President Trump has made it clear that he wants to reduce the U.S trade deficit with China. If he follows through on his campaign promises to impose tariffs, how would China react? Is a trade deficit with China necessarily a bad thing for the US? One of the most thought-provoking economists on China, Michael Pettis examines the trade relationship between Washington and Beijing, and explains how the Chinese growth model is facing unique challenges.
Michael Pettis is a senior fellow in the Carnegie Asia Program based in Beijing. An expert on China’s economy, Pettis is professor of finance at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management, where he specializes in Chinese financial markets.
Pettis is also editor of China Financial Markets, which offers monthly insights into the financial and economic dynamics of China and the global economy. Learn more at ChinaFinancialMarkets.org.
Ambassador James B. Story most recently served as U.S. Ambassador for the Venezuela Affairs Unit, located at the United States Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia. Previously, Ambassador Story served as Chargé d’Affaires at the Venezuela Affairs Unit and, prior to mid-2019, the United States Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela.
Stephen Wertheim is a historian, strategist, and author of Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy. He joins Jon Bateman, host of The World Unpacked, to assess what this historic document can tell us. Will Trump follow it? Which GOP factions were behind it? And how will it shape the battle of ideas in 2028 and beyond?
Author, podcaster, publicist, and one of AI's biggest critics joins The World Unpacked to discuss the AI bubble and his own research into AI finances with Jon Bateman.
In a lively new episode of The World Unpacked, Alicia Wanless and host Jon Bateman discuss what 2025 has in common with 1625, how novels spark civil wars, and why our frantic efforts to tame information often do more harm than good.
Peter Harrell is a top trade expert and lawyer fighting the tariffs on behalf of 207 members of Congress. He joins host Jon Bateman on The World Unpacked to take stock of the ever-changing tariffs, peer into the Justices’ decision-making process, and predict the fallout for America and the world.