On the structure of the Chinese state and its external relations.

[Patreon Exclusive: for the full episode, go to patreon.com/bungacast]

We welcome back Lee Jones and Shahar Hameiri to reflect on the outcome of the recent plenum of the Chinese Communist Party and to ask who, if anyone beyond Xi Jinping, is calling the shots.

How will the CCP respond to the US election?

Why is China not a monolithic, integrated state in the way some think?

How important is the the Sino-Russian alliance? Does it matter more to Russia or to China?

What happened to "wolf-warrior diplomacy"? Is it still a thing? 

What's going on economically with the property bubble, and with Chinese manufacturing over-capacity?

Should we be worried about WWIII over Taiwan or the South China Sea?

Links:

China’s plenum must offer action not rote slogans, Financial Times

Views of China and Xi Jinping in 35 countries, Pew Research Centre

Fractured China: How State Transformation is Shaping China’s Rise, Lee Jones & Shahar Hameiri