Podcasts about on china

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Best podcasts about on china

Latest podcast episodes about on china

TD Ameritrade Network
Hincks: Inflation "Way Better" Than Expected, China's Trade War a "Losing Battle"

TD Ameritrade Network

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2025 8:53


Kevin Hincks reports from the @cboeglobalmarkets as futures come in flat. The latest PPI print show gasoline prices sinking, something Kevin believes attributes to the U.S. winning the inflation fight. He doesn't expect the Fed to cut interest rates five times as markets may indicate, however, Powell could signal the start of a rate cutting cycle sooner than expected. On China, Kevin expects the country's raise on tariffs against the U.S. to backfire.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day.Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – / schwabnetwork Follow us on Facebook – / schwabnetwork Follow us on LinkedIn - / schwab-network About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about

China Daily Podcast
英语新闻丨特朗普宣布对华等贸易伙伴加征全面关税

China Daily Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 6:34


US President Donald Trump unveiled a new tariff policy on Wednesday afternoon to impose new tariffs on nearly all US trading partners, including a 34 percent levy on China.美国总统唐纳德·特朗普于当地时间周三下午宣布实施新的关税政策,将对包括中国在内的几乎所有美国贸易伙伴加征新关税,其中对中国商品将征收34%的关税。Trump, speaking from the White House Rose Garden, announced an "economic emergency", introducing a 10 percent "baseline" tariff on imported goods and additional punitive tariffs targeting around 60 countries with what he called "unfair trade practices".在白宫玫瑰园发表讲话时,特朗普宣布美国进入"经济紧急状态",提出对进口商品征收10%的"基准"关税,并对约60个存在所谓"不公平贸易行为"的国家加征惩罚性关税。Trump said the tariff on all countries, except Canada and Mexico, will take effect on Saturday. He also announced that there would be "individualized" tariffs for countries that have the largest trade deficits with the United States, which would go into effect on April 9.特朗普表示,除加拿大和墨西哥外,针对所有国家的关税将于本周六生效。他还宣布,对美存在最大贸易逆差的国家将实施"差别化"关税政策,该措施将于4月9日生效。"For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike," Trump said, claiming that the tariffs were designed to boost domestic manufacturing."数十年来,我们的国家被远近邻邦、盟友与对手共同掠夺、劫掠、压榨和剥削。"特朗普声称,这些关税政策旨在重振美国制造业。During his remarks, Trump displayed a chart detailing various US trading partners, highlighting what he claimed were the tariffs those countries imposed on the United States. He then proposed that the US would apply reciprocal tariffs at half the rate charged by each nation, including China's alleged 67 percent effective tariff rate when factoring in "currency manipulation and trade barriers".在演讲过程中,特朗普展示了一份详细列举美国各贸易伙伴的图表,重点强调他声称的这些国家对美征收的关税水平。他进而提出,美国将按各国现行税率的一半征收对等关税,其中包括在考虑"货币操纵和贸易壁垒"因素后,中国据称实施的67%实际有效关税。China, a central focus, was on the top of the chart, followed by the European Union.作为核心关注对象的中国在图表中位列首位,欧盟紧随其后。"[On China], we're going to be charging a discounted reciprocal tariff of 34 percent,"said Trump. Before today's announcement, Trump had already imposed 10 percent tariffs on Chinese goods in two separate rounds, one in February and another in March.美国总统特朗普说:"针对中国,我们将征收34%的折扣对等关税。"在今天的宣布之前,特朗普已经对两轮中国商品征收10%的关税,一轮是在2月,另一轮是在3月。Later, White House documents detailed specific rates: China faces a 54 percent total tariff, with a new 34 percent added to the existing 20 percent, as confirmed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Other rates include the EU at 20 percent, Vietnam at 46 percent, Japan at 24 percent, Korea at 25 percent, India at 26 percent, Cambodia at 49 percent.白宫文件显示,中国商品实际总关税将达54%,即在现有20%基础上新增34%。财政部长斯科特·贝森特确认了这一叠加机制。 此次加征关税前,特朗普政府已在今年2月和3月分两批对中国商品加征10%关税。根据最新清单,其他主要经济体税率分别为:欧盟20%、越南46%、日本24%、韩国25%、印度26%、柬埔寨49%。Trump said that the tariffs would address years of "unfair" trade practices, during which he claimed other countries had been exploiting the US.特朗普声称,这些关税将纠正多年来的"不公平"贸易行为,制止他国"剥削"美国。US stock markets quickly erased earlier gains following Trump's remarks. In after-hours trading, S&P 500 futures dropped by 1.5 percent.在特朗普发表上述讲话后,美国股市迅速回吐早盘涨幅。标普500指数期货在盘后交易中下挫1.5%。Numerous US lawmakers criticized Trump's tariff hike. Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, said that "many of my Republican colleagues in Congress have already expressed concerns about these tariffs". Kaine authored a resolution to block Trump's tariffs on Canadian imports, which passed the Senate on Wednesday.众多美国议员批评了特朗普的加征关税措施。弗吉尼亚州民主党参议员蒂姆·凯恩透露,“我在国会的许多共和党同事已经表达了对这些关税的担忧”。凯恩撰写了一项决议,阻止特朗普对加拿大进口商品加征关税,该决议于周三在参议院获得通过。"His [Trump's] half-baked trade war will only raise prices for consumers," said Senator Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat.佛蒙特州民主党籍参议员彼得·韦尔奇直言:"这场(特朗普)草率发动的贸易战只会推高消费者物价。"Senator Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, said: "If these tariffs go into effect, it will be so harmful. And as price hikes always do, they will hurt those the most who can afford them the least."缅因州共和党籍参议员苏珊·柯林斯警告称:"这些关税一旦实施将造成严重损害。正如物价上涨的惯常效应,承受能力最脆弱的群体必将首当其冲。"Speaking shortly after Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the reciprocal tariffs announced by the US President will "fundamentally change the international trading system". He also said Canada would fight American tariffs with countermeasures, although his country and Mexico were not on the list of new tariffs.Trump described the exclusion as an effort to stop illegal immigration and drug smuggling.在特朗普宣布政策后,加拿大总理马克·卡尼随即表示,美国总统推行的对等关税政策将"从根本上改变国际贸易体系"。尽管加墨两国未被列入新关税清单,但卡尼强调加拿大将采取反制措施。特朗普将这一排斥行动描述为遏制非法移民和毒品走私的努力。Hours before Trump's announcement, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the United Nations (UN), told China Daily at Wednesday's noon briefing that the UN has "expressed concern about what we've seen", which is "a rise in economic protectionism" and is concerned "about the impact it could have on the global economy".在特朗普正式宣布前数小时,联合国秘书长发言人斯特凡·杜加里克于周三午间例行记者会上回应《中国日报》提问时表示,联合国已对当前"经济保护主义抬头态势表示关切",并担忧此举"可能对全球经济产生冲击"。Dujarric told the press conference at the UN headquarters in New York last week that the UN consistently encourages member states to settle trade disputes through constructive dialogue or established mechanisms.杜加里克上周在纽约联合国总部记者会上重申,联合国始终倡导会员国通过建设性对话或既有机制解决贸易争端。"I think we've spoken about the issue of tariffs and our position remains the same. We live in a very much global interlinked economy. It is important that member states resolve their trade issues through constructive engagement or through existing architecture, whether it's within the UN or not. And we've seen other countries put up tariffs. These are things that can have very severe impacts on the global economy," he said.“我想我们已经谈到了关税问题,我们的立场仍然不变。我们生活在一个深度互联的全球经济体系当中。各成员国无论通过联合国框架内外的建设性接触或现有机制解决贸易争端都至关重要。我们也看到其他国家提高了关税。这些因素都会对全球经济产生非常严重的影响,"杜加里克说。Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said on Tuesday that Europe has a plan to retaliate if Trump imposes widespread tariffs. "Europe did not start this confrontation," she said to EU lawmakers.欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩周二表态,若特朗普实施全面关税,欧盟已制定反制预案。她对欧盟立法者说:“欧洲并没有挑起这场对抗”。"There's only one conclusion: Trump is convinced that he's smarter than the many economists and business leaders who have urged him not to raise tariffs and risk a trade war," Anthony Moretti, an associate professor in the Communication and Organizational Leadership Department at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania, told the China Daily.宾夕法尼亚州罗伯特莫里斯大学传播与组织领导系副教授安东尼·莫雷蒂向《中国日报》分析指出:"唯一合理的解释是,特朗普坚信自己比众多经济学家和商界领袖更高明——这些人士反复警告加征关税将引发贸易战风险。""A trade war would harm Americans and people from all over the world, and it will damage bilateral relations," he said.莫雷蒂说:"贸易战不仅将伤害美国民众和世界各国人民,更会严重损害双边关系。"Trump signed another executive order effective May 2 to remove tariff exemptions for Chinese imports valued at $800 or less and intends to apply the same measure to other countries once the federal government confirms it has the necessary staffing and resources in place. The "de minimis" exemption was helpful to popular e-commerce websites Temu and Shein.特朗普签署的另一项行政令于5月2日生效,取消了对价值800美元或以下的中国进口商品的关税豁免,并打算在联邦政府确认必要的人员和资源到位后,对其他国家实施同样的措施。这项“最低限度”豁免曾对热门电商平台Temu和Shein有所帮助。Moretti said that Trump "slammed" China twice on Wednesday. "The 34 percent tariffs will likely draw the bigger headlines, and any response from China will only magnify what he said. But the president also eliminated the‘de minimis' rule that eliminated tariffs on imported items of less than $800," he said. "In effect, what the president has decided is that everything entering the US from China must include a tariff. ""特朗普周三实际上对中国实施了双重打击。"莫雷蒂解读道,"34%的特别关税固然占据新闻头条,中方任何反制措施都将放大其政策效应。但更隐蔽的杀招在于废止800美元以下商品免税规则——这意味着总统实质上决定,所有中国输美商品都必须缴纳关税。"And that means higher prices whether the item is inexpensive or costly. Poorer Americans will especially feel the pain of higher prices because they have fewer dollars to spend," Moretti added."无论商品价格高低,最终都将推升终端售价。对经济拮据的美国低收入群体而言,这种物价上涨带来的痛感将尤为强烈。"莫雷蒂补充道。impose new tariffs征收关税the largest trade deficits最大贸易逆差reciprocal tariffs对等关税hikev.上涨;上升economic protectionism经济保护主义tariff exemptions关税豁免

Robinson's Podcast
243 - Richard Wolff: Donald J. Trump and the End of America

Robinson's Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2025 220:26


Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Richard's seventh appearance on Robinson's Podcast. In his last appearance, episode #230, he and Robinson discussed Richard's arguments against electing Donald Trump for president, as well as his analysis of the election. In this episode, Richard and Robinson talk about 2025 and the first weeks of Trump's presidency, as well as what's to come. More particularly, they discuss the irrelevance of Donald Trump, his domestic and global policies, China, narratives on the right and left, and the future of the United States. Richard's latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024).Understanding Capitalism (Book): https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalismClass Theory and History (Book): https://a.co/d/ht4trZNUnderstanding the 2024 Elections (Article): https://asiatimes.com/2024/08/capitalism-mass-anger-and-2024-elections/Richard's Website: https://www.rdwolff.comEconomic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdateOUTLINE00:00 Introduction05:48 Three Months Later: Why Did Trump Defeat Harris?08:34 How the Left Can Defeat Donald Trump12:57 Donald J. Trump Is a Naughty Boy15:06 Why Kamala Harris Lost the Election16:27 Why Trump Won the Longshoremen's Union (Because the Left Failed Them)25:23 Is Victor Davis Hanson Wrong About the Elites' War on the Working Class?36:31 Did West Coast Elites Cause the LA Wildfire Disaster (Is Victor Davis Hanson Wrong?)?42:26 Why Richard Wolff Enjoys Tucker Carlson47:02 Can Psychoanalysis and the Subconscious Explain Donald Trump's Victory?54:32 Why Unemployment Tanked Harris in the Election59:45 Deep Seek, The Chinese Phenomenon1:05:31 The Astonishing Story of How China Came to Dominate Elon Musk Over Electric Cars1:13:25 Donald Trump's Huge Misunderstanding About Tariffs1:17:44 Donald Trump's Irrational Bluster Tactics1:20:04 Richard Wolff Exposes Donald Trump's Contradictions About Immigration1:34:23 The Marxist Truth About Why Immigrants Are a Gift to the United States1:41:37 The Weakness of the American Empire1:44:34 Why Trump's Policies Will Increase Illegal Mexican Immigration and Drug Trafficking1:47:58 Should Trump Make Canada the 51st State?1:51:04 How Elites Rejected Donald Trump and Created the Man He Became1:54:45 On Larry Summers's Debacle at Harvard (And How Donald Trump Did It Better)1:59:25 Why Donald Trump Wants to Take the Panama Canal (And the Actual Best Reason to Control It)2:02:33 How American Neocons Failed to Stop China From the World Superpower2:13:29 How the BRICS Are Drastically Outperforming the American Economy2:20:14 On Europe's Impending Economic Doom2:25:18 Is There a Fatal Contradiction in Trump's Climate Policy?2:30:03 On Donald Trump's Anti-Elitist, Anti-DEI Rhetoric2:33:20 How Will AI Affect China and America's Economic War?2:43:19 How Elon Musk is Only an Unsuccessful Bureaucrat2:45:04 How China's Communist Government Is More Efficient than the United States's2:48:11 Why the United States Is the Aggressor Against China2:51:10 Why Trump Thinks We Should Conquer Greenland3:02:18 On China's Number One Global Priority3:09:41 What Marxists Learned from the Failure of the Soviet Union3:15:23 Some Key Lessons from Marx's Kapital3:21:56 On How History Will Overwhelm Trump In the Next Four Years3:26:30 Donald Trump and the Gulf of America3:28:28 Why We Should Expect More of the Same from Donald Trump3:32:26 On His Hope For a Brighter Future From the LeftRobinson's Website: http://robinsonerhardt.comRobinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University.

The #BruteCast
#BruteCast S08 E06 - On China Episode 2: China's Modern Governance System w/ Chris Pultz

The #BruteCast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 11, 2024 62:47


In our next episode in the On China series, Mr. Dan Rice welcomes guest Chris Pultz and they discuss China's modern governance system. All opinions expressed here are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the Krulak Center, Marine Corps University, the United States Marine Corps, or any other agency of the US Government. Enjoyed this episode? Think there's room for improvement? Share your thoughts in this quick survey - all feedback is welcome! The survey may be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenRutN5m31Pfe9h7FAIppPWoN1s_2ZJyBeA7HhYhvDbazdCw/viewform?usp=sf_link Intro/outro music is "Epic" from BenSound.com (https://www.bensound.com) Follow the Krulak Center: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekrulakcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekrulakcenter/ Twitter: @TheKrulakCenter BlueSky Social: @thekrulakcenter.bsky.social LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brute-krulak-center-for-innovation-and-future-warfare

La Torre del Faro
Ep. 126 - La Alianza entre China y Rusia, Putin y Xi Jinping

La Torre del Faro

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2024 29:04


Cada conflicto geopolítico de nuestro tiempo parece tener detrás la mano de la alianza entre las potencias autoritarias, Rusia y China. Sin embargo, ¿siempre han estado tan aliadas? ¿Qué forma hoy en día la base de su amistad frente al sistema occidental? En este episodio, Nico y Alfonso recorren la historia de las relaciones entre Rusia y China desde 1949, empezando por la Guerra fría, la relación entre Stalin y Mao, la ruptura entre las potencias comunistas, y finalmente el camino hacia la estrecha relación entre Xi y Putin, basada en cuestionamiento del orden internacional basado en reglas.Recomendamos varios libros en este episodio:On China y White House Years, de Henry Kissinger (dos obras para entender la diplomacia americana hacia China y Rusia en la Guerra Fría)The Final Hour: when Nixon met Mao, de Margaret MacMillan (sobre la visita de Nixon a China en el año 1972 y la apertura americana al régimen de Mao para aislar a los soviéticos)

World Today
Potentials in China-Norway cooperation in green transition

World Today

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2024 52:31


① On China's annual Teachers' Day, we explore how China can fulfill its goal of becoming a powerhouse in education by 2035. (00:48)② In a meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, Xi Jinping emphasized China's willingness to collaborate with Norway to promote environmental protection and advance green technology. How can the two sides complement each other in these areas? (13:17)③ We look at what was at stake in a recent meeting of the China-US commercial and trade working group in Tianjin. (24:51)④ The World Anti-Doping Agency has renewed its call for the US Anti-Doping Agency to better protect clean sport in the United States. Does WADA have a legitimate concern? (35:19)⑤ Germany has announced plans to tighten controls at all borders in immigration crackdown. We explore the issues at play in this move. (43:34)

The #BruteCast
#BruteCast S08 E03 - On China: Episode 1 w/ Dan Rice and Dr. Christopher Yung

The #BruteCast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2024 48:01


This is the first episode in our On China series that will be moderated and managed by our China SME, Mr. Dan Rice. His first guest is Dr. Christopher Yung the Dean for the Marine Corps War College in Quantico, VA. They discuss the PRC as a party and its leadership. All opinions expressed here are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect those of the Krulak Center, Marine Corps University, the United States Marine Corps, or any other agency of the US Government. Enjoyed this episode? Think there's room for improvement? Share your thoughts in this quick survey - all feedback is welcome! The survey may be found here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenRutN5m31Pfe9h7FAIppPWoN1s_2ZJyBeA7HhYhvDbazdCw/viewform?usp=sf_link Intro/outro music is "Epic" from BenSound.com (https://www.bensound.com) Follow the Krulak Center: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekrulakcenter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekrulakcenter/ Twitter: @TheKrulakCenter BlueSky Social: @thekrulakcenter.bsky.social LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brute-krulak-center-for-innovation-and-future-warfare

Things I Didn't Learn In School
Behind Washington's China Pivot

Things I Didn't Learn In School

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2024 22:05


This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit paulpodolsky.substack.comChina's splendid isolation nurtured a particular Chinese self-perception. Chinese elites grew accustomed to the notion that China was unique—not just ‘a great civilization' among others, but civilization itself.On China, Kissinger, 2011

The Beijing Hour
White Paper: China sees marked improvement in marine environment

The Beijing Hour

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2024 59:45


On China's 20th National Maritime Day, the country has released a report on its offshore environment which is showing signs of improvement (01:02). The Nishan Forum on World Civilizations wraps up in the birthplace of Confucius, where global cultural experts and scholars have gathered to facilitate understanding among different cultures (21:02). In Texas, tempers are rising with the temperature, as power outages linger through a heatwave (23:57).

GZero World with Ian Bremmer
Biden vs Trump foreign policy: Political scientist Stephen Walt weighs in

GZero World with Ian Bremmer

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2024 26:01


On this episode of GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer and Harvard Kennedy School Professor Stephen Walt discuss foreign policy differences between a second term for Biden or Trump on issues like China, Ukraine, and the Middle East. Walt argues that American foreign policy under a second Trump term wouldn't be so different from the last four years under Biden. “The daylight may not be as great as people think,” Walt tells Ian. For instance, Walt says, “It's hard to see a big change between the Trump administration's approach to the Middle East and what the Biden administration was doing up until October 7." On China, Ukraine and the Mideast, Walt doesn't see a big difference between the last two US presidents. That hasn't been Ian Bremmer's view, to say the least. Well, that sounds like the makings of a good discussion. So let's have it.Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

GZero World with Ian Bremmer
Biden vs Trump foreign policy: Political scientist Stephen Walt weighs in

GZero World with Ian Bremmer

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2024 26:00


On this episode of GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer and Harvard Kennedy School Professor Stephen Walt discuss foreign policy differences between a second term for Biden or Trump on issues like China, Ukraine, and the Middle East.   Walt argues that American foreign policy under a second Trump term wouldn't be so different from the last four years under Biden. “The daylight may not be as great as people think,” Walt tells Ian. For instance, Walt says, “It's hard to see a big change between the Trump administration's approach to the Middle East and what the Biden administration was doing up until October 7." On China, Ukraine and the Mideast, Walt doesn't see a big difference between the last two US presidents.   That hasn't been Ian Bremmer's view, to say the least. Well, that sounds like the makings of a good discussion. So let's have it.  

