Suggested Pre-Workshop Readings

Below are some articles and books that may give you a feeling of what has recently been happening in China before coming to the Workshop:

Podcasts:

Trump and Xi Jinping: What lies ahead?

Kaiser Kuo

Professor Yasheng Huang, author John Pomfret, and investment strategist Andy Rothman discuss the America-China relationship under the Trump admininstration, speaking on topics from Trump’s appeal to Chinese voters to predictions for Trump’s influence on global trade.

China’s Asian power play: Tom Miller on the future of Belt and Road

Kaiser Kuo

Tom Miller, senior Asia analyst and managing editor at Gavekal Research, discusses his new book, China’s Asian Dream: Empire Building Along the New Silk Road. Miller combines policy analysis with his on-the-ground reporting from over a dozen countries to better understand China’s most ambitious foreign policy: Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative.

Articles:

In Urban China, Cash Is Rapidly Becoming Obsolete

Paul Mozur

This article illustrates the ubiquity of smartphone payment options in China, primarily Alipay and WeChat, and the effects of this change on the Chinese, and soon perhaps Western, way of life.

Farming the World: China’s Epic Race to Avoid a Food Crisis

Bloomberg News

This article explores China’s efforts to increase food production in the face of an increasing population, food safety scandals, and changing daily diets.

C100 Survey Reveals Hopes and Concerns of American and Chinese People for U.S.-China Relations

Committee of 100

This article summarizes the significant findings in the “2016 US China Public Perceptions Survey” (below), specifically focusing on areas of mutual agreement and common concern between US and China.

2016 US China Public Perceptions Survey Analysis

Committee of 100

This survey aims to analyze American attitudes on various China-related socio-political issues, hoping to idenitfy “the most salient domestic issues in U.S.-China relations.” Accompanying graphs, charts, and visuals display the responses of a representative sample of the US population.

Books:

China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know

Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom

Professor Wasserstrom provides cogent answers to the most urgent questions regarding the newest superpower and offers a framework for understanding its meteoric rise, covering everything from Confucius and Mao to internet censoriship and what to expect in China’s future.

China’s Millennials: The Want Generation

Eric Fish

Mr. Fish profiles youth from around the country and how they are navigating the education system, the workplace, divisive social issues, and a resurgence in activism. Based on interviews with scholars, journalists, and hundreds of young Chinese, his engrossing book challenges the idea that today’s youth have been pacified by material comforts and nationalism.