ChinaPower

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Neil Thomas and Dr. Joseph Torigian join us to discuss the outcomes of China's recent Fifth Plenum. The conversation examines what happened at the plenum, notable personnel developments including the near absence of military officials, Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign, and how to interpret the meeting's significance. The episode also explores the plenum's implications for U.S.-China relations and what to watch for ahead of the 21st Party Congress.

Neil Thomas is a Senior Fellow for Chinese Politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis.

Joseph Torigian is Provost Associate Professor at the School of International Service at American University and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

In this episode, Dhruva Jaishankar and Tanvi Madan join the ChinaPower Podcast to discuss the current state of China-India relations and whether recent developments signal a thaw between the two countries. The conversation examines the drivers behind renewed engagement, lingering economic and security tensions, the implications for India's ties with the United States and the Quad, and whether the current thaw is tactical or will endure.

Dhruva Jaishankar is Executive Director of the Observer Research Foundation America.

Tanvi Madan is a senior fellow in the Center for Asia Policy Studies in the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution.

In this episode, Mona Yacoubian joins Bonny Lin to discuss the current state of the war in Iran, the economic ramifications of the war, and Beijing's evolving relationship with Tehran. The conversation explores China's "stealth support" for Iran and the extent of Beijing's influence over Tehran as well as whether China is using that leverage to help bring the conflict to an end.

Mona Yacoubian is director and senior adviser of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

This episode was recorded on the afternoon of Monday, October 5, 2026.

In this episode, Demetri Sevastopulo and Xiangwei Wang join the ChinaPower Podcast to discuss the current state of U.S.-China relations and what to watch for at the Trump-Xi summit in Washington, D.C. Demetri provides the inside scoop as one of very few people to interview US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent after his meeting with Chinese vice-premier He Lifeng ahead of the summit. Xiangwei provides his expert take on Xi Jinping's thinking as former editor-in-chief for the South China Morning Post. They examine efforts to stabilize U.S.-China relations and assess how issues ranging from AI and trade to Taiwan and Iran could shape the leaders' discussions and the future trajectory of the relationship.

Demetri Sevastopulo is a U.S.-China correspondent at Financial Times.

Xiangwei Wang is a senior visiting scholar at Harvard and former editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post.

Note: This episode was recorded on September 22, 2026, prior to the Trump-Xi summit.

In this episode, Dr. Da Wei joins the ChinaPower Podcast to preview this month's Trump-Xi summit in Washington, D.C., and to discuss China's expectations for the meeting. He examines how Beijing views the current trajectory of U.S.-China relations, why he believes the relationship may be entering a more stable phase, and how economic and technology competition, Taiwan, and the war in Iran could shape the leaders' discussions.

Da Wei is Director of the Center for International Security and Strategy and Professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University in China.