Her parents were teenagers when they were forced leave their homes, bid their fathers farewell and live far away, behind barbed wire, for no good reason. In spite of this history, Karen Kurotsuchi Inkelas says, she inherited from her family an “irreverent love” for America.

Chinese leaders are keen to project their country’s military and economic power on the global stage. As part of that playbook, our guest says, they have been recalling — rather selectively — the story of China’s involvement in the Second World War.