UNDERSTAND CHINA: Through the Lens of 'Mutually Assured Prosperity'

It's hard to truly and fully understand a country without first appreciating the nature of its own political system and unique path towards development. On this topic, People's Daily Online has got you covered with our series of multi-faceted and in-depth conversations with foreign and domestic thought leaders on the subject of domestic and international politics, discussions that can hopefully help to clear some of the air between China and those who may still have a false impression of the country and its people.

In this episode, the first person we spoke to was Stephen A. Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.–China Relations. Mr. Orlins was among the earliest observers to witness the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the United States in January 1979. During that period, he served in the Office of the Legal Advisor of the U.S. Department of State and was a member of the American legal team that supported the two countries in their transition to full diplomatic relations.

We then sat down with Zhang Weiwei, who served as a senior English interpreter for former Chinese leader, and the architect of China's reform and opening-up, Deng Xiaoping. Mr. Zhang is now the director of the China Institute of Fudan University. In a conversation in his office, Zhang shared his views on the rise of China and the reasons behind some of the ideological biases towards China that have since become prevalent in many Western countries.

Check out the full episode to see what remarkable insights Mr. Orlins and Mr. Zhang exchanged with each other on better Understanding China.