When a Chinese spy balloon was spotted above the U.S. last week, Americans reacted the only way they know how—by shooting it out of the sky with a missile. But why do we keep insisting that China is our sworn enemy? We’re talking with Jessica Chen Weiss, the Michael J. Zak Professor for China and Asia-Pacific Studies at Cornell and Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, and John Glaser, adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute and host of Cato’s Power Problems podcast. We discuss America’s reflexive urge to escalate even the smallest threat, why our geopolitical position is actually way more secure than we’re led to believe, and whether we might figure out a way to share the world stage with China. Writers Tocarra Mallard and Robby Slowik also join us to talk about why the State of the Union is always so overdramatic.

Season 2 is now streaming on Apple TV+.

CREDITS Hosted by: Jon Stewart

Featuring, in order of appearance: Tocarra Mallard, Robby Slowik, Jessica Chen Weiss, John Glaser

Executive Produced by Jon Stewart, Brinda Adhikari, James Dixon, Chris McShane, and Richard Plepler

Lead Producer: Sophie Erickson

Producers: Zach Goldbaum, Caity Gray

Assoc. Producer: Andrea Betanzos

Sound Engineer: Miguel Carrascal

Senior Digital Producer: Freddie Morgan

Digital Producer: Cassie Murdoch

Digital Coordinator: Norma Hernandez

Supervising Producer: Lorrie Baranek

Head Writer: Kris Acimovic

Elements Producer: Kenneth Hull

Clearances Producer: Daniella Philipson

Senior Talent Producer: Brittany Mehmedovic

Talent Manager: Marjorie McCurry

Talent Coordinator: Lukas Thimm

Senior Research Producer: Susan Helvenston

Theme Music by: Gary Clark Jr.

The Problem With Jon Stewart podcast is an Apple TV+ podcast, produced by Busboy Productions.

https://apple.co/-JonStewart

U.S.-China Tensions: Threat Inflation and Balloon Deflation

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart