Jan Jekielek has spent years interviewing dissidents, policymakers, and scholars as a senior editor at The Epoch Times and host of its flagship interview program, American Thought Leaders. On the Digital Social Hour, he sits down with Sean Kelly for a conversation centered on the subject he has covered most closely: China, its economy, and the Chinese Communist Party.
Across the episode, Jekielek walks through his reporting on the CCP's long-term strategy, the pressures building inside China's economy, and what he believes entrepreneurs and investors should understand before doing business connected to the country.
About Jan Jekielek
Jan Jekielek is a senior editor at The Epoch Times, the international media outlet founded by Chinese American practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, and the host of American Thought Leaders, its long-running interview series. His work focuses on China, human rights, and American politics, and he has interviewed a wide range of public figures across those subjects.
In this episode, that background becomes the story itself. Jekielek explains how The Epoch Times operates, why Falun Gong and Shen Yun figure into its history, and how the outlet approaches coverage that the mainstream press often handles differently. Whatever a viewer's politics, he offers a clear window into one of the most distinctive voices in American media.
What Jan Jekielek and Sean Kelly Talked About
- How Jekielek describes the Chinese Communist Party's long game and its influence on international institutions
- His reporting on allegations of forced organ harvesting in China, including survivor testimony discussed on air
- An inside look at The Epoch Times, its origins, and how Jekielek frames its mission
- The history of the Falun Gong movement and why it remains central to his coverage
- The Three Warfares doctrine — economic, legal, and media — as Jekielek explains it
- What he believes entrepreneurs and investors should weigh before doing business tied to China
- His perspective on getting uncensored information to people living inside China
- How he reads Washington's evolving approach to China policy under the new administration
Why This Conversation Matters
Few topics carry more weight for business leaders than the relationship between the United States and China, and few journalists have spent more time on the subject than Jan Jekielek. Whether or not viewers share his conclusions, the episode lays out how one of the most-discussed voices on China sees the landscape — and gives Sean Kelly's audience plenty to weigh for themselves.
▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube
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About Sean Kelly & the Digital Social Hour
Sean Kelly is an entrepreneur and the host of the Digital Social Hour, one of the fastest-growing interview podcasts in the world, where he sits down with entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and cultural voices for candid, long-form conversations. The show draws over 100 million views a month across platforms. Explore more guest features on SeanKelly.io.
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