What China Wants: Recent Episodes
Sam Olsen, Stewart Paterson
What China Wants is a weekly podcast that shines a light on China and its growing influence around the world. Hosted by Sam Olsen and Stewart Paterson.
This week on What China Wants, Sam and Stewart are joined by Josh Kurlantzick, Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss Beijing's media influence. Josh sets out his analysis of China’s attempt in recent years to become a global media and information superpower, and we discuss whether these efforts are working.
In recent weeks, the "two sessions" have taken place in China, at which President Xi's third term was confirmed by the nearly 3,000 delegates that constitute the National People's Congress. Due to the relative opaqueness of decision-making in Chinese politics, these important events in the political calendar are relatively unknown outside China. To help listeners understand more about them, and what their significance might be globally, this week on What China Wants, Sam and Stewart are joined by friend of the show, Professor Jinghan Zeng of Lancaster University.
This week on What China Wants, co-host Stewart Paterson is interviewed by Sam Olsen about the outlook for the Chinese economy. We discuss the post-covid outlook as well as the key challenges facing the economy and the Party leadership looking forward.
In this episode of What China Wants, Sam and Stewart discuss the issue of human rights in China. To do so, they are joined by Benedict Rogers, Co-Founder of Hong Kong Watch and one of Britain’s foremost and most knowledgeable campaigners on the subject. We discuss some of the key issues raised in his book, The China Nexus, including allegations of human rights abuses in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, organ-harvesting from prisoners of conscience, as well as some of the criticisms commonly levelled at critics of China's human rights record.
Links
Benedict Rogers - The China Nexus
This week, Sam and Stewart are joined by Charles Parton OBE, a former diplomat who is presently a specialist adviser to the Foreign Affairs Committee at the UK Houses of Parliament and Associate Fellow of RUSI. Charlie spent 22 years of his 37 year diplomatic career working in or on China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In this episode he discusses his latest paper on the importance of cellular Internet of Things (IoT) modules and the threat posed to UK supply chain security by the pervasiveness of Chinese cellular IoT modules in our systems and processes.
LinksThe full paper is available here.
This week on What China Wants, Dr William Matthews, Director of Research at the Evenstar Institute, joins Sam and Stewart to discuss their latest research, "Southeast Asia's Emerging Geopolitical Order: China's Structural Influence and the Evolving Regional Balance of Power". The report quantifies and explains the evolution of China's Influence in Southeast Asia through the analysis of all ten ASEAN member states over the period 2011-2020. In this interview, William and Sam explain its key findings and policy recommendations for the UK and its allies.
This week on What China Wants Sam and Stewart are joined by Rebecca Ray, Senior Academic Researcher at the Boston University Global Development Policy (GDP) Center to discuss their latest research. The GDP Centre has just published an update to their China Overseas Development Finance (CODF) Database. Having provided a staggering amount of finance for overseas development projects in the wake of the global financial crisis, Chinese overseas development finance has been on a general downward trend for several years. On this episode, we discuss the status and trajectory of China’s overseas development finance. Are we at the beginning of a new era?
LinksChina Overseas Development Finance DatabasePolicy Brief: "Small is Beautiful" - A New Era in China's Development Finance?
On this week's episode, Sam and Stewart are joined by Sarah Kirchberger, Head of Asia-Pacific Strategy and Security at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University, and one of Germany’s and Europe’s leading experts on the Moscow-Beijing relationship. Sarah is also one of the editors of the 2022 paper Russia-China Relations: Emerging Alliance or Eternal Rivals, which is available and free to download. We discuss the Russia-China relations past and present, the impact of the war in Ukraine and what future may lay ahead for this bilateral relationship.
Join us as we get ready to say 新年快乐! (Happy New Year!) and welcome in the Year of the Rabbit, as Chinese New Year falls this coming Sunday, 22nd January. Despite it being perhaps the largest ceremony or festival in the world, it is really not very well known in the West, nor are its fascinating intricacies, practices and folklore. Sam and Stewart are delighted to be joined by Professor Jinghan Zeng of Lancaster University for this special edition of What China Wants. We discuss its origins, traditions as well hear an insight into Professor Zeng's own personal experiences of the celebrations.
This week on What China Wants,Sam and Stewart review the past year. They discuss the key political and economic events for China in 2022, as well as debate the outlook ahead of us, looking forward into what 2023 might hold for China and the world.
Happy New Year, and welcome back to What China Wants. In today's episode we look at what is probably the first aspect of Chinese culture that most people around the world encounter: its food. To do so, we are delighted to be joined by Michelin-starred chef, anthropologist, and cultural observer Andrew Wong of the eponymous restaurant in London. China's cuisine is far more than its taste; it is also a window into the country's history and society, as we explore in this episode.
This week on What China Wants we are joined by a returning friend of the show, Andrew Methven of the Substack newsletter Slow Chinese, to discuss Christmas in China on this festive special. Andrew explains the main differences as well as some surprising similarities between how the festivities are celebrated in China compared to the West.
