What China Wants

As the 20th Party Congress rumbles on and the world awaits Xi Jinping's expected consolidation of his position as general secretary, this week on What China Wants, we're speaking to the co-author of one of his most recent biographies. Sam and Stewart are pleased to be joined by Stefan Aust, former editor-in-chief of Der Spiegel. His 2021 book with co-author Adrian Geiges, Xi Jinping: The Most Powerful Man in the World is newly translated into English and available in all good bookstores.

Links
Xi Jinping: The Most Powerful Man in the World (politybooks.com)

The five-yearly National Party Congress that begins on 16 October is the most important event in the Chinese Communist Party's calendar. To understand what we might expect, Stewart and Sam speak to a leading Chinese academic based in the UK, who has been studying the run up to the Party Congress. Jinghan Zeng is Professor of China and International Studies at Lancaster University, and a specialist on the politics and international relations of China.

This week on What China Wants we are switching our attention back to economics. Sam and Stewart are joined by Anna Macdonald, a Fund Manager at Amati Global Investors to discuss the perceived opportunities and risks investors associate with China. Anna also shares her particular expertise on ESG investing and how investment in China fits around this broader trend. 

With false rumours of a coup against Xi Jinping flying around social media and news outlets last weekend, this week we look at who could have been responsible for this disinformation, and dig into how China uses disinformation for its own purposes too. Sam and Stewart are joined by friend of the podcast, Alex Neill, a leading expert on Chinese influence abroad.

Much has been written about IP theft allegedly perpetrated by Chinese actors, but it's not all about hacking - there is a whole range of ways that China plays hard-ball with its foreign competitors. In this episode, we look specifically at the impact on European firms. To do this Sam and Stewart are joined by Luke Patey, senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, senior research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, and author of How China Loses.

Links
Luke Patey (@LukePatey) / Twitter
How China Loses: The Pushback Against Chinese Global Ambitions: Amazon.co.uk: Patey, Luke: 9780190061081: Books

It is a sombre week for most people in the United Kingdom, the 14 countries where the late Queen Elizabeth II was Head of State, and the wider Commonwealth. But the impact of the monarch has been felt in other nations around the world too. China may be a century-old republic, and a communist one at that, but that doesn’t mean its rulers can ignore the sad passing of perhaps the most famous woman on the planet. 

In today’s episode, Stewart and Sam pay tribute to the effect the Queen had on Sino-British ties, and look at how her position played into the wider historical narrative of what was, until 1911, one of the world’s oldest monarchies.

China is on the brink of a water catastrophe. A multiyear drought could push the country into an outright water crisis. But China's water problem is also the world's water problem. This week, Sam and Stewart are joined by Gopal Reddy and Gabriel Collins to explain the systemic nature of the problem and the threat it poses to China. We discuss not only its potentially devastating impact, but also how potential solutions will be a hard-sell politically for CCP officials.

Show Notes
About - Ready for Climate
Gabriel Collins | Baker Institute
Power shortages, a hidden water crisis, and a hard landing in China - Ready for Climate

This week Sam and Stewart discuss the challenges posed to Western Liberalism by China in the 21st century. Western liberalism is not the force it once was. The question is, to what extent is the authoritarian model espoused by China and Russia pressuring and ultimately dimming liberalism’s star? To answer this we are joined by Sir Vince Cable, former leader of the UK’s Liberal Democrats and a senior minister in the 2010-2015 Coalition government.

Show Notes
The Chinese Conundrum: Engagement or Conflict - Alma Books

What China Wants is back after the summer break, and this week we're bringing you a round up of an eventful summer for China and its international relations. Stewart and Sam discuss Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit to Taiwan, China's ongoing economic troubles and drought as well as the latest developments in Sino-Russian relations against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

This week we are examining the issues facing the Chinese economy by re-visiting our interview with George Magnus.  This also ties in with the Great Split content from last week because a country with economic issues - now and in the future - is likely to be more adventurous abroad, particularly if that adventure leads to the capture of the key ingredients (Taiwanese microchips) that are needed to supply the part of the economy (technology) that Beijing thinks is the answer to most of their prayers.