In this episode of 1050 Bascom, we were grateful to have the opportunity to talk with Prof. Reed Lei, a new faculty member in the Political Science Department. We talked to Prof. Lei about growing up in China where he received his undergraduate degree at the China Foreign Affairs University. Prof. Lei also shared his personal and professional pathway to an MA and MPA at University of Southern California and a PhD at New York University before moving to a UW-Madison faculty position amidst the global pandemic. Prof. Lei offered his take on the current state of US-China relations as well as his analysis of Xi Jinping’s efforts to create short- and long-term economic and political success for China.