Chinese Whispers: from Chimerica to Cold War II
Best of the Spectator
The Spectator
4.4 • 785 Ratings
🗓️ 24 March 2025
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It’s easy to forget that, as recently as the start of this century, the US was China’s biggest ally. Washington saw Beijing as a necessary bulwark against Moscow, and consistently supported China’s entry into the world economy ever since rapprochement in the 1970s, including its accession to the World Trade Organisation.
These days, the relationship couldn’t be more different. Why have relations cooled quite so fast? When was the turning point? And can we now say that rapprochement was a strategic mistake from the US?
Bob Davis is a former senior editor at the Wall Street Journal, who was posted to China between 2011 and 2014. In recent years, he has been conducting a long running series of interviews - with dozens of high level officials over successive American administrations - for the online magazine, The Wire China. He has interviewed defense secretaries, ambassadors, national security advisors, treasury secretaries and more. Now, these interviews have been collated into a new e-book released by The Wire China: Broken Engagement.
Through these interviews, we can see the changing direction of US-China relations through the eyes and words of those at the very heart of America’s decisions. Bob joins this episode.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode of Chinese Whispers is sponsored by Alliance Witten Investment Trust. |
| 0:05.2 | From the OPEC oil crisis of the 1970s, the financial crash in 2008, to the COVID epidemic |
| 0:12.0 | and Liz Truss's doomed premiership. There has been no shortage of economic crises over the last 58 |
| 0:17.8 | years. And yet, throughout that time, every single year, without fail, |
| 0:22.8 | we've paid out an increased dividend to our shareholders. In fact, Alliance Witten's history |
| 0:28.3 | dates all the way back to 1888. And today, we manage around £5 billion in assets. |
| 0:35.5 | If you're looking for a less stressful way to invest in stocks and |
| 0:38.4 | shares, learn more about Alliance Witten and find your comfort zone. |
| 0:52.3 | Hello and welcome to Chinese Whispers with me, Cindy Yu. |
| 0:55.5 | Every episode, I'll be talking to journalists, experts, |
| 0:58.1 | and long-time China watches about the latest in Chinese politics, society and more. |
| 1:03.3 | There'll be a smattering of history to catch you up on the background knowledge |
| 1:06.1 | and some context as well. |
| 1:08.0 | How do the Chinese see these issues? |
| 1:11.4 | It's easy to forget that, as recently as the start of this century, the US was China's |
| 1:16.1 | biggest ally. Washington saw Beijing as a necessary counter against Moscow and consistently |
| 1:21.2 | supported China's entry into the world economy ever since rapprochement in the 1970s, including |
| 1:26.5 | China's accession to the World Trade Organization. |
| 1:29.5 | These days, the relationship couldn't be more different. So why have they called quite so fast? |
| 1:34.7 | When was the turning point? And can we now say that American reproshment was a strategic mistake? |
| 1:40.6 | Bob Davis is a former senior editor at the Wall Street Journal, who has postage China between |
| 1:45.0 | 2011 and 2014. In recent years, he has been conducting a long-running series of interviews |
... |
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