TPI Replay: China’s Nuclear Forces, With Fiona S. Cunningham

The President’s Inbox

Council on Foreign Relations

Politics, News:politics, News

4.5 • 698 Ratings

🗓️ 29 August 2023

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Fiona S. Cunningham, assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, sits down with James M. Lindsay to discuss China’s expanding nuclear weapons program and the likelihood of an arms race with the United States. Mentioned on the Podcast Fiona S. Cunningham, “Cooperation Under Asymmetry? The Future of U.S.-China Nuclear Relations,” The Washington Quarterly Fiona S. Cunningham, “Strategic Substitution: China's Search for Coercive Leverage in the Information Age,” International Security M. Taylor Fravel, Active Defense: China's Military Strategy Since 1949 M. Taylor Fravel and Evan S. Medeiros, “China’s Search for Assured Retaliation: The Evolution of Chinese Nuclear Strategy and Force Structure [PDF],” International Security For an episode transcript and show notes, visit us at: https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/chinas-nuclear-forces-fiona-s-cunningham This episode first aired: February 28, 2023

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi, podcast listeners. This is Esther Faye, and I produce The President's inbox.
0:04.6	This week, we're airing at TPI replay of a timely episode. In February, Jim set down with Fiona
0:10.7	S. Cunningham. She's an assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania.
0:16.2	They discussed China's nuclear buildup. With U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, and other recent
0:22.3	high-level officials visiting Beijing, we thought it would be illuminating to resurface the conversation
0:27.6	about nuclear issues and whether they can push the United States and China further apart or draw
0:32.5	them closer together. Enjoy. Welcome to the president's Inbox, a CFR podcast about the foreign policy challenges facing the United States.
0:45.2	I'm Jim Lindsay, Director of Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
0:48.9	This week's topic is China's nuclear forces.
0:56.9	With me to discuss China's nuclear weapons program is Fiona Cunningham.
1:02.5	Fiona is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania.
1:07.7	She has held fellowships at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,
1:12.1	Stanford University, Harvard University, and Renmin University of China. She has written
1:18.6	extensively on technology and conflict in East Asia, and she did field work in China from
1:24.6	2015 to 2017.
1:30.3	Fiona, thank you for joining me. Jim, thank you so much for having me.
1:32.3	I'm thrilled to be here.
1:34.3	Listen, Fiona, there has been a lot of talk in recent months, as you know,
1:38.3	about the size and extent of China's defense buildup generally,
1:43.3	but also a lot of talk about the buildup of
1:47.0	China's nuclear weapons program specifically. Can you just describe first what China has been doing?
1:54.2	Sure. I mean, I think one of the things that's like, for me, very important to sort of
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Council on Foreign Relations, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Council on Foreign Relations and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.