Carnegie's Tong Zhao on the Expansion of China's Nuclear Arsenal

This week on Sinica, in a show taped in early June in Washington, Kaiser chats with Tong Zhao (赵通) of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a leading expert on Chinese nuclear doctrine, about why the PRC has, in recent years, significantly increased the size of its nuclear arsenal. Zhao offers a master class in the practice of strategic empathy. 03:12 – China’s nuclear doctrine: core principles 06:56 – Xi Jinping’s leadership and nuclear policy 12:33 – Symbolism vs. strategy: Defensive or offensive buildup? 16:55 – What’s driving the nuclear expansion? 28:33 – Trump’s second term: Impact on China’s strategic thinking 34:34 – Nukes and Taiwan 41:45 – Washington and Beijing nuclear doctrines perceptions 48:04 - China’s perspective on the Golden Dome program 52:32 - China’s Stance on North Korea’s nuclear program  01:01:00 - Beijing’s View on North Korean troops in Ukraine Paying it forward: David Logan, at Tufts University Recommendations: Tong:  Yellowstone, TV series  Kaiser: Gomorrah, TV series  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.