ChinaPower

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Ngor Luong joins us to discuss the rapid rise of Chinese startup Moonshot AI's Kimi K3 model, China’s open AI strategy, and the implications for U.S.-China competition. Drawing on her recent paper, Two Loops: How China's Open AI Strategy Reinforces Its Industrial Dominance, she examines China's rapidly expanding open AI ecosystem, unpacks the "two loops" framework behind China's AI development strategy, and assesses the implications of the growing global diffusion of Chinese AI models.

Ngor Luong is Senior Policy Analyst on the Technology and Innovation team at the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. She joined this podcast in her personal capacity and not on behalf of the Commission.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Kristi Govella joins us to discuss the latest developments in China-Japan relations amid rising tensions between the two countries following Prime Minister Takaichi's comments on Taiwan last November. Building on a CSIS commentary published late last year, she examines how China has increased economic, diplomatic, and military pressure on Japan, how Tokyo has responded, and what these developments reveal about the future of the relationship. The conversation also explores Japan's growing cooperation with the United States and other partners and the prospects for de-escalation.

Kristi Govella is senior adviser and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She is also associate professor of Japanese politics and international relations at the University of Oxford.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Courtney Weatherby joins us to discuss the growing crisis of scam centers in Southeast Asia. She explains how these operations function, the role of Chinese criminal networks, and their impact on the United States. The conversation explores the rise of AI-enabled scams, recent enforcement actions in Cambodia, China's selective crackdowns on scam networks, and opportunities for greater international cooperation to combat transnational cybercrime.

Courtney Weatherby is Deputy Director of the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia program.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Victor Cha joins us to discuss Xi Jinping’s recent visit to North Korea, his first in nearly seven years. He examines what the summit reveals about China’s evolving approach to North Korea, including the absence of any discussion on denuclearization. The conversation also explores North Korea’s growing leverage between China and Russia, the possibility of renewed Trump-Kim diplomacy, and the broader implications for U.S. allies in the region.

Victor Cha is President of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

In this episode of the ChinaPower Podcast, Dr. Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Dr. Evan Medeiros join us to unpack President Putin’s visit to Beijing. They discuss what the timing reveals about China’s diplomatic strategy after the Trump–Xi meeting, and how both sides used optics to serve their own interests. The conversation explores Russia’s growing dependence on China, the limits of the partnership including the stalled Power of Siberia II pipeline, and what to watch for in China-Russia security cooperation.

Andrea Kendall-Taylor is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.

Evan Medeiros is the Penner Family Chair in Asia Studies in the School of Foreign Service and the Cling Family Distinguished Fellow in U.S.-China Studies at Georgetown University.