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer
Biden vs Trump foreign policy: Political scientist Stephen Walt weighs in

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2024 26:01


On this episode of GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer and Harvard Kennedy School Professor Stephen Walt discuss foreign policy differences between a second term for Biden or Trump on issues like China, Ukraine, and the Middle East. Walt argues that American foreign policy under a second Trump term wouldn't be so different from the last four years under Biden. “The daylight may not be as great as people think,” Walt tells Ian. For instance, Walt says, “It's hard to see a big change between the Trump administration's approach to the Middle East and what the Biden administration was doing up until October 7." On China, Ukraine and the Mideast, Walt doesn't see a big difference between the last two US presidents.That hasn't been Ian Bremmer's view, to say the least. Well, that sounds like the makings of a good discussion. So let's have it.Host: Ian BremmerGuest: Stephen Walt Subscribe to the GZERO World with Ian Bremmer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform, to receive new episodes as soon as they're published.

China Daily Podcast
英语新闻丨Xi congratulates Putin on reelection

China Daily Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2024 4:59


President Xi Jinping reiterated on Monday China's commitment to advancing the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era to benefit the two countries and their people as he congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection.In a congratulatory message, Xi said that the Russian people have been united as one to overcome challenges and make steady progress in national development and revitalization in recent years.Xi told Putin that his reelection fully demonstrated the Russian people's support for him and said he believes Russia will surely make greater achievements in national development and construction under Putin's leadership.Russia's Central Election Commission said on Monday that Putin had won his fifth term with a record number of votes. With nearly 100 percent of all precincts counted, Putin got 87.29 percent of the vote.Speaking at a news conference following the completion of the presidential elections early on Monday morning, Putin said the Russia-China relationship is a stabilizing factor in the Eurasian region and expressed his confidence that bilateral collaboration will continue to strengthen in the coming years."The most important thing is the coincidence of state interests. This creates a very good tone for solving common problems in the field of international relations," he said.Putin said China is very active in the international arena, is achieving great success and has a lot of friends all over the world.On China's economy, Putin said: "China is developing by leaps and bounds, at a fast pace, very confidently, and what is very important is that the structure of China's economy is changing toward innovation, toward making the economy more innovative. And we are trying to do the same within the country. We face exactly the same tasks in Russia."This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. The trade volume between the two countries reached a record-breaking $240 billion in 2023, a year ahead of the time set to hit the target of $200 billion.In recent years, Xi and Putin have met on more than 40 occasions. In March 2023, Xi chose Russia as the destination of his first overseas trip of the year. In October, Putin came to Beijing for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, marking the third consecutive time that he attended the forum.Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said, "We are glad to see Mr Putin has gained firm support from the Russian people during the presidential election, and under his leadership, Russia will continue to take the path that suits its national conditions."Zhang said that China is willing to work together with Russia to firmly implement the strategic consensus of the two heads of state, support and closely cooperate with each other on the road to the modernization of their respective countries, and promote the greater and stronger development of China-Russia relations.Observers from both countries said that relations between China and Russia will remain close and stable after the reelection of Putin, given their current close cooperation and communication at different levels.Li Yonghui, a researcher of Russian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the two countries are expected to further strengthen their political mutual trust during Putin's new term."China and Russia will also expand their strategic coordination on the global stage, elevate their relations with developing countries and play a bigger role in the Global South," she said.Alexander Dynkin, president of the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said trust and mutual understanding between the two leaders facilitate mutual support on the most important security and development issues between China and Russia."Russia-China relations have become a factor of global stability and a true example of a relationship between two major countries. Russia and China are not allies, but they trust each other more than average participants of Western formal alliances," Dynkin said.Kirill Babaev, director of the Institute of China and Modern Asia at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said China and Russia have maintained close cooperation and communication at different levels.The new administration will continue to coordinate with China in various aspects, especially some nontraditional fields, such as infrastructure construction, biotech and the development of new energy, he said.Reporter: Mo Jingxi, Ren QiXinhua contributed to this story.

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein
Ker Gibbs: On Geopolitics and US-China Relations.

Boardroom Governance with Evan Epstein

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 4, 2023 64:29


0:00 -- Intro.1:26-- About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel.2:13 -- Start of interview.3:47 -- Ker's "origin story." 7:41 -- His history with the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham).9:42 -- About his book “Selling to China. Stories of Success, Failure and Constant Change.” (2023). "We felt that it was important to remind people why we're doing this in the first place, you know, what's good about our relationship with China. We wanted bring the commercial issues back into the conversation."13:31 -- On the current idea of “uncoupling” or “de-risking” the US economy from China."I think it is good to talk about 'de-risking' rather than 'decoupling'." "I don't think a complete decoupling is realistic and it's certainly not in the interest of either side. But I think the de-risking term is helpful, in the sense that it aims at communicating the intent. {The intent] here is not to punish China or isolate China or decouple from China, but it is to protect our interests, whether they're military interests or strategic economic interests."16:46 -- On whether the US policies and sanctions towards China are effective."The narrative is that the export controls and sanctions and de-risking coming out of Washington DC is simply pushing China to be more self-sufficient." "This has to be seen as a temporary measure, that gives us time to resolve the actual conflicts that exist."21:21 -- On the US responding with its own industrial policy to catch up with China (e.g. in batteries and EVs). "We've got to be careful not to slip into outright protectionism and allow this to change who we are as a country and how we've been successful as an economy." "[I]f we get into a situation where we are indeed trying to limit China's economic rise, and literally keep China economically contained, that is a dangerous path, and it's a bad narrative, because it inevitably leads to conflict.""I'm basically conservative when it comes to economic issues and fiscal policy, but I have actually been saying for quite a long time that the US needs to get over its aversion to industrial policy and put some planning in place."30:38 -- On China's private sector."[B]eijing actually kept a remarkably light hand [in the development of the internet industry]. I give the Beijing policymakers full credit there for knowing that they needed to stay out of the way and let that happen." "Now we've seen the pendulum swing back the other way." "Jack Ma was going around visiting countries and he would almost be treated like a head of state. I think Jack Ma must have, because his company is publicly listed in New York, he might have confused himself with a Western CEO. He's not. China is China and the West is the West, especially in the tech sector. So yeah, he's been disciplined as have some other tech leaders."36:21 -- On the fate of TikTok in the US.40:38 -- On the recent APEC meeting in SF, and his take on Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping meetings. "I put it in the category of huge success that the meeting happened, that Xi Jinping actually showed up." "It's critical that Xi and Biden meet face-to-face because of the Chinese political system, it is so concentrated at the top."46:09 -- On the risks of a military conflict between the U.S. and China over Taiwan. "We should not underestimate [China's] willingness to take the island and take it by force. I think at some point you have to just take them at their word. If you listen to the domestic media and domestic speeches that Xi and others make in China, it's quite clear that they're highly motivated to take the island and willing to." "[But] I don't think it's imminent, mostly because of the difficulty of taking the island and of the probability of success on the Chinese side.""I think the probability of an accidental conflict [is] high. And until the agreement of the last week or so, the ability to de-escalate and de-conflict, low." "In other words, without that military-to-military hotline, there would be no way for it to de-escalate."50:35 -- How should boards think about de-risking its China exposure."They should be thinking about what are the hard assets that they have, both in mainland China and in Taiwan? What I'm hearing boards do is that some of them are converting their businesses to more asset light. So, in other words, converting a wholly owned subsidiary to maybe selling off some of the shares to make that into a minority investment or a full asset light model might be literally selling factories and hard assets and then maybe licensing them back or something like that to where they wouldn't have to literally write them off the way many companies had to do in Russia when that took place, and you saw large companies writing off literally billions of dollars of assets off their balance sheets because they could no longer have access to them.""Again, I don't think that we are on the brink here, but it would be wise to have plans in place in the case of, especially in accidental conflict."52:27 -- Books that have greatly influenced his life: Free to Choose by Milton Friedman (1980)All books by James Clavell. [*we cover here his thoughts on Hong Kong]No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin (1994) ("great companion book to The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer (1960)57:24 -- His mentors: Robert "Bob" Theleen (a local San Franciscan, former VC and Chairman of AmCham Shanghai)Bob Chang (his boss at the Boston Consulting Group in SF)RT Peng (another boss he worked with in Taiwan)58:36 -- Quotes that he thinks of often or lives her life by: "Don't ever let what you can't do stop you from what you can do." by John Wooden.1:00:20 -- An unusual habit or absurd thing that he loves: his daughter.1:01:21 -- The living person he most admires: Arnold Schwarzenegger.Kerr Gibbs is an EIR at the University of San Francisco. Prior, Ker served as the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai and worked in various roles giving him broad exposure to US-China relations and business issues facing American companies operating in Asia.__This podcast is sponsored by the American College of Governance Counsel.__ You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__You can join as a Patron of the Boardroom Governance Podcast at:Patreon: patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License You can follow Evan on social media at:Twitter: @evanepsteinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/epsteinevan/ Substack: https://evanepstein.substack.com/__You can join as a Patron of the Boardroom Governance Podcast at:Patreon: patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod__Music/Soundtrack (found via Free Music Archive): Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License

China Daily Podcast
英语新闻丨Kissinger remembered for pivotal role

China Daily Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2023 11:00


Kissinger: He always tried to 'think in long-range terms'Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, who helped to change the course of history by playing a pivotal role in normalizing United States-China relations, passed away at his home in the US state of Connecticut on Wednesday at age 100."The world has lost a tireless advocate for peace. America has lost a towering champion for the national interest. I have lost a cherished friend and mentor," Winston Lord, Kissinger's top aide in the 1970s, told China Daily.At dawn on July 9, 1971, Kissinger and Lord entered Chinese airspace aboard a Pakistani plane. The clandestine trip, which resulted in a Chinese invitation to then US president Richard Nixon, resulted in top leaders from the US and China meeting in February 1972 for the first time in two-and-a-half decades — a period during which the two countries were, in Kissinger's words, "at war, near war".The trip also helped lay the foundation for today's international geopolitical structure.The Nixon visit was followed by a prolonged period of what Kissinger called "cooperative coexistence" that saw China rising to be a dynamic element in the world economy and the US "easing out of its pain at the outcome of the Vietnam War", according to Lord.The passing of Kissinger, who had been the last surviving member of Nixon's Cabinet, comes at a time when China and the US are working to improve what Kissinger deemed "the world's most consequential bilateral relationship".In July, two months after Kissinger celebrated his 100th birthday, the centenarian traveled to Beijing, where his host reminded him of what had happened there 52 years before."It was in July 1971 in the same place — Villa No 5 of Diaoyutai State Guesthouse — that you and Premier Zhou Enlai had a meeting to start the normalization process," President Xi Jinping told Kissinger.Some of the most intense hours of that visit and a subsequent one in October 1971 were spent between Kissinger and Zhou as the two negotiated a draft of what would become known as the Shanghai Communique."Today, more than 50 years later, the communique is still being invoked as one of the foundations of our relationship, while most communiques disappear within weeks," said Lord, who was US ambassador to China from 1985 to 1989.In a message of condolence, Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng wrote, "History will remember what the centenarian has contributed to China-US relations, and he will always remain alive in the hearts of the Chinese people as a most valued old friend."Recalling his 1972 meeting with Mao Zedong, Kissinger said the Chinese leader spoke allegorically, in "a Socratic manner", and "had the quality of being at the center of wherever he stood", adding that "it moved with him wherever he moved".In December 1975, Mao told visiting US president Gerald Ford that his secretary of state, Kissinger, "has been interfering in my internal affairs".When asked to elaborate, the 82-year-old chairman answered, "He does not allow me to go and meet God.""That would be too powerful a combination if he went there," Kissinger, who was also present, told Ford.On May 27, 1923, Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born in the German city of Fuerth in northern Bavaria, the son of a schoolteacher and a homemaker. In 1938, five years after Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany, Kissinger fled from home with his Jewish parents and younger brother. He would return, first in a US Army intelligence role in 1944 before Germany's defeat in World War II and then, years later, as Nixon's national security adviser, bleakly admitting that "my (left-behind) relatives are soap".Many, including Walter Isaacson, former editor of Time magazine and author of the book Kissinger: A Biography, argue that this traumatic childhood experience explained Kissinger's preoccupation with peace and order, and had influenced the formation of his realist approach to foreign policy — a view that Kissinger himself did not share."The political persecutions of my childhood are not what control my life", he once said.Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger is greeted by students and faculty of Nanjing University on June 23, 2007, during the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. [Photo by Song Qiao / For China Daily]Scottish American writer-historian Niall Ferguson, who had immersed himself in Kissinger's private papers, correspondence and academic writings from Harvard, where Kissinger was a student and later a professor, sought to fathom the man in his 2015 book Kissinger 1923-1968: The Idealist."The idea of Kissinger as the ruthless arch-realist is based on a profound misunderstanding," Ferguson wrote, pointing to Kissinger's undergraduate thesis "The Meaning of History", in which the aspiring intellectual, after having studied the 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant, said, "Peace is therefore the noblest goal of human endeavor, the affirmation of the ultimacy of man's moral personality."Speaking to the UN General Assembly on Sept 24, 1974, Kissinger, then newly appointed as US secretary of state, and who first gained public attention as a nuclear strategist a decade before, echoed his younger self. "Two centuries ago, the philosopher Kant predicted that perpetual peace would come eventually. … What seemed utopian then looms as tomorrow's reality," he said, alluding to the avoidance of nuclear annihilation.Nixon made Kissinger his national security adviser after taking office in 1969. With a shared strategic approach to foreign policy, the two pursued the dual approaches of detente with the Soviets and opening to the Chinese throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s."Our basic strategy was to be closer to both of them than they were to each other," reflected Kissinger, whose ultimate goal was, in his own words, "to shape a global equilibrium" that he and Nixon believed could best serve US national interests."I'd like to think that what I have tried consistently to do is to think in long-range terms and in the national interest, but in the national interest related to the national interests of other countries. Because if you assert only your interests, without linking them to the interests of others, you will not be able to sustain your efforts," Kissinger said.A prolific author of intellectually hefty books, Kissinger was effusive about the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu in his 2011 book On China, written partly based on Kissinger's "conversations with four generations of Chinese leaders"."Western strategists test their maxims by victories in battles; Sun Tzu tests by victories where battles have become unnecessary," wrote Kissinger, who also traveled to China in his post-retirement days. This saw him continue to meet with prominent US and international leaders in what Lord described as "a remarkable display of savvy, stamina and sway".Reflecting on his mentor's legacy, Lord said, "Kissinger's single greatest achievement, I would say, was holding this country together in the wake of the Watergate scandal … to maintain American posture and ensure the continuity of its foreign policy."Tom Watkins, a former adviser for the Michigan-China Innovation Center, said, "Kissinger challenged all of us to take our society from where it is to where it has never been — that is the challenge of leadership."Kissinger is survived by his wife, Nancy, and two children, David and Elizabeth, from his first marriage, to Ann Fleischer, as well as five grandchildren.Lamenting the fact that Kissinger was never called back to office since stepping down as secretary of state in January 1977, Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Shanghai's Fudan University, said, "This was largely due to the coming to power of neo-conservatives in the administrations of Ronald Reagan and his successors. Unlike Kissinger, who was aiming for a balance of power favorable to the US, the neo-conservatives insist on American primacy and domination, something that Kissinger had consistently warned against."Kissinger, who credited leaders of his generation with a "willingness to raise their sights beyond the immediate issues of the day", said that the US "must temper its missionary spirit with a concept of the national interest and rely on its head as well as its heart in defining its duty to the world".Regarding the US and China, Kissinger said, "In a way, they were fortunate that their long isolation from each other meant that there were no short-term day-to-day issues between them."This, he added, "enabled them to lay the basis for a world unimaginable then but unachievable without Sino-American cooperation".

Hugh Hewitt podcast
Dr. Henry Kissinger On “Leadership” and “On China”

Hugh Hewitt podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2023 59:36


Dr. Henry Kissinger joined Hugh last year for a long conversation about his then-new book “Leadership,” and a decade ago for an even longer interview about his book “On China,” both of which are today's pod.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mike Hosking Breakfast
Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on the talks between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping

The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2023 4:36


US President Joe Biden is calling talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping constructive and productive.   The pair have met in San Francisco, committing to resuming military communications and investigating AI risks.  They've also agreed to reduce the flow of precursor chemicals from China to counter the US's fentanyl drug crisis.  On China's side, US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking that Xi criticized what he called America's efforts to contain China's growth. He said that the two are engaging with each other but many of the key issues are still unsettled.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aufhebunga Bunga
Excerpt: /352/ Cold War Marxism, East & West ft. Sean Sayers

Aufhebunga Bunga

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2023 5:43


On China, Russia, the US and UK. Professor Emeritus and one of the founders of ‘Radical Philosophy', Sean Sayers, joins us to talk about Marxist philosophy, how it's developed and changed over the course of the twentieth century and into this one. We talk about Sean's background and experience in the radical academy of the 1960s, and how the New Left fed through into the founding of ‘Radical Philosophy', and more recently, the Marx and Philosophy Review of Books. Sean talks about what's happened to academic philosophy, and what it might take to defend the humanities in the modern Western academy.   Sean also talks to us about the significance of Hegelian Marxism, the American red diaspora in the UK, his visit to China during the Cultural Revolution, the state of intellectual debate and dissent in China today under Xi Jinping, and how radical politics unfolded from the 1960s over to the new millennium. Plus, he talks about his personal connection to Sacco and Vanzetti, the two Italian-American anarchists executed in 1927.   Readings: Radical Philosophy turns 50, Jonathan Rée, Sean Sayers, Christopher J. Arthur, Kate Soper, Diana Coole, Stella Sandford Luigi Galleani: The Most Dangerous Anarchist in America (review), Ruth Kinna, Marx & Philosophy Review of Books Marx and Progress, Sean Sayers, International Critical Thought (pdf)

Take as Directed
Matthew Goodman, CSIS: a dramatic G7 Hiroshima Summit

Take as Directed

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2023 33:57


Matt Goodman, CSIS SVP and Simon Chair in Political Economy, unpacks the several striking developments at the recent G7 Summit in Hiroshima. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has unified and energized the G7, with side benefits in economic security, nuclear disarmament, food security, health and climate. With the Ukrainian counteroffensive imminent, the G7 made multiple specific commitments on Ukraine. On China, “economic coercion” and “de-risking” were the watchwords. Paragraph 51 of the communique laid out nine specific items on China, an unprecedented step. On health, President Biden committed an additional $250m to the Pandemic Fund, nudging his G-7 peers. The G-7 reaffirmed in detail its consensus on UHC, global health architecture, R&D of new technologies. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) enjoyed higher salience, as did health reconstruction in Ukraine and violence in multiple wars targeting the health sector. The Covid origin stalemate was deliberately downplayed, while the Global Health Emergency Corps merited a mention.

