China Considered

Dr. Elizabeth Economy sits down with Nadia Schadlow, former deputy national security advisor for strategy in the first Trump administration and author of the influential 2017 National Security Strategy (NSS). Schadlow reflects on how the NSS was architected around the shift toward great power competition and America's four core national security interests: protecting the homeland and way of life; promoting American prosperity; preserving peace through strength; and advancing American influence. The conversation moves through key differences between the first and second Trump administrations, including process, tone, and the role of ideology in foreign policy, before turning to a substantive debate about the limits of multilateral institutions and Schadlow's argument in a recent Foreign Affairs essay that state-centric approaches can outperform global governance frameworks. Economy and Schadlow also assess the strategic landscape ahead of a potential Trump-Xi summit, discussing where US leverage is real, where it may be overstated, and whether tariffs alone can move China's economic model. They close with a shared critique: that the United States has consistently failed to develop a coherent, assertive diplomatic and development strategy to compete with China's Belt and Road Initiative.

Recorded on April 2, 2026.

ABOUT THE SERIES

China Considered with Elizabeth Economy is a Hoover Institution podcast series that features in-depth conversations with leading political figures, scholars, and activists from around the world. The series explores the ideas, events, and forces shaping China’s future and its global relationships, offering high-level expertise, clear-eyed analysis, and valuable insights to demystify China’s evolving dynamics and what they may mean for ordinary citizens and key decision makers across societies, governments, and the private sector.

Dr. Elizabeth Economy sits down with Dr. Miles Yu, who served as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's principal China policy advisor during the first Trump administration, discussing his journey from experiencing China's Cultural Revolution to shaping US policy at the State Department. Yu explains his role in shifting American policy during the first Trump administration from transactional engagement toward addressing ideological differences between the two systems, including elevating human rights and supporting Taiwan. The two then debate whether the second Trump administration represents continuity or departure from the first term's approach, particularly regarding democracy promotion and alliance-building. 

Recorded on March 4, 2026.

ABOUT THE SERIES

China Considered with Elizabeth Economy is a Hoover Institution podcast series that features in-depth conversations with leading political figures, scholars, and activists from around the world. The series explores the ideas, events, and forces shaping China’s future and its global relationships, offering high-level expertise, clear-eyed analysis, and valuable insights to demystify China’s evolving dynamics and what they may mean for ordinary citizens and key decision makers across societies, governments, and the private sector.

Dr. Elizabeth Economy and Lingling Wei, Chief China Correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, sit down for a wide ranging conversation on China’s purges, her personal story and look ahead to US-China relations for 2026. They begin with the recent ouster of General Zhang Youxia's from China's Central Military Commission and what it reveals about Xi Jinping's consolidation of power ahead of the 2026 Party Congress. Wei then shares her personal journey from being inspired by her mother to take up journalism in China to being expelled by Beijing in 2020, and how she continues reporting on China. The two then conclude with a discussion on the US and China. Wei describes U.S.-China relations as a "tactical pause" where both sides pursue strategic decoupling while managing a "messy separation," with China building its economy on a "war footing" for potential conflict over Taiwan. Lastly, the two agree on the need to understand everyday Chinese struggles, not just Xi's policies, even as Beijing turns the country into a "black box" for foreign reporters.

Recorded on January 31, 2026.

ABOUT THE SERIES

China Considered with Elizabeth Economy is a Hoover Institution podcast series that features in-depth conversations with leading political figures, scholars, and activists from around the world. The series explores the ideas, events, and forces shaping China’s future and its global relationships, offering high-level expertise, clear-eyed analysis, and valuable insights to demystify China’s evolving dynamics and what they may mean for ordinary citizens and key decision makers across societies, governments, and the private sector.

Dr. Elizabeth Economy and Lingling Wei, Chief China Correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, sit down for a wide ranging conversation on China’s purges, her personal story and look ahead to US-China relations for 2026. They begin with the recent ouster of General Zhang Youxia's from China's Central Military Commission and what it reveals about Xi Jinping's consolidation of power ahead of the 2026 Party Congress. Wei then shares her personal journey from being inspired by her mother to take up journalism in China to being expelled by Beijing in 2020, and how she continues reporting on China. The two then conclude with a discussion on the US and China. Wei describes U.S.-China relations as a "tactical pause" where both sides pursue strategic decoupling while managing a "messy separation," with China building its economy on a "war footing" for potential conflict over Taiwan. Lastly, the two agree on the need to understand everyday Chinese struggles, not just Xi's policies, even as Beijing turns the country into a "black box" for foreign reporters.

Recorded on January 31, 2026.

ABOUT THE SERIES

China Considered with Elizabeth Economy is a Hoover Institution podcast series that features in-depth conversations with leading political figures, scholars, and activists from around the world. The series explores the ideas, events, and forces shaping China’s future and its global relationships, offering high-level expertise, clear-eyed analysis, and valuable insights to demystify China’s evolving dynamics and what they may mean for ordinary citizens and key decision makers across societies, governments, and the private sector.

Dr. Elizabeth Economy sits down with Dr. Rowena He to explore her journey from participating in pro-democracy demonstrations during the 1989 Tiananmen protests to becoming a leading scholar on Chinese human rights. She recounts how the June 4th crackdown shattered her generation's hopes, forcing survivors to publicly conform while doing their best to keep the memory of the movement alive. The two then turn to He’s experience teaching at the Chinese University of Hong Kong during the 2019 protests, where she supported students while drawing connections to 1989, before being forced to flee Hong Kong in 2022 under threatening circumstances. He emphasizes that international support and pressure on human rights remain crucial, not just morally but practically, since human rights violations in China ultimately impact the entire world, and insists that despite decades of setbacks, history will ultimately favor those fighting for truth and justice.

Recorded on January 12, 2026.

ABOUT THE SERIES

China Considered with Elizabeth Economy is a Hoover Institution podcast series that features in-depth conversations with leading political figures, scholars, and activists from around the world. The series explores the ideas, events, and forces shaping China’s future and its global relationships, offering high-level expertise, clear-eyed analysis, and valuable insights to demystify China’s evolving dynamics and what they may mean for ordinary citizens and key decision makers across societies, governments, and the private sector.