On Thursday, October 19th, Asia Society Northern California hosted an executive roundtable discussion with Neil Thomas, a Fellow for Chinese Politics at Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, and Joseph Torigian, a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Thomas first discussed the three pieces of evidence used to better understand the government in Beijing: institutions, personnel, and policies. He then touched on areas of interest for the Chinese government such as AI, biotech, and national security.

Torigian underscored the difficulties in obtaining unbiased and accurate information surrounding China, discussing common issues in the news such as weaponization, commercialization, and wishful thinking. He concluded by commenting on the possibility of different interpretations of party language, and the importance of humility in the search for truth.

Attendees posed questions and shared insights on foreign policy, the role of women in Chinese politics, the Belt and Road Initiative, and Xi's identity as a pragmatist vs. ideologue.