Live from Shanghai, Kaiser Kuo
And the Sinica Podcast
I first heard the Name Kaiser Kuo as a teenager living in Changchun, which is Northeastern China. His band at the time, Tang Dynasty, was raging across that part of China.
Since that time, Kaiser has turned into beacon of thought leadership on China, and is an important contributor to the discourse. There is no doubt that the impact of his contributions can only be understood in the fullness of time by future historians.
I have been a listener to the Sinica Podcast for many years, and during the pandemic, it was a lifeline for many inside China, especially the darkest days of 2022. We had exchange emails over the years, and I had the chance to meet him at the Salzburg Seminar in February.
He is everything he seems to be. Courteous, kind, honest, forthright, and a booming voice. His insights were specific and, on the mark. His ability to seamlessly organize and facilitate panels and discourse was nice to see, as so many facilitators often go with an approach of “each panelist has 5 minutes to answer the following questions…” His prodding, push-back, and asking for more clarity was well-received by those under fire, as well as the audience, it made for better discussions.
Since then we kept in touch with an occasional call or email, and when he told me plans of coming to China, I invited him to visit Shanghai if the chance arose.
We talked last month and said he would be coming to Shanghai in late October, and the wheels began to turn. Meetings were arranged and once the public became aware of his trip to Shanghai, an anticipation arose the likes of which we haven’t seen since before the pandemic. Fans of the Sinica podcast, intellectuals, and businessman alike wanted to hear his thoughts and it was interesting to see how he engaged each of them in a unique and focused way, while showing appreciation for their interest in his work and supporting the podcast.
The first engagement was at China Crossroads, the “brainchild” of the venerable Frank Tsai, who has hosted over 600 events and talks, even throughout the pandemic, in Shanghai. It was one of the biggest crowds in its history, and Kaiser’s comparisons on Chinese and American Exceptionalism was well-received and thought provoking.
Kaiser Kuo with Frank Tsai of China Crossroads
The next day I was able to spend some one-on-one time and pick his brain on the US, China, history, and other topics. It is rare to have opportunities like these, as so few contributors to the discourse are coming to China, and especially Shanghai.
On the final day of Kaiser’s visit, he gave a talk at the American Chamber of Commerce on Chinese and American exceptionalism, and how that can affect the business community. It was a nice change of pace and gave a broader picture of the US-China relationship than some of us are used to.
In the evening we participated in the first live recording in Shanghai of the Sinica Podcast at China Crossroads. Kaiser interviewed me about supply chains, PPE, and visits to Washington DC.
I was nervous, not having been in such a position before. Sure, I have spoken in front of crowds, been on TV a few times, and teach at a university. But this was different. A show that is listened to by tens of thousands of people around the world, and live in front of many who know me, are my peers, or I work with.
Cameron Johnson and Kaiser Kuo recording for the Sinica Podcast at China Crossroads in Shanghai
How did it turn out? Find out here at Sinica Podcast, it should come out the first week of November.