Podcasts about china correspondent

Talks between us and Ukraine resume today following Tuesday's meeting between US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin in Moscow. It comes as Putin visits India today and French President Emanuelle Macron visits China.Pat discuss this further with Denis Staunton, China Correspondent, Irish Times.

The backlash over the opening of Shein's first brick and mortar store in Paris this month is just one in a series of controversies and complaints over the ultra-fast fashion retailer. As the company looks to go public, we explore whether its business model can withstand the world's scrutiny. Laura Bicker, the BBC's China Correspondent, tells us what she found in the Guangzhou factories supplying Shein, and co-host Tristan Redman heads to the Paris store. Producer: Hannah Moore Executive producers: Bridget Harney and James ShieldMix: Travis EvansSenior news editor: China CollinsPhoto: A customer shops at Shein in Paris, France. Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

On Thursday, Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping of China held a closed-door meeting in South Korea. The subjects of negotiation ran the gamut — from rare earth minerals, to fentanyl, to computer chips — and, according to President Trump's subsequent news conference, the two parties reached a long-awaited deal. But exactly what did the world's two most powerful men agree to? The BBC's China Correspondent, Laura Bicker, joins us to discuss. Producers: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin Executive Producer: Annie Brown Senior News Editor: China Collins Mix: Travis Evans IMAGE: U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they hold a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein.

Denis Staunton, China Correspondent, Irish Times

World leaders have gathered in China ahead of tomorrow's military parade to mark the end of the Second World War. Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin and Narenda Modi were among the 20 other leaders welcomed to what's been dubbed the 'anti-NATO' summit to discuss global security and economic matters ahead of the event. What can we learn from the relationships between the attendees and how should the West react?This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestoryGuest: Richard Spencer, China Correspondent, The Times, andCatherine Philp, World Affairs Editor, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producer: Edward Drummond. Clips: APT, Reuters, SCMP.Photo: Getty Images. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order extending tariffs on China for another 90 days. Chip giants Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the US government 15% of Chinese revenues as part of an "unprecedented" deal to secure export licences to China. And remember that distinctive sound of dialling in via the internet in the early days of connecting? Well. It's days are numbered….Yahoo has announced that it will discontinue AOL Dial-up Internet on September 30th.Throughout the programme, Rahul Tandon will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world - Jennifer Pak who is China Correspondent for American Public Media, based in Shanghai; and Allie Garfinkle, Senior finance reporter at Fortune who's in the US.

Denis Staunton, China Correspondent for The Irish Times, reports that at least 30 people were killed as heavy rain in the Chinese capital Beijing prompted authorities to evacuate 80,000.

While the many Irish pubs in China do a decent trade in Guinness, a major overhaul of where Chinese Guinness is brewed is getting people worried, and even threatening businesses.Joining Seán to discuss is Denis Staunton, China Correspondent of The Irish Times.

While the many Irish pubs in China do a decent trade in Guinness, a major overhaul of where Chinese Guinness is brewed is getting people worried, and even threatening businesses.Joining Seán to discuss is Denis Staunton, China Correspondent of The Irish Times.

Ahead of his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama has finally put an end to years of speculation over what will happen after his death. The head of Tibetan Buddhism confirmed that he will have a successor, who will be chosen by a board he has set up. But the Chinese government says that only they have the authority to appoint the next Dalai Lama. So who will decide how the next Dalai Lama is chosen - and why is the position so significant?Shawn Yuan from the BBC's Global China Unit explains how the process of finding the next Dalai Lama has changed over the years and talks us through the strained relations between the Chinese government and the spiritual leader. And the BBC's China Correspondent, Laura Bicker, tells us about her recent visit to a monastery in China's south-western Sichuan province, which has been at the heart of Tibetan resistance for decades.Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Chelsea Coates and Josh Jenkins Editor: Julia Ross-Roy

