ChinaTalk

Is a nuclear arms race inevitable? China has been building up its nuclear arsenal over the past few years. While it remains significantly smaller than the US and Russia’s, what does this mean for geopolitics against the backdrop of US-China tensions and the Russian invasion of Ukraine?Tong Zhao (@zhaot2005) is a fellow at the Carnegie Center in Beijing who focuses on China’s nuclear program. Co-hosting is Schwarzmann Scholar Raven Witherspoon.We also discussWhy China sees NATO as the aggressor and Russia as the victimWhy policy experts’ lack of technical literacy is a big problemHow China understands nuclear deterrenceChina’s argument for Putin being a rational actorWhether there is any hopeOutro music: 七里香 Remix (original version by Jay Chou) by MACOVASEAS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVvpgNG0giMChinaTalk is on Substack! See, share, subscribe: https://chinatalk.substack.comAlso now on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXOtILmQEo3pL_1bJfUOFWwAnd please consider supporting ChinaTalk on Patreon so we can eat more Haidilao before the world ends: https://www.patreon.com/ChinaTalk

CSIS' Bonny Lin joins to discuss how Beijing is responding to the war in Ukraine, potential future paths for Chinese policy, whether the IC could pull the same intelligence coups in Beijing as they did in Moscow, how the PLA may adapt to lessons from in theater, and what Biden should do if Putin drops a tactical nuclear weapon.This show was recorded on March 31st.Bonny's testimony on Beijing and the war in Ukraine https://docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA05/20220330/114573/HHRG-117-FA05-Wstate-LinB-20220330.pdfCheck out Bonny's piece on military blunders https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR768.htmlSubscribe to the ChinaTalk feed! https://chinatalk.substack.com/And consider supporting the show at https://patreon.com/chinatalk

Taipei-based DJ and New Bloom editor Brian Hioe (@brianhioe) takes us on a tour of the local indie music scene and explains what some of last year’s top tunes can tell us about Taiwanese politics and culture, from the influence of indigenous communities to attitudes towards China.We also discussEarning a living making music in Taiwan v ChinaBrian’s twitter fights with tankie rappersTaiwan’s indie music dating appHow Wang Leehom’s divorce drama overshadowed a national referendumSong links"拍謝少年 Sorry Youth - 歹勢中年 Sorry No YouthTALACOWA - CollageABAO阿爆（阿仍仍)【tjakudain 無奈】 feat. 李英宏 aka Dj DidilongSonia Calico - Mukbang Roller無妄合作社 No-nonsense Collective - 平靜的告別 Quiet Farewell鍾翔宇 Xiangyu - 流言蜚語 Rumors and SlandersRainbow Chan - StanleyOutro Music: The Moon Represents My Heart by Teresa Teng https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk3VQoAKMUICHECK OUT THE CHINATALK SUBSTACK! https://chinatalk.substack.comSupport us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ChinaTalk