Thoughts on the Market
Martijn Rats: A Change in the Global Oil Market

Thoughts on the Market

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2023 3:33


As oil data in 2023 shows that second-half tightening is less likely, it may be time to alter the narrative around the expected market for the remainder of the year.Important note regarding economic sanctions. This recording references country/ies which are generally the subject of selective sanctions programs administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), the European Union and/or by other countries and multi-national bodies. Any references in this recording to entities, debt or equity instruments, projects or persons that may be covered by such sanctions are strictly incidental to general coverage of the issuing entity/sector as germane to its overall financial outlook, and should not be read as recommending or advising as to any investment activities in relation to such entities, instruments or projects. Users of this recording are solely responsible for ensuring that their investment activities in relation to any sanctioned country/ies are carried out in compliance with applicable sanctions.----- Transcription -----Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Martijn Rats, Morgan Stanley's Global Commodity Strategist. Along with my colleagues bringing you a variety of perspectives, today I'll discuss how the 2023 global oil market story is changing. It's Tuesday, May the 9th at 4 p.m. in London. Over the last several months, the dominant narrative in the oil market was one of expected tightening in the second half. Although supply outstripped demand in the first quarter, the assumption was that the market would start to tighten from the second quarter onwards and be in deficit once again by the second half, which would lead to a rise in price. At the start of the year, this was also our thesis for how 2023 would play out. However, as of early May, it seems this narrative needs to change. The expectation of second half tightness was largely based on two key assumptions. One, that China's reopening would boost demand, and two, the Russian oil production would start to decline. By now, however, it seems that these assumptions have run their course and are in fact behind us. On China, both the country's crude imports and its refinery runs were already back at all time highs in March, leaving little room for further improvement. On Russia, oil production has fallen from recent peaks, but probably only about 400,000 barrels a day. From here, we would argue that it's becoming increasingly unlikely it will fall much further. The EU's crude and product embargoes have been in place for some time now. Russian oil that flows now will probably continue to flow. That raises the question whether the second half tightening thesis can still be sustained. After OPEC announced production cuts at the start of April, we argued that OPEC was mostly responding to a weakening in the supply demand outlook. Perhaps counterintuitive, but we lowered oil price forecasts already significantly at the time those cuts were announced. Still, with those cuts, we thought that the second half balances would be about 600,000 barrels per day undersupplied, and that that would be enough to keep Brent in the mid-to-upper $80 per barrel range. New data from this past month, however, has further chiseled away at this deficit, which we now project at just 300,000 barrels a day. This is in effect getting very close to a balanced market, and that limits upside to oil prices, at least in the near term. Even this modest undersupply now mostly depends on seasonality in demand and OPEC production cuts. However, when the second half arrives, oil prices will start to reflect expected balances for early 2024. In the first half of '24, seasonality may turn the other way and OPEC production cuts are scheduled to come to an end. Our initial estimate of 2024 balances showed the market in a small surplus, especially in the first half. Looking beyond the next 12 months, oil prices still have long term supportive factors. Demand is likely to continue to grow over the rest of the decade, while investment levels have been low for some time now. However, the structural and the cyclical don't always align, and this is one of those moments. The second half tightness thesis does not appear to be playing out, and we don't see much tightness in the period just beyond that either. We expect Brent oil prices to stay in their recent $75 to $85 per barrel range, probably skewed towards the bottom end of that range later this year when the market enters a period of seasonal softness again and OPEC's voluntary cuts come to an end. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and share Thoughts on the Market with a friend or colleague today.

Det store bildet
57. Supermaktkampen mellom USA og Kina

Det store bildet

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2023 71:08


Landets eneste USA- og Kina-ekspert, Øystein Tunsjø, professor ved Institutt for forsvarsstudier, Forsvarets Høgskole, gir oss en status på rivaliseringen mellom verdens to supermakter. Hva ligger bak Xis besøk hos Putin, hvorfor advarer Stoltenberg mot Kina, vil landet faktisk invadere Taiwan, og hvordan vil USA da reagere? Ukas av- og påkobling: Bøkene Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology av Chris Miller og On China av Henry Kissinger. Den Oscarvinnende filmen Everything Everywhere All at Once og romanen Red Sorghum av Mo Yan

Made You Think
92: The Lessons of History

Made You Think

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2023 90:44


“It is not the race that makes the civilization, it is the civilization that makes the people: circumstances geographical, economic, and political create a culture, and the culture creates a human type.” Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, we're talking about The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant. This concise yet jam-packed book presents pivotal moments and ideas throughout history covering thirteen different areas including religion, progress, government, and character.  We cover a wide range of topics including: The progression of humans as a species Religious entities being replaced by secular entities Why freedom and equality are "enemies" War as a constant of history How tension is necessary for a society to function And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode. Links from the Episode: Mentioned in the Show: No Agenda Show (55:01) Moore's Law (1:15:00) Three Generations Theory (1:18:49) Books Mentioned: The Lessons of History (Nat's Book Notes) The Psychology of Money (3:05) (Nat's Book Notes) Atomic Habits (3:51) (Nat's Book Notes) Antifragile (4:50) (Nat's Book Notes) Fooled by Randomness (4:52) (Nat's Book Notes) The Black Swan (5:05) (Nat's Book Notes) Skin in the Game (5:15) (Nat's Book Notes) The Story of Civilization (7:41) The Story of Philosophy (7:47) (Nat's Book Notes) Gödel, Escher, Bach (10:37) (Nat's Book Notes) Getting Things Done (11:58) Hooked (13:24) (Nat's Book Notes) The Art of Seduction (14:26) (Nat's Book Notes) The Art of War (14:29)  The 48 Laws of Power (15:12) (Nat's Book Notes) The 50th Law (15:21) (Nat's Book Notes) Mastery (15:34) (Nat's Book Notes) The Firm (18:57) A Time to Kill (19:01) Where Is My Flying Car? (28:22) On China (35:13)  The Alchemy of Finance (38:47) The Fourth Turning (1:04:09) Permutation City (1:17:03) The Three-Body Problem (1:23:50) (Nat's Book Notes) Snow Crash (1:25:45) (Nat's Book Notes) Seveneves (1:26:00) People Mentioned: Nassim Taleb (2:18) Morgan Housel (3:06) James Clear (3:50) David Allen (11:57) Robert Greene (14:15) John Grisham (18:56) Tim Ferriss (56:25) Show Topics: (0:00) In this episode, we're discussing The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant. On brand with Made You Think, we start the episode with a good 'ol tangent! (4:19) The difference between fiction and non-fiction authors in the development of their writing and storytelling over time. For nonfiction writers who tend to write about the same few ideas, it can be hard to keep it novel when delivering those ideas. (10:33) What makes a book the best of that author's career- the quality of their writing or the ideas in the book itself? Nat, Neil, and Adil talk about different authors and books that were the peak of the author's writing career. (16:59) Authors always seem to be competing with their earlier work or their most popular book. There are also cases where a successful book later on in your career can kickstart the popularity of an earlier book that didn't get any previous traction. (23:23) Why people tend to avoid books that are commonly recommended by everyone. (27:14) The last chapter talks about progress, where progress refers to our species rather than scientific progress. In many ways (ex: communication, technology) we have progressed, but if you look at it from another viewpoint, more problems stem over time from some of the solutions that we have found. (30:45) No matter how great our lives are, we always find something to be unhappy about. "Our capacity for fretting is endless, and no matter how many difficulties we surmount, how many ideals we realize, we shall always find an excuse for being magnificently miserable; there is a stealthy pleasure in rejecting mankind or the universe as unworthy of our approval." (35:53) The existence of healthy tension- You need a healthy amount of debate and disagreement in order to find the line of best fit. (40:22) “The fear of capitalism has compelled socialism to widen freedom, and the fear of socialism has compelled capitalism to increase equality." We are somewhere in the middle of capitalism and socialism. Freedom vs. equality in opportunity. (47:55) "There is no significant example in history, before our time, of a society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of religion. France, the United States, and some other nations have divorced their governments from all churches, but they have had the help of religion in keeping social order." Everybody believes in something whether it's formal religion or not. There are many alternatives to religion where people gather over a common interest or practice. (52:28) Different groups come with different depths of relationships. We give the example of depth of religious relationships vs. relationships with those you meet in a CrossFit gym. (57:40) It tells you a lot about someone when they have more obscure interests rather than mainstream interests.  (1:00:54) Are influencers taking on the role of 'idols'?  (1:07:26) When it comes to making predictions, it's hard to be completely accurate when there's always a variable that changes. One thing that has been standard and constant over the years: War.  (1:12:12) Though it's statistically unlikely to encounter a violent revolution in each given year, it's beneficial to have a baseline level of preparedness to survive. (1:14:05) As the population grows, we find more ways to make food. With more food, we grow more as a population. When we think we may hit max population or another ceiling, new discoveries are made. (1:16:10) Without death, can the species still progress? While many may desire the choice of their own immortality, it may not be good for human civilization. (1:21:30) That concludes this episode! Stay tuned as we gear up for our next episodes on Peloponnesian War and The Three-Body Problem. Plus, we talk about other fascinating science fiction books that may pique your interest as this episode winds down. If you enjoyed this episode, let us know by leaving a review on iTunes and tell a friend. As always, let us know if you have any book recommendations! You can say hi to us on Twitter @TheRealNeilS, @adilmajid, @nateliason and share your thoughts on this episode. You can now support Made You Think using the Value-for-Value feature of Podcasting 2.0. This means you can directly tip the co-hosts in BTC with minimal transaction fees. To get started, simply download a podcast app (like Fountain or Breez) that supports Value-for-Value and send some BTC to your in-app wallet. You can then use that to support shows who have opted-in, including Made You Think! We'll be going with this direct support model moving forward, rather than ads. Thanks for listening. See you next time!

POLITLAB
#2 [Китай] [США]: противостояние и его истоки

POLITLAB

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2022 71:11


Этот выпуск - первый из "тематической" рубрики. В рамках этой рубрики мы будем анализировать одну конкретную тему либо одно конкретное государство: нынешнюю политическую обстановку, историю, факторы, которые влияли/влияют на развитие страны. В этом выпуске - важная и масштабная тема о геополитическом противостоянии между США и Китаем. Мы разбираем причины этого противостояния, а также мотивации сторон. Поскольку подкаст образовательный, для слушателей, желающих углубиться в тему, мы подготовили список рекомендуемой литературы по теме: - Aaron Friedberg. Getting China Wrong (2022) - Rush Doshi. The Long Game (2021) - Henry Kissinger. On China (2011) - C. Fred Bergsten. The United States vs. China: The Quest for Global Economic Leadership (2022) - Graham Allison. Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap? (2017)

Alpha Exchange
Maziar Minovi, CEO, Eurasia Group

Alpha Exchange

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2022 57:49


A teenager in Iran during the 1979 revolution, Maziar Minovi experienced first-hand how disruptive the impact of politics can be on economic security. Motivated by this personal experience he would pursue a Ph.D. in international finance and economic development and ultimately find his way to the investment industry in the early 1990s, just as the Tequila Crisis was underway. Maziar shares early lessons learned from navigating the complicated world of sovereign debt, recalling Russia's decision to simultaneously default and devalue in 1998.Our conversation shifts to present-day issues and the work Maziar is doing as CEO of Eurasia Group, where he spearheads a team delivering deep-dive analysis on geopolitical risks. Advising some of the largest investors and corporations globally, Maziar has sought to overlay experience gained over 25 years in markets, asking always, "what's priced in?". First, we talk inflation and the resulting election turnover of political parties that occurs more frequently when inflation is high.We also discuss geopolitical hotspots around the world. Among them, Russia, China, and even the US. On China, Maziar worries that the commitment to Covid Zero will prove costly from a growth perspective and that debt sustainability considerations should not be overlooked. On the US, as midterms approach and the 2024 election cycle comes into view, he and team are concerned about vulnerabilities in the present-day framework of elections.I hope you enjoy this episode of the Alpha Exchange, my conversation with Maziar Minovi. 

Spectator Radio
Chinese Whispers: how China replaced Russia in Kazakhstan and beyond

Spectator Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2022 41:23


What does China want with Xinjiang? Its systematic repression of the Uyghur people and other regional minorities has shocked the world, eliciting accusations of genocide from politicians and activists across the West. The Chinese Communist Party claims that its re-education camps are an anti-terrorism measure, but surely if anything is going to radicalise vast swathes of a non-Han population, it's their forced internment and (for many) subsequent incarceration. So what is the CCP's long term aim? According to Raffaello Pantucci, senior associate fellow at the think tank Rusi, ‘the Central Government recognises that a very strong security crackdown is not necessarily going to deal with these problems in perpetuity'. Instead, ‘long-term stability for Xinjiang is going to come from economic prosperity'. That's where Central Asia comes in. On this episode, I talk to Raffaello about China's relations with the five ‘Stans that sit cushioned between China (to their east) and Russia (to their north). As with China's relationship with any developing region, Beijing is motivated by access to its significant oil and mineral resources. But there's something special about Central Asia - Raffaello argues that it's an extension of Beijing's Xinjiang strategy: ‘It's really about trying to improve the prosperity in this border region around Xinjiang to help improve its prosperity and stability… If you're going to make Xinjiang economically prosperous, you're going to have to find a way of connecting it to the world.'    Raffaello's new book is Sinostan: China's Inadvertent Empire, based on a decade of travel in and around the region (there were two when they started, but Raffaello's co-author, Alexandros Petersen, died in a Taliban attack in Kabul eight years ago). As well as the Xinjiang implications, Sinostan looks at China's oil and gas trade with these resource-rich countries, the cultural exchanges (or lack thereof, and often promoted by Confucius Institutes) and the difference in approach between Moscow and Beijing, all of which we discuss on the episode. On China's usurpation of Russia in the region, it's striking that some public opinion is deeply suspicious of the new power in the region, a general Sinophobia that crystallises in numerous conspiracy theories (for example that roads built by Chinese companies are specifically designed to the weight of Chinese tanks). Welcomed by governments keen to benefit from the economic clout of their neighbour, some Chinese companies end up trying to hide their presence to avoid the ire of the locals. Raffaello recounts that ‘there are some cities in Kazakhstan, particularly in the oil regions, where we know CNPC [China National Petroleum Corporation] is a big player, but we just couldn't find evidence of them. You'd ask the locals “where are the CNPC guys” and they'd say “we don't know what you're talking about”'. But China's influence is very much there. It remains a ‘huge lacuna in Western strategic thinking' that cannot be ignored, Raffaello says. Tune in to get ahead on this next geopolitical hot topic.

Chinese Whispers
The new great game: how China replaced Russia in Kazakhstan and beyond

Chinese Whispers

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2022 41:23


What does China want with Xinjiang? Its systematic repression of the Uyghur people and other regional minorities has shocked the world, eliciting accusations of genocide from politicians and activists across the West. The Chinese Communist Party claims that its re-education camps are an anti-terrorism measure, but surely if anything is going to radicalise vast swathes of a non-Han population, it's their forced internment and (for many) subsequent incarceration. So what is the CCP's long term aim? According to Raffaello Pantucci, senior associate fellow at the think tank Rusi, ‘the Central Government recognises that a very strong security crackdown is not necessarily going to deal with these problems in perpetuity'. Instead, ‘long-term stability for Xinjiang is going to come from economic prosperity'. That's where Central Asia comes in. On this episode, I talk to Raffaello about China's relations with the five ‘Stans that sit cushioned between China (to their east) and Russia (to their north). As with China's relationship with any developing region, Beijing is motivated by access to its significant oil and mineral resources. But there's something special about Central Asia - Raffaello argues that it's an extension of Beijing's Xinjiang strategy: ‘It's really about trying to improve the prosperity in this border region around Xinjiang to help improve its prosperity and stability… If you're going to make Xinjiang economically prosperous, you're going to have to find a way of connecting it to the world.'    Raffaello's new book is Sinostan: China's Inadvertent Empire, based on a decade of travel in and around the region (there were two when they started, but Raffaello's co-author, Alexandros Petersen, died in a Taliban attack in Kabul eight years ago). As well as the Xinjiang implications, Sinostan looks at China's oil and gas trade with these resource-rich countries, the cultural exchanges (or lack thereof, and often promoted by Confucius Institutes) and the difference in approach between Moscow and Beijing, all of which we discuss on the episode. On China's usurpation of Russia in the region, it's striking that some public opinion is deeply suspicious of the new power in the region, a general Sinophobia that crystallises in numerous conspiracy theories (for example that roads built by Chinese companies are specifically designed to the weight of Chinese tanks). Welcomed by governments keen to benefit from the economic clout of their neighbour, some Chinese companies end up trying to hide their presence to avoid the ire of the locals. Raffaello recounts that ‘there are some cities in Kazakhstan, particularly in the oil regions, where we know CNPC [China National Petroleum Corporation] is a big player, but we just couldn't find evidence of them. You'd ask the locals “where are the CNPC guys” and they'd say “we don't know what you're talking about”'. But China's influence is very much there. It remains a ‘huge lacuna in Western strategic thinking' that cannot be ignored, Raffaello says. Tune in to get ahead on this next geopolitical hot topic.

Tova
Jacinda Ardern at the NATO Summit - "How can we prevent future Ukraines?"

Tova

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2022 5:46


The Prime Minister has made history - the first New Zealand leader to attend and speak at a NATO leaders' summit. In her speech Ardern said Russia's invasion was not just a war against Ukraine, “it's a war of Russia versus all those who hold a basic sense of humanity” On China, she said it was clear the country was becoming more assertive and a response was needed. Robert Patman is a Professor of Politics and Director of International Studies at Otago University, and he shares his thoughts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Radio Free Catholic
From the Back Catalog, Episode 4

Radio Free Catholic

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2022 44:42


On China and the Threat to the Church and Western CivilizationSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/radiofreecatholic. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Communism Exposed:East & West(PDF)
It's On–China's Economic War on the West

Communism Exposed:East & West(PDF)

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2022 9:42


It's On–China's Economic War on the West

Politics with Michelle Grattan
Labor defence spokesman Brendan O'Connor on China and Ukraine

Politics with Michelle Grattan

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022 22:03


Ahead of the election, Scott Morrison is trying to wedge Labor on national security generally and China in particular. Opposition defence spokesman Brendan O'Connor tells this podcast: “National security is the the greatest priority of any federal government in order to protect the interests of the country and citizens. But we should not be politicising national security for base political purposes and that's been on display now for certainly the last couple of weeks.” “It is a critical issue and will always be a critical issue, but it shouldn't be debased in the manner in which Scott Morrison has chosen to do so recently.” On China, O'Connor indicates the difference under a Labor government would be one of tone rather than substance.   “We need to use temperate language in order to maintain peace and stability in the region. That's not for a moment to suggest we do not call out acts of aggression or coercion.” (The Essential poll, published on Tuesday, asked which party respondents would trust to build a relationship with China in Australia's best interests. It found 37% favoured Labor, 28% nominated the Coalition and 34% were unsure.) O'Connor describes Russian's President Putin's move on Ukraine – recognising two breakaway regions and deploying forces for “peacekeeping” – as “a blatant fundamental breach of international law”. “Our position therefore has to be that we engage with our friends, particularly the NATO states and the United States, as to what best we can do to reduce the likelihood of any invasion by Russia of the Ukraine.” O'Connor says Labor has concerns about a possible Australian defence capability gap between the current Collins class submarines and the delivery of the first submarine under AUKUS. But how a Labor administration would deal with that gap would depend on being comprehensively briefed in government on options.

