Host Dr. Elizabeth Economy interviews Dr. Chenjian Li, discussing the fundamental differences between the Chinese and US systems. He highlights China's rapid progress in biotech and pharmaceutical development, predicting the country may produce its first truly innovative drug within five years. While the U.S. excels at "zero-to-one" grassroots innovation stemming from decades of basic research, China has traditionally focused on "one-to-100" government-supported scaling and is now increasingly investing in breakthrough innovation. The conversation concludes with Dr. Li's recommendations for U.S. competitiveness: continuing robust basic science funding, maintaining large-scale translational research programs, and preserving America's traditional openness to global talent, which he argues brings not just technical expertise but also scientific thinking and open inquiry to societies worldwide.

Recorded on October 1, 2025.

ABOUT THE SERIES

China Considered with Elizabeth Economy is a Hoover Institution podcast series that features in-depth conversations with leading political figures, scholars, and activists from around the world. The series explores the ideas, events, and forces shaping China’s future and its global relationships, offering high-level expertise, clear-eyed analysis, and valuable insights to demystify China’s evolving dynamics and what they may mean for ordinary citizens and key decision makers across societies, governments, and the private sector.

Host Dr. Elizabeth Economy interviews Yanzhong Huang, a leading expert on China's public health system, examining how China has evolved from the COVID-19 pandemic and its growing role in global health diplomacy. The two explore China’s dramatic policy pivots—from initial inaction to draconian zero-COVID lockdowns to sudden reopening—and analyze why meaningful domestic reforms and transparency remain elusive despite lessons from the crisis. Huang discusses China's strategic health diplomacy, particularly how its provision of vaccines and medical supplies during COVID earned goodwill in developing countries. The conversation reveals how U.S. withdrawal from global health institutions creates opportunities for China to expand its influence through the Health Silk Road initiative, requiring minimal effort to fill the vacuum left by the American absence. Huang argues that the unresolved controversy over COVID-19's origins and deep mistrust between Washington and Beijing have effectively frozen bilateral health cooperation, making dialogue nearly impossible even in an area traditionally viewed as ripe for collaboration.

Recorded on October 1, 2025.

ABOUT THE SERIES

China Considered with Elizabeth Economy is a Hoover Institution podcast series that features in-depth conversations with leading political figures, scholars, and activists from around the world. The series explores the ideas, events, and forces shaping China’s future and its global relationships, offering high-level expertise, clear-eyed analysis, and valuable insights to demystify China’s evolving dynamics and what they may mean for ordinary citizens and key decision makers across societies, governments, and the private sector.

Host Dr. Elizabeth Economy interviews Oliver Melton, who shares insider perspectives on China's complex economy, drawing from his years as a diplomat in Beijing and his current role at the Rhodium Group. Economy and Melton discuss how China's structural imbalances, high savings rates, and over-investment in real estate have created fundamental economic challenges that the leadership struggles to address through consumption-boosting policies. Melton also evaluates three major Chinese initiatives: the Belt and Road's evolution from sprawling campaign to targeted strategic investments, Made in China 2025's mixed success, and China's approach to de-dollarization focused on sanctions-proofing. The two also touch on the difficulties of US-China economic diplomacy and that any effective response to China's industrial policies requires coordinated action among the US, Europe, Japan, and other allies rather than unilateral American measures.

Recorded on September 11, 2025.

ABOUT THE SERIES

China Considered with Elizabeth Economy is a Hoover Institution podcast series that features in-depth conversations with leading political figures, scholars, and activists from around the world. The series explores the ideas, events, and forces shaping China’s future and its global relationships, offering high-level expertise, clear-eyed analysis, and valuable insights to demystify China’s evolving dynamics and what they may mean for ordinary citizens and key decision makers across societies, governments, and the private sector.