Asian stocks traded in a tight range Thursday after the Federal Reserve reiterated it isn't in a rush to lower interest rates, and investors awaited the trade negotiations between China and the US. Stateside, the S&P 500 halted a two-day slide, led by chipmakers as Bloomberg News reported that the Trump administration plans to rescind Biden-era curbs for the industry. For more on the day's market outlook, we heard from Alex Wolf, Head of Asia Investment Strategy at JPMorgan Private Bank. He speaks with Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Haidi Stroud-Watts. Plus - President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he's unwilling to preemptively lower tariffs on China in order to unlock more substantive negotiations with Beijing on trade. His comments come ahead of bilateral talks between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng this weekend in Switzerland. We get the latest from Bloomberg's US Treasury Reporter, Dan Flatley, along with Bloomberg's China Correspondent, Minmin Low.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ros, Katie and guests assess Labour's media strategy amid its £5bn welfare cuts and weigh up the impact of Donald Trump's defunding of US state-backed broadcasters. We've another in our series of 'tech bro' profiles, this week of Chinese AI entrepreneur Liang Wenfeng, whose Deepseek chatbot is challenging the US tech giants. Plus we talk to Dan Reed about Leaving Neverland 2, his latest documentary on the fallout from allegations against Michael Jackson.Guests: Kate McCann, Breakfast Presenter, Times Radio; Sophia Smith Galer, writer and creator; Bay Fang, President, Radio Free Asia; Jennifer Gyrgiel, Associate Professor, Syracuse University; Richard Spencer, China Correspondent, The Times; Dan Reed, Michael Jackson docPresenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins Producer: Simon Richardson Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

Today, we look at what could be the start of a trade war between the US and China. After postponing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, President Trump has introduced a 10% tax on all goods imports from China. Early this morning Beijing announced it would impose a retaliatory 10% levy, albeit on fewer products. Adam is joined by Laura Bicker, the BBC's China Correspondent and Cindy Yu from the Spectator's Chinese Whispers podcast. Plus, Adam speaks to journalist Ben Westhoff about the fentanyl crisis in America and why President Trump had cited it as the reason behind raising taxes on Mexican, Canadian and Chinese goods. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Shiler Mahmoudi. The technical producer was Stephen Bailey. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Denis Staunton is China Correspondent of The Irish Times gives the latest updates.

What does Trump's comeback mean for East Asia? He's marked China as his primary adversary, threatening heavy tariffs on its imports. And in a geopolitically tense part of the world, will Trump keep up Washington's security commitments to its allies? In this episode: Einar Tangen, Senior Fellow, Taihe Institute. Phelim Kine, China Correspondent, Politico. Graham Ong-Webb, Adjunct Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Host: Elizabeth Puranam  Connect with us:@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes!

Anton was joined by Denis Staunton, China Correspondent for The Irish Times, to discuss China's decision to end its international adoption program, leaving hundreds of families in limbo.

Engineers across the globe, from China to East Africa and the US, are turning to a new, nature-based solutions to fight floods, which are becoming more likely in many places because of climate change. They're taking a pickaxe to asphalt and concrete and instead are restoring wetlands, parks and riverbanks, turning our metropolises into so-called ‘sponge cities'. Plants, trees and lakes act just like a sponge, mopping up rainwater instead of letting it pool and eventually flood our homes. Professor Priti Parikh tells Jordan Dunbar how these spongey solutions have many benefits beyond flooding, encouraging biodiversity, helping our mental health and storing the planet warming gas, carbon dioxide. The BBC's China Correspondent, Laura Bicker, meets the man who came up with the concept, Professor Kongjian Yu, and visits Zhengzhou, a sponge city in the making. And Katya Reyna tells Jordan how her NGO is helping low-income communities in Portland in the US to ‘depave' disused car parks, turning them into plant-oases. Got a climate question you'd like answered? Email: TheClimateQuestion@BBC.com or WhatsApp: +44 8000 321 721 Contributors: Priti Parikh, Professor of Infrastructure Engineering and International Development, University College London and a Trustee at the Institution of Civil Engineers Laura Bicker, BBC China Correspondent Professor Kongjian Yu, Professor of Landscape Architecture at Peking University in Beijing Katya Reyna, Co-Director of Depave, in Portland, USAProducers: Graihagh Jackson, Ben Cooper and Joyce Liu Mixing: Tom Brignell and Andy Fell Editor: Simon Watts

Germany's Economy Minister Robert Habeck visits China amid warnings of a potential trade war over EU friction on electric vehicle imports. With slowing industrial output and a struggling property market, how prepared is China for a trade war? We discuss this with Denis Staunton, China Correspondent for the Irish Times.

