The Politics of Purges: How Hu Yaobang’s Story Explains China’s Power Struggles

September 2025

Past Event

The Politics of Purges: How Hu Yaobang’s Story Explains China’s Power Struggles

Past Event

Hudson Institute

September 30, 2025

September 2025

Past Event

Speakers:

Robert Suettinger

Former National Intelligence Officer for East Asia, National Intelligence Council

Piero Tozzi

Deputy Staff Director, Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Moderator:

Listen to Event Audio

The Chinese Communist Party is an opaque authoritarian regime that many observers mistake as monolithic. But behind the image of strongman leadership lie precarious factions, power struggles, and a dangerous tension between reform and stability. Few figures in modern Chinese history embody these contradictions more vividly than Hu Yaobang, a former party official who was forced to resign due to his alleged tolerance of pro-liberalization protests.

Join Senior Fellow Michael Sobolik for a conversation with Robert Suettinger and Piero Tozzi about Suettinger’s book The Conscience of the Party, which explores how Hu’s story illuminates the broader patterns of CCP factional struggle. They will discuss what Hu’s experiences and legacy can teach policymakers about contemporary CCP power struggles, purges, and the ongoing tension between reformist impulses and the pursuit of stability under Xi Jinping.

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

How Nuclear Energy Is Ensuring Europe’s Secure, Low-Carbon Future

Featured Speakers:

Martin Vladimirov

Katie Strangis

Stephen Comello

Victor Ibarra

Matthew Boyse

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

How Nuclear Energy Is Ensuring Europe’s Secure, Low-Carbon Future

Join Senior Fellow Matt Boyse for a discussion with senior US policymakers, nuclear industry leaders, and energy experts about how enhanced transatlantic cooperation on advanced nuclear technologies, fuel-cycle resilience, and next-generation energy infrastructure can reinforce European industrial competitiveness and long-term energy security.

Featured Speakers:

Martin Vladimirov

Katie Strangis

Stephen Comello

Victor Ibarra

Matthew Boyse

Learn More

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Alliance at an Inflection Point: The US–ROK Partnership and Korea’s Future

Featured Speakers:

Ambassador NOH Kyu-duk

Patrick M. Cronin

HA Kyoung-Seok

KIM Jaechun

Nick Snyder

LEE Jeong Ik

Brent Sadler

Andrew Yeo

KIM Minsung

PARK Dong Joon

Joel Scanlon

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Alliance at an Inflection Point: The US–ROK Partnership and Korea’s Future

Join Hudson Institute for an in-person and livestreamed discussion bringing together American experts and some of South Korea’s leading analysts

Featured Speakers:

Ambassador NOH Kyu-duk

Patrick M. Cronin

HA Kyoung-Seok

KIM Jaechun

Nick Snyder

LEE Jeong Ik

Brent Sadler

Andrew Yeo

KIM Minsung

PARK Dong Joon

Joel Scanlon

Learn More

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Transferring Spectrum from the Federal to the Non-federal Domain: The View from NTIA

Featured Speakers:

Tricia J. Paoletta

Thomas Hazlett

J. Gregory Sidak

Harold Furchtgott-Roth

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Transferring Spectrum from the Federal to the Non-federal Domain: The View from NTIA

Join Hudson Institute's Center for the Economics of the Internet for a keynote address given by Tricia Paoletta on the Trump administration's progress in managing and reallocating the electromagnetic radio frequency spectrum from the federal domain.

Featured Speakers:

Tricia J. Paoletta

Thomas Hazlett

J. Gregory Sidak

Harold Furchtgott-Roth

Learn More

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Strengthening the US-Japan Alliance Through Semiconductor and AI Partnerships

Featured Speakers:

William Chou

Atsuyoshi Koike

Arvind Krishna

Bill Guidera

Kazumi Nishikawa

September 2026

In-Person Event | Hudson Institute

Strengthening the US-Japan Alliance Through Semiconductor and AI Partnerships

Join Hudson Institute’s Japan Chair for a conference to showcase and strengthen US-Japan cooperation in semiconductors and AI. US Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Innovation and Engagement Bill Guidera will deliver an opening keynote before engaging in a fireside chat with Senior Fellow William Chou.