Chat Lounge

From being questioned, slandered to being imitated, the Belt and Road Initiative has fared through a spectacular journey since its birth a decade ago.

Host Tu Yun joins Makhdoom Babar, President and Editor-in-Chief of Pakistan Daily Mail, Professor Dai Yonghong, Dean of College of International Studies and Institute of Area and International Communication, Shenzhen University, and Thomas Pauken II, Beijing-based geopolitical consultant and media commentator on Asia-Pacific issues for a review of the achievements and challenges the BRI has had in the past ten years and how it may further reshape the world in the years to come on this episode of Chat Lounge.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, which has fast become the most important global development project in the world today.

Over the past decade, more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations have joined the initiative, spanning over three-quarters of the world’s nations. This collaboration has led to the development of over 3,000 projects and the creation of 420,000 job opportunities worldwide.

In this program, we will delve into the BRI’s achievements, address misunderstandings, and explore its prospects.

Host Xu Yawen is joined by three special guests, Gambian journalist Jankey Touray, Chilean journalist Maria Sanhueza, and American host of the Bridge podcast Jason Smith.

The IMF has lowered its forecasts for China’s economic growth this year and next. It comes amid Western media reports that the country’s Golden Week consumption disappointed Beijing. Has China’s economy lost its growth momentum? What can the Chinese government do in the remaining months to keep its growth target within reach and lay the groundwork for the coming year?

Host Tu Yun joins John Ross, Senior Fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China, Dr. Sam Tang, Senior Lecturer at the Business School at the University of Western Australia, and Dr. Qu Qiang, Assistant Director of the International Monetary Institute, Renmin University of China on this episode of Chat Lounge to find out the answer and more.

In the past few weeks, Chinese authorities have rolled out a series of policy adjustments for the property market, including easing restrictions on the classification of first-home buyers, lowering existing first-home loan rates and down payment requirements, and more. The measures came after a high-level meeting in July among China's top leadership concluded that major changes have taken place in the relationship between supply and demand in China's real estate market and called for timely adjustments.

Is the Chinese property market reeling, as some Western analysts say? How will the new policies propel the healthy development of the market and meet the changing housing demand of the Chinese people? Host Liu Kun is joined by Professor Liu Baocheng at the University of International Business and Economics; Dr. Yao Shujie, Chueng Kong Professor of Economics, Chongqing University; and Michael Powers, a Zurich Insurance Group Professor of Risk and Finance at Tsinghua University.

A report by the German Marshall Fund, a think tank in Washington, finds that people across the Atlantic have complex views on China, with a considerable number showing a desire to enhance cooperation with China on trade, new technologies, and crisis management.

The report "Transatlantic Trends 2023" surveyed public opinion in 14 countries on both sides of the Atlantic. It found that most respondents expected the relationship between the U.S. and Europe to remain the same in the years ahead, but since 2022 there had been a slight decline in optimism about closer relations.

How important are trans-Atlantic relations in today's world? How does the public across the Atlantic view China today? Host Liu Kun is joined by Liu Yunyun, Associate Editor in chief of Beijing Review; Harvey Dzodin, Senior Fellow at the Center for China and Globalization; and Dr. George Tzogopoulos, Director of EU-China Programmes and Senior Research Fellow at the European Institute in Nice.

Washington is attempting to intensify its sphere of influence within the United Nations. It intends to increase the number of Security Council permanent members to dilute the influence of China and Russia. How realistic is it? Germany, Japan, and India have been wanting a permanent membership of the Council for decades. Why haven’t they succeeded?

Host Tu Yun joins John Ross, Senior Fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China, Victor Gao, Chair Professor at Soochow University, and Mario Cavolo, CEO of M Communications Group and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for China & Globalization on this episode of Chat Lounge to find out the answers.

In this episode of our special series My Expat Life in Rural China, Tu Yun and her special co-host Zenele Pearl Buthelezi join Stephen and Ruth Green from South Africa for a chat about their teaching experiences in a forgotten county in China. They talk about how they have adapted to China’s new education policy as well as the impact the community has had on them and vice versa.

Two important gatherings of world leaders took place in Asia this week - the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta and the G20 Summit in New Delhi. We look into issues that young people pay attention to, ranging from tourism and the digital economy to green development. Host Xu Yawen joins Indonesian journalist Desca Lidya Natalia, Scottish university student Angelica Moore, and Chinese Journalist Li Zhao.

China and ASEAN are set to upgrade their economic and trade relations amid global uncertainties. What are the key sectors where they can further unleash the potential for cooperation? How can they withstand external noise or interference?

Host Tu Yun joins Dr. Digby James Wren, Senior Special Advisor and Director of the Mekong Research Center at the International Relations Institute Royal Academy of Cambodia, Professor Dai Yonghong, Dean of College of International Studies and Institute of Area and International Communication, Shenzhen University, and Herman Laurel, Founder of the Philippine BRICS Strategic Studies Group on this episode of Chat Lounge to find out the answer and more.

Japan is making the ocean a dumping place for its contaminated radioactive water. What ripple effects are awaiting us in the years or decades to come? The move goes against a bunch of international conventions. How come Japan can proceed without any opposition from Western governments that seem to have been so concerned about the environment?

Host Tu Yun joins Michael Woo, Life Honorary President, Hong Kong Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce, Mario Cavolo, CEO of M Communications Group, and Senior Fellow at the Center for China and Globalization；and Dr. Digby James Wren, Senior Special Advisor and Director of the Mekong Research Center at the International Relations Institute Royal Academy of Cambodia on this episode of Chat Lounge to find out the answer and more.