Historian Paul Pickowicz interviews acclaimed author John Pomfret about patterns in the long history of US-China relations, and how it informs the controversies in the current moment of Sino-American relations ranging from the impact of Chinese students on US universities, Xi Jinping’s end to presidential term limits, and trade and business relations.

Dr. Paul Pickowicz is one of the country’s leading historians of modern China with 15 books engaging across disciplines that investigated the impact of the Cultural Revolution on Chinese peasants, the history of Chinese cinema, Cold War propaganda strategies and Chinese soft-power initiatives.

John Pomfret is an award-winning journalist with The Washington Post and is currently a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Beijing. He is the author of the acclaimed book, Chinese Lessons, and has won several awards for his coverage of Asia, including the Osborne Elliot Prize. He holds degrees from Stanford University and was one of the first American students to study at Nanjing University.

This episode was recorded at UC San Diego

Host & Editor: Samuel Tsoi
Production Support: Mike Fausner
Music: Dave Liang/Shanghai Restoration Project
Illustration: Daniel Haskett

Get the future of podcasts.