China Unscripted

2022 was a big year in China news. While a lot of events were unforeseen, astute China watchers could probably have predicted most of them. That's because what happened in China followed a pattern we've seen in China and around the world before; China seems doomed to repeat history if it continues down its current path. In this episode of China Unscripted, we look back at the biggest China stories of 2022: Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's role in it, illegal overseas Chinese police stations, Xi Jinping getting a third term, Hu Jintao seemingly being purged, China's real estate crisis, US and other countries' support for Taiwan, and US trade restrictions on semiconductors to China.

China is recreating Hong Kong in its image by attacking the judicial system, limiting freedom of speech, and pushing propaganda through the education system, among other things. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about how even pro-Beijing businessmen are moving their money out of Hong Kong, the case of Apple daily owner Jimmy Lai, and what rebuilding Hong Kong might look like. Joining us in this episode is Ed Chin, a Hong Kong activist, hedge fund manager, and founder of 2047 Hong Kong Monitor.

When people talk about China's human rights abuses, it's often disconnected from its belligerence in the South China Sea or subversion of international organizations or theft of intellectual property. Yet when you look at the Chinese Communist Party's actions across all these areas, you start to see that China's human rights abuses aren't just an aspect of the CCP's rule, but its modus operandi. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about Hong Kong democracy, China's subversion of the United Nations, and what the free world can do to hold the CCP to account. Joining us in this episode is Benedict Rogers, the co-founder and CEO of Hong Kong Watch and the author of The China Nexus | Thirty years in and around the Chinese Communist Party's tyranny.

Jiang Zemin was the leader of China from 1989 to 2002. In that time, he managed to foster a culture of corruption, violence and lawlessness that continues to this day. In this just us episode of China Unscripted, we discuss Jiang Zemin's legacy, how it's still impacting China, and how his life is being portrayed in the media.

While the protests of 2019 can no longer be seen on Hong Kong's streets, that doesn't mean the movement has died. Protesters have gone underground, moved abroad or are biding their time in prison. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about the new form that protests are taking, what governments and individuals can do to hold China accountable, and the significance of China going after Apple Daily. Joining us in this episode of China Unscripted is Anna Kwok, the Strategy and Campaign Director for the DC-based nonprofit Hong Kong Democracy Council.

Dissent in China is more widespread than most people know. That’s because Chinese state media doesn’t report on it, and China’s censorship apparatus either blocks or erases evidence of it. The NGO Freedom House has created a China Dissent Monitor to track various forms of protest in China. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about the perception that protests in China are rare, what kind of protests are the most common, and the forms of dissent the China Dissent Monitor tracks. Joining us in this episode is Kevin Slaten, the research lead for China Dissent Monitor.

Check out the China Dissent Monitor at https://freedomhouse.org/report/china-dissent-monitor

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.