As pressure mounts on China to take action on a peace plan for the Ukraine war, Pat was joined by Denis Staunton, China Correspondent for the Irish Times, to explore whether China could be the key to peace between Russia and Ukraine.

Tibet, on China's border with India, is seen as having great strategic importance to Beijing. The region, which has been prone to unrest, has been under Chinese control since 1950. Its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama is in exile in India but plans to visit the United States this summer. In this podcast, Michael Bristow, China Correspondent for the BBC World Service, discusses Tibet's political significance with regular host, Duncan Bartlett.

Denis Staunton, China Correspondent, The Irish Times on Putin's arrival in China for a state visit.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's new slogan, "develop new productive forces," aims to bolster the expansion of high-tech sectors to drive economic growth. China already dominates the world of electric cars and controls more than 80 percent of the global solar panel manufacturing market. So, what could China's technological dominance mean for the West? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.co.uk/thestory Guest: Richard Spencer, China Correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Clips: AP Archive, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, YouTube/RUSI, Sky News, Reuters, BYD Europe, ABC News, CBS News. Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.co.uk Find out more about our bonus series for Times subscribers: 'Inside the newsroom' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WASHINGTON D.C., January 25, 2024 — In this episode of Asia Inside Out, Wendy Cutler, Vice President & Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., leads a discussion at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Asia Spotlight 2024 conference with Nick Schifrin, Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent at PBS Newshour; Demetri Sevastopulo, U.S.-China Correspondent at the Financial Times; Lingling Wei, Chief China Correspondent at the Wall Street Journal; and Edward Wong, Diplomatic Correspondent at the New York Times. The journalists and analysts discuss U.S.-China relations, China's economy, the U.S. presidential election, and North Korea.Asia Inside Out brings together our team and special guests to take you beyond the latest policy headlines and provide an insider's view on regional and global affairs. Each month we'll deliver an interview with informed experts, analysts, and decision-makers from across the Asia-Pacific region. If you want to dig into the details of how policy works, this is the podcast for you. This podcast is produced by the Asia Society Policy Institute, a “think-and-do tank” working on the cutting edge of current policy trends by incorporating the best ideas from our expert

WASHINGTON D.C., January 25, 2024 — In this special episode of Asia Inside Out, Wendy Cutler, Vice President & Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., leads a discussion at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Asia Spotlight 2024 conference with Nick Schifrin, Foreign Affairs and Defense Correspondent at PBS Newshour; Demetri Sevastopulo, U.S.-China Correspondent at the Financial Times; Lingling Wei, Chief China Correspondent at the Wall Street Journal; and Edward Wong, Diplomatic Correspondent at the New York Times. The journalists and analysts discuss U.S.-China relations, China's economy, the U.S. presidential election, and North Korea.Asia Inside Out brings together our team and special guests to take you beyond the latest policy headlines and provide an insider's view on regional and global affairs. Each month we'll deliver an interview with informed experts, analysts, and decision-makers from across the Asia-Pacific region. If you want to dig into the details of how policy works, this is the podcast for you. This podcast is produced by the Asia Society Policy Institute, a “think-and-do tank” working on the cutting edge of current policy trends by incorporating the best ideas from our experts and contributors into recommendations for policy makers to put these plans into practice.

Denis Staunton, China Correspondent, The Irish Times

Donald Trump has testified in a New York court as he fights a civil fraud trial that threatens to crush his real estate empire. The former president is accused of fraudulently inflating the value of his properties to secure favourable loans. Sam Fenwick gets the latest and discusses this and more of the world's biggest business stories with Peter Morici, economist from the University of Maryland. and Jennifer Pak, China Correspondent for American Public Media in Shanghai. (Picture: Former U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the courtroom after attending the Trump Organization civil fraud trial, in New York State Supreme Court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., November 6, 2023. Credit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)

After the Taoiseach's visit to Seoul this week, Brendan spoke to Denis Staunton, China Correspondent with The Irish Times, about K-Pop, cosmetic surgery, personality tests, and about cultural parallels between South Korea and Ireland

Denis Staunton, China Correspondent with the Irish Times

The move excludes Ford, which the UAW says is making more progress in talks. We take a look at the latest developments. The Russian military company Wagner has a new leader - business school grad Dmitry Sytii. We hear more about him and what this means for the firm. And in South America, a toll on a crucial waterway has generated a growing and expensive row between Argentina and Paraguay. We look into the details. Roger Hearing discusses these and more business stories with two guests on opposite sides of the world: Jennifer Pak, China Correspondent for Marketplace, and Sergio Guzmán, Director of Colombia Risk Analysis.

