Broken Engagement: Veteran China reporter Bob Davis on his new collection of interviews

This episode explores the evolution and potential failure of U.S. engagement policy with China through a series of interviews with key policymakers across six administrations. The discussion begins by challenging the notion that engagement was inherently doomed, highlighting its initial focus on national security during the George H.W. Bush era and the high point of U.S.-China cooperation during the 2009 global financial crisis. Against the backdrop of shifting dynamics, the conversation pivots to the variability in defining "engagement," ranging from geopolitical balancing to economic integration and human rights advocacy, while also addressing the naivete in assessing the U.S.'s ability to influence China's trajectory. More significantly, the retrospective positioning of policymakers is examined, contrasting those who defend engagement, like Bob Zoellick and Charlene Barshevsky, with those who declare it a failure, particularly from the Trump administration, with the discussion touching on Nancy Pelosi's perspective on human rights and trade status. As the discussion progresses, the conversation explores the misreading of Xi Jinping's intentions and the impact of events like the Rose Garden Pledge on cyber espionage, as well as the potential for misinterpreting PLA readiness directives. The episode concludes by pondering whether a coherent U.S. strategy toward China ever existed and reflecting on the strategic hubris and the potential for a managed coexistence that avoids open conflict, while also considering the possibility of China undertaking economic reforms to ease tensions.