In this week's episode, Stewart and Sam are talking to one of the leading thinkers on technology, Rob Atkinson, Founder and President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). Rob joins us to discuss the realties of a "NATO for tech", which British Prime Minister Rishi Sunk has recently called for as a means to counter Chinese influence.
This week we are pleased to announce we have launched The Evenstar Institute, a non-partisan, not-for-profit think tank focused on measuring and understanding the evolving nature of national influence in the twenty first century. Sam and Stewart are joined by our Director of Research, Dr William Matthews, to discuss our latest paper, An Overlooked Risk: China's Indirect Influence on the UK's National Security Supply Chain.
Stewart and Sam are joined this week by Meyrick Chapman, a 40 year veteran of macro-investing and formerly of Elliott Management. We discuss Meyrick’s research of monetary policy which has shown up an interesting and potentially vital impact on China’s relationship with the world.
We have discussed the possibilities of economic sanctions between China and the West before on this podcast, but this week we unpick a particular example. Stewart and Sam are joined by Dr. Naoise McDonagh, a specialist from the University of Adelaide to discuss the Australian experience of China's economic sanctions, imposed since 2020. We discuss which industries were targeted, how the sanctions' impact have been deflected or even circumvented, as well as their overall impact on Australia and its geopolitical positioning.
This week on What China Wants, Sam and Stewart are joined by Chris Miller, author of Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology, which was shortlisted for the FT's Business Book of the Year 2022. We discuss why microchips are so central to the world economy and how competition between the US and China for control over them has intensified.
This week Sam and Stewart are joined by Eric Olander, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the China-Global South Project to explore China's engagement across the continent and if ChinThe China-Global South Project is a non-profit and non-partisan multimedia editorial initiative dedicated to exploring every facet of China's engagement in Africa.
This episode of What China Wants is our final in a series of commentary on the 20th Party Congress. Sam and Stewart are joined by returning guest and friend of the podcast, George Magnus, to discuss the economic outlook of the Congress, both in reflecting on both China's recently published 3Q22 numbers and broader trends surrounding the change in personnel.
This week on What China Wants, we are joined by Joseph Torigian to unpack the 20th Party Congress, and what it means for the global landscape.
As the 20th Party Congress rumbles on and the world awaits Xi Jinping's expected consolidation of his position as general secretary, this week on What China Wants, we're speaking to the co-author of one of his most recent biographies. Sam and Stewart are pleased to be joined by Stefan Aust, former editor-in-chief of Der Spiegel. His 2021 book with co-author Adrian Geiges, Xi Jinping: The Most Powerful Man in the World is newly translated into English and available in all good bookstores.
Links
Xi Jinping: The Most Powerful Man in the World (politybooks.com)
The five-yearly National Party Congress that begins on 16 October is the most important event in the Chinese Communist Party's calendar. To understand what we might expect, Stewart and Sam speak to a leading Chinese academic based in the UK, who has been studying the run up to the Party Congress. Jinghan Zeng is Professor of China and International Studies at Lancaster University, and a specialist on the politics and international relations of China.
This week on What China Wants we are switching our attention back to economics. Sam and Stewart are joined by Anna Macdonald, a Fund Manager at Amati Global Investors to discuss the perceived opportunities and risks investors associate with China. Anna also shares her particular expertise on ESG investing and how investment in China fits around this broader trend.
With false rumours of a coup against Xi Jinping flying around social media and news outlets last weekend, this week we look at who could have been responsible for this disinformation, and dig into how China uses disinformation for its own purposes too. Sam and Stewart are joined by friend of the podcast, Alex Neill, a leading expert on Chinese influence abroad.
Much has been written about IP theft allegedly perpetrated by Chinese actors, but it's not all about hacking - there is a whole range of ways that China plays hard-ball with its foreign competitors. In this episode, we look specifically at the impact on European firms. To do this Sam and Stewart are joined by Luke Patey, senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, and author of How China Loses.
LinksLuke Patey (@LukePatey) / Twitter
How China Loses: The Pushback Against Chinese Global Ambitions: Amazon.co.uk: Patey, Luke: 9780190061081: Books
It is a sombre week for most people in the United Kingdom, the 14 countries where the late Queen Elizabeth II was Head of State, and the wider Commonwealth. But the impact of the monarch has been felt in other nations around the world too.China may be a century-old republic, and a communist one at that, but that doesn’t mean its rulers can ignore the sad passing of perhaps the most famous woman on the planet.
In today’s episode, Stewart and Sam pay tribute to the effect the Queen had on Sino-British ties, and look at how her position played into the wider historical narrative of what was, until 1911, one of the world’s oldest monarchies.
China is on the brink of a water catastrophe. A multiyear drought could push the country into an outright water crisis. But China's water problem is also the world's water problem. This week, Sam and Stewart are joined by Gopal Reddy and Gabriel Collins to explain the systemic nature of the problem and the threat it poses to China. We discuss not only its potentially devastating impact, but also how potential solutions will be a hard-sell politically for CCP officials.
