Carnegie's Tong Zhao on the Expansion of China's Nuclear Arsenal
This week on Sinica, in a show taped in early June in Washington, Kaiser chats with Tong Zhao (赵通) of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a leading expert on Chinese nuclear doctrine, about why the PRC has, in recent years, significantly increased the size of its nuclear arsenal. Zhao offers a master class in the practice of strategic empathy.
03:12 – China’s nuclear doctrine: core principles
06:56 – Xi Jinping’s leadership and nuclear policy
12:33 – Symbolism vs. strategy: Defensive or offensive buildup?
16:55 – What’s driving the nuclear expansion?
28:33 – Trump’s second term…
The skinny
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