USC and China in the News, 2023

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November 16, 2023: CNN Max

Clayton Dube of USCI was interviewed on the Biden-Xi meeting's most significant takeaways and how this meeting and others help convey to the bureaucracies and peoples of the two countries how important it is for the U.S. and China find ways to cooperate where possible and to keep our many points of friction from developing into conflict. 

November 14, 2023: CGTN

USCI's Clayton Dube was interviewed about California-China cooperation on addressing renewable energy and cleaner transportation options.  

November 11, 2023: Los Angeles Times

In an article about the impact of the strained U.S.-China relationship on businesses in the San Gabriel Valley, USCI's Clayton Dube was noted that relations were at a low point and that this might be a new normal.

October 30, 2023: Los Angeles Times

Paul Orlando (USC Marshall) and Clayton Dube (USCI) were interviewed about how business and educational contacts with China are good for California.

October 25, 2023: CBS/KNX

Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute was interviewed about California Governor Gavin Newsom's meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He emphasized that California is a global force and benefits from ties to China.

October 13, 2023: New York Times

An article covered the romance and wedding of USC alumni Nancy Chen and Patrick McFawn. In 2007, Chen was co-editor of US-China Today. She subsequently had an internship with NBC at the Beijing Olympics. She is now a New York-based correspondent for CBS News.

October 1, 2023: China Daily

Peipei QiuThe director of a project at Vassar College to record the memories of World War II "comfort women" described her inspiration from the work of the USC Shoah Foundation. The foundation team worked with Qiu and her team as well as colleagues in Nanjing.

September 26, 2023: Shine

USC and Shanghai Jiaotong University research determined that Shanghai had the most coffee shops and tea houses of any city.

September 20, 2023: Newsweek

An article about the influence of China's government in American schools noted a trend observed in a 2021 USCI newsletter.

September 9, 2023: China Daily

USC alum Hongshi Zhong wrote and directed Summer Knows. He received the best screenplay award at 86358 Jia Village Short Film Week, a festival organized by filmmaker Jia Zhangke.

August 21, 2023: Axios

China's economic problems are real. "The ongoing housing correction, high youth unemployment, and a price war over electric cars [are all fueling] poor consumer and business expectations," said USC political scientist Erin Baggott Carter.

August 9, 2023: Nikkei Asia

Derek Grossman, of RAND and USC's Department of Political Science and International Relations, wrote an op-ed arguing, "Since taking over as prime minister of New Zealand in January, Chris Hipkins has subtly stepped back from the assertive language predecessor Jacinda Ardern previously used in reference to China."

August 1, 2023: Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Stanley Rosen, USC political scientist, was interviewed about the relationship between the Chinese and American film industries. He noted that China banned not just films, but entire studios: "China showed the clout it had by saying to the studios: 'You're only as strong as your weakest link — if you make a film that we don't like, even if you don't plan to show it here, we will ban all your films'."

July 28, 2023: Vox

USCI senior fellow Mike Chinoy was quoted in an article about the ongoing mystery of Qin Gang's disappearance and removal as foreign minister. Chinoy quoted Theodore White's observation in 1967 about the opaque nature of Chinese politics, "there are terrible struggles, but we don’t know what they are struggling about."

July 15, 2023: Asia Times

The publication featured an excerpt from USCI senior fellow Mike Chinoy's book Assignment China. This excerpt focused on the reporters who arrived in Beijing after diplomatic relations were restored in 1979.

July 6, 2023: KCRW

Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute was interviewed about the tensions between China and Vietnam from their overlapping claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam condemned a map in the Barbie film that reflected Chinese claims and banned its commercial showing in the country. Dube noted that economic resources and national standing are at the root of the dispute. He noted the marine and potential mineral resources and the importance of the area for shipping.

July 5, 2023: Nikkei Asia

Derek Grossman, RAND and USC international relations specialist, published an op-ed on China-South Korea relations. He argues, "the Yoon administration should see Beijing's threats of punishment as vindication for further strengthening and expanding Seoul's alliance with the U.S. beyond North Korea-related challenges to encompass China and to similarly enhance South Korea's revived partnership with Japan."

June 30, 2023

A set of presentations in Shanghai by USC President Carol Folt, Annenberg Dean Willow Bay and Vice President for Global Initiatives Anthony Bailey were highlighted by several media organizations. China Daily (Chinese via Sciencenet.cn) highlighted Folt's observations that "China boasts excellent universities and talented, hardworking students. We welcome Chinese students to pursue their studies at USC. We have full confidence in the educational collaboration between China and the United States." Xinhua news agency noted that Folt said, "We are thrilled to celebrate the exceptional achievements and contributions of our tens of thousands of Chinese graduates. They have consistently demonstrated outstanding capabilities and made significant impacts on society. Chinese students have been an integral part of our diverse and innovative community since the early 20th century."

