>> go the tenement generation for many of them was a defining experience of their lives. it is hard to generalize many were plutocrats then they never found out from what was possible but it is not improving but getting worse. that there is growing tension for the moment frankly no political framework for how to relieve this tension and it continues to grow because of policy and there is this sense it will be one of the defining issues over the

next few years for china. thank you. >> i went to china for the first time last year. end with death huge apartment buildings many of which are fully finished but standing empty. what is happening? why does this keep going on? why is there a collapse that we bankrupt? >> those coast cities are a phenomenon they were acute three or four years ago with with the combination of policy and then to incentivize people.

en today one of the things that we all wonder that the economy but in some places those empty buildings are full. so it was the timing issue. >> the you have taught me more about china and then i know. [laughter] it seems and is the exciting part. but to be that political censorship.

i wonder what is your input of what you wear to go or widened to know. >> that is a great question. how does change happen? people's lives are becoming larger and more diverse and it is up to the system and how to accommodate. among the of leadership to remain in the position they will now how to adapt. i am afraid we're out of time. thank you for coming today. [applause]

[inaudible conversations] >> joining us on said it is evan osnos his book "age of ambition" chasing fortune, truth and faith in the new china" winner of national book award for nonfiction 2014. mr. osnos, i want to start with a personal story my sister just a back from china this summer. she is idiom's teacher. she said what she saw with the building is unsustainable. >> guest: frankly she is right. right now this week gore last week going to an extraordinary period with the economic formula over 30

years is running out of gas. the thing that works so well for the railways and the airports china has as many real ways as we need for the of moment. there would be demographic pressure but then to figure out how did give more money into the hands of ordinary people? how did you build the chinese google? that is the challenge and with all this turbulence is a reflection. >> since our viewers have been listening we will go straight to calls.

we will begin with cleveland ohio. go-ahead. >> caller:. >> host: put him on hold as a reminder to turn down the volume on your television. now we will move to columbus, ohio. >> caller: i just started a book on the leaders seems to be one of the major movers. that seems we have taken tidies from the impoverished nation to considerable wealth.

but my main concern is how do we avoid? to be a major power how do we manage our relationship to get along peacefully? >> guest: that is a great question. it is on a lot of our minds. some of this feels like it did say so facilitating prophecy then it will become

one but the two powers it is impossible. to be known as a pattern of history that noticed that there was a risk of conflict but the fact we know that history we have a responsibility to be aware. to understand that whether china's true intentions? so not to be a pollyanna but the inevitable conflict that is on all of us as citizens we talk to our political leaders if we make sure what day are talking about.

to know these were the most fascinating figures with a lifelong communist party member. is a critical moment to open in china for the rest of the world. what of the things that he did is he knew his own limitations. those that understood. but then to talk about at the end of his life with tea and a minsk where he had to decide what to do. and that is always up part of his legacy. >> host: pennsylvania ago when ted. >> caller: [speaking chinese] delegate to know your take

on the overall aside china has deal have a sense of being followed with the journalists that are there to get the stories out of china versus getting them in? are they overall a good sense or if they still in that censorship area? >> guest: i'm glad you last we struggle with what can we do? the simple matter in a foreign publication the end we work on it but if you are a chinese journalist there are things that you cannot write about.

and some things are taboo. a financial journalist writing about the market turbulence but as a western journalist the work that we do in st. louis or anywhere but it might alienate the authorities that we're not doing our job. a lot of journalists have done some pretty good work. >>. >> caller: i want to ask about election reform issue. with the two-party system that we do. thus ecp often criticizes

the two-party system equating with democracy. if it was the elimination round of at least five or seven candidates if that sets a good example for the mainland to notice? >>. >> guest: i have to leave that for the thai what experts but there is a sense if people's experiment with democracy provides a blueprint for the mainland. people wonder if that is what a chinese democracy might look like but i don't know enough of the details of taiwan to give a good a answer. >> host: is your book for sale in china? >> guest: in chinese and hong kong and taiwan on the

mainland not available then you have to make cuts to satisfy the censors allowed to make sure that they are reading of full edition and making get that in hong kong and taiwan. they told me it is as fascinating process. the to give it to a chinese publisher i have a sentence where i say china has never been more prosperous. it is the only country in the world of the nobel peace prize. but the second half says it is off hard choice we won our books to be available no question. but i also feel i want to

make sure they're reading from any country and there are ways it is not as easy for the mainland but a little feel comfortable making cuts to change sensitive issues tees said been calling from pennsylvania. >> caller: hello. i enjoyed your presentation and. my question is with the tidies government does that vilified united states? it seems like the russians or the enemy air with the

chinese economy and not necessarily those of the press we have to have a country to demonize and after the wall came down in germany to have an exchange of ideas. >> in some ways the chinese government as the media is controlled by this date -- the state it talks about our university system. with the world that is educated there of our culture that the chinese leaders admirer with us

since they tried to convey what works in the united states may not work for us but it goes in waves of where they are tough but the moments they are not. so in the middle of the political season that what they'll look for solutions to complicated problems that we sometimes vilify china there are a lot of things we can and should be critical about with the interdependence.

