Ambassador Dan Kritenbrink on US-China Summits and Strategy

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1. 

   1 Oct 2026 · 49 min

   China’s Global Strategy Under Xi Jinping

   In this episode of Pekingology, Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Steve Tsang, Director of the SOAS China Institute and co-author of the new book China’s Global Strategy under Xi Jinping, to discuss China’s ambitions under Xi Jinping and the ideas shaping Beijing’s approach to the world. They discuss the importance of Xi’s personal worldview in understanding Chinese foreign policy, how his consolidation of power has changed foreign policy decisionmaking, and the role of regime security, ideology, and nationalism in shaping China’s national interests. The conversation also explores…

2. 

   3 Sep 2026 · 46 min

   Kurt Campbell on China Strategy and Diplomacy

   In this episode of Pekingology, Henrietta Levin, Senior Fellow with the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies, is joined by Kurt Campbell, former Deputy Secretary of State and President Biden’s “Asia Czar.” He is currently Chairman of The Asia Group and Distinguished Fellow in Diplomacy with the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Henrietta and Kurt discuss how Beijing views American power, the development of U.S. strategy towards China, U.S.-China diplomacy and the characters that sat on the Chinese side of the table, and more. To learn more about Kurt Campbell’s perspectives on…

3. 

   20 Aug 2026 · 48 min

   China’s Struggle for Influence in Central Asia

   Founded in 2001 by China, Russia, and key Central Asian states, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) marks its 25th anniversary this year. With Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to attend the SCO Leaders' Summit in Kyrgyzstan later this month, the organization has become an increasingly important platform for advancing Beijing's vision of a multipolar international order as China's economic, political, and security influence across Central Asia continues to grow. In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Bradley Jardine, co-author of the new…

4. 

   6 Aug 2026 · 42 min

   Inside China's Dual Economy

   China is generating groundbreaking advances in electric vehicles, battery technology, applied artificial intelligence, and industrial robotics. Yet Chinese households are facing stagnant wages, consumption is weak, and public confidence in the economy appears to be declining. In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Alicia García-Herrero, a leading expert on Chinese economics, to unpack China's "dual economy." They discuss why President Xi has prioritized global technological leadership over economic opportunity at home, why many of China's most…

5. 

   23 Jul 2026 · 35 min

   Embodied AI and the Transformation of China’s Robotics Industry

   China is rapidly emerging as a global leader in robotics and embodied artificial intelligence, leveraging its manufacturing scale and deep supply chains to shape the future of automation. In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Wendy Chang, Senior Analyst at MERICS, to unpack the significant advances – and limitations – of China’s robotics sector and its embodied AI ecosystem. They discuss the politics that have driven huge amounts of capital towards innovative Chinese robotics companies, why China’s humanoid robots may not be quite as impressive as…

6. 

   9 Jul 2026 · 49 min

   Avoiding War in the South China Sea

   Ten years after an international tribunal found the vast majority of China’s claims in the South China Sea to be unlawful, the risk of conflict in this vital global throughway remains stubbornly high. This week on Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Greg Poling, Director and Senior Fellow of the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and Southeast Asia Program, for a wide-ranging discussion on China’s strategy, successes, and failures in the South China Sea. They examine the evolving nature of China’s maritime claims, why Beijing cares so much about small rocks…