Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Andrew McDermott, founder of Mission Value Partners and a longtime Japan-focused investor, about the significance of U.S.–Japan coordination on the yen, the relationship between currency policy and reindustrialization, and why Japan’s industrial capabilities matter for economic and national security. McDermott argues that as the US, Japan, and China navigate currency volatility, industrial policy, and rising geopolitical competition, Japan is more than a US ally, but a central strategic and economic leader. He explains why the world should look beyond a binary U.S.–China framework. He makes the case that Japan—alongside Taiwan, South Korea, India, Australia, and Southeast Asian partners—offers a viable foundation for resilient supply chains, advanced manufacturing, technology collaboration, and regional deterrence. The conversation also examines China’s role in global finance and industrial production, Japan’s investments across Asia and the United States, and why universities, investors, and policymakers should rebuild U.S.–Japan exchange and expertise.

Further Reading:

• Andrew McDermott’s essay, “What If Japan Is Winning?”
• Clyde Prestowitz, Japan Restored (2015)
• Russell Napier, America, China, and the Death of the International Monetary Non-System (2024)
• U.S.–Japan Foundation report, “Japan, the Indispensable Ally—Except in U.S. Academia”
• ASEAN Studies Centre at the ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute, The State of Southeast Asia 2026 Survey

00:00 Introduction to Japan's Role in Asia and the US-Japan Relationship
02:37 The Significance of the July 31 Yen Intervention
04:00 US and Japan's Shared Goals in Currency Stabilization
05:16 Currency as a Tool for National Security and Reindustrialization
07:12 The Long-Term Strategy Behind China's Currency and Industrial Policies
13:32 Japan's Economic and Military Partnerships in Asia
16:15 Japanese Soft Power and Cultural Influence
17:22 Public Perception of Japan in Asia
18:15 Japan's Investment in Regional Infrastructure
19:24 Financial Strategies and Investment Shifts from China to Japan
21:16 China's Deliberate Economic Strategies and Their Consequences
24:12 The Need for a Strategic Shift Toward Japan
25:01 What to Do in Response to Global Shifts
28:37 The Future of Currency Interventions and Regional Re-industrialization

Perspectives with Wenchi Yu

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkK1a7U8kP0TgXhvI5Bj70H4cPPlapCdQ&si=RuA_jZROR2ynRbxH

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Host Wenchi Yu speaks with Philipp Ivanov, Chief Global Resilience Officer at Melbourne-based RMIT University and a former Australian diplomat, about Australia’s relationship with China and the future of international higher education between the two countries.

As the U.S. government scrutinizes elite universities and their ties to China, Australian institutions face similar challenges. Chinese students remain Australia’s largest international-student cohort, and China is a major research partner. How can universities remain globally open while protecting research, data, intellectual property, staff, and students? How should they distinguish between acceptable risk and unacceptable exposure? And what does resilience look like for a university operating amid intensifying geopolitical competition?

00:00 Introduction to the episode and guest background

01:29 Guest's career overview and focus on education and international relations

03:18 Australia-China relationship: importance and recent developments

05:56 Shift in Chinese foreign policy and its impact on Australia

07:18 Strength of academic and research ties with China

09:36 Post-COVID trends in Chinese students in Australia

12:33 RMIT University and its international engagement

14:08 Risks and resilience strategies for international universities

16:05 Building resilience and managing risks in international partnerships

18:28 Policies and tools for risk management in higher education

22:31 Benefits of international engagement and maintaining open borders

24:28 Future outlook for Australia-China relations and university collaborations

29:56 Goals for a healthy and sustainable international relationship

Perspectives with Wenchi Yu

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkK1a7U8kP0TgXhvI5Bj70H4cPPlapCdQ&si=RuA_jZROR2ynRbxH

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6kXiEF08IjtT3j1DyEnBbG?si=68ab3ea172594620

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/perspectives-with-wenchi-yu/id1793854395

Host Wenchi Yu sits down with Rui Ma of Tech Buzz China to unpack China’s AI shift over the past year, from Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3 launch at the World AI Conference (WAIC) to new U.S. scrutiny of Chinese models. She argues that the “distillation” allegations don’t fit the timelines, and that China’s real edge is not shortcuts but full‑stack competitiveness—especially Huawei‑led chip clusters that knit together thousands of weaker chips for compute, power, models, and applications. She maps a diverse ecosystem—frontier models like DeepSeek, GLM, and Kimi; edge AI in cars and phones; and early embodied AI—and contrasts China’s push to position itself as a global AI alternative to the U.S., actively exporting its AI stack while largely rejecting Silicon Valley’s AGI‑centric, existential‑risk framing of AI development.

Read more from Tech Buzz China: China's AI Industrial Strategy

00:00 Introduction to US-China AI Competition
01:29 Rey Ma on China's AI Progress and Kimi K3
04:24 Xi Jinping's Major Speech at World AI Conference (WAIC)
06:27 China's Hardware Clusters and AI Infrastructure
09:26 US and China Policy Divergence on AI
11:26 China's Support for Open Source AI
13:22 China's Vision of AI and Civilizational Tolerance
15:11 Global Implications of US-China AI Strategies
17:17 Future Outlook for Chinese and US AI Development
20:21 China's Role as a Global AI Standard Setter
24:10 Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Perspectives with Wenchi Yu

YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkK1a7U8kP0TgXhvI5Bj70H4cPPlapCdQ&si=RuA_jZROR2ynRbxH

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6kXiEF08IjtT3j1DyEnBbG?si=68ab3ea172594620

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/perspectives-with-wenchi-yu/id1793854395