Sinobabble

**This livestream was recorded on Tuesday 27th January 2026**

We discuss the book Breakneck by Dan Wang. A huge hit towards the end of 2025, we talk about whether the hype is merited, the strengths and weaknesses of his narrative, and whether or not his ideas stand up to scrutiny. At the end, we (and by we, I mean I) ramble about the Three Body Problem trilogy for 10 minutes.

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Recently, news of Hebei villagers freezing in their homes this winter has sparked heated discussion online. The villagers are part of a government scheme to convert the population to 'clean' energy sources, mainly via a coal-to-gas policy. But as subsidies taper and the cost of gas rises, poorer residents are opting out of the policy, either using traditional heating methods to stay warm or suffering the cold. In this episode we explore the origins of the coal-to-gas policy, the real-term effects it's had on the population, and its relationship to the CCP's wider goals of net zero and rural revitalisation. And ultimately we ask, how does this policy affect people on the ground? How has this increased the burden on local officials in impovrished areas? And how do people practice acts of resistance against government policy, regardless of potential punishment?

Chapters 
(00:00) Intro: Villagers in Hebei are freezing in their homes
(06:49) *12 China Books Book Club*
(07:50) China's climate policy and the politics of energy
(12:45)Coal-to-gas and rural resistance
(31:31)*BUY ME A COFFEE*
(35:15) Rural revitalisation and the limits of state coercion 


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In 2025, the Chinese Cyberspace Administration introduced a new policy that aims to police online content that promotes violence, aggression, pessimism and negative emotions. While censorship is nothing new in China, this new law poses a new set of questions: what exactly is the difference between censorship and misinformation? What is a legitimate grievance, and what is a blatant attempt by someone to spread fake news or stir up a gender war? And how exactly do you police a bad vibe?

Chapters 
(00:00) Introduction to the new cyberspace policy
(07:04) *12 China Books Book Club*
(07:45) Policy targets: lying flat and involution
(14:50) Censorship vs moderation
(25:45) *Buy me a Coffee*
(26:40) Misinformation vs the public interest
(34:10) The fight against debbie downers

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China shock 2.0, $1trillion surplus, Adam Smith. Is the neoliberal global order coming to an end? Is it China's fault? Do they care?

In this episode we tackle the underlying questions surrounding fears of China's domination of all major manufacturing industries. Should China stop what they're doing? If so, why? And if why, how should they bring back balance and let us poor Westerners keep some of our jobs?

We also talk globalisation, who's really to blame for the current situation, and why Orientalism plays a bigger role than you might think.

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Leave your recommendations below. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Chapters 
(00:00) About the books
(2:20) The Dean of Shandong
(12:35) Private Revolutions
(20:35) The New China Playbook
(29:20) I Deliver Parcels in Beijing
(40:40) Final thoughts
(42:30) Books for next year, book club?

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In recent months news of purges at the very top of the PLA have gripped headlines, with many speculating as to the cause and outcomes of this series of high-profile oustings. Many have concluded that regardless of the cause -- coup attempt, rampant corruption, incompetence, paranoia -- the result is that Xi has tightened his control over an historically elusive and *opaque* arm of the party-state. 

Xi is an outside figure -- he is not a military man, he has seen no bloodshed, commanded no battles, won no victories. And yet he now towers above the PLA as its ultimate leader, his mandate served willingly and devotedly. 

How has Xi managed this feat where his predecessors have failed? The truth is the most recently publicised purges are just one in a long line of adjustments to the military that have allowed Xi Jinping to strengthen his grip on the PLA. In this episode we discuss those adjustments, how they differ to those that came before, and what the results of Xi's strategy may be.

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I'm joined by Nick Zeller (https://uscnpm.substack.com/) and Craig Kafura (https://bsky.app/profile/ckafura.bsky.social) to discuss a public opinion poll carried out earlier this year and what it tells us about what Chinese people really think about China. Broken down into 4 reports, we talk about the economy, China-US relations, global leadership, the impact of demographics on answers and why the reaction from westerners reveal an ideological bent and a lack understanding of Chinese society.

Read the reports here: https://globalaffairs.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/CCGA-Carter%20Center_China%20International%20Relations%20Report.pdf 

https://globalaffairs.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/CCGA-Carter%20Center_China%20Economics%20Report.pdf

https://globalaffairs.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/CCGA-Carter%20Center_China%20Global%20Role%20Report.pdf

https://globalaffairs.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/CCGA-Carter%20Center_China-US%20Relations%20Report.pdf

Chapters 
(00:00) Introduction & what the survey is about
(06:00) Challenges of doing a survey in China
(11:00) How faithful do you think the answers are?
(14:50) Report 1: Friends with benefits
(28:10) Report 2: Economic outlook
(40:00) Report 3: Relations with the US
(53:55) Report 4: China as a global leader

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Today we'll be examining the argument of a prominent Chinese scholar that China has built too much High-Speed Railway that is underutilised, unprofitable, and will cause major economic problems in the future. We ask why the state-government would pursue such a misguided policy, and how it's beginning to affect the rest of the world too.

Read Lu's original essay here: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-iBh9BPpi7kl2BGhkGWHaw 

Chapters 
(00:00) Introduction - HSR and white elephants
(05:00) The history of China's HSR
(11:10) Arguments against HSR 
(25:56) Spillover 

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#highspeedrail #HSR #China

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Hangzhou is a city once famed for its poets, tea, and silk, but it’s now capturing attention for something entirely different: AI labs, robotics startups, and IPO-hungry tech firms. The rapid rise of innovative and globally competitive tech startups has led to Hangzhou being dubbed “China’s Silicon Valley.” But not everyone agrees that the comparison is so black and white.

Chapters 
(00:00) Introduction - Hangzhou
(02:15) Historical role of Hangzhou
(03:28) A bit on Alibaba
(09:45) How Hangzhou created its own growth model
(14:45) How Hangzhou and Silicon Valley differ

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#Hangzhou #chinatech #deepseek #siliconvalley 

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Starbucks recently announced that it's looking to sell part of its stake in its China operations, and is looking for a domestic partner to help boost the company's profile. This comes at a time when a host of foreign firms are seemingly struggling in China after years of riding the wave of the rising middle class. What are the main factors leading to these struggles? What are these brands missing? And what can they do to reverse their fortunes?

Chapters 
(00:00) Introduction - The Starbucks Story
(05:45) Changes in the Chinese consumer market
(09:00) Foreign brands history in China
(20:15) Localisation and the sinking market in China
(30:45) Chinese brands go global

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