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A Journey Into the New Cold War | NonZero World feat. Neysun Mahboubi
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A Journey Into the New Cold War | NonZero World feat. Neysun Mahboubi

What China thinks of America

This episode includes an Overtime segment that’s available to paid subscribers. If you’re not a paid subscriber, we of course encourage you to become one. If you are a paid subscriber, you can access the complete conversation either via the audio and video on this post or by setting up the paid-subscriber podcast feed, which includes all exclusive audio content. To set that up, simply grab the RSS feed from this page (by first clicking the “...” icon on the audio player) and paste it into your favorite podcast app.

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0:00 Why Neysun brings American students and scholars to China
2:40 Visiting China after Covid
4:52 Balancing US and Chinese red lines
10:38 When Neysun's students pushed Chinese officials on human rights
13:44 Do US students fear career risks for going to China?
15:43 Cultivating cognitive empathy
18:26 China's obsession with US politics
20:29 Trump's surprisingly consistent approach to Beijing
26:21 Are Chinese students really spies?
31:21 Is China studies becoming the next Kremlinology?
35:12 How Neysun navigates US fears about exchange with China

Recorded July 11, 2025.

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Discussed in Overtime:

A surprisingly pragmatic US ambassador in Beijing.
Rare earths, export controls, and China’s big lever.
Why China always thinks about America first.
Neysun to fellow scholars: Don't miss this window.
A (debatably) hopeful ending in a bleak moment

Overtime video:

This post is for paid subscribers