From the BBC World Service: China’s economy is facing a new challenge: deflation — which is a sustained decrease in prices. This could have a negative impact on economic growth and consumer spending. Stephen McDonnell, the BBC’s China Correspondent, explains what is going on and why it matters. Plus, leaders of eight South American countries have signed a joint declaration at a summit  in the Brazilian city of Belém, aimed at cutting deforestation, but does it go far enough? The BBC’s Katy Watson reports from the meeting.

From the BBC World Service: China’s economy is facing a new challenge: deflation — which is a sustained decrease in prices. This could have a negative impact on economic growth and consumer spending. Stephen McDonnell, the BBC’s China Correspondent, explains what is going on and why it matters. Plus, leaders of eight South American countries have signed a joint declaration at a summit  in the Brazilian city of Belém, aimed at cutting deforestation, but does it go far enough? The BBC’s Katy Watson reports from the meeting.

Radio 4's Fever: The Hunt for Covid's Origin is under the Feedback microscope this week. John Sudworth was the BBC's China Correspondent during the virus outbreak. He joins Andrea Catherwood to answer your comments on his series investigating where Covid came from. Two young listeners are in the Vox Box to review the World Service's The Forum on The Evolution of Teenagers. The Forum's Producer Jo Impey responds to what they have to say. And we hear your take on the Today programme's coverage of the Nigel Farage versus Coutts Bank saga. Presented by Andrea Catherwood Produced by Gill Davies A Whistledown Scotland production for BBC Radio 4

Denis Staunton, China Correspondent at the Irish Times reports on at least 31 people have been killed after a gas explosion ripped through a restaurant in the northwestern Chinese city of Yinchuan.

We speak to Denis Staunton, China Correspondent for the Irish Times

Nan Su, China Correspondent at The Epoch Times, joined John Reid to discuss the Chinese military drills conducted over the weekend near Taiwan and more!.

Day 392.Today, we bring you updates from Ukraine, the latest on diplomatic moves across Europe and an interview with Sophia Yan, The Telegraph's China Correspondent, to get her analysis on President Xi's visit to Moscow. Contributors:David Knowles (Host). @djknowles22 on Twitter.Venetia Rainey (Weekend Foreign Editor). @VenetiaRainey on Twitter.Francis Dearnley (Assistant Comment Editor). @FrancisDearnley on Twitter.Sophia Yan (China Correspondent). @Sophia_Yan on Twitter.To support our work, subscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.ukSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trigger warning: This episode briefly mentions suicide at 01:15 and 15:45. This week host Lijia Zhang speaks to Tania Branigan, current Foreign Leader Writer and former China Correspondent at The Guardian. In this episode, they discuss her new book Red Memory, about the Cultural Revolution, and more importantly about the suppression of memories, and how a society comes to terms with a tragedy deeply rooted in its psyche.In the course of writing the book, Tania spoke to people who were affected by this tumultuous decade in various ways. People like Zhang Hongbin, a man who denounced his own mother at the age of seventeen and is reckoning with this fact decades later, trying to make amends for what he has done.Tania points out that Xi has begun dismantling the protections that were put in place after the Cultural Revolution and the parallels between that period and Xi's rising cult of personality. This is a riveting conversation about memory, intergeneraional  trauma, betrayal, mob mentality, and a deep look into what we are all capable of as human beings. (Red Memory was released in the UK on February 2nd, 2023. The US edition's release date is May 9th, 2023.) About Tania Branigan: Tania is the Foreign Leader Writer and former China Correspondent at The Guardian. Her writing has also appeared in The Australian and The Washington Post. Red Memory is her first book. 

