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Pekingology

China is one of the 21st century’s most consequential nations, and it has never been more important to understand how the country is governed. Pekingology is the podcast that unpacks Chinese politics, the inner workings of the Communist Party, and how China's domestic and foreign policy will impact the world. Pekingology is hosted by Henrietta Levin, Senior Fellow with the Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS. It is produced by Gina Kim.

Episodes

In this episode of Pekingology, host Henrietta Levin interviews Dr. Pip O'Keefe, an expert on Chinese demographic trends, about the country's aging and shrinking population and its societal impacts. O'Keefe details key demographic shifts, including rapid aging, declining fertility rates, shrinking labor force, and mini...

China's Africa Strategy

13 Nov 2025

38m

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In this episode of Pekingology, host Henrietta Levin interviews Cobus van Staden, a leading scholar of China-Africa relations, to unpack China's strategy in Africa. Cobus characterizes China's strategy as building a community of influence within the Global South, highlighting historical anti-colonial solidarities and C...

How Firms Serve the Party-State

30 Oct 2025

31m

Behind the Scenes of U.S.-China Summitry

16 Oct 2025

38m

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In this episode of Pekingology, host Henrietta Levin interviews Sarah Beran, a former senior China expert from the U.S. Foreign Service, about the intricacies of U.S.-China diplomacy, particularly focusing on presidential-level summits. Beran shares insights on how the U.S. and China prepare for these high-stakes meeti...

China's Economic Transition

02 Oct 2025

48m

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In this episode of Pekingology, Henrietta Levin interviews Dinny McMahon and Andrew Polk from Trivium China about their report, "China's Economic Transition, Debt, Demography, Deglobalization and Scenarios for 2035." The discussion covers the challenges facing the Chinese economy, including the middle-income trap, comm...