China uses "entropic warfare" to weaken its adversaries and put it in a relatively stronger position on the world stage by amplifying division and sowing chaos. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about China's relationship to TikTok, China's influence in the Pacific, particularly the Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands, and the danger of Elon Musk turning Twitter into a platform like WeChat. Joining us in this podcast is Cleo Paskal, a senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

The 12th Bureau of China's spy agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS), is not your typical clandestine spy operation. Officers of MSS's 12 bureau operate in the public eye. Rather than stealing state secrets, they seek to influence public opinion on China, which is why it's made up of a coterie of of academics, artists and business people. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about how China has been using the 12th bureau to shape the international conversation on China, examples of public figures it has co-opted, and some of the tactics it uses to co-opt them. Joining us in this episode is Alex Joske, the author of "Spies and Lies: How China's Greatest Covert Operations Fooled the World".

Ahead of a meeting of Chinese Communist Party leaders, China flooded the airwaves with propaganda about Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The over-the-top projection of Xi as a man of the people could not have been more ironic. In this just us episode of China Unscripted, we talk about security, protests and propaganda in the lead-up to the 20th Party Congress, the US cutting China off from its semiconductor technology, and Elon Musk's solution for the China-Taiwan conflict.

Videos of people in white PPE suits toting guns have gone viral in China, creating fear that China's unpopular zero covid policy could soon turn deadly. Taiwan draws a red line on China going into its airspace and territorial waters, saying any incursion by China will count as a "first strike". China is trying to turn Hong Kong communist—but slowly. We talk about that and more in this "just us" episode of China Unscripted.

Modern life depends on microchips for the function of everything tech, from microwaves to phones to airplanes to drones. As important as microchips are though, their supply chain is just as fragile. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about the importance of microchips to the world economy, how a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could break the microchip supply chain, and how China is trying to shore up its chip manufacturing to insulate it from supply chain breaks. Joining us in this episode is Chris Miller, the author of Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology. You can buy Chris's book Chip War at https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Chip-War/Chris-Miller/9781982172008

Chinese propaganda is no longer confined to Chinese state-controlled media. The Chinese Communist Party has realized that its propaganda is much more effective when it comes from sources that appear independent from the Chinese government. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss how Chinese propaganda has become more international and covert, how Chinese companies and ambassadors are involved in suppressing and promoting certain narratives about China, and how China tries to co-opt social media influencers. Joining us in this episode of is Sarah Cook, the research director for China, Hong Kong and Taiwan at Freedom House.

China is sending its police overseas, and it could soon spread to every corner of the globe. In this just us episode of China Unscripted, we talk about China's overseas police bureaus, Hong Kong's subtle protest of CCP rule, and what to call China's form of colonialism.

Chengdu residents were under strict Covid lockdowns when a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the city of 16 million. In some areas, local officials kept people from fleeing their homes due to the lockdowns. In this Just Us episode of China Unscripted, we talk about China's strict zero covid policy, China's subversion of the United Nations, a new fashion trend we've dubbed "cadre chic" and much, much more.

China has a network of spies, but not necessarily the kind of spies you might imagine. Instead of using highly-trained informants, China uses everyday citizens to monitor and suppress dissidents overseas. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss how China exports its repression overseas, how China uses its Covid app to track dissidents inside China, and why the Chinese Communist Party's No. 1 enemy is a group that meditates.

Chinese citizens are leaving China in droves as an economic crisis fueled by greedy real estate developers looms large. Things have gotten so bad that a new "run philosophy" has pushed many to seek a life elsewhere. China is no longer hiding its intentions to invade Taiwan. Why it will be better for US businesses if they pull out of China now rather than after a war with Taiwan. Watch this "just us" episode of China Unscripted for that and more hot China news topics.