How Basketball Builds Bridges On and Off the Court
Basketball is more than a favorite American pastime. It has expanded into a global cultural movement that combines sports, fashion, and lifestyle. Chinese players such as Yao Ming and Jeremy Lin drew attention to untapped basketball talent in Asia and helped bring basketball culture to China. The Asian University Basketball League (AUBL) taps into that energy through elevating Asian university-level basketball competition on the continent. The AUBL, drawing from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States for inspiration, seeks to capture and shape a uniquely Asian basketball fan culture. How is Asia a new frontier for one of America’s biggest sports exports? AUBL CEO Jay Li joined us in August 2025 to share the future of university-level basketball in Asia and its potential to bridge people across countries.
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China’s Strategic Advances in the Global Economy
China’s GDP is projected to reach $25.83 trillion USD in 2030, as it continues to grow at a faster rate than the United States’. China’s role in the global economy has shifted from “The World’s Factory” to a technological and economic powerhouse. Yet, China’s economy operates differently than Western ones – raising questions of how these divergent economic models will either coexist or clash. How is China protecting and promoting its position in the global economy, and how is the United States dealing with its economic rival? Ka Zeng joined us in June 2025 to discuss how China acts in global economic institutions amid economic competition with the United States.
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China & the Hill: Xi Takes Center Stage at SCO Summit while U.S. Treasury Flags Chinese Money-Laundering Networks
China & the Hill is now on Substack! → This week's edition China & the Hill is a weekly newsletter covering Washington DC’s China-focused debates, actions, and reactions. Readers will receive a curated digest of each week's most pressing U.S.-China news and its impact on businesses and policy, and can listen to the top stories in podcast form on the U.S.-China Podcast.
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Unearthing Leverage: Critical Minerals in U.S.-China Competition
Critical minerals have become a cornerstone of economic and geopolitical competition, essential to technologies from EVs to advanced defense systems. China’s dominance in the sector reflects decades of strategic planning and global shifts in supply chains. This conversation examines how China attained its current position, the scale of its capacity, and why these minerals are so vital to national security and the energy transition. It also considers how recent global disruptions, including the war in Ukraine, COVID-19, and the U.S.-China trade war, have exposed strategic vulnerabilities in mineral supply chains. In response, the United States and its partners are seeking alternative supply chains through multilateral initiatives and emerging technologies to reduce dependence on China. As the global demand for critical minerals surges, policy choices made now will shape the future of technological leadership and economic resilience. About the speakers
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China & the Hill: Beijing sends top trade envoy to Washington, China eyes yuan-backed crypto stablecoins
China & the Hill is now on Substack! → https://ncuscr.substack.com China & the Hill is a weekly newsletter covering Washington DC’s China-focused debates, actions, and reactions. Readers will receive a curated digest of each week's most pressing U.S.-China news and its impact on businesses and policy, and can listen to the top stories in podcast form on the U.S.-China Podcast.
This series features brief discussions with leading China experts on a range of issues in the U.S.-China relationship, including domestic politics, foreign policy, economics, security, culture, the environment, and areas of global concern. For more interviews, videos, and links to events, visit our website: www.ncuscr.org.
The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations is the leading nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that encourages understanding of China and the United States among citizens of both countries.
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