Chinese Whispers

What does it take to be 'an old friend of the Chinese people'?


Listen Later

** Chinese Whispers is coming to an end. Later this year, Cindy Yu will be joining The Times and The Sunday Times to write a regular column on China. To stay abreast of her latest work, subscribe to her free Substack at chinesewhispers.substack.com **

The term ‘old friend of the Chinese people’ might seem a colloquial, almost sentimental, phrase to appear in official diplomatic language, but in the Chinese context, those words have a very specific meaning. Most often, they refer to high profile foreigners whose actions have helped the Chinese Communist Party in one way or another. The most famous of these is Henry Kissinger, who led the way for American rapprochement with China.

That the CCP gives various foreigners this honour is revealing of China’s priorities over the decades, but also of its attempts to co-opt foreign forces to its cause. Think back to the United Front strategy, which we looked at on the podcast earlier in the year.

To discuss this honorific, I’m joined Professor Anne-Marie Brady, a China expert at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, who was among the first to look at China’s old friends as a serious political concept some 20 years ago, and Ryan Ho Kilpatrick, a journalist based in Hong Kong.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Chinese WhispersBy The Spectator

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

141 ratings


More shows like Chinese Whispers

View all
Best of the Spectator by The Spectator

Best of the Spectator

183 Listeners

Coffee House Shots by The Spectator

Coffee House Shots

177 Listeners

Sinica Podcast by Kaiser Kuo

Sinica Podcast

591 Listeners

ChinaPower by CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

ChinaPower

202 Listeners

Americano by The Spectator

Americano

262 Listeners

Holy Smoke by The Spectator

Holy Smoke

129 Listeners

ChinaTalk by Jordan Schneider

ChinaTalk

269 Listeners

The Edition by The Spectator

The Edition

54 Listeners

Women With Balls by The Spectator

Women With Balls

21 Listeners

The Asia Chessboard by Center for Strategic and International Studies

The Asia Chessboard

103 Listeners

The Rachman Review by Financial Times

The Rachman Review

136 Listeners

Pekingology by Center for Strategic and International Studies

Pekingology

130 Listeners

China Global by The German Marshall Fund

China Global

45 Listeners

Table Talk by The Spectator

Table Talk

10 Listeners

The Book Club by The Spectator

The Book Club

85 Listeners

The Prince by The Economist

The Prince

890 Listeners

Drum Tower from The Economist by The Economist

Drum Tower from The Economist

345 Listeners

China Insider by Hudson Institute

China Insider

105 Listeners

Coffee House Scots by The Spectator

Coffee House Scots

1 Listeners

Face-Off: The U.S. vs China by Airwave Media

Face-Off: The U.S. vs China

158 Listeners