Spectacles Out Loud
Putin's “Power” Politics Pay Off | Insight

Spectacles Out Loud

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2022 4:23


As the situation on the Ukrainian border grows more tense, the United States finds itself in a hole of its own digging. -Important References- https://www.spectacles.news/putins-power-politics-insight (On Germany and Nord Stream 2) https://www.spectacles.news/why-autocracy-persists-focus/ (On China's beating the house) -Usual Links- https://www.spectacles.news/insight-normalcy-an-inadequate-solution-in-a-changing-world/#/portal/ (Subscribe to our newsletter!) https://www.spectacles.news/putins-power-politics-pay-off-insight/ (Read or comment on this article!) https://spectacles-birds-eye.captivate.fm/listen (Listen to Spectacles In Conversation!) https://twitter.com/SpectaclesMedia (Follow our Twitter!) // https://www.tiktok.com/@spectacles.news (Follow our TikTok!)

Why It Matters
S1E82: Profound destabilisation: Author Amitav Ghosh on climate change, the future - Asian Insider Ep 82

Why It Matters

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2022 20:01


Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times' US Bureau Chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the week's global talking points with expert guests. In this special episode, Nirmal Ghosh speaks with author Amitav Ghosh, a prolific writer who has written such classics as The Hungry Tide, The Glass Palace, and In An Antique Land, among others, that have been translated into dozens of languages and read across the planet. His most recent is The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis. Highlights (click/tap above): 03:45 The framing of the planetary crisis and especially in relation to climate change, tends to be within the Western discourse, as a bureaucratic business best left to technocrats and the diplomats  05:00 How climate has destabilised countries, from Britain, to India, Myanmar and even Egypt 08:15 We are seeing a revolution, not from the poor, but from the right    12:00 On China, the US, and why human beings are perfectly capable of ending their own existence long before the climate does 16:20 Advice, words of wisdom to the 10-to-15-year-olds growing up in this bleaker-looking world Produced by: Nirmal Ghosh (nirmal@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim & Fa'izah Sani Edited by: Hadyu Rahim  Subscribe to the Asian Insider Podcast channel and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wQsB  Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Follow Nirmal Ghosh on Twitter: https://str.sg/JD7r Read Nirmal Ghosh's stories: https://str.sg/JbxG Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters Asian Insider videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnK3VE4BKduMSOntUoS6ALNp21jMmgfBX --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Straits Times Audio Features
S1E82: Profound destabilisation: Author Amitav Ghosh on climate change, the future - Asian Insider Ep 82

The Straits Times Audio Features

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2022 20:01


Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times' US Bureau Chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the week's global talking points with expert guests. In this special episode, Nirmal Ghosh speaks with author Amitav Ghosh, a prolific writer who has written such classics as The Hungry Tide, The Glass Palace, and In An Antique Land, among others, that have been translated into dozens of languages and read across the planet. His most recent is The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis. Highlights (click/tap above): 03:45 The framing of the planetary crisis and especially in relation to climate change, tends to be within the Western discourse, as a bureaucratic business best left to technocrats and the diplomats  05:00 How climate has destabilised countries, from Britain, to India, Myanmar and even Egypt 08:15 We are seeing a revolution, not from the poor, but from the right    12:00 On China, the US, and why human beings are perfectly capable of ending their own existence long before the climate does 16:20 Advice, words of wisdom to the 10-to-15-year-olds growing up in this bleaker-looking world Produced by: Nirmal Ghosh (nirmal@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim & Fa'izah Sani Edited by: Hadyu Rahim  Subscribe to the Asian Insider Podcast channel and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wQsB  Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Follow Nirmal Ghosh on Twitter: https://str.sg/JD7r Read Nirmal Ghosh's stories: https://str.sg/JbxG Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters Asian Insider videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnK3VE4BKduMSOntUoS6ALNp21jMmgfBX --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #STAsianInsider See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MONEY FM 89.3 - The Breakfast Huddle with Elliott Danker, Manisha Tank and Finance Presenter Ryan Huang
Profound destabilisation: Author Amitav Ghosh on climate change, the future - Asian Insider Ep 82

MONEY FM 89.3 - The Breakfast Huddle with Elliott Danker, Manisha Tank and Finance Presenter Ryan Huang

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2022 20:01


Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times' US Bureau Chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the week's global talking points with expert guests. In this special episode, Nirmal Ghosh speaks with author Amitav Ghosh, a prolific writer who has written such classics as The Hungry Tide, The Glass Palace, and In An Antique Land, among others, that have been translated into dozens of languages and read across the planet. His most recent is The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis. Highlights (click/tap above): 03:45 The framing of the planetary crisis and especially in relation to climate change, tends to be within the Western discourse, as a bureaucratic business best left to technocrats and the diplomats 05:00 How climate has destabilised countries, from Britain, to India, Myanmar and even Egypt 08:15 We are seeing a revolution, not from the poor, but from the right 12:00 On China, the US, and why human beings are perfectly capable of ending their own existence long before the climate does 16:20 Advice, words of wisdom to the 10-to-15-year-olds growing up in this bleaker-looking world Produced by: Nirmal Ghosh (nirmal@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim & Fa'izah Sani Edited by: Hadyu Rahim Subscribe to the Asian Insider Podcast channel and rate us on your favourite audio apps: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wQsB Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Follow Nirmal Ghosh on Twitter: https://str.sg/JD7r Read Nirmal Ghosh's stories: https://str.sg/JbxG Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters Asian Insider videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnK3VE4BKduMSOntUoS6ALNp21jMmgfBX --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE #PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #STAsianInsiderSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CFR On the Record
Academic Webinar: African Politics and Security Issues

