I’m usually as impressed by the quality of the guests as I’m, like, disappointed by, like, like, Jordan.

The guests are great and the topics are very timely. However, as a host, Jordan Schneiderman is a trainwreck. If you did a word cloud based on his portion of the dialogue, the words ‘Um’ ‘Like’ and ‘You Know’ would crowd out all other words. He also doesn’t come across as highly prepared, will go on a long soliloquy before asking the guests “do you agree?”, and overall just sounds unprofessional (see Rahm Emmanuel replying to facile questions with “is that really what you want to ask me” or Dmitri Alperovich telling him he is wrongly interpreting Soviet Cold War history). I want to like the show but he makes it very hard.

Excellent guests and goes in depth!

If ever you mistook international relations be complicated, just listen to this podcast.

China bad. America good. China steals secrets and lies and is ruled by a maniacal dictator. US is the golden light that protects and shines on the world. I used to listen and he had good guests. Now it’s mostly government hacks.

Sharp questions, excellent!

I think Jordan is brilliant. He has a wide variety of excellent guests. No, not all episodes are about China. I don’t care. YES, host has biases, and his guests have biases. EVERYONE has biases. I enjoy the host’s unique style and his humor.

Jordan covers China from angles I haven’t found in other podcasts, and his passion and sincerity are contagious. His interests are many and his questions are thoughtful. I appreciate Jordan’s ability to have hard-nosed policy discussions without being a perma-hawk and while retaining some sense of wonder about and kinship with a country that fascinates him. I also appreciate how many episodes feel like organic conversations, with some but not too much preparation. On occasion, however, this leads to a tendency to ramble, and to gaps in the flow of the show. I (reluctantly) took a star off for that as well as for the fact that a lot of episodes lately have touched on China only tangentially, if they have at all. It’s natural for a host to stray once he has a platform, especially when he is as curious and knowledgeable as Jordan. But a show named ChinaTalk should always have China at its core. A show here and there about semiconductors, AI, and US defense policy is welcome enough, and these can be tied back to China without too much trouble. Don’t do it too hastily, though, and don’t do it too often. Other episodes, like the recent one about macroeconomics (how worried should we be about US wage inflation? To what degree should central banks experiment?) with Jason Furman, stray a little too far.

Was a pretty good show but lately has turned into a parochial discussion of tech policy, occasionally shoehorning in some China content.

Intelligent

Great host and guests, China content I wouldn’t have found anywhere else.

This podcast was the one that helped me the most to make sense of the country I was living in. It’s easy to hear Jordan’s love of China. I appreciate the wide range of topics he hits on from the arts to economics to lifestyle, and the ever present political side.

great tracks though

A casual listener but very impressed with the quality of content. So often the internet is a place giving those with nothing to say a place to say it. This is different, and better

Jordan you have excellent guests who appear to have really good insight into current issues in China. I spent several years in Taiwan and China studying mandarin. I am a somewhat failed academic and moved into a different career path, but married Chinese so am still connected to the region and community. I don’t find your voice annoying. You ask good questions and keep the ball rolling with your guests which keeps the conversation quality high.

China Talk is excellent resource for anyone interested in an in-depth, highly relevant, and genuinely knowledgable analysis of China.

Insightful and discerning in its handling of topics related to China. Love the abundant book recommendations and overall sincerity from the host and guests. The show flows much better now since the addition of an editor

A great show, unique in tone and content in the China-related podcasting world. Jordan is clearly highly intelligent, deeply and broadly knowledgeable. I like the youthful energy of the show, and the sense that Jordan is pushing for better writing, talking, and analysis on China in general by highlighting things like Chinese-language sources that should be obvious to western China "experts" but are weirdly overlooked. Could the show benefit from better editing and production? Yes. Do certain episodes sometimes veer into too-narrow corridors of China/tech/defense/policy nerd smugness? Yes (like the recent episode with Lisa Porter...huh?). But overall, I welcome a podcast like this that really gets into the weeds rather than defaulting to a wider China-clueless audience. I love the musical choices, although some go on too long -it would be really nice to get a few words about the songs being featured. Keep going, keep polishing, and thank you for the great work so far! 加油！

Seriously confused to as why this show is edited the way it is sometimes.

I’ve listened to this show and appreciate a different viewpoint. My listen to the episode “Why does China have blackouts?” really left me disappointed and wondering how much of my consumption of this content will leave me strongly to one side of the bias: Early in the podcast when discussing the shortage, the conversation specifically detours to talking points that favor a blameless narrative, that is: weather events, alternative energy, and a global crunch for coal. I would forgive you if you lapped that right up… climate change du jour. In real life we know that CCP governance has designed price point restrictions to keep coal derived energy prices from rising (following market rates for coal), and we’re aware of self inflicted shortages such as that with the Australian suppliers, who’s government dared to question China’s role in the COVID outbreak. Facts show that the gradual decrease of coal stockpiles over the last year, which broke the back of these gamblers at the helm of the CCP, has cost the Chinese people in the end because despite how constant that energy bill is, the lights aren’t on. It should be known to investors that this is the real situation and it poses a threat if CCP continue to manage their energy markets and foreign affairs jn such ways.

