ChinaPower

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.

In this second episode of a two-part series on China and biotechnology, Caitlin Frazer joins the ChinaPower Podcast to take a deeper dive into recommendations for how the United States can maintain its leadership in biotechnology as China expands its capabilities in the field. The conversation explores the rising importance of biological data, the intersection of AI and biotechnology, the possibilities of biotech for military logistics, and the growing national security implications the United States.

Caitlin Frazer is Executive Director of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology.

For Part I: https://chinapower.csis.org/podcasts/part-i-biotechnology-in-u-s-china-competition/

For the full report: https://www.biotech.senate.gov/final-report/chapters/

In this first episode of a two-part series on China and biotechnology, Senator Todd Young joins the ChinaPower Podcast to discuss why biotechnology is emerging as a critical area of competition between the United States and China. The conversation examines China's biotechnology strategy, U.S. strengths and vulnerabilities, and the opportunities biotechnology presents for economic growth, manufacturing, and national security.

Senator Todd Young represents Indiana in the U.S. Senate and serves as Chair of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology.