The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region is vitally important to China, particularly as a source of oil but also increasingly as a staging ground for China's forays into global politics. Lucille Greer (@Lucille_Greer_), an expert on China-MENA relations, sheds light on a range of topics from the role of Xinjiang in China's Islamic world relations to the 'strategic alliance' between China and Iran.

Lucille has written extensively on the topic, see for example,
- "Last Among Equals: The China-Iran Partnership in a Regional Context,"
- "Solidarity and Strain: China and the Middle East During COVID-19,"
- "The Chinese Islamic Association in the Arab World: the Use of Islamic Soft Power in Promoting Silence on Xinjiang,"
- "The Chinese Piece in Iran's War Games," and
- "China's Bet on Assad: The Lucrative and Risky Business of Postwar Reconstruction."

And check out our recommendations!
Erik
1) China Africa Project Podcast, Mark Bohlund "China, Bondholders, and the Worsening African Debt Crisis"
2) The Joys of Cordless Vaccuums

Lucille
1) Experts in related fields: Mohammed Turki Al-Sudairi (@MohammedSudairi), Wu BingBing (Peking U. Institute of Arab-Islamic Culture),  Wang Suolao (Peking U. Center for Middle East Studies), Ariane Tabatabai (@ArianeTabatabai), Jonathan Fulton (@jonathanfulton), John Calabrese (American U. Middle East-Asia Project)
2) All About China - Middle East Institute
3) Bourse & Bazaar - an online hub for news, insights, research, and events on Iran
4) CGTN Arabic music video on COVID-19 referenced during our interview

Juliet
1) Bear Talk: Mandarin language podcast on a weird mix of technology insights, book reviews, and personal improvement tips - a good way for intermediate and advanced Mandarin speakers to get some listening practice in (and tune out of current events and politics)
2) Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America, a new podcast by KQED on California's housing crisis.

Thanks for listening!

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