When you think about the US-China relationship these days, what probably comes to mind first would be things like tariffs, tense trade talks, and perhaps also some high stakes political wrangling. But the great halls of power aren’t the only places where international relations play out: there’s also the smaller venues like the American universities that enroll Chinese students; the real estate projects that receive Chinese investment; and the tech companies sharing talent across the Pacific. And it turns out a lot of the most interesting venues of exchange are actually located right here, in California. 

On this edition of KCBS In Depth we speak to journalist and author Matt Sheehan, who points out that while the lion's share of our attention goes toward understanding how a few very important people in Washington and Beijing are getting along, there’s a whole lot more to international relations than that and to understand just what that is, a good place to start is the Golden State.

For more we discuss Sheehan's new book, "The Transpacific Experiment: How China and California Collaborate and Compete for Our Future." 

Host: KCBS Radio Reporter Keith Menconi