Zack, Jenn, and Alex explain why WWE wrestling superstar John Cena issued an apology to China this week over a comment he made about Taiwan while promoting his new Fast & Furious 9 movie — and what it says about China’s increasing efforts to use its economic might to censor statements it doesn’t like from American celebrities and companies. In the second half of the show, the gang answers listener questions about global shipping, Iran, and book recommendations about international affairs.

References:

The Los Angeles Times explains why John Cena had to apologize after his Taiwan comment.

The Guardian has the Weibo video of Cena’s apology in Mandarin.

Alex wrote a longer feature for Vox on the historical tensions between China, Taiwan, and the US.

The Council on Foreign Relations has an easy-to-read guide on Hollywood censorship in China.

The Wall Street Journal reported on LeBron James’s Hong Kong comments from 2019.

The Council on Foreign Relations also has a good primer on US-Iran relations.

The OECD has statistics on shipping and trade.

You can find Jenn’s book recommendation here, Zack’s here, and Alex’s here.

Here’s Today, Explained’s episode on Belarus.

Hosts:

Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox

Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox

Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox

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