CFR On the Record

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 1, 2021


Michelle Gavin, CFR's Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies, leads a conversation on African politics and security issues.     FASKIANOS: Welcome to today's session of the CFR fall of 2021 Academic Webinar Series. I'm Irina Faskianos, vice president of the National Program and Outreach at CFR. Today's discussion is on the record and the video and transcript will be available on our website, cfr.org/academic. As always, CFR takes no institutional positions on matters of policy. We're delighted to have Michelle Gavin with us today to talk about African politics and security issues. Ambassador Gavin is CFR's Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies. Previously, she was managing director of the Africa Center, a multidisciplinary institution dedicated to increasing understanding of contemporary Africa. From 2011 to 2014, she served as the U.S. ambassador to Botswana and as the U.S. representative to the Southern African Development Community, and prior to that, she was a special assistant to President Obama and the senior director for Africa at the National Security Council. And before going into the Obama administration, she was an international affairs fellow and adjunct fellow for Africa at CFR. So we are so delighted to have her back in our fold. So, Michelle, thank you very much for being with us. We have just seen that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken went on a trip to Africa. Maybe you could begin by talking about the strategic framework that he laid out on that trip, and then we have in just recent days—with a new variant of Omicron—seen the travel ban imposed on several African countries and what that means for the strategic vision that he laid out. GAVIN: Sure. Thank you. Well, thank you so much for inviting me to join you today. And I looked at the roster. There's so much amazing expertise and knowledge on this Zoom. I really look forward to the exchange and the questions. I know I'll be learning from all of you. But maybe just to start out to talk a little bit about Secretary Blinken's trip because I think that, in many ways, his efforts to sort of reframe U.S. engagement on the continent, trying to move away from this sort of binary major power rivalry lens that the Trump administration had been using is useful, but also exposes, really, a lot of the challenges that policymakers focused on Africa are dealing with right now. So he tried to reset the relationship in the context of a partnership, of purely acknowledging African priorities and African agency in determining what kind of development partners Africa is interested in, what kind of security partners. I think that's a very useful exercise. Then he kind of ticked through, as every official has to do in making these big framing statements as sort of broad areas of engagement and cooperation, and he talked about increasing trade, which, of course, is interesting right now with AGOA sunsetting soon, working together to combat pandemic diseases, particularly COVID, working together on climate change, where, of course, Africa has borne more consequences than many other regions of the world while contributing far less to the problem, working together on the democratic backsliding and authoritarian sort of surge that we've seen around the world and, finally, working together on peace and security. So this huge agenda, and I think what's interesting and what in many ways his trip made clear is that it's very hard to get to the first four points when the last one, the peace and security element, is in chaos. And, look, obviously, Africa's a big continent. All of us who ever engage in these conversations about Africa are always—are forever trying to provide the disclaimer, right, that there's never one African story. There's never one thing happening in this incredibly diverse continent. But it is the case that the peace and security outlook on the continent is really in bad shape, right. And so the secretary traveled to Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal. The headlines from his trip, really, were dominated by the disorder in the Horn of Africa that we're seeing right now. So you have the civil conflict in Ethiopia, which has been incredibly costly to that country in terms of lives, in terms of their economic outlook, has been characterized by atrocities of war crimes. And, I think right now, most observers are very concerned about the integrity of the Ethiopian state, its capacity to persist. Regardless of today, tomorrow, or next week's military developments, it's very hard to see a lasting and sustainable military solution to this conflict and the parties do not appear, really, amenable to a serious political negotiation. But it's not just Ethiopia, of course. It's Sudan, where we saw the tenuous military-civilian transitional government kind of fully hijacked by the military side of that equation in a coup that has been, really, rejected by so many Sudanese citizens who are still on the streets even today trying to push back against the notion of military dominance in their transition and beyond, and they are being met with violence and intimidation. And the outlook there is quite worrying. You've got border clashes between Ethiopia and Sudan. You have electoral crisis in Somalia. So the Horn, you know, is looking like a very, very tough neighborhood. And, of course, everyone is concerned about the impact on Kenya and East Africa itself, given the insurgency in Mozambique, which has more than once affected neighboring Tanzania, these bombings in Uganda and the sense of instability there. The picture is one of multiple crises, none of which come with easy fixes or purely military solutions. And then you have this kind of metastasizing instability throughout the Sahel, right, and the concern that more and more states will fall victim to extremely worrisome instability and the very costly violence. So there's a huge security agenda and we're just—we're all aware of the basic facts that it's very hard to make progress on partnerships to support democratic governance in the midst of conflict. It's very hard to come together on climate change or to fight a pandemic in the midst of these kinds of circumstances. So I think it's a really challenging picture. And just to pull a couple of these threads, on this issue of democratic backsliding the Biden administration's desire to build more solidarity among kind of like-minded countries whose democracies may take different forms but who buy into a basic set of democratic values, it's undeniable that the trend lines in Africa have been worrisome for some time and we do see a lot of these kind of democratic authoritarian states, these states where you get some of the form, some of the theater, of democracy, particularly in the form of elections, but no real capacity for citizens to hold government accountable. It's not really a kind of a demand-driven democratic process, that the fix is often in on these elections, and there is polling, right, that suggests that this is turning people off of democratic governance in general, right. If what you understand democratic governance to be is a sham election, you know, at regular intervals while you continue to be governed by a set of individuals who are not really beholden to the electorate, right, and are protecting a very small set of interests, then it's not surprising to see some waning enthusiasm. It's not that other forms of government are necessarily looking great to African populations, but I think it is notable in some of that Afrobarometer polling in places where you wouldn't expect it, right, like South Africa, where people sacrificed so much for democracy, and you really do see a real decline in enthusiasm for that form of governance. So there's a lot of work to be done there. The last thing, just because you brought it up, on the latest news about this new variant, the Omicron variant—I may be saying that wrong. It may be Omicron. Perhaps someone will correct me. And the kind of quick policy choice to institute a travel ban on a number of southern African countries. So I do think that in the context of this pandemic, right, which has been economically devastating to the continent—where the global economic downturn that occurred for Africans, too, but you had governments with very little fiscal space in which to try to offset the pain for their populations. In addition, you have had the issues of vaccine inequity, right, where it's just taken far too long to get access to vaccines for many African populations—it's still not adequate in many places—and a sort of sense that the deal initially proposed in the form of COVAX wasn't really what happened—you know, a feeling of a bait and switch—that looks like—what it looks like is disregard for African lives. And while I am really sympathetic—I used to work in government and it's crystal clear when you do that your first responsibility is the safety of the American people—these travel bans sort of fit into a narrative, right, about scapegoating, about disregard for African life that, I think, is going to make it awfully hard for this new reframing of respect and partnership, right, to really resonate. And I would just note, as a former U.S. ambassador in Botswana, that the scientists in the lab in Gaborone and the scientists in South Africa who did the sequencing and helped to alert the world to this new variant, right, were doing us all a tremendous favor. It's not at all clear that this variant started in southern Africa, right. We know that it exists on every continent right now except Antarctica. We know that samples taken in Europe before these discoveries were made in southern Africa—just tested later—showed that the variant was already there. And so it is a bit hard to explain why specifically southern Africans are banned from travel. You know, I think it's unfortunate. There are other policies that could be pursued around testing, around quarantine requirements. So I'll leave that there. I'm not a public health expert. But I think it's—I'm glad you brought it up because I think these things do really resonate and they inform how the United States is understood on the continent. They inform how Africans understand global institutions and kind of global governance to reflect or not reflect their concerns and interests. And if what the Biden administration wants is partners in this notion of democratic solidarity and partners in trying to reconstruct kind of international institutions a sense of global order, a norms-based rules-based approach to multilateral challenges, it's going to be hard to get the African buy-in that is absolutely necessary to achieve those goals when these kinds of issues continue to give the impression that Africa is an afterthought. FASKIANOS: Thank you very much, Michelle. That was really a great overview for us. So now we want to go to all of you. You can raise your hand—click on the raised hand icon to ask a question—and when I recognize you please unmute yourself and state your affiliation. Otherwise, you can submit a written question in the Q&A box, and if you do write a question please say what institution you're with so that I can read it and identify you properly and—great. Our first hand raised is from Dr. Sherice Janaye Nelson. And let me just say, the “Zoom user,” can you please rename yourself so we know who you are? So, Dr. Nelson, over to you. Q: Good afternoon, everyone. Dr. Sherice Janaye Nelson from Southern University. I'm a political science professor in the department. And the question, I guess, I have is that we know that the African people have a history of nondemocratic governance, right? And when we look at a place like Tunisia, we know that one of the reasons in the Arab Spring that they were so successful—although often considered an Arab country, they are successful because there had been tenets of democracy that were already broiled in the society. The question I have is that to these places that do not have that institutional understanding or have even—maybe don't even have the values to align with democracy, are we foolhardy to continue to try to support democratic governance as the full-throated support versus trying to look at more of a hybrid of a sovereign situation that allows for, in many ways, a kingdom, a dictator, and et cetera, with then a democratic arm? Thank you so much. GAVIN: Thanks, Dr. Nelson. It's an interesting question, and I agree with you insofar as I think that it's really interesting to think about the kind of governance antecedents in a bunch of African countries, particularly in the pre-colonial era, right, and try to figure out how they find expression afterwards. There's no question that, you know, colonialism doesn't set the table well for democracy. There's no doubt about that. But I would say that, you know, despite the loss of faith in democratic governance that we've seen in some of the polling, you know, very consistently for a long time what you've seen is that African populations do seem to want democratic governance. They want to be able to hold their leaders accountable. They want everyone to have to abide by the law. They want basic protections for their rights. So, you know, I'm not sure that there's any society that's particularly ill-suited to that. But I do think that democracy comes in many forms and it's always particularly powerful when there is, you know, some historical resonance there. I also—you know, if we take a case like one of the world's last absolute monarchies in eSwatini right now what you see is a pretty persistent civic movement demanding more accountability and less power for the monarch, more protection for individual rights. And so, you know, I'm not—I think that people are feeling disillusioned and frustrated in many cases and you see this, too, in the enthusiasm with which several of the recent coups in West Africa have been met—you know, people pouring out into the streets to celebrate because they're frustrated with the status quo. They're interested in change. But very rarely do you see then persistent support for, say, military dictatorships or military-dominated government. So I'm not sure that the frustration means enthusiasm for some of these other governing models. People want democracy to work a lot better. FASKIANOS: Thank you. I'm going to take the next question from Lucy Dunderdale Cate. Q: Hi. Yes. I'm Lucy Dunderdale Cate. I'm with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I wanted to just ask you about kind of the African Union's role in this, you know, particularly and with the Biden administration, and thinking about, you know, the Horn of Africa security issues that you mentioned. Kind of where do you see that we're going and what do you see kind of for the future there? Thank you. GAVIN: Sure. Thanks for that question. I think the AU, for all of its flaws—and, you know, find me a multilateral organization that isn't flawed—is actually incredibly important. You know, for the Biden administration, which has kind of staked out this position that international institutions matter and multilateral institutions matter, they've got to work better, we can't address the threats we all face without these functioning and they may need to be modernized or updated but we need them, then the AU is a really important piece of that puzzle. And I think, you know, right now, for example, in Ethiopia that the—it's the AU's negotiator, former Nigerian President Obasanjo, who really is in the lead in trying to find some glimmer of space for a political solution, and this was a little bit late in the day in terms of AU activism on this issue and I think it's been a particularly difficult crisis for the AU to address in part because of being headquartered in Addis and sort of operating within a media and information environment in Ethiopia that is one that does not create a lot of space for divergence from the federal government's position. So I think that, in the end, right, the prospect of the collapse of a 110-million-strong country, a place that used to be an exporter of security, a major diplomatic player in the region, right, spurred AU action. But it's been a little bit—more than a little bit slow. But you have seen some pretty forward-leaning stance at the AU as well. Their response to the military coup in Sudan this fall was pretty robust and clear. Now this sort of new transitional arrangement that appears to be more palatable to much of the international community than to many Sudanese citizens is a—we're wading into murkier waters there. But I think the AU, you know, it's the only game in town. It's essential, and particularly in the Horn where the subregional organization EGAD is so incredibly weak that the AU, as a vehicle for an African expression of rules-based norms-based order, is—you know, actually its success is incredibly important to the success of this major U.S. foreign policy plank. FASKIANOS: Thank you. I'm going to take the next written question from Rami Jackson. How much of the democratic backsliding is supported by outside powers? For example, there was a chance for a democratic movement in Chad but the French threw their weight behind Déby's son after he was shot. GAVIN: That's a great question. I think that it's, certainly, not the case that external partners or actors are always positive forces, right, for democratic governance on the continent. There's no doubt about that, and it can be France and Chad. It can be, you know, Russian machinations in Central African Republic. There's a lot. It can be some of the Gulf states in Sudan, right, who—or Egypt, who seem very comfortable with the idea of military dominance and maybe some civilian window dressing for this transition. So you're right that external actors are kind of an important piece of the puzzle. You know, I don't think that there are many situations where there is a single external actor who is capable of entirely influencing the direction of government. But there are, certainly, situations where one external actor is tremendously powerful. Chad is a great example, again. And it is something that, I think, you know, again, an administration that has staked so much of its credibility on the notion that this is something very important to them, you know, is going to have to deal with. And it's thorny, right. Foreign policy always is where you have competing priorities. You need to get important work done sometimes with actors who do not share your norms and values, and it's the messiness of trying to articulate and integrate values in a foreign policy portfolio that runs the gamut, right, from counterterrorism concerns to economic interests. But I think that those are tensions that the administration will continue to have to deal with probably a little more publicly than an administration who didn't spend much time talking about the importance of democratic governance. FASKIANOS: Great. And I just want to mention that Rami is a graduate student at Syracuse University. So I'm going to go next to a raised hand from Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okome. I know you wrote your question, too. Q: Good afternoon. Thank you very much. Yes. FASKIANOS: Yes. Q: I wrote my question because I couldn't figure out how to name myself on the phone. You know, thank you for your presentation. When I look at democracy in Africa—I mean, this is not the first go-round—and the response by people, by citizens, to the backsliding by governments is not—it looks familiar to me because, you know, in the 1960s—from the 1960s, there were similar responses. People were dissatisfied. They welcomed authoritarian governments again and again because the government they voted for rigged elections, were also authoritarian, and they were kleptocratic. So what's different now and where's the continuity and what has changed, really, with democracy? The other thing is about this COVID—the management of the COVID situation. I also kind of see the—I think I agree with you. The way Africa is being treated looks very familiar—you know, with disdain, with disrespect, as if the lives of the people there don't matter as much. And what is it going to take, really, to change the—because, you know, if a pandemic that cannot be stopped by walls and borders is not instigating change what is it going to take to change the way in which world politics is—world politics and its governance is done? GAVIN: Fantastic questions and ones that, I think we could talk about for, you know, a week-long conference. But so I'll start from the beginning and just take a stab. I think you're absolutely right. There have been these interesting cycles when it comes to governance on the continent and I think—when I think about sort of what's different from what we were seeing in, say, toward the end of the '60s, I think it's a couple things. One is geopolitical context, right. So my hope is that what we're not doing is kind of doing a reprise of this bipolar world where we're subbing in China's authoritarian development model for a Soviet Communist model and sitting here on the other side and, you know, trying to manipulate other countries into one camp or another. I don't think we're quite there yet and I think the Biden administration is trying very hard not to wade into those waters. So I do think the geopolitical context is a bit different. I also think, you know, that where so many African states are is at—in terms of kind of the scope of their existence as independent entities is an important difference, right. So I think that in the immediate kind of post-colonial era, for an awful lot of governments the fundamental basis for their legitimacy was having—is not being a colonial administrator, not being a puppet of some external power and so the, you know, legitimacy came from liberation, from independence. In places that had terrible conflict sometimes legitimacy came from, you know, delivering some degree of security from a long-standing insecure situation. So, you know, you look at—I think that's where sort of President Museveni derived a lot of legitimacy in the late '80s and through the '90s. And I think that, you know, now, as you have these very significant young populations whose lived experience is not one of ever knowing a time pre-independence, you know, they're looking for service delivery, right. They're looking for opportunity. They're looking for job creation, and I think legitimacy is increasingly going to be derived from the ability to deliver on these priorities. And so I do think that that makes kind of the governance landscape a little bit different, too, sort of different ideas about where governing legitimacy comes from. And, you know, I think that can be manifest in really different ways. But if I had to try and, you know, grab onto that interesting idea about what's different, that's what comes to mind. In this, you know, incredibly important question about what's it going to take to recognize African states as equal players and African lives as—every bit as urgently valuable as any other, you know, I do think that as the world continues to grapple with this pandemic and with other issues that can only be resolved globally, like climate change, it will, over time, kind of force a reckoning and a rethink about what are the important states and what are not. You know, it's interesting to me, it's absolutely true that by not moving out robustly to ensure that the whole world has access to vaccines the richest countries have created opportunities for new mutations to emerge. I hesitate to say that, in some ways, in this context because it sounds like I'm positive that these emerged from Africa, and I'm not. But we do know, you know, as a basic matter of science, right, that we're not safe until everyone's safe. And so I do think that as these kinds of issues that military might and economic power cannot address alone, where it really does take global solidarity and an awful lot of multilateral cooperation, which is messy and cumbersome, right, and necessary, my hope is that that will start to change perceptions in framing. FASKIANOS: Thank you. So I'm going to go next to a written question from Abbey Reynolds, who's an undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida. What steps do you think that international and regional organizations can take to preempt future attempts to derail democratic governance in the region—coups, circumvention of constitutional term letter—limits, rigged elections, et cetera? GAVIN: OK. I'm sorry. What steps should who take? I'm sorry. FASKIANOS: Multilateral—international and regional organizations. GAVIN: OK. You know, I think that in a number of cases subregional organizations have been taking steps, right—ECOWAS, certainly, in rejecting coups and suspending memberships, et cetera. I think, you know, if you look at the sort of articulated and documented principles of a lot of these organizations they're pretty good. It's really about the gulf sometimes between stated principles and practice. So, you know, I think the Southern African Development Community is sometimes guilty of this where there are—you know, there's a clear commitment in static kind of principle documents and protocols around democratic governance but you also have an absolute monarchy that's a member state of SADC. You've had, you know, significant repression in a number of states—Zimbabwe leaps to mind—that SADC doesn't have, really, anything to say about. So you can have organizations that have kind of principles and procedures. At the end of the day, organizations are made up of member states, right, who have a set of interests, and I think that, you know, how governments understand their interest in standing up for certain norms, it's—I think it's specific in many ways to those governments in those states how they derive their own legitimacy, the degree to which they feel they may be living in a glass house, and, you know, frankly, relative power dynamics. So I'm not sure. Certainly, it's always—you know, I'm a believer in multilateralism. I think from an African point of—you know, if you imagine African states trying to assert themselves on the international stage, multilateralism is really important, right, to get if it's possible, where interests align, to have as many African states speaking with one voice. It's a much more powerful message than just a couple individual states. But there are always going to be intrinsic limits. FASKIANOS: Thank you. I'm going to take the next question from Gary Prevost with the College of St. Benedict. And if you can unmute yourself. Q: Speaking today, actually, as honorary professor and research associate from Mandela University in South Africa. I've had several students in recent years—doctoral and master's students—study U.S. and allied counterterrorism strategies both in the Middle East and in Africa, and they've come away with a general perspective that those strategies going back several administrations have been almost solely focused on military action and that it has led them in their recommendations sections of their theses to argue that other steps must be taken if these efforts in places like Nigeria or Somalia or Mozambique or even in the Middle East, Syria, and Iraq, are to be successful they must have a changed mindset about counter terror. What's your perspective on that? GAVIN: Well, thanks for that. I wholeheartedly agree, right, and I think, you know, you'll even get plenty of military officers, right, who will say there's no way we can address some—these problems, these, you know, kind of radical violent organizations aligned to global terrorist groups with a purely military approach. It's frustrating. I'm sure it's frustrating for your students, too, because it feels like everyone keeps coming to this conclusion, and, certainly, there have been efforts to, you know, counter violent extremism, provide opportunity for young people. But we're not very good at it, right. We haven't been very good at it yet. There's still a mismatch in terms of the resources we pour into these kind of relative—these different streams of effort, right. But I think also while it's very clear in a situation like Mozambique that if you want to weaken the insurgency you need to be providing more opportunity and building more trust in a community that's been disenfranchised and alienated from the center for a very, very long time. But the how to do that, how to do that effectively and how to do it in a climate of insecurity I actually think is an incredibly difficult challenge, and there are, you know, brilliant people working on this all the time. You know, some of the best work that I've seen suggests that some of this can be done but it's an incredibly long-term undertaking and that, you know, is sometimes, I think, a difficult thing to sustain support for, particularly in a system like the United States where, you know, our appropriations cycles tend to be very short term. So people are looking for, you know, quick impact, things you can put on a bar graph quickly and say that you've done. And I think that, you know, a lot of the kind of peace building research suggests that that's—that, you know, building community trust, which is a huge part of what needs to happen, operates on a very different kind of timeline. So it's a really thorny, thorny problem and how to get—you know, how to sustain political and budgetary support for those kinds of efforts. I don't know the answer yet. I'm sure somebody really smart on—maybe on the Zoom does. FASKIANOS: I'm going to go next to Pearl Robinson at Tufts University. Q: Hello, Ambassador Gavin. First of all, I'd like to congratulate you in your new position as Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa, and that's actually—as I've been sitting here listening to this, my thought was I'd like to know if you have thought about ways in which you can use your position at the Council to help actualize forms of partnerships about policy dialogues related to Africa. You began by articulating the U.S.'s new strategic vision for Africa. That was an American statement. I haven't really heard an African statement that would be engaging with that policy dialogue. These one-on-one trips of the secretary of state and other people going to individual African countries, based on our agenda, and having one-on-one dialogue discussions, in a way, does not get towards that real notion of African agency in policy and partnership. So I'm actually wondering whether you might envision the Council playing a role and creating some kinds of policy dialogue fora that would have American(s) and Africans participating in ways that would be visible to American publics as well as African publics. So I'm suggesting that you might, you know, be uniquely well suited to have the Council play a role in actually making visible and operationalizing this concept. I just thought about this sitting here listening because what I realized was everybody talking is talking from the American side and I'm wondering if—well, my dear colleague, Olufúnké, actually was an African voice. But I think what needs to happen is there needs to be a way for this taking place maybe with African institutions, academics, civil society actors. So I just throw that out for you to think about and I'd like to hear your first response to that idea. GAVIN: So I think it's exciting and I'd love, actually, to follow up with you. I'm delighted that you're here. I heard some wonderful things about your work. I think there's always the hard part of, right, who speaks for Africa, right, because there are so many diverse African perspectives. But I don't think you're suggesting there's necessarily a unitary voice. You're talking about sort of different actors, and I would agree with you that it's always incredibly rich to have conversations. You know, I recently did a panel with Professor Ed Vitz, who is working on some—working on a paper, I think, that will eventually be a book about sort of U.S.-Africa policy and particularly interested in the kind of frame of major power rivalry. But it was such a refreshing conversation to examine that and compare notes on what we thought the flaws of that frame might be to hear his perspective on where he thought there might be advantages to be seized from it. It was wonderful, and I agree with you that the more dialogue and the more opportunity not just to sort of talk amongst ourselves in a U.S. community that cares about Africa and about U.S. policy the better. You know, I will be honest with you, I often, in a situation like the one right now, I try hard to stick to—to at least keep circling back to U.S. policy because that's where my background is and I, you know, have no desire to posit myself as speaking on behalf of Africans. That's nuts and, you know, not my role. But I do—I have spent a lot of time thinking about how the U.S. engages with the continent. And so I think it's a really interesting notion. I'd love to follow up with you. FASKIANOS: Great. I'm going to take the next written question from Krista Johnston, who's a professor at Howard University. The African Continental Free Trade Area will create the largest consumer market. What are the barriers U.S. businesses investing in Africa and positioning themselves to take advantage of this new trade area and what can the Biden administration do to incentivize this kind of engagement with China? And perhaps I can tack on another question to that because we have a lot of questions—(laughs)—both raised hands—is just to talk a little bit about China's footprint in Africa as well. GAVIN: Sure. Well, so I absolutely agree that the African Continental Free Trade Area is a really incredibly promising step forward for African economic integration and that is, you know, compelling in any number of ways. I think, for example, about the very hot topic of pharmaceutical production, right. And between the Free Trade Area, the standing up of the African Medicines Agency, right, which should help to harmonize regulatory standards for pharmaceuticals and medical equipment throughout the continent, investments seem a lot more attractive, right, when you're looking at much bigger markets than any one country, even than a giant like Nigeria, can provide. So I think that there's tremendous potential here. I will go back to what I said earlier, which is that even with these positive steps, right, it's going to be really important that the peace and security parts start trending in the right direction because it's very—you know, I would say this. U.S. investors are already quite bad at assessing risk in Africa and a backdrop of instability is not going to help that situation, right, and it is, in many cases, going to make a given investment opportunity or partnership opportunity too risky for many. So, you know, there's just no way to jettison those concerns. But wholeheartedly agree it's an exciting development. If the world hadn't gotten sort of hijacked by COVID, I think we'd be talking about it a lot more. On China, you know, the Chinese engagement on the continent is a fact of life that's existed for a very long time and is not going anywhere. It is economic, it is political, it is, increasingly, cultural, and I think, you know, for a state like China that aspires to be a major global power it's entirely predictable and understandable. Do I think that there are some ways in which Chinese investment and engagement are not always beneficial to African states? I do. I have concerns, certainly, about the way China sometimes uses its influence to secure African support for Chinese positions that appear antithetical to stated values in AU documents and other(s) and I have concerns about the transparency of some of the arrangements. I have concerns as well about some of the tech standards and just sort of play for technical dominance that maybe does not have the cybersecurity interests of Africans as its top priority. All that said, I think it's really important for the United States to, you know, understand that there's no—there's nothing to be gained by constantly vilifying China's engagement, some of which has been incredibly helpful for African states hungry, particularly, for financing on major infrastructure projects, and, you know, it's a fact of life we all have to learn to deal with. I do think, you know, there's some natural tension between the Biden administration's democracy focus, right, and the very explicit and intentional efforts of China to present a different model, and I don't think that the U.S. needs to shy away from that or pretend that those differences don't exist. But I do think it's incredibly unhelpful to frame up all of U.S. policy as if it's intended to counter China as opposed to intended to find those areas in the Venn diagram of, you know, those overlaps of African interests and U.S. interests and work together on them. FASKIANOS: Thank you. I'm going to go next to Anna Ndumbi, who is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Southern Mississippi. Please unmute yourself. Q: Thank you very much. I really appreciate the presentation. I have a quick question in regards to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is center of Africa. About three years ago, there was a new president that stepped in by the name of Félix Tshisekedi, and he decided to pass a law saying that all the secondary education should be free because, obviously, in Africa schools aren't free. And I, personally, think that maybe it wasn't really—it was something they should have probably considered before passing the law. The result of that is that you have classrooms where there were maybe twenty students and now there's, like, there could be over a hundred students in one classroom, right. So we spoke about the pandemic. When COVID hit a lot of schools were shut down. They were shut down for a long period of time, and when you look at a lot of schools in Africa they don't have the ability of giving out maybe laptops or anything like that to assist students to continue school at home. So in result of that, you see a lot of children who are really below what they should be, below the average when it comes to education, and my question with that is where do we see the future going as far as maybe having international organization(s) or United States intervene because the future is not bright when we look at education with the children or the youth. How can United Nation(s) or maybe other international organization(s) assist, especially with what happened during COVID, going forward? What does the future look like for Africa? And I'm speaking more for the Democratic Republic of Congo. How can nonprofit organization(s) or United States intervene and assist in this matter? GAVIN: Well, thank you for that, and I have followed this a little bit because it was an interesting and kind of splashy promise and initiative on the part of President Tshisekedi and it's been disappointing, I think, to see that some of the, you know, government's budget that was intended to be allocated for that appears to have found its way into a handful of individuals' accounts. But I think that, you know, the fundamental point you're making, which is that in DRC but also throughout the African continent, right, there are these vast populations of young people. It is the youngest region of the world. And if you look at it historically at how other parts of the world have dealt with youth bulges, right, investing in that human capital so that they can be drivers of innovation and economic growth has been a really powerful kind of transformational tool—for example, in Asia. And so I definitely think that you're onto something really important right now about prioritizing investing in young people and their capacity, and you're absolutely right that the disruptions of the pandemic have, in many cases, fallen most heavily on children. You know, how to tackle that, I think, is sort of—you know, I can't design a program in this moment, I'll be honest with you. But I think that you're absolutely right, it's an incredibly important and too often easily overlooked priority. You know, there have been some interesting education innovations on the continent but they're too often kind of small, not scalable, and the need is so incredibly vast. But here, again, I will be a broken record. We do have to go back to this issue that peace and security matters, right. It's very, very hard for kids to get a sustained education that's going to provide them with opportunity in a context of insecurity, which, for a lot of children in eastern Congo, is still the case. FASKIANOS: OK. We have three minutes left. I am going to—and so many questions, and I apologize that we're not going to be able to get to all of you. So I'm going to give the final question to Caleb Sannar. Q: Hi. Yes. Thank you for joining us today, Ambassador Gavin. As they said, my name is Caleb Sanner. I'm a student from the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater. My question is with the Abraham Accords the Trump administration signed the agreement with Morocco to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. Following that, there was some discrepancies in the southern territory controlled by the U.N., MINURSO, and the Polisario Front, the external Saharawi government, ended up declaring war again on Morocco, resuming the war from nineteen years previously. My question is what is the Biden administration's policy on that? GAVIN: Great question. Reporters have been asking that question, too, and with great message discipline the administration continues to say is that they're supporting U.N. efforts. And so whenever they ask, are you are you going to reconsider this decision regarding recognition of Moroccan sovereignty in Western Sahara, they respond not by answering that question but by saying they're supporting U.N. efforts. So that's the most I can report to you in—regarding that. FASKIANOS: Thank you. Well, we are at the end of our time. So, Ambassador Gavin, thank you very much for being with us and, again, to all of you for your fantastic questions, and I apologize for not being able to get to all of you. But we will have to continue doing webinars on this important topic and on digging in a little bit deeper. So we will be announcing the winter-spring academic lineup next month through our academic bulletin. This is the final webinar of this semester. Good luck with your finals—(laughs)—and grading and taking the exams and all of that. I know it's a very busy and stressful time with the pandemic layered on top of all of it. If you haven't already subscribed for the bulletin, please, you can do so by emailing us at cfracademic@cfr.org. You can follow us on Twitter at @CFR_Academic. And of course, please go to CFR.org, ForeignAffairs.com, and ThinkGlobalHealth.org for new research and analysis on global issues. You can see on CFR.org Michelle's latest post on Africa—blog posts, so you should follow her there as well. So, again, thank you. Thanks to all of you, and happy holidays, and we look forward to reconvening in 2022.

Politics with Michelle Grattan
Liberal Dave Sharma on 2030 target

Politics with Michelle Grattan

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2021 25:37


Liberal backbencher Dave Sharma, a former diplomat, is an up-and-comer in his party and one of its moderate voices. Holding the progressive electorate of Wentworth, where formerly Malcolm Turnbull was the member and climate change is a significant issue, Sharma was among those Liberal MPs who pressed Scott Morrison on the 2050 target before Glasgow. In this podcast Sharma discusses climate policy, the religious discrimination legislation, a national integrity commission, voter ID, China, and the Liberal party. Asked whether the government should improve its medium-term target at next years climate conference - which the government is not disposed to do - he argues for leaving options open.   “I wouldn't be ruling it out, but nor do I think we necessarily need to be ruling it in. I think we need to maintain our options. "I think we always need to be mindful of where the international environment is at on this, and that's very much shaped our attitude towards adopting net zero by 2050. "Australia has always been a country that doesn't seek to be an outlier in the world. It seeks to move with the major currents of world opinion and world developments.” With the government's religious discrimination legislation due to be introduced next week, Sharma says: “My concern is that what should be a shield only does not, is not allowed to become a sword. "People should be protected against discrimination on the basis of their religion. But someone's religion or faith should not give them a positive right to discriminate against other people.” On China, he's encouraged by the recent joint US-China statement on climate and this week's talks between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping, and urges efforts to improve Australia-China relations. “We live in the same region together. There's a remarkable degree of common interests that we share. We're well integrated trading and economic partners. It's too important a relationship [..] not to be striving every day to ensure that it works better.”

Water Cooler Talk Podcast
Little Fresh Meat | 067 | Story B

Water Cooler Talk Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2021 23:18


"China Promotes Education Drive To Make Boys More “Manly”"   A notice from China's education ministry has caused quite a stir after it suggested young Chinese men had become too “feminine” and some say China's male celebrities are partly to blame. For a while China's government has signalled concern that the country's most popular male role models are no longer strong, athletic figures like “army heroes”. Even President Xi Jinping, a well-known soccer enthusiast, has long been seeking to cultivate better sports stars. A recent proposal by the education ministry, titled “To Prevent The Feminization Of Male Adolescents”, called on schools to fully reform their physical education programs and strengthen their recruitment of those teachers. The text specifically advised recruiting retired athletes and people from sporting backgrounds - and “vigorously developing” particular sports like soccer. Si Zefu, a delegate of China's top advisory body, said earlier in the year that many of China's young males had become “weak, timid and self-abasing'. He made the claim that the home environment was partly to blame, with most Chinese boys being raised by their mothers or grandmothers. He also noted that the growing appeal of certain celebrities, mainly boy bands throughout Asia, meant that many children “did not want to be army heroes” anymore. The overwhelming majority of reactions to the proposal have been negative. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese individuals have taken to social media to voice their anger and concern. “Is feminization now a derogatory term?” one social media user asked. Another said “Boys are also humans...being emotional, timid or gentle, these are human characteristics.” On China's social media platform Weibo, supportive comments pointed towards China's male celebrities being to blame; largely those who are know as “little fresh meats” which is a common buzzword that refers to young, Chinese males who are seen as squeaky-clean, well-groomed and with delicate features. Boyband TF Boys and Chinese singer Lu Han fall into this category. The “little fresh meats” phenomenon continues to be a proven success for expanding Chinese culture outside of mainland China, but young Chinese male celebrities come under increased scrutiny and find it difficult to be anything that departs from their squeaky-clean mold. In recent years, the media has struggled to allow young male stars to appear on Chinese screens with tattoos or piercings. And in 2019, one of China's top pop stars from the boyband TF Boys, came under fierce criticism when he was pictured illegally smoking in a Beijing restaurant. As President Xi hopes to turn China into a “world soccer superpower” by 2050, some wonder if HE is even man enough to turn around the impossible task of China's national soccer team.   "Different Strokes w/ Jeff Abraham" Full Episode Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3taaDn5 Apple: https://apple.co/38u7gxQ PodBean: https://bit.ly/3Bv5Yza

Turley Talks
Ep. 634 China BANS ‘Sissy and Effeminate Men' From TV!!!

