Apple doesn’t just manufacture in China. It helped build the system that now holds it hostage.

In this episode of The Next Best, I speak with Financial Times journalist Patrick McGee, author of Apple in China, about one of the most important – and least understood – geopolitical entanglements of our time.

• How did Apple become dependent on the Chinese Communist Party?

• Why can’t it simply move production elsewhere?

• And what does this tell us about authoritarian leverage in a globalized world?

We explore the rise of China’s manufacturing dominance, the scale of Apple’s exposure, and why decoupling may be far harder than many policymakers assume.

The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus offers deep dives into geopolitics and international relations. We provide serious political commentary on foreign policy challenges, modern warfare, and global security.