June 19, 2023: CGTN

Nick Vyas, head of the supply chain program at the USC Marshall School of Business, was interviewed about trade friction between China and the U.S.

June 15, 2023: Bloomberg via MSN

USC international relations specialist Carol Wise was quoted in a story about revealations that China has a listening post in Cuba. She noted that China is focused on trade with Latin America while the U.S. treats the region as “some kind of basket case where we have to run down there and chase narcos or guerrillas around.”

June 10, 2023: Radio Free Asia

USC student Wang Han was interviewed about the evolution of his thinking about China's political prospects. 

June 6, 2023: CNN

The USC U.S.-China Institute's Clayton Dube was interviewed about recent close encounters between U.S. and Chinese naval and air forces. He noted that from Beijing's point of view, the problem is the American presence in the Taiwan strait and South China Sea, areas claimed by China. The U.S., of course, argues that it is operating in a responsible way in international waters. The U.S. complains about unwillingness of the Chinese side to meet with U.S. military officials to discuss codes of conduct and to work to reduce tensions. Dube noted that China likely doesn't want a collision that could escalate into confrontation, but hopes to make it sufficiently inconvenient or hazardous that the U.S. simply elects to reduce its activities.

May 19, 2023: PolitFact

Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute was interviewed about claims that the increasing number of young Chinese men among those detained by the U.S. Border Patrol represented a stealth army. He said, "The obvious reason why more Chinese may be coming across the border now is that COVID-19 restrictions kept Chinese within the country from 2020 until late 2022. The main exceptions were students going abroad to study. China's economic slowdown, including high unemployment among young people, is a push factor."

May 19, 2023: Nikkei Asia

Derek Grossman of RAND and USC wrote about the Chinese Nationalist Party's (Kuomintang) selection of Hou You-ih, current mayor of New Taipei City as its presidential candidate. He wrote that the party, "Rather than China, the KMT has tried to focus its campaign around domestic and economic issues."

May 18, 2023: Taipei Times

A story reported on an upcoming screening of the Tiananmen Square episode from the USC U.S.-China Institute's documentary series Assignment:China.

May 11, 2023: Global Times

An article told of recent USC graduate Xu Ziqi who returned to her hometown in rural Hubei province to contribute to its development. She helped her father and others increase the sales of agricultural products through livestreaming. She's recruiting others to help, saying, "For me, being able to help more people is the driving force that keeps me rooted in this small county."

May 10, 2023: Bloomberg

USC international political economy specialist Saori Katada was interviewed about efforts made by the G-7 and by China to woo the developing world. She said, “China is doing a lot to enhance its own coalition, bilaterally and multilaterally. It’s definitely countering the tendency of the G-7 being kind of the rich capitalist Democratic nations.”

May 3, 2023: Wired

Paul Orlando, director of USC's incubator program, was interviewed for a story about Chinese venture capitalists. He said, “They were different from American investors, American investors usually approached me through some sort of connection to USC. The investors from China would instead just email me or the department, or come directly to my office.”

April 29, 2023: South China Morning Post

Victoria Chonn, a USC postdoctoral scholar in international relations, was interviewed for a story about how an election in Paraguay could change the country's ties to Taiwan. She noted that most Latin American countries “consider the United States a very important partner, not in competition with China.”

April 27, 2023: NBC

A report on the return of a panda named Ya Ya from the Memphis Zoo to China included comments by Stanley Rosen, USC political scientist. Rosen noted "They rent pandas for $1 million a year, usually on 10-year contracts. If a cub is born, that’s another $400,000 given back to China, all of which is put into conservation efforts.” USCI looked at panda conservation and promotion efforts with Elena Songster, author of Panda Nation.

March 27, 2023: CNN

Mike Chinoy, USCI senior fellow, wrote an op-ed about the challenges of covering China. He noted, "Chinese President Xi Jinping’s aggressive campaign to consolidate power in recent years has made conditions for journalists even more difficult. The climate for China-based reporters is more restrictive than at any time since the country embarked on its program of reform in the late 1970s following Mao’s death and the establishment of diplomatic relations with the US."

March 24, 2023: Nikkei Asia

RAND/USC international relations specialist Derek Grossman wrote that the juggled plans for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to meet with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen did not help Taiwan.

March 19, 2023: France24

Audrye Wong, USC international relations specialist, was interviewed about a meeting between Russia's Putin and China's Xi. She said, "Brokering the (Saudi-Iran) deal feeds into the Chinese government's narrative of being a positive-sum global player promoting peace and cooperation that contrasts with Washington's purportedly destabilising actions."

February 12, 2023: The Wire China

The USC U.S.-China Institute's Mike Chinoy was interviewed about his book which draws on USCI's Assignment: China documentary series.