Turley Talks

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2021 9:56


Highlights: “China's national broadcasting regulator has just announced that it will be banning all ‘effeminate aesthetics' in all entertainment shows on Chinese TV.”“China's latest crackdown on effeminate men has indeed exposed Hollywood and the NBA and our corporate elites here in the United States to be nothing more than a bunch of grifting hypocrites whose selective wokeness is ultimately nothing more than a cheap marketing gimmick.” "China sees the west flame beginning to flicker out and is looking at the practices and fashions that characterize the dying civilization and it's mandating that those practices be immediately banned from Chinese culture."‘Once again we are reminded that the world really is indeed changing right before our very eyes in ways we might never have imagined. The world is becoming more and more post-secular, more and more traditionalist and more and more religious, all as secular modernity slowly but surely collapses into dust.” Timestamps:[01:38] China banning ‘effeminate aesthetics' on TV[02:40] How China has been cracking down on western pop culture[04:12] How this ban reveals the hypocrisy of our globalist elites[05:16] What's really behind this cultural shakeup in China[07:50] On China's mandated time limits on videogamesResources:Woke, Inc. by Vivek RamaswamyGet Your Brand-New PATRIOT T-Shirts and Merch Here: https://store.turleytalks.com/Become a Turley Talks Insiders Club Member and get the first 7 days FREE!!: https://insidersclub.turleytalks.com/welcomeFight Back Against Big Tech Censorship! Sign-up here to discover Dr. Steve's different social media options …. but without the censorship! https://www.turleytalks.com/en/alternative-media.comThank you for taking the time to listen to this episode.  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and/or leave a review.Do you want to be a part of the podcast and be our sponsor? Click here to partner with us and defy liberal culture!If you would like to get lots of articles on conservative trends make sure to sign-up for the 'New Conservative Age Rising' Email Alerts. 

Turley Talks
Ep. 617 Is Taiwan Next?!?

Turley Talks

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2021 12:28


Highlights: “According to the editors at the Global Times, now that the United States has demonstrably relinquished its role as a manager over the old geopolitical order, Taiwanese citizens had better realized that their future is with China. And here's the key, just like Afghanistan's future, it's with the Taliban.”“Even CNN is admitting that China has set renewed sights on Taiwan in ending their separation once and for all.”“China wants to restore both the control of trade relationships with its neighbors that it once dominated via the Belt and Road Initiative and it wants to recover the territories lost to Western and Japanese imperialism.” Timestamps:[02:23] How pundits are concerned that China sees a new opportunity to annex Taiwan[05:21] On a Bloomberg report that China may not be ready to seize Taiwan[06:24] How Taiwan fits in with China's global economic aims[08:53] On China's resurgent nationalism and how it may be the tipping point for a renewed conflict in the PacificResources: Join our ARMY!! Our Virtual gathering of New Conservative Patriots on September 3rd and 4th needs YOU! Register today at https://conferences.turleytalks.com/Get your FREE copy of Scott's Ebook, Bigger IS Better: 7 Reasons Why Commercial Beats Single-Family Investing here: Commercial Academy & Turley TalksJoin Commercial Academy 3-Day LIVE Training Experience here: Commercial Academy Live Event Get Your Brand-New PATRIOT T-Shirts and Merch Here: https://store.turleytalks.com/Become a Turley Talks Insiders Club Member and get the first 7 days FREE!!: https://insidersclub.turleytalks.com/welcomeFight Back Against Big Tech Censorship! Sign-up here to discover Dr. Steve's different social media options …. but without the censorship! https://www.turleytalks.com/en/alternative-media.com Thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode.  If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and/or leave a review.Do you want to be a part of the podcast and be our sponsor? Click here to partner with us and defy liberal culture!If you would like to get lots of articles on conservative trends make sure to sign-up for the 'New Conservative Age Rising' Email Alerts. 

Two Mikes with Michael Scheuer and Col Mike
Dr Lawrence Sellin: China Intentionally Infected Participants in the Military World Games in Wuhan with COVID-19

Two Mikes with Michael Scheuer and Col Mike

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2021 35:46


Today, The Two Mikes spoke to Dr. Lawrence Sellin, an expert On China and its CCP regime about Covid. Dr. Sellin recently retired from a career in international business and medical research, which was preceded by a 29-year career in the U.S. Army, including tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.The Two Mikes mostly listened as Dr. Sellin related the following from what a person he described as a trusted source in China.

NTD News Today
ICE Agents Sue Biden Over Deportation Rules; AG Garland Pauses All Federal Executions | NTD

NTD News Today

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2021 47:41


NTD News Today—7/2/2021 1. Searching for Survivors: Challenges Ahead 2. CEP Offers Refuge to Condo Collapse Survivors 3. ‘No Operational Control' of Border: GOP Rep. 4. Ice Agents Sue Biden Over Deportation Rules 5. U.S. Forces Depart Key Afghanistan Base 6. Biden Admin Highlights Staff Diversity 7. AG Garland Pauses All Federal Executions 8. Facebook Runs Anti-extremism Warning Test 9. Pelosi Assigns Cheney to Jan. 6th Committee 10. Cotton on Military CRT: ‘Risking Our Freedom' 11. Boy Scouts Reach $850m Settlement 12. NFL Fines Washington Football Team $10m 13. Girl Gets Severe Side Effects After Vaccine 14. NY Prisons' Primal Way to Entice Vaccination 15. Celebrating the Fourth: How and Why Americans Celebrate Life, Liberty and a Powerful History 16. Richard Branson Aims to Beat Bezos to Space 17. SF Poll Shows Support of Increasing Police 18. Financial Firm Wants Out of Conservatorship 19. Firefighters Perform Wildfire Training in CA 20. State Dept. On China's Nuclear Buildup 21. Report: CCP Pressured EU to Choose Lockdown 22. HK Police Arrest Activist 'grandma Wong' 23. Chinese Media Steals Video From Anti-ccp Man 24. Olympic Hopeful Tests Positive for Cannabis 25. ‘I Was Evicted to Build an Olympic Stadium... Twice' 26. Slovakia Tests Flying Car W/ Intercity Flight 27. Wolfgang Puck Documentary to Release Friday 28. A Dozen Ways to Get a Better Night's Sleep

NTD News Today
ICE Agents Sue Biden Over Deportation Rules; AG Garland Pauses All Federal Executions | NTD

NTD News Today

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2021 47:41


NTD News Today—7/2/2021 1. Searching for Survivors: Challenges Ahead 2. CEP Offers Refuge to Condo Collapse Survivors 3. ‘No Operational Control' of Border: GOP Rep. 4. Ice Agents Sue Biden Over Deportation Rules 5. U.S. Forces Depart Key Afghanistan Base 6. Biden Admin Highlights Staff Diversity 7. AG Garland Pauses All Federal Executions 8. Facebook Runs Anti-extremism Warning Test 9. Pelosi Assigns Cheney to Jan. 6th Committee 10. Cotton on Military CRT: ‘Risking Our Freedom' 11. Boy Scouts Reach $850m Settlement 12. NFL Fines Washington Football Team $10m 13. Girl Gets Severe Side Effects After Vaccine 14. NY Prisons' Primal Way to Entice Vaccination 15. Celebrating the Fourth: How and Why Americans Celebrate Life, Liberty and a Powerful History 16. Richard Branson Aims to Beat Bezos to Space 17. SF Poll Shows Support of Increasing Police 18. Financial Firm Wants Out of Conservatorship 19. Firefighters Perform Wildfire Training in CA 20. State Dept. On China's Nuclear Buildup 21. Report: CCP Pressured EU to Choose Lockdown 22. HK Police Arrest Activist 'grandma Wong' 23. Chinese Media Steals Video From Anti-ccp Man 24. Olympic Hopeful Tests Positive for Cannabis 25. ‘I Was Evicted to Build an Olympic Stadium... Twice' 26. Slovakia Tests Flying Car W/ Intercity Flight 27. Wolfgang Puck Documentary to Release Friday 28. A Dozen Ways to Get a Better Night's Sleep

Aufhebunga Bunga
/195/ No Shock China ft. Isabella Weber

Aufhebunga Bunga

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2021 82:08


On China, economic reform, and the future. While Russia famously succumbed to destructive neoliberal "shock therapy", China managed to avoid it. How and why? Isabella Weber, author of How China Escaped Shock Therapy, tells us about China's opting for gradual reform instead.  What did reform mean for understandings of socialism? Do communists make the best capitalists? And is the pursuit of growth and development at any cost China's own version of the End of History?

Politics with Michelle Grattan
military ‘watch-dog’ Neil James on Afghanistan, China, and Peter Dutton

Politics with Michelle Grattan

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2021 26:05


Sunday is ANZAC day - and this year it comes at a particularly important time for Australia’s military image. Last week, Scott Morrison announced Australia’s remaining troops will leave Afghanistan by September, following President Biden’s announcement of the United States withdrawal. One negative legacy of Australia’s participation in this conflict is documented in the Brereton report on Australia war crimes, which detailed alleged incidents of unlawful killing and cruelty by some special forces troops. Among the report’s recommendations was the revocation of the Meritorious Unit Citation that had been awarded to some 3,000 soldiers. The Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Angus Campbell, agreed with the recommendation. But critics were fierce and this week the new Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the award would not be revoked. Executive Director of the Australia Defence Association Neil James joins the podcast, to discuss the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the strategic risk China poses, and the high profile new minister in the portfolio. James is concerned the departure of international forces from Afghanistan will lead to more instability. “By withdrawing and without a peace agreement with the Taliban, it’s going to be a reasonable problem. The simple thing about all wars is they always end when one side gives up or both sides get tired. And in this case, unfortunately, the message being sent to the Taliban is that the international community has given up.” On China, James is concerned about any “number of flash points that could easily cause a war, even if only accidentally”. Taiwan “is the big flash point.” “President Xi will seek to legitimise his presidency by, in his words, absorbing Taiwan back into the motherland. That will automatically cause a war for the simple reason that Taiwan is a functioning democracy and a lot of the world’s democracies will probably object to that. That’s the biggest flash point.” On the controversial Dutton decision to override Campbell over the citation, James believes the minister did the wrong thing. “I think probably, to be brutally frank, he was ill advised. And I think if he [had] bothered to consult a bit more broadly and understood the implications of what he was doing, he may not have done it.” “[The revocation] needs to be done for the simple reason that the revocation of the citation isn’t an Australian issue - it’s an international issue. We’re showing the world that we’re taking the Brereton report seriously. "We admit the war crimes occurred even if we have difficulty convicting anyone of it, eventually. They certainly definitely occurred. And therefore, we have to be seen to be doing something about it. "And by cancelling the revocation, we’re actually sending the wrong message internationally about Australia’s commitment to international law. But we’re also sending the wrong message internally within the defence force about unprofessional behaviour.” While James thinks Dutton was “the only bloke who could have taken over the ministry after [Linda] Reynolds” was moved, he remains a strong defender of Reynolds. Even before the Brittany Higgins matter, Reynolds faced considerable criticism from commentators. James believes there was a sexist element in some of the attacks on her performance in the portfolio, and he condemns those who thought Australia couldn’t be “taken seriously as a country when both the foreign minister and the defence minister were female”. “I mean, that’s just absurd in the 21st century. It was actually absurd for most the late 20th century.”

China Unraveled
A Changing of the Guard

China Unraveled

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 31, 2021 24:31


Trump is gone but tensions between the United States and China remain. In fact they are getting worse. Much worse.Every day both countries fire new sanctions and recriminations at each other. Biden appointed a Taiwanese-American trade lawyer as his Trade Representative. China is flexing its military muscles around Taiwan, Japan, and the South China Sea. A contentious first meeting in Alaska was deadlocked from the outset. Pundits are loudly talking about a new Cold War and an extended conflict between the two countries. So what is in store for the US-China relationship? Does new American leadership change things? Can China exploit Biden for its benefit? Did China successfully exploit Trump?And when all is said and done - once we peel off the varnish - will a President Biden really be all that different from a President Trump?On China the answer is already pretty clear.Tune in to hear how a bad relationship between the United States and China is about to get a whole lot worse. 

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast
China's New Silk Road | 09 | Ethiopia and the Road Ahead

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2021 17:21


Chinese investment in Africa has built roads, railways, dams, and more, spurring new interest and competition from other global investors. Critics say China’s too often exploitative, including with loans that leave some countries too deeply in debt. But its investments helped famine-prone Ethiopia become one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Now, however, civil strife is putting that success at risk, for both Ethiopia and China. On China’s Silk Road is a production of the Global Reporting Centre in Vancouver, Canada, which produces and teachers global journalism. The podcast was created by Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for US public radio’s The World, working with partner reporters on five continents. The full series is available wherever you get your podcasts or by visiting the Global Reporting Centre podcast project webpage.

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast
China's New Silk Road | 08 | The Other Asian Giant – India

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2021 16:45


China is one of India's top trading partners, but India has chosen not to be part of China's New SIlk Road. It's not wild about a future in which China leads Asia, much less the world. Instead, India's offering its own investments and vision of a more multipolar world. And with Chinese and Indian troops in a tense stand-off on their contested border, India's strengthening its ties with the US, Japan, Australia and others, to counterbalance China's influence. On China’s Silk Road is a production of the Global Reporting Centre in Vancouver, Canada, which produces and teachers global journalism. The podcast was created by Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for US public radio’s The World, working with partner reporters on five continents. The full series is available wherever you get your podcasts or by visiting the Global Reporting Centre podcast project webpage.

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast
China's New Silk Road | 07 | China’s Digital Silk Road

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2021 19:11


China is fast becoming a global leader in cutting edge technologies—such as AI, facial recognition, surveillance, and 5G—and is exporting them worldwide. Fans like the high quality and low cost. Critics say China’s technology enables authoritarian control and increases dependence on an autocratic state. They call for democracies, including the U.S., to work together to create a tech ecosystem that protects privacy and freedom of speech. On China’s Silk Road is a production of the Global Reporting Centre in Vancouver, Canada, which produces and teachers global journalism. The podcast was created by Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for US public radio’s The World, working with partner reporters on five continents. The full series is available wherever you get your podcasts or by visiting the Global Reporting Centre podcast project webpage.

UnHerd with Freddie Sayers
Paul Kingsnorth: science can never replace the mythic

UnHerd with Freddie Sayers

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2021 50:41


Paul Kingsnorth doesn't fit neatly into Left or Right — which is only one of the reasons we consider him one of the more interesting thinkers of our time. He has been talking and writing about nature for over 25 years, and during that period he has developed a his own self-reliant, localised form of environmentalism.Formerly a climate activist, Paul grew disaffected with the movement when he came to the realisation that “economic monster” that enveloped the world was too great to fight against. Instead, he channelled his energies into writing books, essays, novels and poetry, all of which have been hugely influential in the way we view our relationship with the modern world and its maladies.In his own life, he has tried to “secede from the system” as much as possible by living on his own farmstead out in western Ireland in county Galway. While he admits that it is impossible to fully withdraw from the world, small acts of resistance — whether they are using an unconnected compost loo or refusing to use a smartphone — allows him to “jump off the treadmill”. His recent conversion to Christianity came as a surprise, not least to Paul, and it gave him a deeper appreciation of the importance of limits and humility. Below are some excerpts from this enthralling interview:On the culture wars:The more modern and the more westernised the world is, the more lost people seem… It seems to me that both sides in this horrible toxic culture battle that's going on are talking about identity as if it's something that's under threat for them and something that they've lost and something they feel attached to and something that the other side wants to take away from them. On rationalist versus mystic modes of thought:So you've got sort of mythos versus logos…. So we have a very rationalistic, very secularistic, scientific, mathematical way of looking at the world, which is useful, obviously… But we also have something which is deeper and to some degree truer than that, which is the mythic way of looking, which is where true poetry comes from, it's where art comes from. But it's also where I think our deep love of nature comes from, and it's where religion comes from. That stuff flows through absolutely every human being and every human culture always at all times.I think liberal modernity and neoliberal capitalism as well have operated on the false assumption that the mythic way of seeing will be ultimately superseded by the rational way, by the logoic way of seeing if you like, because obviously, myth was just a silly thing we believed in before we had science, that we don't need anymore. That's not what's happening.On giving up climate activism:What you end up seeing if you are an activist for long enough is that we have built this enormous, unsustainable economic monster that now envelops the world, which requires endless growth to keep it going. It isn't possible to feed it with enough natural resources to power that endless growth, the fossil fuels that it uses to power that endless growth is changing the climate. So we all know these terrible stories: we've kicked off a mass extinction event, the climate is changing, all of these kinds of horrors. So you end up having to try and turn this around, and you end up campaigning to stop climate change. And after many, many years of doing that, I was unable to avoid the reality, as it seemed to me and it still does — it actually isn't possible to do it in the way that we wanted to do it. On the capitalist system:We're not citizens, we're not people rooted in a culture, we're not individuals who have a sort of wider sense of worth. We're primarily consumers and producers for that machine. We measure everything in terms of economic growth, we measure that in a material sense, rather than in any other sense. We've become a kind of a society of merchants and those consumer values have infiltrated everything, absolutely every aspect of our lives…I think that's a tragedy. It's a cultural tragedy, and it's an ecological tragedy too. On Covid:Covid is interesting in the sense that we've all been acting like science is going to solve this using the algorithms and the mathematical formula and the rest of it. But there's also something very mythic about this virus isn't there? It's very apocalyptic, I think, in the original sense of the word. The word apocalypsis is Greek for unveiling, it means revelation. On Bill Gates:It's an interesting one this, because you've got all the crazy conspiracies about how Bill Gates is going to inject you with microchips and all this stuff. But there's a basis for this. Bill Gates is a very powerful man and he's using his money to change the world in particular ways. He's using his money to fund newspapers. He's using his money to promote development in places like Africa in a very particular pattern. He's doing certainly all sorts of things. And the same is true of Soros, who's always the centre of conspiracy theories as well. So although the conspiracies themselves are crazy and often dangerous and unpleasant, the sense of powerlessness that fuels them is real. I think that these conspiracies come about when people try to join dots that they don't understand, because we don't really know how it's working anymore. On China ‘lifting a hundred million' people out of poverty:China has made, for example, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people landless through the construction of dams; through the construction of giant cities. Obviously, the state in China is all-powerful, and so people are just moved. And then they're put into cities. And often if you take people who've been living on their own land, in a subsistence economy where they have enough and you put them into a city, where they then are earning wages, but very low wages; they've lost any sense of control through that process of enclosure that we talked about earlier. Then you can stick that on your balance sheet and you can say look at these people we've lifted out of poverty. Maybe some of them wanted to be but were they? On his conversion to Christianity:I've been on a sort of spiritual search for 10 years or so. Because actually, so much of what we've been talking about seems to me to be at root, a spiritual question in the broadest sense of that slightly horrible word. That it's actually about what we value. And so much of our destructive nature, it seems to me, comes from our sense of self-worship. So once you believe that there's nothing above you, once you believe that there's nothing sacred about the world, that the world is simply a material object, a giant resource that you can harvest, then you can become quite tyrannical. On Jesus' teaching:It's very interesting to go back to the teachings of Jesus 2000 years ago, and see him basically addressing the same flaws in human nature that we have now. And of course, that's not just true of Christianity. So there's a there's a lesson in radical humility that you can get from it, which I hadn't realised until I started to look at it properly. And that's still working its way through me. It's quite a radical and exciting thing to be happening in a way. Read the Post here See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast
On China's New Silk Road | 05 | China In America’s Backyard: Panama & Mexico

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2021 18:34


Many Latin American countries have joined China’s New Silk Road, including Panama, where Chinese companies now manage ports on both ends of the Panama Canal. As Mexico considers whether to join, some countries in the region are facing heavy pressure from the Trump Administration warning them not to get too close to China. Still, China's investments and loans are seen by many leaders as a way to help their economies. On China’s Silk Road is a production of the Global Reporting Centre in Vancouver, Canada, which produces and teachers global journalism. The podcast was created by Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for US public radio’s The World, working with partner reporters on five continents. The full series is available wherever you get your podcasts or by visiting the Global Reporting Centre podcast project webpage.

