James Kynge on China's Global Strategy: China at 100

📅 May 20, 2026 Special Competitive Studies Project 19 MIN 5538 VIEWS 28 SEGMENTS · 2 SPEAKERS

What is the trajectory of China's economic and geopolitical ambitions as it looks toward its centennial? Recorded live at The Exchange, acclaimed journalist and China expert James Kynge presents "China at 100." Watch his deep dive into Beijing's long-term strategic goals, technological statecraft, and what the evolving U.S.-China relationship means for the future of global power dynamics and national security. #ChinaStrategy #NationalSecurity #Geopolitics #SCSP #ForeignPolicy #china © 2026 Schmidt Special Competitive Studies Project, LLC. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 (non-commercial use with...

Host 0:00 ↗

For our next session, please welcome James Kynge, senior research fellow for China and the world at Chatham House, to discuss China at 100.

1 more exchange in this transcript

Cite this transcript

APA, MLA, BibTeX

APA

Kynge, J. (2026, May 20). James Kynge on China's Global Strategy: China at 100 [Interview transcript]. Special Competitive Studies Project. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/3012388/

MLA

James Kynge. "James Kynge on China's Global Strategy: China at 100." Special Competitive Studies Project, 20 May. 2026. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/3012388/.

BibTeX

@misc{kynge2026_3012388,
  author       = {James Kynge},
  title        = {James Kynge on China's Global Strategy: China at 100},
  howpublished = {Interview transcript, Special Competitive Studies Project. CEOInterviews.AI},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = {may},
  url          = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/3012388/},
  note         = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}

▶

Key Quotes (2)

“China had charted a complex course in its rivalry with a US-led West. It had long known, before the demonstration of US military prowess in Venezuela and the Middle East, that there was no joy to be had in pursuing war with America. No, China had in fact many years earlier decided that it wanted to win without fighting. By 2025, it had been clear that this meant in practice it meant bringing about”

▶ 5:27 CONTROVERSIAL POLICY

“China's involvement with the G77 was about pushing to redistribute power away from the West and towards the global south. It took some time, but by the late 2030s, a suite of reform pushed by China saw the diminution of the West's dominance. The Security Council at the United Nations was reformed. The US effective veto at the World Bank and the IMF were diluted and a new set of peacekeeping rules ”

▶ 13:10 CONTROVERSIAL POLICY

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About James Kynge

James Kynge, senior research fellow at Chatham House and co-host of the podcast China Decode, concluded the show's run in September 2026 after a year of episodes. In the final episode, he and co-host Alice Han discussed China's technological trajectory, with Kynge stating that China is "at the forefront" of a cluster of new technologies, including AI, robotics, and automation, that he described as a "fourth industrial revolution" being "led by China." He also commented on China's relationship with the global south, saying China regards it as "its kind of agent to recreate the world" and views the West as "a source of friction." Across recent episodes, Kynge offered analysis on various aspects of U.S.-China competition. He noted that China holds roughly 50% of global advanced pharmaceutical ingredient capacity and that about half of U.S. imported APIs come from China. Regarding AI, he said that after an incident involving a rogue AI agent, Xi Jinping's stated position that AI should remain under human control "looks a lot wiser," while also questioning whether Chinese firm Z.ai's promotion of open-source models was altruistic or a reflection of competition. On robotics, he observed that many humanoid robots in China are purchased by government-backed training centers that generate data for AI improvement, and he compared the potential market for humanoid robots to the early days of Amazon. He also commented on Microsoft's retreat from China, saying the company has been "a bit of a loser" in the Chinese market compared to other firms, while noting it still sells Azure services to Chinese companies like ByteDance and Tencent.

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