The China Project

The once lifeless BRICS bloc got a big boost of energy this week with the addition of six new members including two additional African states...

Something different this week on Sinica: A selection of “This Week in China’s History” columns by James Carter, all narrated by Kaiser with a little...

A French sneak attack in 1884 led to a fundamental misunderstanding of Qing technological prowess. It’s time to reexamine the popular — but simplistic, if...

China’s critics contend the Belt and Road Initiative is dead or dying due to a mix of gross mismanagement and hubris. The data, however, reveals...

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed President Xi Jinping will travel to South Africa to attend the upcoming BRICS summit, the first time he’ll visit Africa...

This week on Sinica, Kaiser welcomes back Lyle Goldstein, director for China engagement at the think tank Defense Priorities and previously a professor at the...

On August 18, 1966, in front of a million supporters at Tiananmen, a symbolic gesture from Mao Zedong made it clear that the Red Guards...

For much of the past 20 years, China sought to radically expand its presence beyond its traditional spheres of influence to new regions in Africa...

The Chinese government has been noticeably quiet in response to the turbulent events in Niger where President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed last month in a...

This week on Sinica, Paul Triolo returns to the show to give us a rundown on what’s happening in the exciting arena of generative AI...

In 1517, Portuguese arrived in China on the first formal diplomatic mission to the country in nearly 200 years. The mission failed — but perhaps...

It took a couple more years than in other places, but pickleball has finally made it big in China, fueled by social media. Click here...

What does a great tutor do differently? How often should they correct you? What should you do if you can’t afford a private tutor? John...

Princess Taiping wielded all but ultimate power in the Tang court. It appeared that it was only a matter of time before she might succeed...

This week on Sinica, with Kaiser on holiday we’re running a terrific Twitter Spaces conversation convened by Neysun Mahboubi of UPenn’s Center for the Study...

For years, Nigerian politicians and media reports have issued breathless warnings about the dangers of becoming too indebted to China, fearing the dreaded “debt trap”...

The Kenyan government’s controversial decision to end certain subsidies and raise taxes sparked days of violent protests in Nairobi. While the move sparked a massive...

In June, Zambia reached what’s been described as a landmark debt restructuring deal that for the first time brought together the country’s bilateral creditors including...

In June, Zambia reached what’s been described as a landmark debt restructuring deal that for the first time brought together the country’s bilateral creditors including...

This week on the Caixin-Sinica Business Brief: The U.S. Senate targets American investments in China, Beijing plans to relax rules on foreign firms investing in...

This week on Sinica, Kaiser is joined by Margaret (Maggie) Lewis, professor of law at Seton Hall University and veteran Taiwan observer, and Paul Heer...

During the Tang dynasty, court machinations saw at least two women reach the very cusp of supreme power in two coups in the imperial palace...

In June of 2023, Jared Turner delivered the keynote speech at the Swire Chinese language conference in Newcastle, England. This episode features his address discussing...

This week on the Caixin-Sinica Business brief: WeChat lets users link overseas cards for everyday payments in China, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry visits China...

Confucius Institutes (CIs) were once known only for teaching Mandarin language and culture classes but the organization’s mission has evolved recently to now include “training”...

This week on Sinica, Kaiser welcomes back Jeremy Daum, senior research scholar in law and senior fellow at the Paul Tsai China Law Center. Jeremy...

Wuhan fractured in the summer of 1967 amid Mao’s Cultural Revolution. On one side were the Red Guards, who believed in continuous revolution against institutions...

The short but eventful history of China wrestling is filled with highs and lows. For a while, rival promoters dreamed of building the WWE of...

The China-Global South Project is proud to announce the first-ever mapping of the Chinese cobalt supply chain in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. CGSP...

This week on Sinica, UPenn legal scholar Neysun Mahboubi talks about his recently-concluded trip back to China — his first time back since the outbreak...

The founder of the Ming dynasty established fiefdoms for all 26 of his sons, who were known as “princes.” From the very beginning, they posed...

In this collection of nine interconnected short stories, characters are constantly moving without really going anywhere. Click here to read the article by William McCormack...

Three Chinese warships made ports of call in Ghana and Nigeria this month, prompting a new wave of speculation about Beijing’s military ambitions in Africa...

Jared and John answer listener questions about learning Chinese such as the effectiveness of extensive reading, habits for Chinese learners, tools for learning word context...

This week on the Caixin-Sinica Business Brief: Tesla and Chinese rivals signal a truce in the EV price war, top property developers see June’s new sales...

This week on Sinica, Kaiser chats with Elsa Kania, a Ph.D. candidate in Harvard University’s Department of Government and adjunct fellow at the Center for...

The emperor, as “son of heaven,” was meant to mediate between the natural and the supernatural. When dragons were becoming visible to regular folk, as...

On this week’s episode, Chinese entrepreneurs mobilize for an AI race with the U.S., food-delivery giant Meituan buys an AI startup for more than $200...

After nearly two years of painful, drawn-out negotiations, Zambia finally closed a deal to restructure its bilateral external debt. The announcement was made last week...

“With you in charge, I am at ease,” Mao Zedong wrote in a note to his successor, Hua Guofeng. Mao’s trust was misplaced. Click here...

Over the past six months, there’s been a noticeable increase in the number of green energy deals announced by Chinese private and state-owned enterprises in...

Only twice has a Nobel peace laureate died in state custody. The first time was in 1938, when German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky died in...

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wrapped up a visit to Beijing last week where he heard lofty promises from Chinese officials about their desire to...

The South China Sea is one of the world’s most strategically vital maritime zones where more than $5 trillion of trade passes through each year...

With Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s two days of meetings in Beijing just concluded, Kaiser spoke with Dennis Wilder, managing director for the Initiative for...

Since the end of the Cold War in the early 90s, Africa has largely been an afterthought in Washington where it was never regarded as...

This week on Sinica, Kaiser is joined by Keyu Jin, associate professor of economics at LSE, who talks about her new book, The New China Playbook:...

Yellow River flooding has killed and displaced millions over the centuries. But in June 1938, the river’s levees were intentionally breached, leaving half a million...

This week on the Caixin-Sinica Business Brief: VC giant Sequoia reorganizes and spins off its China unit under geopolitical concerns, China puts drafting a national...

This week on Sinica, Kaiser chats with David Ownby, the University of Montreal historian who runs the always excellent ReadingTheChinaDream.com website — a trove of translations...