China's Economy & The 19th Party Congress – Damien Ma

03/29/18 • 68 min

China's economy is currently the world's second largest, by GDP, and is generally expected to overtake the U.S. economy within the next decade. In this episode, the Paulson Institute's Damien Ma, a leading expert on Chinese economic trends, discusses with Neysun Mahboubi the key features defining China's economy today, and some likely forecasts for the near future, with particular attention to the policy and personnel implications of the recent 19th Party Congress. This episode was recorded on December 1, 2017 at the Center for the Study of Contemporary China, in connection with the Center's post-Congress policy roundtable featuring Damien Ma and other experts.

Damien Ma is Fellow and Associate Director of the Think Tank at the Paulson Institute, focused on investment and policy programs and leads on various research projects and activities. He is co-author of the book, In Line Behind a Billion People: How Scarcity Will Define China's Ascent in the Next Decade; he is editor of The Economics of Air Pollution in China by Ma Jun, who was the chief economist of China's central bank; and he has written on the Chinese economy for many outlets including The Atlantic, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The New Republic, and Slate. He is also co-creator of MacroPolo, a digital hub for cutting edge research on China's political economy.

Music credit: "Salt" by Poppy Ackroyd, follow her at http://poppyackroyd.com

Special thanks to Wendy Leutert and Nick Marziani

Music credit: "Salt" by Poppy Ackroyd, follow her at http://poppyackroyd.com

Special thanks to Wendy Leutert and Nick Marziani

Previous Episode

Chinese Politics & The 19th Party Congress – Joseph Fewsmith

China’s 19th Party Congress, held in October 2017, drew significant anticipation and attention, not only among professional China watchers, for its domestic meaning and foreign policy signals, at a time when the PRC is staking out a new role on the world stage. In this episode, Boston University Professor Joseph Fewsmith, one of the leading experts on Chinese elite politics, discusses with Neysun Mahboubi the politics surrounding this latest Congress, from specific personnel decisions to broad policy implications, with special attention to the position of Xi Jinping. The episode was recorded on November 30, 2017 at the Center for the Study of Contemporary China, in connection with the Center’s post-Congress policy roundtable featuring Prof. Fewsmith and other experts.

Joseph Fewsmith is Professor of International Relations and Political Science at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies, specializing in Comparative Politics, Chinese Domestic Politics, and Chinese Foreign Policy. He is the author or editor of eight books, including, most recently, The Logic and Limits of Political Reform in China (Cambridge 2013). His articles have appeared in such journals as Asian Survey, Comparative Studies in Society and History, The China Journal, The China Quarterly, Current History, The Journal of Contemporary China, Problems of Communism, and Modern China. He is also one of the seven regular contributors to the China Leadership Monitor, a quarterly web publication sponsored by Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.

Music credit: "Salt" by Poppy Ackroyd, follow her at http://poppyackroyd.com

Special thanks to Wendy Leutert and Nick Marziani

Next Episode

China & North Korea Relations – John Park

As the nuclear standoff between North Korea and the United States dominates global headlines, the relationship between North Korea and China, though little understood, has attracted ever greater interest. In this episode, the Harvard Kennedy School's John Park, a leading expert on security issues relating to Northeast Asia, discusses with Neysun Mahboubi the complex relationship between North Korea and China, with special attention to the economic dynamics at play since China established diplomatic relations with South Korea in 1992. The episode was recorded on February 23, 2018 at the Center for the Study of Contemporary China, following Dr. Park's lecture on "The Legacy of Beijing’s Sunshine Policy with Chinese Characteristics: What are the Implications for U.S. Policy towards North Korea?"

John Park is a Lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School, where he is Director of the Korea Working Group, as well as a Faculty Affiliate at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. He previously directed Northeast Asia Track 1.5 projects at the U.S. Institute of Peace, and currently advises Northeast Asia policy-focused officials in the U.S. government. Dr. Park is a frequent media commentator on Asian geopolitical issues, including on CNN, CNBC, BBC, and Bloomberg TV, and he has testified on these issues before both House and Senate committees in the past year. His publications include "Stopping North Korea, Inc.: Sanctions Effectiveness and Unintended Consequences" (with Jim Walsh); "The Key to the North Korean Targeted Sanctions Puzzle"; and "North Korea, Inc.: Gaining Insights into North Korean Regime Stability from Recent Commercial Activities".

Music credit: "Salt" by Poppy Ackroyd, follow her at http://poppyackroyd.com

Special thanks to Seung-Youn Oh and Nick Marziani