Welcome to the Dui Hua podcast, “JKR: Encounters with China” where Executive Director John Kamm shares stories from his years of experience working with China and discusses current events with distinguished guests.

Dragon Years: Remembrance of Times Past (1976)

(April 3, 2024) To mark the Year of the Dragon and Dui Hua’s 25th anniversary, we are excited to bring you a limited podcast series, Dragon Years: Remembrance of Times Past. This five-parter explores key developments in John Kamm’s life and Dui Hua’s history, spanning the Dragon Years between 1976 and 2024. And through conversations, we gain insights from friends and colleagues who have been integral to Dui Hua’s mission. In this inaugural podcast, Kamm discusses the decisions that led to his first trip to China as a trade representative in 1976 and subsequent experiences on the Chinese Mainland during the waning days of the Cultural Revolution. He recalls the death of Premier Zhou Enlai, being caught in the Tangshan Earthquake, acupuncture anesthesia, and interactions with a senior liaison officer in Guangzhou....Read more (Hide)

The 2024 UPR: China’s Human Rights Report Card at the UN

(January 18, 2024) In the lead-up to China’s human rights review at the United Nations beginning on January 23, host Samy Amanatullah speaks with Dui Hua executive director John Kamm about Dui Hua’s work at the United Nations, the Universal Periodic Review of human rights, and how an NGO like Dui Hua can advocate for political and religious prisoners at the United Nations. This far-reaching conversation also dissects how the Universal Periodic Review works, the international treaties that underpin human rights norms, and how the United States and China compare when it comes to adhering to human rights treaties....Read more (Hide)

APEC 2023: Xi and Biden Meet

(November 21, 2023) In this special podcast, host Sze Wah Leong speaks with Executive Director John Kamm on the recently concluded APEC Summit in San Francisco, with a focus on the meeting between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping, the first time the two men have seen each other in a year. Topics explored include what was achieved and what wasn’t achieved, the tone of the meeting, the controversial banquet for President Xi hosted by two organizations after the meeting between the two presidents, the likelihood that commitments made will be realized, and how the meeting gave Dui Hua an opportunity to add its voice to the dialogue....Read more (Hide)

Sealing Juvenile Records: The Importance of a Clean Slate

(November 13, 2023) In this episode, host Rebekah Enoch talks with Dui Hua founder John Kamm and retired Judge Leonard Edwards about the expert exchanges Dui Hua has facilitated between juvenile justice practitioners from the United States and China’s Supreme People’s Court, both in China and in the United States. Exploring questions like, “What does it mean to seal juvenile records?”, “Why is it important?” and “What does it have to do with China?”, the interview unpacks some of the impressions and the impact of these exchanges on juvenile justice in the United States and China, as well as what it means in the context of Dui Hua’s decision to expand the mission to include women in prison and juvenile justice, in addition to political and religious prisoners....Read more (Hide)

Kamm’s List: Two Good Priests

(October 23, 2023) Kamm’s List presents the remarkable stories of the cases Dui Hua Founder John Kamm worked on after launching his Prisoner Information Project initiative. In this episode, host Sze Wah Leong engages Kamm in a discussion on the recently revealed life sentence on the Uyghur ethnographer Rahile Dawut, leading to Kamm’s story of his involvement with Father Giancarlo Politi, a Catholic priest in Hong Kong committed to finding information on fellow priests detained in China, and how the two men played a role in the release of Father Li Fangchun of Shangqiu South Church, Henan. The exchange sheds light on the experiences and challenges Catholic priests faced in China in the early 1990s. Tune in and immerse yourself in this episode. Prepare to be captivated by an insightful and eye-opening conversation. For those eager to delve deeper, the full story “Two Good Priests” is available on John Kamm Remembers Blog....Read more (Hide)

Forging New Paths for US China Dialogue: Juvenile Justice

(September 25, 2023) In this episode, host Rebekah Enoch talks with Dui Hua founder John Kamm about his experience hosting Dui Hua’s first US-China exchange on juvenile justice in 2008. This groundbreaking event brought judicial experts from China’s Supreme People’s Court to study the juvenile justice system in the United States, beginning a series of exchanges that have contributed to progress made in both countries’ juvenile justice systems. John shares his insights on differences in the two countries’ systems, the impact of the exchanges, and why Dui Hua decided to expand its mission to include women in prison and juvenile justice, in addition to political prisoners. You can read John’s story in latest John Kamm Remembers: “Doing Right by Our Children: Mutual Concern Opens Up New Dialogue”...Read more (Hide)

No Longer Favored: China’s Trade Status in Jeopardy

(August 28, 2023) In this episode, John Kamm discusses China’s trade relationship with the United States with Dui Hua directors Jeffrey Muir and Harold Furman, focusing on the evolution of China’s trade status, previously known as Most Favored Nation (MFN), now referred to as Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR). They made a good team. Jeff had long experience doing business in Hong Kong and China. Hal knew the ins and outs of dealing with Congress and the Executive Branch. Back in 1990, in the wake of the Tiananmen incident in China, the trio worked together to prepare Kamm’s testimony to the U.S. Congress arguing against revoking China’s MFN status. Since 1990, improved US-China trade relations have provided the foundation for Dui Hua’s work of compiling and submitting prisoner lists, but China’s changed domestic political landscape has since degraded access resulting in less leverage on human rights issues. Tune in to learn about their first-hand experience and how changes over the past 25 years have affected the conversation. ...Read more (Hide)

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