Barbarians at the Gate

Barbarians at the Gate


Tik-Tok-for-Tat: Jeremiah and David try to Fix US-China Relations

May 15, 2023

Fueled by too many red bulls (Jeremiah) and some pretty good pharmaceuticals following an emergency root canal (David), our intrepid cohosts throw caution to the wind and attempt to fix US-China Relations in a single podcast. For those outside of China, the ups and downs of this troubled bilateral relationship are sometimes felt as a rather abstract quandary. Still, for those of us who have invested decades of our lives in this China, the often juvenile skirmishes between the two superpowers have existential consequences. In this episode of BATG, Jeremiah and David describe the deterioration of US-China relations brought about by an ongoing series of reciprocal clashes. The conversation includes media bias, tit-for-tat sanctions and expulsions, what-about-ism, ideological silos, historical grudges, diplomatic standoffs, national humiliation, and “face,” -- all problems for which we provide absolutely no solutions, but for which ranting can be cathartic. Grab a red bull (or four) and/or your favorite pharmaceuticals and join the conversation.