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast
On China's New Silk Road | 04 | Rough Seas: Malaysia, Cambodia & Thailand

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2021 19:15


Southeast Asian countries have long managed a complex relationship with China—the region’s biggest trading partner and powerful neighbour. The New Silk Road promises opportunities for economic growth, but at what cost? With China increasingly enforcing its disputed claims to the South China Sea with its military, many Southeast Asians are wary the New Silk Road will help China strengthen its ability to project its power in the region and beyond. On China’s Silk Road is a production of the Global Reporting Centre in Vancouver, Canada, which produces and teachers global journalism. The podcast was created by Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for US public radio’s The World, working with partner reporters on five continents. The full series is available wherever you get your podcasts or by visiting the Global Reporting Centre podcast project webpage.

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast
On China's New Silk Road | 03 | Old World, New Silk Road: Italy & Europe

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2021 19:12


Italian populists—skeptical of the value of EU membership—drove Italy to become the first G7 country to join China’s New Silk Road amid pushback from Europe and the US. Italians hoped this would boost their exports to China and increase Chinese investment in Italy. But not much happened. Then came the pandemic, and generous EU aid, leaving Italians to reassess who their real friends are, and how best to help their economy. On China’s Silk Road is a production of the Global Reporting Centre in Vancouver, Canada, which produces and teachers global journalism. The podcast was created by Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for US public radio’s The World, working with partner reporters on five continents. The full series is available wherever you get your podcasts or by visiting the Global Reporting Centre podcast project webpage.

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast
On China's New Silk Road | 02 | Paving the Old Silk Road: Kazakhstan & Central Asia

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2021 19:50


For centuries, Kazakhstan—situated on the overland route from China to Europe—has played an important role in global trading. Some Kazakhs are optimistic the New Silk Road will ultimately boost their country's economy, but others are wary of China's growing influence in the region, especially in light of its detention of Muslims in neighbouring Xinjiang province. As a former Soviet republic that shares borders with both Russia and China, Kazakhstan looks to safeguard its independence as it negotiates a new relationship with China.. On China’s Silk Road is a production of the Global Reporting Centre in Vancouver, Canada, which produces and teachers global journalism. The podcast was created by Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for US public radio’s The World, working with partner reporters on five continents. The full series is available wherever you get your podcasts or by visiting the Global Reporting Centre podcast project webpage.

Knowledge = Power
On China Henry Kissinger

Knowledge = Power

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2021 1211:01


"Fascinating, shrewd . . . The book deftly traces the rhythms and patterns of Chinese history."—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times In this sweeping and insightful history, Henry Kissinger turns for the first time at book length to a country he has known intimately for decades and whose modern relations with the West he helped shape. On China illuminates the inner workings of Chinese diplomacy during such pivotal events as the initial encounters between China and tight line modern European powers, the formation and breakdown of the Sino-Soviet alliance, the Korean War, and Richard Nixon's historic trip to Beijing. With a new final chapter on the emerging superpower's twenty-first-century role in global politics and economics, On China provides historical perspective on Chinese foreign affairs from one of the premier statesmen of our time.

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast
On China's New Silk Road | 01 | Chengdu

Sunday Extra - Separate stories podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2021 19:23


Chengdu is one of China’s fastest-growing cities, thanks to major investments in infrastructure. Now China’s taking its success at home on the road, promising that infrastructure done well can transform people’s lives around the world. Starting in Chengdu, a stop on both the ancient Silk Road and the new one, this episode looks at how China's effort to create what it's calling a "community of shared destiny" is building on its recent—and extraordinary—economic transformation within its own borders. On China’s Silk Road is a production of the Global Reporting Centre in Vancouver, Canada, which produces and teachers global journalism. The podcast was created by Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for US public radio’s The World, working with partner reporters on five continents. The full series is available wherever you get your podcasts or by visiting the Global Reporting Centre podcast project webpage.

Anticipating The Unintended
#92 India's Marathon 🎧

Anticipating The Unintended

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2020 19:46


This newsletter is really a weekly public policy thought-letter. While excellent newsletters on specific themes within public policy already exist, this thought-letter is about frameworks, mental models, and key ideas that will hopefully help you think about any public policy problem in imaginative ways. It seeks to answer just one question: how do I think about a particular public policy problem/solution?PS: If you enjoy listening instead of reading, we have this edition available as an audio narration courtesy the good folks at Ad-Auris. If you have any feedback, please send it to us.New Book Out! — India’s Marathon: Reshaping the Post-Pandemic World Order— Pranay KotasthaneI’ve co-edited India’s Marathon — a collaborative effort that brings together bold ideas on India’s place in the changing world order from some of India’s finest young thinkers. (India’s Marathon, book cover by Anirudh Kanisetti)Don’t take my word for it. This is what Ambassador Shivshankar Menon writes in his foreword:“This volume poses questions which everyone wants answered but few dare to reply: how will the world order evolve and how can India deal with it? The Takshashila Institution has brought together some of the best minds to answer this question, and to give an Indian perspective on world order issues. Just for this the book deserves to be welcomed. This volume consists of coherent contributions from these scholars covering how India should manage its external relationships and the reforms that India needs to undertake domestically.… No reader would or should agree with everything in this book. I, for one, am not sure that India’s choice is between alignment and non-alignment any more, or that strategic autonomy is an unattainable goal for India. After all, strategic autonomy by one name or another is what all powers, even superpowers, seek. But this book would have served its purpose if it provokes thought and rational discussion about India’s place in the emerging world, whether it is ‘orderly’ or not. Despite the daunting world that seems likely, and the scale and scope of the necessary domestic reforms outlined in this book, I found it reassuring that so many contributors found it possible to rationally conceptualise these issues from an Indian perspective, and to map out a path through the dimly sensed future that awaits us.”Pranay Kotasthane, Anirudh Kanisetti, Nitin Pai (editors). India's Marathon (Kindle Locations 144-150). The Takshashila Institution. Kindle Edition.This Twitter thread lists all chapter ideas and contributors. It’s a stellar list, I tell you.Get your copy from Amazon India. Do give it a read!Global Policy Watch: Fukuyama (et al) And The ‘Middleware’ Solution To Social Media Monopolies — RSJTwitter India did a first last week. It labelled a tweet by BJP IT cell head as ‘manipulated media’. It claimed the label was based on its Synthetic and Manipulated Media policy. This was a policy launched by it in February this year. The rule for its user states:“You may not deceptively share synthetic or manipulated media that are likely to cause harm. In addition, we may label Tweets containing synthetic and manipulated media to help people understand their authenticity and to provide context.”Curbing Digital ColonialismIt is unclear if Twitter found no such tweets in India since February that satisfied the criteria for manipulate media. Surely, this wasn’t the first instance of false information shared by a blue-tick user in India. In any case, a beginning has been made and it will be interesting to see where and how far it will go with this. These steps are part of similar efforts by other social medial platforms to self-regulate themselves as they come under increasing government and regulatory scrutiny. There is a greater urgency among regulators around the world to curb the abuse of the dominant positions of the big tech platforms. EU pursued antitrust charges against Google for over a decade. In 2018, it fined it nearly $10 billion. But not much has come out of it. Google was left to devise its own measures to offer a level playing field to its rivals. Google continues to dominate the search-engine market in Europe with over 90 per cent market share. The U.S. Justice Department last month sued Google for violating federal antitrust laws in running its search and advertising business. Also, the US Congressional investigation into the power of Big Tech (Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google) concluded in September this year with a voluminous 450-page report. The report indicts them in no uncertain terms:"These firms have too much power, and that power must be reined in and subject to appropriate oversight and enforcement. Our economy and democracy are at stake.”India hasn’t yet taken a concrete view about the dominance of Big Tech but there are rumblings. Last month, India’s antitrust regulator (CCI) opened an investigation against Google based on complaints from the start-up ecosystem. The practices of ‘forcing’ the app makers to exclusively use its billing system for in-app purchases and for bundling its payments app with Android smartphones sold in the country are under the regulatory lens. Last month, India brought all OTT platforms under the purview of its Information and Broadcasting ministry by changing the GoI (Allocation of Business) Roles, 1961. And it has been considering regulating the social media platforms and their content for a while now.Not The Usual Lens There are three key points that we have made about regulating Big Tech and social media platforms:Antitrust regulators take the old Chicago school view to monopolies. This looks at monopolies through the economic lens of consumers and checks if they are being harmed by the dominance of monopolies. This is difficult to prove in case of Big Tech monopolies who provide most of their services for free and have deep customer loyalty.The nature of these monopolies is quite different from those of the past. These players have appropriated huge amounts of data, run 2-sided platforms, have asymmetrical knowledge and power over their users, and can easily move into newer businesses based on these strengths. The traditional measures to curb the monopolies like breaking them up or stopping a line of business are difficult to implement.    Economic dominance is only one part of their power. It is the political dominance or the dominance of thought that can be more insidious. Like we wrote in edition #74, “the data and attention appropriation done through these platforms constrain our choices: we live in echo chamber of our opinions, we buy things that are suggested to us and we see a version of reality that’s tailor-made for us and that no one else is seeing. Often the term ‘digital colonialism’ is bandied about when talking about Big Tech. This lack of freedom to be oneself, discover things on our own and not be dispossessed of our right to choose is what colonialism is about.” The current antitrust laws have nothing to manage this.In short, our view was the minimum acceptable price of Big Tech businesses to exist wasn’t zero. It was you. Your data and your liberty. In the normal course of events, politics would be about contestation of ideas and narratives in the political marketplace. And the best or the most acceptable idea would surface from this that would guide the polity. But social media platforms engineer a failure in these markets. The ideas that get pushed to your timelines haven’t won their duels in the marketplace of ideas. They have been programmatically fed to you. That program can be gamed. And Big Tech isn’t willing to solve this problem on its own. It took a long time to even acknowledge it is a problem. We had concluded edition #74 with these lines:“These are early days of policymaking in this area. There’s a need for deeper philosophical and sociological work in this space that will enable our thinking in how to legislate this.”A Novel But Half-formed Approach As if on cue this week we had Francis Fukuyama, Barak Richman, and Ashish Goel publish an article in Foreign Affairs titled How to Save Democracy From Technology: Ending Big Tech’s Information Monopoly. The article picks up the core point made by us. The antitrust regulations are using old tools to solve the economic problem. They may or may not be enough. But they don’t even begin to address the political costs of the Big Tech monopolies. The solution offered is not exactly fleshed out in the article, but it is important because it goes beyond the conventional thinking that has dominated this space.They write:“The economic case for reining in Big Tech is complicated. But there is a much more convincing political case. Internet platforms cause political harms that are far more alarming than any economic damage they create. Their real danger is not that they distort markets; it is that they threaten democracy.”It is remarkably similar to the points made by us in the past. The article then picks up the usual solution to break monopoly power – more regulations, breakup, data probability and privacy laws – and dismisses them all before proposing a solution:“If regulation, breakup, data portability, and privacy law all fall short, then what remains to be done about concentrated platform power? One of the most promising solutions has received little attention: middleware. Middleware is generally defined as software that rides on top of an existing platform and can modify the presentation of underlying data. Added to current technology platforms’ services, middleware could allow users to choose how information is curated and filtered for them. Users would select middleware services that would determine the importance and veracity of political content, and the platforms would use those determinations to curate what those users saw. In other words, a competitive layer of new companies with transparent algorithms would step in and take over the editorial gateway functions currently filled by dominant technology platforms whose algorithms are opaque.”The solution comes with its own set of problems. The authors acknowledge it and posit this as the start of a conversation to find a solution:“Many details would have to be worked out. The first question is how much curation power to transfer to the new companies. At one extreme, middleware providers could completely transform the information presented by the underlying platform to the user, with the platform serving as little more than a neutral pipe. Under this model, middleware alone would determine the substance and priority of Amazon or Google searches, with those platforms merely offering access to their servers. At the other extreme, the platform could continue to curate and rank the content entirely with its own algorithms, and the middleware would serve only as a supplemental filter. Under this model, for example, a Facebook or Twitter interface would remain largely unchanged. Middleware would just fact-check or label content without assigning importance to content or providing more fine-tuned recommendations. The best approach probably lies somewhere in between. Handing middleware companies too much power could mean the underlying technology platforms would lose their direct connection to the consumer. With their business models undermined, the technology companies would fight back. On the other hand, handing middleware companies too little control would fail to curb the platforms’ power to curate and disseminate content. But regardless of where exactly the line were drawn, government intervention would be necessary. Congress would likely have to pass a law requiring platforms to use open and uniform application programming interfaces, or APIs, which would allow middleware companies to work seamlessly with different technology platforms. Congress would also have to carefully regulate the middleware providers themselves, so that they met clear minimum standards of reliability, transparency, and consistency.”As a new approach to deal with the problem of fake news and lies circulating on social media platforms and making it sit well with the notion of free speech, this is a useful starting point. The control of what kind of content we want to see should lie with us. Like it has always been in media, the content consumer has to be active while engaging with it and the provider passive. Not the other way around.Matsyanyaaya: The Strategic Consequences of India’s Low Economic GrowthBig fish eating small fish = Foreign Policy in action— Pranay KotasthaneLast week I came across a data story in The Business Standard and I haven’t been able to erase off my mind. Krishna Kant writes:“Over the past 10 years, India’s per capita GDP is up 35 per cent cumulatively from $1,384 in 2010 to $1,877 now. In the same period, per capita GDP in China rose 141 per cent from $4,500 to $10,839, while it doubled in East Asian countries (excluding Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong) from $4,006 to $8,195.Bangladesh saw the fastest growth with its per capita up nearly two-and-a-half times from $763 in 2010 to around $1,900 at the end of this year. And, Vietnam’s per capita rose 115 per cent from $1,628 to around $3,500.”There’s a nice chart showing how the India growth story lost its way over the last full decade. (Source: Krishna Kant, India's 10-year growth one of the biggest laggards in Asia, EM peers, The Business Standard)The humanitarian consequences of low economic growth are obvious. I won’t bring them up here. The questions I have are concerned with India’s engagement with the world: what would be the strategic consequences of this poor economic performance? Does a decade of slow growth foreclose some options for India? Would India’s position on RCEP have been different had the last decade’s performance been at par with other peers? Would the PRC have been just as aggressive against a more prosperous India? The search for answers took me back to Sanjaya Baru’s 2002 landmark paper titled Strategic Consequences of India’s Economic Performance. The paper captures what scholars were thinking nearly twenty years ago, just before the golden growth years between 2004 and 2009. “For India, there is no doubt that the first and most important challenge is that of accelerating the rate of economic growth and development. Economic performance and capability certainly constitute the foundation of national security and power even more so for a developing nation like India. It will define the limits to military capability and alter the relationship between India and its neighbourhood, especially its two major adversaries, namely, China and Pakistan.The paper’s observations on Pakistan have broadly stood the test of time. The Pakistani military-jihadi complex’s self-defeating policies have strangled the economy in ways that even a nuclear weapons status and use of terrorism as a state policy haven’t been able to offset. The dehyphenation between India and Pakistan in international affairs is now self-evident. However, the story of this last decade is humbling. The gap between the two has increased not because India has done well but because Pakistan has done far worse. On China, the paper argued:“The strategic consequences of the economic competition with China are, there- fore, fundamental to India’s future role within Asia and the global system. If India can sustain above average growth (over 7 per cent per annum in the next decade) and if China experiences a deceleration of growth, coupled with domestic political uncertainty, the widening gap between the two civilisational neighbours can be reversed to an extent. If not, China will emerge as the pre-eminent Asian power and force India into accepting its strategic leadership even within south Asia. The key to this strategic rivalry will be the relative economic performance of the two countries. The main strategic challenge for India in the medium term is, therefore, its relative economic performance vis-à-vis China.”Remarkably prescient. Eighteen years on, the gap between the two countries has only widened. China has been able to forge strong economic ties with all countries in the Indian subcontinent. Economic Reforms NeededThe paper identified these macroeconomic targets essential from a national security perspective:Elimination of the revenue deficit, a manageable fiscal deficit, elimination of wasteful subsidies not targeted to the poor;Low and manageable current account deficit; Low internal and external debt, low short-term debt in overall external debt; Profit-generation by public enterprises; privatisation of non-strategic public enterprises; Self-financing public utilities like power, irrigation water and public transport; An increase in the tax/GDP ratio to levels reached by rapidly industrialising developing countries of around 15 per cent of GDP from the current low of 9 per cent of GDP. What struck me was that eighteen years since, many of these targets still remain aspirations. Lessons for the FutureIt is clear now that China’s rapid and sustained economic development over three decades played a fundamental role in transforming its international stature. The bad news for India is that not only did it start on the same path ten years later than China but it also seems to have fizzled out much earlier.Going ahead as well, India’s economic development will underscore its international role. India’s economic trajectory will decide whether it can play the role of a swing power between the US and China or whether it gets relegated to a weak partner of the US, much like Pakistan is to China. The stakes have never been higher.We put this rather simply in a flowchart to conceptualise India’s future options like this:(Source: India in the Post COVID-19 World Order, Takshashila Discussion SlideDoc)Money Quote: Why Care About Budget Deficits?— Pranay KotasthaneDr M Govinda Rao pointed me to this quote by Martin Feldstein from his LK Jha Memorial Lecture at RBI. Feldstein warned about the adverse consequences of large budget deficits thus:“Unfortunately, it is easy to ignore budget deficits and postpone dealing with them because the adverse effects of budget deficits are rarely immediate. Fiscal deficits are like obesity. You can see your weight rising on the scale and notice that your clothing size is increasing, but there is no sense of urgency in dealing with the problem. That is so even though the long-term consequences of being overweight include an increased risk of a sudden heart attack as well as of various chronic conditions like diabetes. Like obesity, government deficits are the result of too much self-indulgent living as the government spends more than it collects in taxes. And, also like obesity, the more severe the problem, the harder it is to correct: the overweight man has a harder time doing the exercise that could reduce his weight and the economy with a large deficit and debt is trapped by increasing interest payments that cause the deficit and debt to rise more quickly. I emphasize the analogy to stress the point that budget deficits need attention now even when their adverse effects may not be obvious.”Enough said. HomeWorkReading and listening recommendations on public policy matters[Interview] Promarket interviews Fukuyama. “A Loaded Weapon”: Francis Fukuyama on the Political Power of Digital Platforms[eBook] Friedman 50 Years Later series. A collection of 28 essays reflecting on Friedman’s essay on shareholder maximisation[Reports] US Thinktanks CNAS and CFR make the case for two different multilateral arrangements between powerful democracies to take on China in the technological domain[Article] Amit Cowshish and Rahul Bedi have a definitive take on India’s defence pensions system.If you like the kind of things this newsletter talks about, consider taking up the Takshashila Institution’s Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy (PGP) course. It’s a 48-week in-depth online course meant for working professionals. Applications for the Jan 2021 cohort are now open. For more details, check here. Get on the email list at publicpolicy.substack.com

