When vice premier Wang Zhen visited the UK in 1978, he said what he found there was “the communist society of our ideals” except for the fact the country was not run by a communist party.

After Zhou Yang gave his famous 1983 speech on “alienation” under socialism, Wang approached Zhou to say he loved the speech and to ask how the Chinese characters for “alienation” were written.

My favorite Chinese encounter with “American communism” might be how strongly Xi Jinping’s dad reacted to the story of the “decollectivization” of the Amana Colonies in Iowa when he visited there, something I write about in my forthcoming book. Wang Huning also wrote about Amana.

Tim Walz on how he experienced the student movement at Tiananmen Square in 1989:

Had a great time talking political biographies (plus research and writing processes) with fellow Montclair, NJ, resident Jonathan Alter on the watchungbooksellers podcast. Listen here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the…

Interested in how research and evidence can have a positive impact on society? Come work with us! Application review begins August 19th.

‘Monument to history’ battle between US and China over future of Mao’s secretary’s diary theguardian.com/world/article/…

I spoke to ⁦NPR⁩ ⁦The World⁩ about the lawsuit against the ⁦Hoover Institution⁩ archives over the diaries of Li Rui, Mao’s former secretary theworld.org/segments/2024/…

August 22 is the 120th anniversary of Deng Xiaoping's birth. Over the last few years, the historiography on him has changed dramatically, as Teiwes writes in this new article on why Deng does not deserve credit for launching reform and opening in 1978. ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/32…

Elites in China know that Hua Guofeng deserves credit for launching the Party on a new path after Mao's death. "Jiang Zemin visited Hua [Guofeng] in hospital and told him he was the first leader to set China on its current course," Teiwes writes.

Delighted to have joined Jude to talk about my CSP Journal article on China’s policy responses to its peacekeeping fatalities, China-UN Relations and Beijing’s Global Security Initiative (GSI). cc: Security Studies @ MQ

“Diaries of Mao's secretary at the center of a legal battle over the history of modern China” More on the lawsuit over the Li Rui papers at Hoover Institution with NBC News, including some thoughts from me on the value and content of the materials. nbcnews.com/news/world/us-…

Speaking of Li Rui, he wrote the introduction to a book about Hua Guofeng. Li acknowledged the evidence that Hua deserved credit for launching reforms and that Deng did not deserve so much credit for taking collective leadership seriously. taosnewsletter.wordpress.com/2021/02/17/%e6…

Freeman Chair Sr. Associate Richard McGregor has written a piece in the Australian Financial Review analyzing how Chinese officials and scholars view the prospect of a potential 2nd Trump administration. afr.com/world/asia/bei…

This new book on the Soviet economy by Yakov Feygin is an important read, especially for China watchers, as Michael Pettis points out in one of the book's blurbs.

Mission to Mao, my new book, is officially out today. Thanks to all of you here who helped support this big project. Details from the press: press.georgetown.edu/Book/Mission-t…

I learned so much from my AU School of International Service colleague Patrick Jackson PTJ on research methods, so I'm delighted to see his new book "Facts and Explanations in International Studies...and beyond" is now out! routledge.com/Facts-and-Expl…

Today is the anniversary of the flight and death of Chinese Defense Minister Lin Biao in 1971. Re-upping my conversation with historian Yu Ruxin about the evidence we now have on what happened (published with ChinaTalk Jordan Schneider) chinatalk.media/p/lin-biao-wha…