Susan Thornton on the urgent need for diplomacy with China over the Russo-Ukraine War
Sinica Podcast
English - March 30, 2022 21:00 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MB - ★★★★★ - 545 ratingsBusiness Society & Culture china news international relations china economy china politics sichuan shenzhen shanghai politics news hangzhou Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
This week on Sinica, Kaiser is joined by Susan Thornton, former Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and a veteran diplomat. Susan makes a compelling case for the importance of diplomacy in the U.S.-China relationship — and the alarming absence of real diplomacy over the last several years. She helps interpret American and Chinese diplomatic engagements over the Russo-Ukrainian War and assesses the prospects for China actually playing a role in negotiating an end to the conflict.
3:42 – What diplomacy is really all about, and why it's so conspicuously absent
7:32 – Does it make sense for the U.S. to expect Beijing to outright condemn the invasion?
10:40 – What should the U.S. actually expect from China?
13:55 – Is China willing and able to play a meaningful role as a mediator?
17:06 – What's up with the leaks?
21:32 – Reading the readouts
28:20 – What is China's optimal endgame here?
32:06 – China's "southern strategy"
34:50 – Do upcoming U.S. midterm and presidential elections matter to Beijing?
41:29 – What are we missing when we talk about China's perspectives on the war?
A full transcript of this interview is available on SupChina.com
Recommendations:
Susan: Butter Lamp, a short film directed by Hu Wei, nominated for Best Live Action Short at the 87th Academy Awards
Kaiser: Birria Tacos. Here's a good recipe! (These should come with a doctor's warning)
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