World Today

①Leaders of China and Japan say it's important to develop bilateral ties, as the two countries marked 50 years since normalizing diplomatic ties. What was the spirit half a century ago? (00:53)

②How to describe China's foreign policy under President Xi Jinping over the past 10 years? (14:43)

③US President Joe Biden hosts Pacific Island leaders for a summit, as Washington looks to counter China's influence in the region. Will the US stay engaged in the region in the long term? (24:30)

④We speak to a Fijian ambassador about China's ties with the Pacific island nation. (33:56)

⑤Tough talk between Turkiye and Greece, two NATO members, fuels Aegean tensions. Is it raising questions about the NATO’s unity at a time when the alliance wants to present a united front? (44:10)

①IMF urges the UK to re-evaluate tax cuts in harsh criticism of the country's fiscal plan. Why is the plan seen as highly problematic in the current situation? (00:57)

②Denmark, Germany and Poland warn of sabotage after Nord Stream pipeline leaks. Are the leaks raising concerns over the vulnerability of the energy infrastructure in Europe? (15:48)

③China has lodged a protest with the International Atomic Energy Agency, urging it not to back Australia's plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines through the AUKUS deal. Does China have a justifiable claim that the AUKUS partnership involves illegal transfer of nuclear weapon materials? (24:25)

④China's Minister of Commerce remains confident of maintaining a positive growth in foreign trade in the second half of the year. (35:26)

⑤The US is pushing EU countries to accelerate and increase financial support to Ukraine. Does Washington care about the interests and concerns of EU countries regarding the Ukraine war. (45:41)

①OECD once again cuts global growth forecast amid war, inflation and energy crisis. (00:55)

②Japan bids farewell to Shinzo Abe with controversial state funeral. (11:26)

③It's estimated 7.3% of US adults, or more than 18 million people, likely had long Covid in early July. In the UK, up to 3.1% of the entire population may currently have long Covid. Data from the WHO show at least 17 million people in Europe experienced long Covid in the first two years of the pandemic. Are we paying enough attention to this problem? (22:54)

④Vladimir Putin has signed a decree granting Russian citizenship to the US whistleblower Edward Snowden. What are the shocking things we ought to learn from the Snowden case? (32:58)

⑤NASA successfully crashes a spacecraft into an asteroid in planetary defense test. Is it a game-changing achievement? (40:50)

①China’s foreign minister stresses peace and development in address to the UN General Assembly. (00:56)

②China’s foreign minister calls on the US to learn the lessons of the severely-impacted China-US relations. What are the lessons the US ought to learn? (14:25)

③Giorgia Meloni’s rightwing coalition storms to election victory in Italy. What are the obstacles ahead for Meloni? (24:59)

④The Philippines’ president is eyeing renewed talks with China on joint energy exploration in the South China Sea. (32:55)

⑤UAE agrees LNG deal with Germany as Berlin seeks ways to find alternatives to Russian gas. (41:51)

Families, businesses and factories across Europe are battling for survival as energy prices have soared to 10 times their average level over the past decade. Officials in Brussels are talking about rationing gas, and national governments are scrambling to find alternative supplies after Russia cut off large chunk of the country’s natural gas supplies to Europe.

What’s the root cause of the energy crisis? As ripple effect is already visible in other sectors, are we going to see a much wider crisis facing the European Union?

Host Ding Heng is joined by Yao Shujie, Chueng Kong Professor of Economics at Chongqing University; Nick Butler, Visiting Professor at King's College London; Andrew Glencross, Professor of Political Science and Deputy Director for International Affairs at the European School of Political and Social Sciences in France; Gal Luft, Co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, a Washington-based think tank.

① Putin mobilizes more troops for Ukraine and says the West wants to destroy Russia. What’s next? (01:02)

② Biden says he is not seeking a “Cold War” with China. Can the U.S. be trusted when its words and deeds are inconsistent? (15:07)

③ S.Korea and Japan have held their first bilateral talks since 2019. Can their ties be mended? (23:24)

④ Liz Truss weighs joining Macron’s new political circle. (34:41)

⑤ the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the third time. Will this drag the world economy further into the mire? (42:42)

① Increasing number of countries express their support for China's Global Development Initiative. (00:56)

② Cross-Strait integration picks up over past decade despite external interference and disruption. (14:14)

③ China takes steps to further boost foreign investment. (24:21)

④ How China “turned the table” on manned space over the past 30 years. (34:32)

⑤ Biden: "The pandemic is over." A political or a scientific conclusion? (44:31)

① China slams U.S. violation of commitment as Biden again talks about “defending” Taiwan. (00:55)

② Humanitarian crisis is looming in U.S. as political battle surrounding U.S.-Mexican border escalates. (15:46)

③ Sweden's center-right leader asked to form a new government. (24:46)

④ Over 75s top 15% of Japan's population for 1st time. What does it mean? (36:48)

① Chinese FM to attend the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly. What’s on his agenda? (01:02)

② China's FDI inflow up 16.4% in first 8 months. Can China’s economy continue to recover? (13:06)

③ EU set to pull €7.5bn from Hungary. Is there any room left for different voices in the block? (24:38)

④ Report: Nearly 100 members of US Congress bought or sold financial assets that may have been a conflict of interest. (37:14)

⑤ Chinese mainland reports first imported monkeypox case. How prepared is China? (45:30)

Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have just held their 2022 summit in the ancient city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan. Held against the backdrop of global uncertainties, especially the war in Ukraine, this summit of the SCO, which originated from security cooperation, has drawn worldwide attention. How much does this summit matter in today's global geopolitics? What has been China's role in the growth of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization?

Host Liu Kun is joined by Dr. He Wenping, Senior Research Fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Digby Wren, a visiting scholar at the Royal Academy of Cambodia; Swaran Singh, Professor of Diplomacy and Disarmament at Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Visiting Professor at University of British Columbia.