Show Notes
About - Ready for Climate
Gabriel Collins | Baker Institute
Power shortages, a hidden water crisis, and a hard landing in China - Ready for Climate
This week Sam and Stewart are joined by Sir Vince Cable to discuss the challenges posed to Western Liberalism by China in the 21st century. Can the two systems peacefully co-exist?
What China Wants is back after the summer break, and this week we're bringing you a round up of an eventful summer for China and its international relations. Stewart and Sam discuss Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit to Taiwan, China's ongoing economic troubles and drought as well as the latest developments in Sino-Russian relations against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
This week we are examining the issues facing the Chinese economy by re-visiting our interview with George Magnus. This also ties in with the Great Split content from last week because a country with economic issues - now and in the future - is likely to be more adventurous abroad, particularly if that adventure leads to the capture of the key ingredients (Taiwanese microchips) that are needed to supply the part of the economy (technology) that Beijing thinks is the answer to most of their prayers.
As we are away for the next couple of weeks, and have had so many new listeners recently (hello, everyone), we thought it would be good to republish what we think are two of our most important podcasts. The first of these is one we did on the Great Split and the economic carnage that will be unleashed by a conflict between China and the West over Taiwan.
On this week's episode, Sam and Stewart are joined by Scott Rozelle to discuss his hypothesis, Invisible China, the urban-rural divide and what it means for China's development
In seven short years, relations between China and the UK have gone from high to low - how has this happened, and what does the future hold? We welcome Sam Hogg from Beijing to Britain to talk it through with Sam and Stewart. Beijing to Britain is the only weekly intelligence Briefing mapping UK-China relations.
LinksBeijing to Britain | Substack
Sam (@EditorBTB) / Twitter
This week on What China Wants, Sam and Stewart are in conversation with Andrew Methven, the author of 'Slow Chinese 每周漫闻', a resource which helps you to learn, use, and understand how people speak Chinese today. In this episode, they discuss the roots and fascinating history of the Chinese language, as well as some of its idiosyncrasies and patterns that Andrew has observed.
LinksSubscribe to Andrew's newsletter here: Subscribe - Slow Chinese
The full newsletter referred to re online shopping: Not buying it - by Andrew Methven - Slow Chinese 每周漫闻
The most recent newsletter: Like lambs to the slaughter - by Andrew Methven (slowchinese.net)
Alex Neill returns to the podcast this week. He joins Sam and Stewart for a fascinating discussion about the upcoming 20th Party Congress and the future course of the Chinese Communist Party. Alex also gives his take on just what might be revealed from behind the curtain amidst increasing rumours of internal Party opposition to Xi.
Last week at the G7 Summit, leaders announced the new Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) initiative, a commitment of $600 billion for the construction of global infrastructure by 2027. On this week's episode, Sam and Stewart weigh in on the initiative, its rationale and whether it has the potential to compete with China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
This week Sam and Stewart are in conversation with eminent economist and author George Magnus, discussing his 2018 book 'Red Flags: Why Xi's China is in Jeopardy'. Formerly the Chief Economist at UBS, George is a noted authority on what makes China’s economy tick. In this episode, George reflects on his thesis and we discuss whether his arguments have been revised since, as well as examine his current prognosis for China's economy.
In this week's episode Sam and Stewart explore the significance of the Pacific from China's perspective. They are joined by seasoned expert Alexander Neill to discuss China's strategic aims in the region and the potential future trajectories Beijing might take.
Map: The Pacific region from China's perspective
https://geopoliticalfutures.com/chinas-national-security-challenges/#&gid=1&pid=3
In last week’s episode we discussed the potential for a Great Split between China and the West over Taiwan. Today we examine what might lead to this, including the different ways that Beijing might force reunification with what it terms a renegade province. We also look a what the global economic repercussions would be from such a move: it’s not a spoiler to say that they would be horrific.
This episode forms Part 2 of our analysis on the breakdown of China-Western relations
In Episode 5 of What China Wants, Sam and Stewart discuss the potential for a rapid economic and political decoupling between China and the West over Taiwan, and ask what such a “Great Split” would mean for the world.
Perched on China's doorstep so-to-speak, Southeast Asian nations have an historic relationship with their neighbour as well as with other global powers. As Chinese influence and investment in the region has increased, we ask whether this might be the front-line for great power competition?
Beijing has long said it will reunite with Taiwan, apparently whether or not the Taiwanese want to do so. But do Russia’s difficulties in Ukraine change China’s calculations and make such an adventure less likely? Sam and Stewart talk the economic, political, and military calculations involved.
This week on What China Wants, we are exploring whether China is a global military power. The US might lead in terms of bases by 750:1, but there's far more to what China is doing than just military installations. Sam and Stewart discuss the relationship between the CCP and the PLA - China's government and its military - and what this means for China's global reach across the world.
Welcome to our first What China Wants podcast. Sam Olsen and Stewart Paterson discuss whether, after decades of breakneck growth, China’s economy is now shrinking - and if so, what this means for the West.
Co-Hosts: Sam Olsen and Stewart Paterson
Producer: Francesca Griffin