Last night the US president said he would make "no apologies" for taking down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the east coast of America earlier this month. Joe Biden told reporters the country is developing “sharper rules” to track, monitor and potentially shoot down unknown aerial objects. But many questions remain about the massive surveillance device, and three other smaller balloons, shot down over the US and Canada. Washington Correspondent, Martin Wall, brings us up to date about what we know so far, as well as explaining how official UFO sightings by the US military have been conflated with the international incident. China Correspondent, Denis Staunton, has the reaction from Beijing and analyses how the row might blow over, as the US and China rescue their stuttering reconciliation. Presented by Aideen Finnegan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, as the long-awaited Ramstein summit begins, we discuss the very latest political manoeuvrings in Germany and elsewhere – from the latest military donations to Ukraine, to the war of words fast-developing within the European alliance against Russian aggression.Plus, it's Chinese New Year on Sunday, so an opportune moment to re-focus our attention to a country playing an increasingly important role in the war. We talk again to the Telegraph's China Correspondent, Sophia Yan.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Host) @FrancisDearnley on Twitter.Dom Nicholls (Associate Editor, Defence). @DomNicholls on Twitter.Sophia Yan (China Correspondent). Subscribe to The Telegraph: telegraph.co.uk/ukrainethelatestEmail: ukrainepod@telegraph.co.ukSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

China Correspondent for Politico Phelim Kine joins The Bill Handel Show to talk about China's population decrease and what it means for the Nation of China and for the rest of the world.

Jim talks with NATHAN SU, China Correspondent for The Epoch Times, about the Covid lockdowns in that country and how the CCP is (mis-)handling the Chinese economy. And, maybe they're not "conspiracy theories" - maybe they're ACTUAL conspiracies! Plus, a review of the movie "Hunting Bigfoot". Produced by CONK! News, the best conservative news aggregator on the web at conk.news

Beijing is running out of medical supplies, according to healthcare workers, as they try to combat a rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak. Some are worried that the true infection rate figures are being masked by authorities. We're joined on the line from Seoul by the Financial Times' China Correspondent, Edward White.

Lockdowns have been imposed across China in the wake of rising Covid 19 infections. With businesses basically bolted shut once again, how does this fare for the darkening outlook of the world's second largest economy? China Correspondent from the Irish Times Denis Staunton in Beijing joins us now.

Analysis from Denis Staunton, China Correspondent for the Irish Times.

Now, the Chip war between the US and China is heating up. Biden's administration has announced new restrictions on American companies selling advanced semiconductors to China, including restrictions on US citizens working for chip plants in China. We're joined by Yvonne Murray, a former China Correspondent, who is now based in New York.

First on the programme - we look at how as parts of the globe are abandoning restrictions, areas of China are back in lockdown in the face of rising case numbers. It's affecting the north-eastern region of Jilin, and also the southern city of Shenzhen, which is a key manufacturing centre. Andy Xie is in independent economist based in Shanghai. He explained what was happening. Next - the relationship between the Russian and Chinese leaders is exceptionally close, but if China were to assist Russia more directly, what would the consequences be on the global stage? Edward White is China Correspondent for the Financial Times talks us through the current tensions between The West and China. We then spoke to our regular analyst, Michael Hughes, and we addressed the widely circulating theory that - economically - we've returned to a previous age. We then hear from Ann Soy of The BBC's Focus on Africa programme discussing food shortages in Africa as a consequence of the Ukraine crises with the United States Ambassador the UN, Linda Thomas Greenfield. Lastly, for weeks now on World Business Report we've been looking at the Ukraine conflict, western sanctions on Russia and the effects on the economy there. There's a real danger of talking about high level political discussions and quoting a lot of big numbers, but losing track of how this actually affects ordinary people in the country. In this edition of The World Business report we spoke to two online bloggers, who make videos explaining Russian life to the rest of the world. Producer: Gabriele Shaw | Presenter: David Harper

