Guangcheng's release.
Jay Shambaugh on Getting China to Change Course
The Treasury’s top international official gives an inside-the-room account of the latest talks between Treasury Secretary Yellen and the Chinese leadership, including the U.S.’s efforts to get Beijing to address overcapacity and economic imbalances, how the two countries would deal with any future financial crisis,...
Sarah Bianchi on Setting the Trade Agenda
The recently departed deputy U.S. trade representative discusses why the U.S. needs to be on high alert when dealing with China, and how the Biden administration's approach has differed from its predecessor.
Nancy Pelosi on Fighting the Fight over China
The former Speaker of the House talks about her long involvement with Chinese issues, why she visited Taiwan and how ‘big money’ interests have dominated the U.S.’s approach to China.
Jason Matheny on Tech, National Security and China
The chief executive of Rand Corp talks about semiconductors, AI and the future of Chinese investment in the U.S..
Michael Rogers on China’s Cyber Threat
The head of U.S. Cyber Command under Presidents Obama and Trump on why it's been difficult to change China's behavior and the need for a new strategy on cyber.
Back on Track?
Could a recent flurry of "track-two" activity be a sign that relations between Beijing and Washington are stabilizing? Informal meetings on critical topics like AI arms control and military-to-military communications have picked up recently, and both U.S. officials and the track-two participants say the impact...
Robert Gates on the Military’s Relationship with China
The former Defense Secretary under George W. Bush and Barack Obama talks about Xi Jinping's relations with the PLA, Taiwan and how the U.S. should deal with China and Russia.
Mike Froman on the China Trade Question
The Obama-era U.S. Trade Representative discusses the U.S.'s need to figure out what it wants from China economically, the problem with tariffs and his regrets over TPP.