Asia Insight

In this episode of NBR’s Asia Insight podcast series, Daniel Twining, Carolyn Bartholomew, and Tariq Karim examine the recent Hong Kong protests, discuss democratic trends in Asia, and analyze tensions between democratic and authoritarian forces in the region. The discussion, moderated by Michael Wills, took place at the Asia Policy Assembly on June 19.

Phillip C. Saunders and Thomas G. Mahnken examine the global ambitions of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the strategic calculation behind PLA's disruptive activities in the region in the latest episode of NBR's Asia Insight podcast series. The discussion, moderated by Abraham M. Denmark, took place at the Asia Policy Assembly on June 19.

Dan Aum, director of NBR’s Washington, D.C., Office, interviews NBR Senior Fellow Nadège Rolland and Brookings-Yale Postdoctoral Fellow in Foreign Policy Rush Doshi on the recent Belt and Road Forum. Topics discussed include takeaways from the forum, the strategic implications of BRI, forecasting China’s moves, and more.

Bios:

Rush Doshi is the Brookings-Yale Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Brookings Institution and Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center.

His research has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, the Washington Post, and the Washington Quarterly, among other publications. Dr. Doshi received his PhD from Harvard University, where he wrote his dissertation on Chinese grand strategy, and his BA from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School with a minor in East Asian Studies. He is proficient in Mandarin and Hindi.

Nadège Rolland is Senior Fellow for Political and Security Affairs at NBR.

Prior to joining NBR, Ms. Rolland was an analyst and senior adviser on Asian and Chinese strategic issues to the French Ministry of Defense (1994–2014) and a research analyst for the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) (2007–8).

She is the author of the book China’s Eurasian Century? Political and Strategic Implications of the Belt and Road Initiative (2017). Her articles have appeared in various publications, including the Washington Quarterly, Foreign Policy, the Diplomat, the Asan Open Forum, the Lowy Institute Interpreter, and Strategic Asia, and her comments have been published by the Wall Street Journal, Libération, Les Echos, the Indian National Interest, Radio Free Asia, and BBC World Service.

Ms. Rolland is a graduate of the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (MSc Chinese Language and Contemporary Chinese Studies, 1994) and RSIS (MSc Strategic Studies, 2007).

Timestamp:

Q1 [1:56] What major changes took place between the first BRI Forum in 2017 and the recent forum in April 2019?

Q2 [3:28] What were Xi’s key objectives for the 2019 forum?

Q3 [4:49] Were the message and tone different this time around?

Q4 [7:03] What are your key takeaways from the 2019 forum?

Q5 [10:58] The challenges associated with being a recipient country of BRI projects are well known. Yet countries continue to sign up for BRI projects. Why?

Q6 [13:48] Are BRI projects meeting universal standards of quality? Why?

Q7 [18:58] How is China expanding its people, assets, and values abroad?

Q8 [21:57] How is China using financial tools to support BRI, and what are the broader strategic ambitions at play?

Q9 [24:33] How is China seeking to reshape the international financial architecture?

Q10 [28:12] What triggered China’s desire to create a new set of international messaging and financing systems?

Q11 [30:08] We’ve seen several phases of BRI. What phase are we in now? What will happen next?

Q12 [34:27] As China increases its emphasis on soft power, should we expect a de-emphasis in the more tactile areas like infrastructure?

Q13 [35:19] What are the vulnerabilities facing BRI?

Q14 [40:20] Is China applying its soft power approach to the United States?

Q15 [41:56] How should the United States respond to China on any of the key fronts we’ve discussed?

Q16 [45:45] Is there anything about BRI that is obvious to you that other people still don’t appreciate?

Q17 [48:53] What grade would you give Xi on the recalibration of BRI?

About Asia Insight

The NBR podcast series Asia Insight features interviews with top Asia experts about key issues affecting the Indo-Pacific region, with a focus on implications for U.S. policy and businesses. Subscribe to Asia Insight on Apple Podcasts and let us know what you think of the podcast on Twitter.

Media Contact: Dan Aum, [email protected] or (202) 347-9767.

Asia Insight theme music is by Laura Schwartz of Bellwether Bayou.

This podcast was co-edited by Dan Lee and Matt Ropeik at NBR.

In this episode, we interview the co-editors of NBR's Strategic Asia series. This year's volume explores China's strategic ambitions and its implications for the Indo-Pacific. 