>> host: have you read the 100 year marathon? about the hegemony in the impact of u.s.-china relations. >> guest: as people paid attention to security issues between u.s. and china. the truth is from my perspective we all try to figure out whether or not china perceives our relationship is headed for a confrontation. . .ith our security community, there are people in china who want to see that happen. there is a variety of views. as we learn more about what chinese hawks one.

and also, everybody in favor of confrontation by no means. >> host: john from california texts questions regarding china's military ambition, aggressive cyberespionage, aggressive buildings, military buildup, behavior in the south china sea, anything troubling to you. >> we are in a very complicated moment with the chinese military. they have been growing steadily over the last 24 years and certainly when it comes to cyber there is a sense that the status quo, the trajectory we are on where china is conducting state allowing indepvity or by by allowing independent activity but a lot of it is state sponsored is that can't go on. you cannot have a hack at major government agencies go on. we are beginning to see the u.s. as forming a more forceful

response. we have rocky days ahead of us because china believes fundamentally it is involved in an asymmetric i'm not a conflict but an asymmetric engagement. we are much bigger. our military is still much more advanced. bag using the tools they have available. one of them is cyber. we've reached a point where something has to change. so the botto bum of admission jt talk about sanctions on chinese companies. >> host: ray from connecticut. >> caller: thanks for taking my call. i really appreciate that talk information. my question is you started answer south china sea. what is your take on what's going on in there? to me it seems like it's a dangers congregation both in an economic sense and a military sense. is there in into this -- is

there an end to this? >> guest: that's a good question. we have seen it now on images that are unforgettable. islands being built in south china sea. the question is why is china doing it and why are they doing it now? we know the answer to the first question. china has laid laid to the region saying its historical territory. that is widely disputed. chinese leaders, deng xiaoping and those who followed the said we're going to put aside these questions for another day. we have more urgent priority. we had to build our infrastructure. now losing his leadership is making a different choice same we'll pursue this more aggressively and as a result you beginning to see much greater tension in china's relationship with its neighbors and attorney. i think we've seen recognition

by the u.s. that this is a major change in the status quo. i think the united states ultimately is not going to allow china to change the terrain and the political landscape of east asia. will have to slowly, no happen in the united states knows will happen an international body for nutritious solution. the fingers is trying to put is any kind of movement by force, any sort of unilateral action. i think what you'll see his views will take steps to try to prevent this from becoming a confrontation that neither side i think can afford. >> host: larry from cleveland is next with the text. >> guest: it has begun. this is one of the changes i've watched over the last decade is companies for instance, that in the beginning began essentially

as clones of american enterprises or in some cases by taking intellectual property that they begun to develop some of their own material. want t of the ways is the chinee countries are beginning to see who, beginning to sue for copyright infringement but other intellectual property infringement. this is a sign china's economy is moving but there's more to be done. at the moment there's still a place which is companies like that intellectual property is not safe. >> host: evan osnos won an award last year for this book, "age of ambition: chasing fortune, truth and faith in the new china." is a staff writer for "the new yorker," no longer that beijing correspondent. >> guest: that's right. i'm now based in washington. i'm writing about politics and foreign affairs. i do china and united states of america hosting these to travel to china? >> guest: i do. it's artistic up with china juggling frequent.

it's been an absolute essential part of my sense of the world and i'll be writing about it in the years ahead. >> host: alexander virginia please go ahead, good afternoon to osha's one become it's been while since i was in china and i was curious about chairman mao's estate. i know it's an odd question but i'm just wondering if that had been open? i did not history behind that. >> guest: a good question. there is a frequent hills park that you can go to to identify number of times. i don't know if i'd been to anything described as chairman mao's estate but frequent hills the survey open. it's a popular place to go. >> host: next up is working in carmichael california. >> caller: my question is who does the leadership of china answer to? meaning, i just doubtful that

they really represent the people of china. i'm just wondering is there outside influence on the leadership of china quacks is the leadership of china chosen from outside influence, meaning that people who control the money in the world? >> guest: i'll tell you something interesting which is about how the leadership is constituted in china. i think for many of us in the united states it's hard to imagine how leadership in china is chosen because they don't have anything approximating or remotely familiar democratic system. the leadership basically if you will be a chinese later you come up to the communist party, move up, go through different jobs and eventually but there's a lot of internal politicking that goes on, a lot of horse trading between regions and families. that are very powerful families and clans in the system. they are powerful industries. if you come out of