China Unscripted

The PLA has the world's largest standing army, and is building its military faster than any country since World War II. But don't worry. Xi Jinping assures the world that the military is for peace. It's just that sometimes to maintain peace, you need to invade Taiwan. On this week's podcast, we talk about how China has the best human rights, China's military buildup, and how communist infiltration has made it hard for people in the West to stop it. Also, part way through, Matt goes on a rant about the Federal Reserve.

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Is Australia going to cave to China? That's the question on a lot of people's minds after Australia's national elections on May 21. Australia drew the ire of the CCP after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an investigation into the origins of Covid-19, and Australia-China relations have been strained ever since. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about why some Australians are lobbying for a reset in China-Australia relations, China's quest to dominate the global biotech industry, and how China controls the World Health Organization (WHO). Joining us in this episode is former Australia-China Council scholar Andrew Phelan.

Bougainville could be the world's next country. The small Pacific island of about 300,000 residents is fighting for its independence from Papua New Guinea, which is hopelessly in the pockets of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Bougainville wants nothing to do with it after successfully blocking Chinese influence in its own territory. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about Bougainville's plan for independence, why China covets Bougainville so much, and Bougainville's secret sauce to blocking Chinese influence. Joining us in this episode is John Kuhns, the chairman and CEO of Numa Numa Resources in Bougainville. John is also the author of the book They Call Me Ishmael, a novel based on the real story of a rebel leader with big dreams for his island.

Taiwan is on a lot of people's minds after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and there has been a lot of speculation about if and how China will invade. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about the US's strengths and weaknesses in a war with China, what a State Department website change might mean for US policy on Taiwan, and whether China would attack Japan and Guam as part of an invasion of Taiwan. Joining us in this episode is Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, former director of operations for the US Pacific Command and currently the senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Australian Senate candidate Drew Pavlou held a sign criticizing Chinese leader Xi Jinping outside a shopping mall in Australia. What happened next was shocking to see in a supposedly democratic, first-world country. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about Drew's activism against CCP influence in Australia, his new political party formed of Chinese dissidents, and the how China has corrupted elements of Australia's main political parties. Joining us in this episode is Drew Pavlou, a candidate for Australia's senate, CCP provocateur, and the founder of the Democratic Alliance Party.

China is trying to expand its influence in the Pacific, and it's gained a foothold there by signing a security deal with the Solomon Islands. This security deal was signed by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, despite the opposition by local leaders such as the premier of Malaita Province Daniel Suidani. Joining us in this episode of China Unscripted is Celsus Talifilu, a political advisor to Daniel Suidani. Malaita is the most populous province of the Solomon Islands.

Is China tearing itself apart? In this Just Us episode of China Unscripted, we look at China's zero Covid policies, Shanghai vs a potential Beijing lockdown, and what Elon Musk buying Twitter means for Chinese influence over the platform.

After seeing how poorly a big country like Russia fared invading its much smaller neighbor, you might think China would have second thoughts about invading Taiwan. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about what China, Taiwan and the West are learning from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, what the West needs to be doing to prevent Taiwan from meeting a similar fate, and how a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be similar and different. Joining us in this episode is retired U.S. Marine Colonel Grant Newsham, who is now a research fellow at the Center for Security Policy and director at One Korea Network.

China wants to become the dominant power in the Pacific, and for a while, it was gaining ground. However the United States is waking up to China's threat in the region and is fighting back. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about China's influence in the Solomon Islands, how the Solomon Islands is a case study on Chinese colonialism, and how China uses civilians to infiltrate other countries. Joining us in this episode is Cleo Paskal, a non-resident senior fellow for the Indo-Pacific at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. She's also a member of the Global Counter Terrorism Council.