Episode 35: Yangmo Ku - Nuclear North Korea

Episode 37: Jeremy Paltiel - Xi-Trump Beijing Summit, No space for Canada?

China needs a China strategy, not just a reaction driven foreign policy based on China engagement. As a leading middle-power it is high time for Canada to craft a China strategy that relies less on reaction reflex and emotion and more on realism driven by its national interests.. While Canada cannot ignore Washington's concerns and trade potential, it cannot let great-power rivalry completely define its foreign policy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ JEREMY PALTIEL Professor of Political Science (emeritus)  at Carleton University, Canada. He is author of several chapters included in edited volumes.  His published articles appear in numerous publications including The China Quarterly and Asian Affairs.

Episode 36: Ajay Srivastava - Xi-Trump Beijing Summit - An India Perspective

Modi’s ‘Make in India’ vs Trump’s ‘Make in America’ — collision ahead after the Xi-Trump Summit? U.S.–India economic relationship seems to be shifting from the old “natural partners” narrative into something more transactional and contentious. The forced-labor issue recently highlighted by the Trump Administration is especially interesting, especially as it comes on the heels of the Xi-Trump summit in Beijing: Washington is not just accusing Indian exporters of using forced labor; the argument is also about whether India sufficiently blocks third-country inputs (especially supply-chain links involving China) that Washington considers tainted. The U.S. has floated additional tariffs under a forced-labor rationale. So, wither the Quad? Wither the much flaunted India as counter to China? ------------------------ AJAY SRIVASTAVA MR.  SRIVASTAVA Founder, Global Trade Research Initiative (an Indian research group specializing in technology, climate change, and trade. He took voluntary retirement from the Government of India in March 2022, having served as an Indian Trade Service Officer. Ajay worked in trade policy formulation and WTO and FTA negotiations, being part of the Indian team negotiating FTAs with ASEAN, Japan, Korea, Australia, the EU, and others. He writes regularly for the Indian media including Business Standard, Hindu Business Line, and Times of India. He is the author of books such as 'Stop Talking, Start Exporting,' 'The GST Nation,' and 'Business Guide to FTA. Ajay Srivastava is Founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative, an Indian research group specializing in technology, climate change, and trade.

Episode 35: Yangmo Ku - Nuclear North Korea

Despite crippling economic hardships and intense international pressure, North Korea has managed to become a nuclear nation. What drove the country to so resolutely prioritize the development of nuclear weapons? What strategies has it used in pursuit of its goals? And what are the broader strategic, geopolitical implications of its nuclear program? The author, Yangmo Ku,  will unpack the complexities of North Korea's nuclear ambitions and achievements and shed light on the conundrum that they pose for both East Asian stability and global security.   --------------------------------- Yangmo Ku Dr. Yangmo Ku is Professor of Political Science and Associate Director of the Peace and War Center (PAWC) at Norwich University. He received his B.A. in German Language and Literature from Sogang University and earned his M.A. in International Affairs and Ph.D. in Political Science from George Washington University.  Prior to joining Norwich University, he taught in the School of International Service at American University. Dr. Ku’s research focuses on North and South Korean politics, East Asian security, U.S. foreign policy, and the politics of memory and reconciliation in East Asia and Europe. His new book, Nuclear North Korea: Strategy and Practice from the Korean War to the New Cold War, was published in April 2026. He is also the coauthor of Politics in North and South Korea: Political Development, Economy, and Foreign Relations (2018). He serves as the founding editor of the peer-reviewed Journal of Peace and War Studies and co-editor of PAWC’s forum, Voices on Peace and War. His research has appeared in numerous academic journals. He has also frequently delivered intensive lectures on North Korean nuclear issues and Korean Peninsula politics to U.S. federal government officials in Washington, DC, and Hawaii.

Episode 34: Bonnie Glaser - The Trump - Xi Jinping meeting accomplished ?

