It's a crucial moment for China's economy and trade, nevermind the phase one deal signed with the US. As it faces up to its role at the epicentre of a global health emergency, Beijing is also facing up to an impending political disaster if GDP drops below 5 per cent. Finbarr Bermingham analyses the impact of the coronavirus on global trade and the implications for China's economy with Nick Marro, global trade lead, Economist Intelligence Unit and Zhou Xin, political economy desk editor, South…

A week after China signed a phase one trade deal that seemed like a reprieve for its slowing economy, the country finds itself in a new and altogether more unpredictable crisis. Political Economy and China desk editors and reporters Zhou Xin, Teddy Ng, Mimi Lau and Kinling Lo bring us insights on the biggest story in the world, on the eve of the Lunar New Year Holiday during which 3 billion journeys will be made in China. We’ll also hear from National University of Singapore professor Alex…

Senior editors Zhou Xin and Robert Delaney parse the reality of phase one and public reaction in US and China; international trade lawyer Ben Kostrzewa from Hong Kong-based law firm Hogan Lovells discusses the immediate impact of the deal; reporter Sidney Leng unpacks the double shock announcements of China's GDP and its falling birth rates.

Senior editors Zhou Xin and Robert Delaney parse the reality of phase one and public reaction in US and China; international trade lawyer Ben Kostrzewa from Hong Kong-based law firm Hogan Lovells discusses the immediate impact of the deal; reporter Sidney Leng unpacks the double shock announcements of China's GDP and its falling birth rates.

Washington bureau chief Robert Delaney and political economy editor Zhou Xin analyse the context of next week's planned signing of the phase one trade deal; how China avoids being drawn into Trump's brand of reality-TV politics; the US Senators aiming to scale up their anti-China legislation after the phase one trade deal is signed; the grim reality of a 'phase two' trade deal and Cissy Zhou reports from Taiwan on how the elections are being influenced by the US-China trade war.

In this last podcast of the year, we've got some very special guests to analyse the details we've been given on the US-China trade war deal, announced last week. International trade lawyer Sally Peng lays out the legal steps, economist Alicia Garcia Herrero frisks the numbers, while SCMP political economy editor Zhou Xin tells us what his sources have been telling him from Beijing.

A phase one trade deal is announced, but no details are revealed. What does it really mean? Why does China want to keep the details secret? The political economy team are joined by China desk deputy editor Teddy Ng to unpack what happens next. Meanwhile, the talk in China is not about trade: it's about the ongoing farming crisis sparked by the outbreak of African swine flu. Intrepid reporter Cissy Zhou reports in on an escalating economic and social crisis.

This week special guest Adam Behsudi from Politico talks about the end of the appellate court for the WTO, while Finbarr Bermingham and John Carter go beyond Trump's weekly flip-flops to discuss the real news about US-China trade and how increasing US economic sanctions regarding Xinjiang indicate a much bigger trend towards de-coupling. China reporter Kinling Lo unpacks the sentiment in Beijing concerning US intervention over Hong Kong's protests, and how it's being used for political gain.

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Finbarr Bermingham and John Carter from the SCMP political economy team peel back the reality of Trump signing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act into law, chew over a heavy rumour about a January meeting for Xi and Trump, and there's a major announcement from China - it's pivoting from the US to Europe. SCMP correspondent for the European Union, Stuart Lau calls in with an update on what complications lie ahead for that relationship.

The US Congress passes its Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, and the world waits for President Donald Trump to sign it. What does it mean? What are political insiders saying in Washington and Beijing? Hear Finbarr Bermingham unpack it all with political economy editor John Carter, Washington correspondent Owen Churchill and Beijing-based diplomacy correspondent Wendy Wu.