I really try to give this show a chance, but it seldom delivers. It’s mostly US policy and how it might or sort of connect and layover with China. Also, the guests seems to be mostly his friends and buddies from Rodium Group. The editing and questions makes the show flow really awkward as well. It’s mostly a China fan boy show, fails to talk about the systemic failure of US policy post the Nixon visit. Jordan speaks with a glee in his voice which their is nothing gleeful about current status of US and China relations, with our “experts” assuming the best intentions with a mindset “they will be more like us eventually”. Skip the episode about Eve online and how it’s somehow relevant to policy decision. It was the biggest load of nonsense, just Jordan’s buddies trying to shoehorn their favorite video game as it relates to China policy but completely failed, was nothing but a Eve online fanboy.

Huge fan of Jordan’s fantastic podcast. I love how he brings unique voices to discuss interesting topics which I can’t find anywhere else. Jordan’s insecurity about his radio voice is very endearing, especially considering he never speaks any Chinese on the show. Makes me wonder how his tones are…

The content could not be better. Pertinent and current. However, as an avid listener and aural learner, I find that the way the show is edited can be distracting and even fatiguing. All of the "breath" and natural pauses seem to be edited out. Podcasters already have the option to listen at 1.5x or greater. I find myself listening on 0.5x speed simply in order to have time to digest what's being said. Feedback is obviously meant to be constructive! Keep up the great work on what has become a new favorite. Maybe let the conversation breathe a bit more... The show will be less time efficient but certainly more effective.

The military Eve online episode didn’t actually answer the title question at all!

Jordan gets a constant flow of top academics, journalists, and policymakers for informal and informative discussions of what's happening in China across a number of spheres. Lately more focused on US-China relations and tech policy.

If you want to have an inside look at the reasons behind China policy and tech/industrial policy decisions (and failures) this is the thing to listen to. It's ad-free, so we'll ignore the smushed editing ;)

Great show. Never miss an episode. I listen to China content on Sinica, Barbarians at the Gate, NCUSCR, Brookings, etc., but this is my favorite. This podcast leans towards the science/tech/politics vs culture/society topics - and it’s great. Jordan is steady slaying it with content on industrial policy, tech, Leninist party politics, and Chinese hip-hop. Jordan’s podcast voice is like if Barry White and Sadé had a baby. ZJ

ChinaTalk plays an important role at this point in our history, bridging interests, voices and minds between civil society, private enterprise and government / public service sectors. We all gain in untold and unseen ways from Jordan Schneider’s labor-of-love.

Sexiest voice in the whole podcast universe plus some stuff about China. - Kelley Carroll

This is my favorite podcast out of 10-15 I listen to. Great guests and great questions. One way the show could maybe be improved going forward would be to have some panel discussions where you bring on someone who recently published an article and then have two experts who disagree and have prepared objections in advance etc. I’d like to hear more tough questions / challenges. Also maybe interview Oliver Holmes on his new long read in the guardian about video game censorship

it’s a good show, they have a good mix of current events/news and high level stuff. the host’s voice is fine.

The host is knowledgeable about China including most of his guests that cover many aspects of modern day China. Considering the target listeners are westerners, this podcast is as objective as it gets with nice touch of ending each episode ending Chinese rap songs.

I’ve never been interested in China or other countries, but I was drawn in by Jordan’s sweet tenor. Most of the content still goes over my head, but I can’t get enough of that man’s voice! -1 star because my girlfriend is starting to get jealous.

Interesting guests and good content but the host’s nasally voice is unbearable

plenty insight point of views, interesting triggering.

One of the speakers on this episode had their feed playing audibly in the background with the standard 1 second delay, making it difficult to listen to the content instead of the persistent echo.

Where did you find these guys? How colonial minded to say that US send their students to explore culture and China send them to steal technology. As a former foreign student but not from China, I am very offended. Students from developing countries usually come to US to study STEM because it is the leader and they can’t get it back home. They stay usually because the opportunities were better than back home. Probably a bunch of White people discussing this created a very tone deaf situation. Sorry about the rating, it’s for your guests, I love your show.

Audio is poor, too bad because the content is interesting

not China talk, its US talks China

Host has a ‘subtle’ white-foreigner superiority complex that seems to be compensating for something 🤷🏻‍♂️

Jordan gets excellent guests and has insightful discussions with them about the impact of China on the world. Excellent podcast!

One of my favorite China programs. Top notch guests, insightful host with great background and rapport. I learn a lot with every episode. As a bonus, a long musical outro to think about what I’ve just heard. Highly recommended!

Host asks well researched questions and allows guests to expound freely. Quality of guests is excellent.

I’m listening to my first ever podcast of yours with Jake Sullivan, and I can’t help but think you’re wasting some opportunities by trying to be too on-the-fly and casual rather than thinking up well worded questions before hand that will give your guest the opportunity to respond to the core idea you’re asking about. It’s not uncool to have super well thought out questions and to deliver them precisely and with confidence.

Unlike other podcasts China Talk always makes sense and doesn't over explain. The host Jordan has an incredible wealth of China knowledge and a very natural approach to interviews that go in the weeds without getting lost in them and keeping listeners engaged. Favorite podcast!

Yo that was some heat after the Japan U.S relations you played. Do that more often 🤤

Great host, insightful guests, terrific music selection, what more can you ask for? Really appreciate Jordan’s ability to challenge views and bring a fresh perspective to US-China relations. Much needed for the next wave of China watchers

Great subject matter and cultural knowledge and fantastic guests. Loved the Adam Tooze ep recently

There’s an ever increasing number of China podcasts, but this should definitely be one of your mainstays. Unlike others, It covers topics and depth in a way you can’t get from otherwise excellent but non-specialist publications like NYT or the Economist. Also the music is great!

Weird that this podcast is about China and not one episode about the virus. If a country exports a virus to the world, all your money making is over.