Among the thorniest and most delicate issues that Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump will face is the future of Taiwan given that any question of its being an integral part of China is the ultimate red-line of China's foreign policy. Therefore, the discussion of Taiwan during the two Presidents' Summit May 14/15 2026 is a major topic of conjecture between Taiwan-China relations experts, of which Bonnie Glaser is a leading interlocutor. Her views are sought by leaders throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States. Polaris-Live is fortunate to have Ms. Glaser speak to its global audience immediately after the Presidential Summit to slice through the diplomatic verbiage that will emerge from the Presidential meeting's official press releases and offer her unvarnished view of what if anything was agreed on Taiwan but also on other Asia-Pacific hot buttons such as Japan's rearmament pland, China's claim to most of the South and East China Sea, and whether the U.S. intends to continue being a strong player in Asia-Pacific.  ---------------------------------------------- Bonnie Glaser Ms. Glaser is managing director of GMF’s Indo-Pacific program. She is also a nonresident fellow with the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia, and a senior associate with the Pacific Forum. She is a co-author of US-Taiwan Relations: Will China's Challenge Lead to a Crisis (Brookings Press, April 2023). She was previously senior adviser for Asia and the director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Glaser has worked at the intersection of Asia-Pacific geopolitics and US policy for more than three decades.

Episode 33: Presidents Trump & Xi Jinping Summit meeting analysis from US & China

Besides Chinese and Americans, the entire world awaits the upcoming Xi-Trump meeting scheduled for May 14/15 2026. President Trump is determined to remake and/or recalibrate America’s trade and security equation with China. Can he? On the other hand, many geopolitical experts believe the American president has been so weakened by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran that he has few cards to play at the Summit meeting and will do whatever he can to salvage his agenda. However, it is always a mistake to underestimate an American president and that applies ever more to the mercurial Mr. Trump. Regardless of where the chips fall, Polaris-Live, in conjunctions with the Beijing Club for International Dialogue has put together a one hour special program featuring two of the top experts on  U.S. and China financial, trade, and geopolitical relations to offer our viewers the earlies possible analysis of what happened or did not happen at the summit from both a Chinese and American perspectives. The one hour program will be moderated jointly by Ms. Han Hua, co-founder and General Secretary of the Beijing Club and Sarwar Kashmeri, Founder and Host, Polaris-Live.com Another example of why we frequently use the phrase "only on Polaris-Live" to illuminate this channels leadership in bringing early, deep, opinions on U.S.-China relations in a style that non-experts can understand. In this instance through the eyes of Senior Colonel Zhou Bo (ret) and Managing Director Marc Chandler one of Wall Street's most experienced foreign currency and trade specialists. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guests: ZHOU BO Senior Fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University and a retired Senior Colonel in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. He has published more than 180 English essays and opinions in leading publications including Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and broadcast media including  BBC, NBC, DW, and is a speaker at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore and at Munich Security conference.  His new book is "Should the World Fear China?" Hurst Publishers, Oxford University Press . MARC CHANDLER Managing Director and Chief Market Strategist for Bannockburn Global Forex. He has covered global capital markets for more than 30 years. A prolific writer and speaker, Chandler appears regularly in the financial media including Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Bloomberg, and the Washington Post, among others. Marc also provides his insights and commentary on CNBC, Bloomberg TV, CNN, and Fox Business. His publications include, Making Sense of the Dollar and Political Economy of Tomorrow. Chandler is also an honorary fellow of the Foreign Policy Association, Associate Professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs and visiting professor at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Co-Host: HUA HAN Ms. Han Hua is the co-founder and secretary general of the Beijing Club for International Dialogue. Hua is a veteran journalist, international political scholar and commentator. She was a core member of the press corps covering the state visits of Chinese leaders for six years, and served as vice-president of News Corporation Greater China for nearly a decade. Before the Beijing Club, Hua was the founding board member of the China Forum at Tsinghua University. She holds a BA from Shanghai International Studies University and an MBA from both Beijing University and Fordham University.