In this episode of Policy, Guns & Money, Kelsey Munro speaks to James Leibold and Emile Dirks, authors of ASPI’s report; ‘Genomic surveillance – Inside China’s DNA dragnet’ about China’s national campaign of compulsory DNA data collection, the world’s largest police-run DNA database. James and Emile discuss/highlight how multinational companies and major Chinese companies are enabling the Chinese police in building this database.

ASPI Executive Director Peter Jennings speaks to Clive Hamilton about his and Mareike Olhberg’s new book ‘Hidden Hand’. The book discusses the covert techniques used by the CCP for its influence and interference operations within universities, big business, think tanks and in diplomatic service.

And Dr Huong Le Thu talks to Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Professor at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science in Bangkok about his report: ‘Thailand’s strategic drift – Domestic determinants amidst superpower competition’. They discuss authoritarianism, military coups, the new monarch and how Thailand’s domestic preoccupations are preventing Thailand from having a more constructive role abroad.

ASPI Reports in this ep:

https://www.aspi.org.au/report/genomic-surveillance

https://www.aspi.org.au/report/thailands-strategic-drift-domestic-determinants-amidst-superpower-competition

People in this ep:

Peter Jennings: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/peter-jennings

Clive Hamilton: https://clivehamilton.com/

Kelsey Munro: www.aspi.org.au/bio/kelsey-munro

James Leibold: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/james-leibold

Emile Dirks: https://twitter.com/emiledirks

Huong Le Thu: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/huong-le-thu

Thitinan Pongsudhirak: https://harvard-yenching.org/scholars/thitinan-pongsudhirak

Background music: "Rewired" by 'The Whole Other' via the YouTube Audio Library.