Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
For decades, Americans bought inexpensive toys and clothes from Chinese factories while Chinese watched U.S. TV shows, studied English, and absorbed American culture. The script looks a little different now. Today, the United States is also absorbing high-quality cultural and consumer products from China—chart-topping games, advanced technologies in electronics and robotics, and viral apps. Rather than enjoy the two-way flow of cultures, both the U.S. and Chinese governments see the other’s cultural products as intrusions or even security threats. How did we get here?
Our new series, Faultlines, examines the strategic differences between the United States and China. The two nations differ in how they see economic, military, cultural, and governance issues, but was this always the case? By examining the view from both sides of the faultline, we can piece together how we got here and where we’re going next.
Journalist Viola Zhou and Professor Dr. Zhifan Luo joined us in April and May 2025 (respectively) to explain why both governments see cultural issues as paramount to the security and future of the nation, and how ordinary citizens looking for entertainment can get caught in the clash.
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The National Committee on United States-China Relations is the leading American, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization devoted to promoting constructive engagement between the United States and China. Learn more: ncuscr.org/about.
► Subscribe to our channel: ncuscr.video/subscribe-youtube
► Check out the rest of our videos and podcasts here: ncuscr.org/media
► Follow @NCUSCR on Twitter: twitter.com/ncuscr
► Facebook: facebook.com/NCUSCR
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► TikTok: tiktok.com/@ncuscr1966
► Weibo: weibo.com/ncuscr
► Visit our website for the latest information on our upcoming events, programs, digital content, and more: ncuscr.org
► Support our mission to promote understanding and cooperation between the United States and China: secure.givelively.org/donate/ncuscr/promote-engagement
For decades, Americans bought inexpensive toys and clothes from Chinese factories while Chinese watched U.S. TV shows, studied English, and absorbed American culture. The script looks a little different now. Today, the United States is also absorbing high-quality cultural and consumer products from China—chart-topping games, advanced technologies in electronics and robotics, and viral apps. Rather than enjoy the two-way flow of cultures, both the U.S. and Chinese governments see the other’s cultural products as intrusions or even security threats. How did we get here?
Our new series, Faultlines, examines the strategic differences between the United States and China. The two nations differ in how they see economic, military, cultural, and governance issues, but was this always the case? By examining the view from both sides of the faultline, we can piece together how we got here and where we’re going next.
Journalist Viola Zhou and Professor Dr. Zhifan Luo joined us in April and May 2025 (respectively) to explain why both governments see cultural issues as paramount to the security and future of the nation, and how ordinary citizens looking for entertainment can get caught in the clash.
_____________________________________________
The National Committee on United States-China Relations is the leading American, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization devoted to promoting constructive engagement between the United States and China. Learn more: ncuscr.org/about.
► Subscribe to our channel: ncuscr.video/subscribe-youtube
► Check out the rest of our videos and podcasts here: ncuscr.org/media
► Follow @NCUSCR on Twitter: twitter.com/ncuscr
► Facebook: facebook.com/NCUSCR
► Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/ncuscr
► Instagram: instagram.com/ncuscr
► TikTok: tiktok.com/@ncuscr1966
► Weibo: weibo.com/ncuscr
► Visit our website for the latest information on our upcoming events, programs, digital content, and more: ncuscr.org
► Support our mission to promote understanding and cooperation between the United States and China: secure.givelively.org/donate/ncuscr/promote-engagement
