With Presidents Xi and Trump expected to meet in the United States this week, Will Bain looks back on the history of trade between the two great nations. It's always been fraught with controversy but there's also been a need or desire to get along. President Nixon was the first to visit China in 1972 and spoke with passion about the possibilities for the future between them. Trade then grew quickly but it became very one sided as China developed as an industrial nation. There have been several attempts to curb its dominance but cheaper production also meant cheaper goods for consumers. Chad Bown, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute joins Will to assess how they have attempted to strike the right balance.

Xi Jinping is known to be a ruthless leader. In the last five years alone, China’s richest man, Jack Ma, China’s defence minister and the country’s foreign minister have all abruptly disappeared - some never to be seen in public again. Millions of Communist officials have been purged since Xi came to power. But one man was thought to be untouchable: the head of China’s military forces, Zhang Youxia. A childhood friend of Xi’s, Zhang was allowed to stay in his post, even as other military officials were disappearing. That is, until he, too, was suddenly gone. Celia Hatton investigates why Zhang was purged and looks inside and outside China for answers. She discovers there's a kind of pattern that dictators and autocratic rulers use to hold on to power. And this, she argues, can be a useful tool in predicting global military aggression.

For many of us, our phones are the first thing we look at in the morning and the last thing we put down at night. But with growing pressure over screen time and concerns about the impact of social media, tech companies like Meta have agreed to restrictions. In our conversations, we bring together three people who have received treatment for tech addiction. We also hear from those have decided not to use smartphones at all. “To me what’s weird is when a couple go on a date, instead of looking at each other and talking to each other, they’re staring at their own phones and texting people and doing whatever,” Loren in Los Angeles tells us.

Dalia Mogahed is one of the most prominent Muslim voices in American public life. For three decades, she has researched and defended the experiences of Muslim communities in the United States, advising leaders and challenging misconceptions about Islam, identity and belonging. But after a lifetime speaking for others, Dalia Mogahed is now exploring her own questions of faith and legacy. A cancer diagnosis on the eve of her 50th birthday prompted a period of deep reflection, bringing into focus years of personal loss, including the deaths of her father, her best friend and her mother, alongside the end of her marriage. Through these experiences, Dalia has been reflecting on how we find meaning, sustain faith and understand what truly matters. She reflects on the journey that has taken her from researcher and public intellectual to a more personal exploration of spirituality, vulnerability and purpose. She shares how faith can be tested, reshaped and deepened through moments of uncertainty.

Katy Watson highlights Australia’s complex, turbulent and evolving relationship with their number one trading partner - China. Having signed a free trade agreement eleven years ago, in recent years there has been a marked shift in relations, with Canberra balancing its security dependence on Washington with its economic reliance on Beijing. From businesses, diplomats and military personnel, Katy Watson asks if China is Australia’s enemy or friend? Or as some critics suggest, are they a ‘frenemy’?

We look at three solutions connected to the “three Rs” – reduce, reuse and recycle. The city of Brussels in Belgium is in the process of moving all 40 municipal nurseries over to reusable nappies – and have managed to do it without their staff kicking up a stink! Also energy companies around the world have found ways to encourage customers to reduce their consumption by making it fun, and lastly we meet Makafui Awuku in Ghana - a man on a mission to turn used plastic into school desks.

Political analysts and human rights organisations say Turkey's courts are increasingly being used to silence political dissent and to shape a more socially conservative society. The most prominent defendant is Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul, and the opposition figure opinion polls suggest is most likely to beat President Erdoğan at the ballot box. İmamoğlu has been held in Silivri prison since March 2025 and now stands trial alongside more than 400 co-defendants in a sprawling corruption case. Other elected mayors have been removed from office and replaced by government appointees. Emily Wither speaks to a former judge punished for criticising the changes to Turkey's judiciary, mayors held for months without conviction, court reporters accused of spreading "disinformation," and performers prosecuted for what they said on stage.

Economic unease is growing among Russian workers as fuel shortages and Ukrainian drone strikes disrupt key sectors of the economy.

Ed Butler examines the pressures facing businesses, workers and consumers, from damaged refineries to attacks on Wildberries warehouses.

As concerns grow over prices, jobs and supply chains, what do these disruptions reveal about the resilience of Russia's wartime economy?

Presenter: Ed Butler

In May, the Chief Justice of India unwittingly gave a name to a generational protest. He called unemployed young people “cockroaches” and the mass youth movement that had begun in the wake of the sudden cancellation of a national exam took on the title - the Cockroach Janta party. But India has not been the only country that has seen Gen Z - people aged between 14 and 29 - engaging in mass protests this year. It has been happening all over the place, from Serbia to Kenya. Different grievances, different circumstances, but the same generation. So what are the youth revolting about, and are they winning?

Evidence suggests that millions around the world are ditching the most popular dating apps to pursue alternative options. Users complain that swiping is not leading to dates or meaningful relationships, just admin and fatigue. In our conversations, organisers of in-person dating events share their experiences. Amber tells us. “You could like someone’s photo, you could like speaking to them on the phone but when you meet them in person there’s something different that can’t be assessed online – that’s a big part of why people are coming back to in-person events.” We also bring together developers of specialist dating apps, including an advocate of “slow dating.”