S9 Ep8: US and China: behind the rhetoric with Rana Mitter

About this episode

Professor Rana Mitter discusses the complexities of US-China relations beyond the prevailing doom narrative.

Joining Will Hutton for the final episode of Season 9 is Professor Rana Mitter, an authority on contemporary China and U.S relations. He is the ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School. In the conversation, Professor Mitter argues that we should look past the often prevailing sense of doom regarding U.S.-China relations to explore the realities - both nations have distinct aspirations that do not lead automatically to conflict. He argues that the tendency of apocalyptic framing oversimplifies reality. Professor Mitter puts forward his view that rather than a clash of liberalism versus authoritarianism, today’s geopolitics is defined by competing antiliberal views. They talk about China’s booming economy, especially now that the green energy market is open to investment following America’s renewed focus on fossil fuels. In the We Society, join acclaimed journalist and Academy president Will Hutton, as he invites guests from the world of social science to explore the stories behind the news and hear their solutions to society’s most pressing problems. Don’t want to miss an episode? Follow the show on your favourite podcast platform and you can email us on…

People in this episode

Host: Will Hutton

Guest: Rana Mitter

Topics covered

• US-China relations
• geopolitics
• economic competition
• green energy
• liberalism vs authoritarianism

Keywords

• US-China relations
• geopolitics
• Rana Mitter
• green energy
• economic aspirations

Sponsors

Academy of Social Sciences, Nuffield Foundation, Leverhulme Trust

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harvard Kennedy School

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