For the first time ever, the Winter Olympic games will rely entirely on artificial snow.  It's a reality that could become more common as the planet warms. And it has environmental experts concerned.  Nearly 50 million gallons of water are being piped in to serve the Beijing games, possibly setting reserves in this water-stressed region back by hundreds of years. Meanwhile, China says this year's event is the most environmentally-sound winter games ever. But there's no system to track those claims – and some researchers say the Olympic games are actually getting worse for the environment over time. This week on The Carbon Copy: why claims about the sustainability of the Olympics are often greenwashing.  Guest: Christian Shepherd, China Correspondent for The Washington Post. Read his article about the winter games here.  The Carbon Copy is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media. The Carbon Copy is supported by Atmos Financial. Atmos offers FDIC-insured checking and savings accounts that only invest in climate-positive assets like renewables, green construction and regenerative agriculture. Modern banking for climate-conscious people. Get an account in minutes at joinatmos.com. The Carbon Copy is also supported by Climate Positive, a podcast from Hannon Armstrong, the first U.S. public company solely dedicated to investing in climate solutions. Climate Positive podcast features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers driving our climate positive future. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Topics Discussed and Key Points:●      The economic, cultural, and athletic impact that the 2008 Beijing Olympics had on China●      China's reaction to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics●      China's expectations for the 2022 Winter Olympics and future games●      Popular and not-as popular sports in China●      The intersection of sports, politics, and business in China's fitness industry●      China's growing interest in health and fitness●      How China is investing in infrastructure to aid in the development of the sports industry●      Team sports versus individual sports in China Episode Summary:Today on The Negotiation, we speak with Mark Dreyer, a China-based media and sports professional. Mark has been based in China since shortly before the 2008 Olympics, where he has worked with several media outlets, both domestic and international.Mark is the Marketing and Communications Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and the Founder of China Sports Insider and the China Correspondent for SportsBusiness Group.Asked how the 2008 Summer Olympics influenced China economically, Mark says that, while the event itself was not profitable for the country, the Olympics cemented China's dramatic rise in the 2000s as a major player on the world stage.Culturally, and in the sports world specifically, the nation gained a massive amount of soft power as a result of their virtually flawless handling of the Olympics—not to mention having won 51 gold medals—showing the world a side of China previously unseen.Mark gives his thoughts on the growth of the Chinese sports industry as a vehicle for bolstering national pride. He shares how this intersection of sports, politics and business manifests itself, such as in the famously “manufactured” athletic prowess of NBA star Yao Ming.However, Mark believes that the top-down nature of Chinese society is limiting the country's potential in the world of sports. With regards to soccer, for instance, instead of allowing a “grassroots” movement to nurture a competent player base over a decade or two, the Chinese leadership would rather search for ways to create Olympic-level athletes in a matter of a few years.Mark believes that the key to creating a thriving and enviable sports industry in China is to make sports something that people voluntarily do for fun and because they simply love it, as opposed to the current culture of handpicking and grooming promising players to compete solely for national pride.In his words: “How do we get people to play sports in a way that they actually, genuinely want to?” Key Quotes:“China is very, very good at the summer games, less so at the Winter Olympics. [...] Ten of their 13 gold medals are in short track speed skating. As you'd expect, that is where there is a lot of interest for the Chinese people when it comes to the Winter Olympics.” “When your country—when your athletes are winning gold medals—it does make it that much more exciting for your country. [...] That patriotism, that nationalism is more of a factor in China than it would be in other countries.” “China has always struggled to create grassroots sports. Soccer is probably the prime example. Everything here in China is top-down. It is a top-down society. To have success in a sport like soccer, you need to build from the bottom up. That contradiction is, in large part, what has prevented China from becoming a global soccer power as it has many, many times declared it wants to be.”

We are joined by on this podcast by Manoj Kewalramani to talk about his new book "Smokeless War: China's Quest for Geopolitical Dominance". Kewalramani, a fellow at The Takshashila Institution who studies China, provides perhaps the first detailed and granular account assessing China's strategic and political responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The book focuses on Beijing's geopolitical strategies as it looked to turn around a crisis at home and criticism abroad into an opportunity for China. Has that strategy succeeded? Host: Ananth Krishnan, China Correspondent, The Hindu Want to get more from The Hindu on books? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here (Newsletter Subscription) Write to us with comments and feedback at socmed4@thehindu.co.in

Bill began his dream job as the ABC's China Correspondent in 2015. Five years later, seven State Security police officers visited him in the middle of the night to tell him he was barred from leaving the country