Toxic Politics: China’s Environmental Health Crisis Challenges the Chinese State | Yanzhong Huang

01/19/21 • 60 min

Environmental degradation in China has not only brought about a wider range of diseases and other health consequences than previously understood, but has also taken a heavy toll on China’s society, economy, and the legitimacy of the party-state. In Toxic Politics: China’s Environmental Health Crisis and Its Challenge to the Chinese State, Yanzhong Huang presents evidence of China's deepening health crisis and challenges the widespread view that China is winning its war on pollution. Although there has been some progress, policy enforcement measures have not substantially reduced pollution or improved public health. Dr. Huang argues that the failures lie in the institutional structure of the Chinese party-state, with conflicting incentives for officials and limited capacity of the state to deliver public goods. Toxic Politics describes a political system that is remarkably resilient but fundamentally flawed, and the implications for China's future, domestically and internationally.

On January 11, 2021, the National Committee held a virtual program with Dr. Yanzhong Huang to discuss the capacity of the Chinese party state to address its serious environmental and public health challenges.

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China as a Twenty First Century Naval Power | Michael McDevitt

China’s President Xi Jinping is committed to two primary military ambitions: he wants China to become a great maritime power by 2035 and a world-class armed force by 2050. In China as a Twenty First Century Naval Power, retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Michael McDevitt focuses on China's navy and its recent and continuing transformation into a formidable force.

Mr. McDevitt begins the book by exploring the strategic rationale behind President Xi's objectives. He then examines the PLA Navy's role in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, and concludes with a forecast of what President Xi's vision of a "world-class navy" might look like in the next fifteen years as the 2035 deadline approaches.

On December 22, 2020, the National Committee held a virtual program with Rear Admiral Michael McDevitt, USN (retired), where he described the development of China’s navy, implications for the U.S. military and policy-makers more broadly.

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Understanding the Scope: U.S.-China Financial Investment | Rhodium Group

The National Committee held a virtual event on January 26, 2021 where Rhodium Group’s Daniel Rosen and Adam Lysenko rolled out the latest addition to the Two-Way Street report series to increase the transparency of this portfolio investment discussion. In a conversation moderated by National Committee President Stephen Orlins, Rosen and Lysenko were joined by KPMG Chief Economist Constance Hunter and BlackRock Senior Managing Director Mark Wiedman to discuss the report's implications.