In this informative and wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Ashley J. Tellis, Alison Szalwinski, and Michael Wills discuss how China seeks to reshape the international system to serve its strategic aims and present policy options for the United States and its partners to address the challenges posed by a rising China.

Please join us for future discussions and let us know what you think of the podcast on Twitter (@NBRNews) or via email at [email protected]

We were excited to host NBR’s president Richard J. Ellings this week to discuss some of the upcoming challenges and opportunities the United States faces in the Indo-Pacific region. In addition to his role at NBR, he is an Affiliate Professor in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington.

In this wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Ellings forecasts some of the critical issues U.S. policymakers and businesses will likely have to manage in the Indo-Pacific: China’s Belt and Road Initiative, growing China-Russia cooperation, and the trigger points in the South China Sea. He also provides a number of recommendations to policymakers, including a replacement for the TPP, engagement through regional alliances and institutions, and what he considers the best option for dealing with North Korea.

Please join us for future discussions and let us know what you think of the podcast on Twitter (@NBRNews) or via email at [email protected]

In this episode, we interview ADM Jonathan Greenert about maritime strategy in the Indo-Pacific.

ADM Greenert holds the John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies at NBR. He is a career naval officer, having served for 40 years in the U.S. Navy, culminating in his appointment as the 30th Chief of Naval Operations from 2011 to 2015. He is a recipient of various personal and campaign awards, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Vice Admiral Stockdale Award for inspirational leadership.

His recent publication, Tenets of a Regional Defense Strategy: Considerations for the Indo-Pacific, is available for free download from the NBR website.

The Indo-Pacific at present is a hotspot of political turmoil and territorial disputes. Discovering solutions for these issues requires critical strategic planning and innovation. Fresh from hosting a panel event of international Navy Chiefs, ADM Greenert provides valuable insights to address the dynamic challenges in the maritime commons. In this wide-ranging conversation, he discusses the diverse complexities of the Indo-Pacific and explores possible avenues for U.S. policy.

We hope you enjoy this episode of Asia Insight!  

In this episode, we interview Jonathan Elkind (Columbia University, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy) and Clara Gillispie (NBR) about U.S. energy policy in Asia. Elkind and Gillispie discuss the role of energy in the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy, how countries in the region are responding, what U.S.-China trade tensions have to do with energy, and what they’d like to see from the Trump administration’s policies in the future.

2:30 How did your interest in energy policy begin?

4:50 What is the U.S. energy policy towards Asia?

8:49 Can you separate energy policy from broader policy toward Asia?

10:15 How do Japan and South Korea fit into our energy policy?

12:30 What are the primary concerns from other countries in the region? How have they been reacting to U.S. policy?

15:33 What is the future of U.S.-Russia relations on energy?

18:40 What are the prospects for a Russia-Japan energy pipeline?

20:12 How are U.S.-China tensions on trade affecting energy policy?

• References the report, “A Natural Gas Giant Awakens: China’s Quest for Blue Skies Shapes Global Markets”

27:55 How is the energy industry handling uncertainty in U.S. policy?

35:50 What have you seen in the Trump administration’s approach to investing in emerging energy technology?

40:20 What do you wish the administration would consider as it formulates energy policy?

43:58 What is the most promising energy source for the future and why?

45:00 What book on energy would you recommend to an Asia generalist?

• Richard Rhodes, Energy: A Human History
• Varun Sivaram, Taming the Sun: Innovations to Harness Solar Energy and Power the Planet
• Meghan O’Sullivan, Windfall: How the New Energy Abundance Upends Global Politics and Strengthens America's Power

In this episode, we interview Dr. Nicholas Eberstadt about the historic Singapore Summit on June 12 between President Donald Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un. Dr. Eberstadt discusses his key takeaways from the summit, what the summit means for U.S. allies and other stakeholders in the region, and what he’d like to see from the Trump administration moving forward.

This episode presents a discussion of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), described by our guest as Xi Jinping’s “organizing foreign policy concept.” That guest is Nadège Rolland, Senior Fellow for Political and Security Affairs at NBR. Nadège walks us through the significance of BRI, what it means for the region, and how U.S. officials and businesses should respond to the initiative.

Please join us for future discussions and let us know what you think of the podcast on Twitter (@nbrnews) or via email at [email protected].

Listen as Strategic Asia editors Ashley Tellis (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) and Michael Wills (NBR) discuss the newest volume in the series, Strategic Asia 2017–18: Power, Ideas, and Military Strategy in the Asia-Pacific.