Global Security
As Ethiopia’s civil conflict intensifies, the future for Chinese investment is uncertain

Global Security

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 25, 2020


This essay is part of "On China's New Silk Road," a podcast by the Global Reporting Centre that tracks China's global ambitions. Over nine episodes, Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for The World, partners with local journalists on five continents to uncover the effects of the most sweeping global infrastructure initiative in history. The conflict between Ethiopia’s central government and local government forces in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region has sparked a humanitarian crisis with tens of thousands of refugees. It has threatened to destabilize a wider region in which China is heavily invested — a sobering reminder that grand plans, like China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI), are only as good as ground truths allow them to be.Despite all of Ethiopia’s success in recent years as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, ethnic and political rivalries are fierce and deep. And they haven’t gone away just because China has invested heavily there over the past two decades, or because Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for ending a war with neighboring Eritrea. “We want the Horn of Africa to become a treasury of peace and progress,” Abiy said in his Nobel lecture in December 2019. “Indeed, we want the Horn of Africa to become the 'Horn of Plenty' for the rest of the continent.” The Horn of Africa, which includes Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia, has long been an area of strategic focus for world superpowers. It’s where the Gulf of Aden meets the Red Sea, in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait opposite Yemen, a strategic waterway for oil that leads all the way to the Suez Canal. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States fought proxy wars in Ethiopia and Somalia. Now, both the United States and China have military bases in the tiny coastal country of Djibouti, at a narrow part of the Strait.Much of China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) involves building a belt of land routes and a maritime Silk Road of sea routes around the world, for both economic and strategic purposes. China’s many investments in Djibouti and Ethiopia include a railway that connects them and is also meant to connect Tigray’s capital of Mekelle to Djibouti.Chinese investment has helped transform Ethiopia from one of the world’s poorest and most famine-prone countries to a model for the region of what’s possible — both in terms of rapid progress and self-sabotage of that progress.Chinese investment has helped transform Ethiopia from one of the world’s poorest and most famine-prone countries to a model for the region of what’s possible — both in terms of rapid progress and self-sabotage of that progress.Long before Chinese investment started in earnest in the early 2000s, Ethiopia’s central government fought long wars with Tigray and Eritrea, then both northern Ethiopian regions. The war with Eritrea stretched over 30 years; the war with Tigray lasted 17. Both wars ended in 1991, when Eritrea declared independence and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) took over the central government. Tigrayans stayed in power until political protests elevated Abiy to the prime minister in 2018.Related: China's new Silk Road runs through cyberspace, worrying rivals and privacy advocatesTPLF leaders have not gracefully accepted being shunted aside, despite Tigrayans making up just 6% of Ethiopia’s population. When Abiy started replacing Tigrayns in government, the TPLF left the unity party, retreated to Tigray, and conducted an election in September, in defiance of a government decision to postpone elections due to COVID-19.Tigray’s regional militia is both well-armed and sizable with as many as 250,000 armed fighters. Its recent attack on a national government military base sparked the current conflict, which includes aerial bombing by the central government, in areas where Chinese companies have spent years building infrastructure. While in power, Ethiopia’s Tigrayan prime ministers invited in Chinese investment to build desperately needed roads, dams, industrial parks and more throughout much of Ethiopia, at a time when many Western investors saw Ethiopia as too risky.“China was courageous enough to get involved in such a market,” says Ethiopian economist Getachew Alemu. “So it really helped us.  We used to have a huge backlog of demand for infrastructure, but we didn’t have the finance to finance it and push our economy forward. So, Chinese capital came as a savior for us.” Related: Opening the door to Chinese investment comes with risks for Southeast Asian nationsChina counts the billions of dollars invested in or lent to Ethiopia as part of China’s BRI. By the Chinese government’s calculation, some 140 countries have signed on in some way, including 44 African countries, drawing closer to China over the past two decades under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.“Always standing on an equal footing, China respects African countries’ own decision-making rights, and lets African economies go into global markets through the Chinese market,” wrote Wei Jianguo, a former Chinese vice-minister of commerce in the Chinese Communist Party-run newspaper, The Global Times.Wei counts China’s successes in Africa over the past two decades: building 3,750 miles of railways and roads, and “almost 20 ports, more than 80 large-scale power facilities…more than 130 hospitals and medical centers and more than 170 schools, which have brought significant progress to Africa’s economic and social development.” China’s approach in Africa has received mixed reviews from Africans. The African survey group Afrobarometer found in a survey in 36 African countries in 2014-15, that 63% of Africans surveyed had a favorable view of China. And some African leaders prefer Chinese loans because Chinese lenders aren’t particular, like the World Bank and IMF are, about human rights conditions, corruption levels and whether a project can generate enough economic growth to repay the loan. The Chinese-built African Union complex in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Credit: Courtesy of Mary Kay Magistad But Chinese loans often have higher interest rates and shorter repayment schedules. By contrast, Abiy has equated loans from the IMF and World Bank as being like borrowing from your mother. Ethiopia now owes an estimated $16 billion to Chinese lenders, roughly half of Ethiopia’s total debt. Abiy has called for debt forgiveness for the world’s poorest countries, from all international lenders. Related: China's new Silk Road traverses Kazakhstan. But some Kazakhs are skeptical of Chinese influence. Zambia, too, has struggled to repay its debt. It missed a Eurobond payment, becoming the first African country to default during the COVID-19 pandemic, amid reports that Chinese lenders were pressing to take control of at least one copper mine if Zambia couldn’t repay its debt to China. And then there’s Sudan, where China’s arms-for-oil approach in the early 2000s contributed to mass killings in Darfur, in what the US government later called a genocide, with an estimated 400,000 people killed and thousands more displaced. “In Sudan, in the early 2000s, this was the showcase country, that Chinese oil investment would bring peace, that Chinese infrastructure would develop the country,” says Luke Patey, author of “The New Kings of Crude: China, India and the Global Struggle for Oil in Sudan and South Sudan. ... And what happened — not the Chinese fault, of course, but the Chinese didn’t solve it — there was a civil war, multiple civil wars. Sudan hasn’t developed. Now you have the Janjaweed that were militias in Darfur, displacing and killing civilian populations. They’re now in charge of the country to a large degree. So there wasn’t a happy ending to China’s investments in Sudan.”Whether and when there will be a happier way forward in Ethiopia is now an open question. Here, too, China didn’t cause the conflict, and Chinese interests are squarely behind a peaceful and stable Horn of Africa, so China can move the commodities and other resources it needs from Africa.But one thing China has learned on its new Silk Road is that even the most careful strategic planning only gets you so far. Much is beyond China’s control. And in response to China’s global ambitions, more global players have started their own outreach, with loans and investments, with more countries exercising more agency in deciding who to partner with and how.“They have a lot more confidence than they did before,” says Parag Khanna, a global strategy adviser and author of books including “The Future is Asian.” “And the more the global system becomes a geopolitical marketplace of multiple competing powers, the more agency these smaller countries can actually have.”So for all its imperfections, the Belt & Road Initiative may actually leave as its legacy a more multi-polar world, with states having more infrastructure, more investment, and more options than before, allowing them to better make their own decisions about what kind of future they want, and how to get there. To borrow a phrase China’s leaders like to use: that certainly could be considered a win-win. On China’s New Silk Road podcast is a production of the Global Reporting Centre. Full episodes and transcripts are available here.

On China's New Silk Road
Ethiopia and the Road Ahead

On China's New Silk Road

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2020 49:43


Episode 9: Chinese investment in Africa has built roads, railways, dams, and more, spurring new interest and competition from other global investors. Critics say China’s too often exploitative, including with loans that leave some countries too deeply in debt. But its investments helped famine-prone Ethiopia become one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Now, however, civil strife is putting that success at risk, for both Ethiopia and China. On China's New Silk Road is produced by the Global Reporting Centre.

Global Security
India guards against China’s growing regional plans

Global Security

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2020


This essay is part of "On China's New Silk Road," a podcast by the Global Reporting Centre that tracks China's global ambitions. Over nine episodes, Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for The World, partners with local journalists on five continents to uncover the effects of the most sweeping global infrastructure initiative in history. As winter arrives high up in the Himalayas, troops from Asia’s two giants remain in a tense standoff at their long-contested border, where India and China fought a war in 1962, and then faced off again just months ago. Now the two sides are in talks to deescalate the situation, with a plan on the table to pull back military forces. In hand-to-hand combat around May, Indian and Chinese troops beat each other with sticks and stones — before better-armed soldiers arrived in June. Despite the long-standing agreement not to use gunfire on the non-demarcated Line of Actual Control (LAC) border, at least 20 Indian troops and an undisclosed number of Chinese soldiers died in the clashes. The confrontation also signaled a sharp turn for the worse in India’s and China’s relationship, which had somewhat warmed over the past dozen years, with China becoming one of India’s top trading partners. Chinese companies have helped to build and supply subway lines in India’s cities, with hopes in some quarters that India will be able to further engage China’s experienced construction companies to overhaul aging Indian infrastructure."We can't build enough bridges or we can’t modernize our railways fast enough. So, all of those skills, actually the Chinese have."Santosh Pai, partner, Link Legal“We have an infrastructure deficit,” said Santosh Pai, a partner with Link Legal in New Delhi. Pai lived in China for years and now advises both Chinese companies who want to invest in India and Indian companies seeking to invest in China.“We can't get our roads built fast enough,” said Pai. “We can't build enough bridges or we can’t modernize our railways fast enough. So, all of those skills, actually the Chinese have.”Related: Opening the door to Chinese investment comes with risks for Southeast Asian nationsChina’s telecommunications companies were among those that installed 3G and 4G systems in India. And until the June border clash, Huawei was under consideration to install 5G. Their involvement may now be off the table, and India — not unlike the US — has also banned dozens of Chinese apps, including TikTok, citing security concerns.China’s critics in India consider the prospect of Beijing controlling Delhi’s 5G networks to be potentially most worrying.  “The fear is that they have source code of these technologies and they can manipulate it to their advantage in a critical situation,” says VK Cherian, a telecommunications consultant in New Delhi. “Or they can literally shut off some networks — critical networks.”India’s leaders have also resisted China’s efforts to pull India into other sorts of networks that China leads or dominates. That goes for the new free-trade deal, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Agreement (RCEP), which was signed Nov. 15, and brings together most East Asian countries that represent almost a third of the global economy. And it goes for China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).‘Our sovereign territory’Even before border tensions ramped up, Indian strategists had become increasingly wary of China’s regional and global ambitions — with a Chinese presence now firmly entrenched in deep-water ports to India’s east in Myanmar, to its south in Sri Lanka, and to its west in Pakistan.India has opted not to join China’s BRI, which is a massive project to finance and build roads, railways, ports, pipelines, 5G and other infrastructure in dozens of countries around the world. The objective is to solidify a new network of global trade and power with China at its center.  Related: The ‘China dream’: New Silk Road begins at homeMany Indians — and other Asians — would prefer a region that’s networked in multiple directions — and not dominated by China. That’s one reason India hasn’t joined the BRI or RCEP. India also has a more immediate reason for keeping its distance from China’s Belt and Road endeavors. One of the BRI’s signature projects, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), runs through Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which India sees as its sovereign territory, unlawfully occupied by Pakistan soon after British colonialism ended in 1947. That was when the British separated the Indian subcontinent into two nations: India, a majority Hindu country, and Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country.The area where Chinese and Indian troops are now at loggerheads is the Ladakh area in the greater Kashmir region. Chinese troops seized territory there in the 1962 war and in the more recent summer skirmish. And China claims more territory that India now controls.  Dhruv Katoch, a retired major-general in the Indian army. Credit: Mary Kay Magistad/The World “So far as India is concerned, there is no way we can ever support the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. It passes through our sovereign territory,” says Dhruv Katoch, a retired major-general in the Indian army who spent much of his career defending Indian sovereignty in Kashmir. Katoch has also directed India’s Center for Land Warfare Studies, the Indian army’s premier think tank. He argues that India needs to be alert about China’s Belt and Road activities in Pakistan, including the construction of dams, a railway and a road that will run from China, through Kashmir, diagonally southwest across the country, to Pakistan’s strategically-located port of Gwadar. Gwadar is near the Iranian border and not far from the Strait of Hormuz, which leads to the Persian Gulf. Around one-quarter of the world’s oil passes through there, as do US naval ships, coming and going from their base in Bahrain. China’s BRI includes big expansion plans for the Gwadar port. The development encompasses industrial parks and new housing for Chinese workers. The vision is consistent with a Chinese strategy called “port-park-city,” which promotes urban growth starting with port facilities and then continuing with other infrastructure. The term also is associated with the idea that China can build for predominantly civilian use now but pivot toward potential military use later. ‘Very major security concern’Katoch is troubled by the road passing from China through contested Kashmir to Gwadar.“I think it is a very major security concern,” Katoch says. “To protect that road, a very large number of Pakistani military troops are employed. But what is not known is that a very large number of Chinese soldiers are also employed.”“These soldiers are not in uniform, but they are part of the security apparatus of the Chinese state,” he added. “And I think it gives China and Pakistan a nexus to join hands from this particular area should any hostilities take place between India and China.” A general view of signs along a highway leading to Gwadar, Pakistan, April 12, 2017. Credit: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters Isfandiyar Pataudi, a Pakistani retired major-general who was once up for consideration to head Pakistan’s premier military intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), disputes that any armed Chinese are operating in Pakistan.“No foreigner can carry a weapon in Pakistan, including Chinese,” he says. “That’s the rule.  And so this fear — American audiences need to dispel — that there is going to be a Chinese outpost at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.” Gwadar has more challenges than most BRI ports. It’s in Balochistan, one of Pakistan’s poorest provinces. Over the years, it’s seen outsiders come in to mine copper and gold and drill for oil, leaving little benefit for ethnic Baloch people.Now, with China’s presence, the separatist Baloch Liberation Army has pushed back with repeated attacks on Chinese workers, on a luxury hotel in Gwadar, and on the Chinese consulate in Karachi. But still, Chinese construction continues. “I think China’s had its eyes on Gwadar Port for a very long time,” says Taha Siddiqui, a Pakistani journalist who long covered Balochistan. “And it’s going to get that no matter what, and keep that, no matter what.”

On China's New Silk Road
The Other Asian Giant: India

On China's New Silk Road

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2020 44:38


Episode 8: China is one of India's top trading partners, but India has chosen not to be part of China's New Silk Road. It's not wild about a future in which China leads Asia, much less the world. So India's offering its own investments and vision of a more multipolar world. And with Chinese and Indian troops in a tense stand-off on their contested border, India's strengthening its ties with the US, Japan, Australia and others, to counterbalance China's influence. On China's New Silk Road is produced by the Global Reporting Centre.

WorldAffairs
By Building Roads, China Paves Way for World Domination

WorldAffairs

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2020 28:34


As tensions intensify between President Trump and Xi Jinping, China is pursuing its global ambitions through the “Belt and Road Initiative,” a massive global infrastructure project. In her new podcast, former NPR Beijing correspondent Mary Kay Magistad partners with local journalists on five continents to investigate the initiative’s impact. She joins journalist Shuang Li to explain how China tightens its hold on communities by building roads and pipelines around the world.   Guest:  Mary Kay Magistad, Creator & Host, “On China’s New Silk Road” and former East Asia correspondent for NPR, & for PRX's The World Shuang Li, Journalist and documentary filmmaker   If you appreciate this episode and want to support the work we do, please consider making a donation to World Affairs. We cannot do this work without your help. Thank you.​

Dave Lee on Investing
Interview with Chicken Genius Singapore - TSLA, SQ, LMND, and more! (Ep. 173)

Dave Lee on Investing

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 28, 2020 95:32


Interview with @Chicken Genius Singapore Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 2:40 - What got Chicken started on YT 6:05 - Confidence during the recession 7:30 - Future plans 9:15 - Dealing with trolls 10:15 - Researching crypto 15:15 - Bitcoin risks 22:45 - India tracking financial transactions 24:30 - Gov issued crypto 24:45 - How got interested in Tesla 31:40 - When first think, “I need to buy TSLA stock” 32:50 - Background, job, business 34:40 - Meaning of “Chicken Genius Singapore” 35:45 - Lemonade Insurance 48:20 - Square 59:55 - US stock market valuation and corrections 1:06:20 - Tesla in China 1:08:00 - What Chinese gov wants 1:11:30 - View on China 1:14:00 - US China relations 1:19:50 - Question of Chinese copying Tesla 1:21:55 - US China trade war and tension risk to Tesla 1:26:30 - On China kicking out Tesla 1:28:10 - Risk of a Chinese trading block 1:32:40 - Hobbies Social

Global Security
China's new Silk Road runs through cyberspace, worrying rivals and privacy advocates

Global Security

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2020


This essay is part of "On China's New Silk Road," a podcast by the Global Reporting Centre that tracks China's global ambitions. Over nine episodes, Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for The World, partners with local journalists on five continents to uncover the effects of the most sweeping global infrastructure initiative in history.To win the hearts and minds of Mexicans, marketers from China’s Huawei telecommunications giant figured they’d sponsor a popular soccer team called Club America.  “That was the best thing ever that we could invest in,” says Adriana Moreno who, until recently, headed Huawei Latin America’s marketing and communications for businesses in Huawei’s regional headquarters in Mexico City. In what Moreno calls a remarkably short time, Mexicans went from sneering at Chinese products as cheap and low quality, to cheering for a team with the Huawei logo on their shirts, buying more Huawei smartphones, and being impressed with the value for their money. At the same time, Huawei has been lobbying to build end-to-end 5G telecommunications networks for Mexico, and throughout Latin America and the world — as it promotes its ability to offer all-in-one 5G networks, as a key part of China’s “digital Silk Road.” It’s part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative — building out roads, railways, ports, pipelines, and laying fiberoptic cables around the world. Its vision is to create a new network of global trade and power, with China at the center.  Since 2012, the US government has been urging people to stay away from Huawei, citing its equipment as a security risk. It has also banned Huawei from using US-made technology, including semiconductors.  China is fast becoming a global leader in cutting-edge technologies — such as artificial intelligence, facial recognition, surveillance and 5G — and is exporting them worldwide. Fans like the high quality and low cost. But critics say China’s technology enables authoritarian control and increases dependence on an autocratic state. They’re calling for democracies, including the US, to work together to create a tech ecosystem that protects privacy and freedom of speech.Related: The ‘China dream’: The new Silk Road begins at home Compared to the current 4G telecommunications networks that connect most of the world, 5G transmits much more data, much faster, with more capacity and less latency. It can power the Internet of Things, communicating with your smart thermostat and smart appliances — and perhaps with your future driverless electric car. But these days, the Trump administration — and President Donald Trump himself — have been urging US allies in Latin America and around the world to avoid Huawei, too. “We convinced many countries, many countries — and I did this myself, for the most part — not to use Huawei, because we think it’s an unsafe security risk,” Trump said in July. “It’s a big security risk. And I talked many countries out of using it. If they want to do business with us, they can’t use it.” One concern is that Huawei equipment may contain vulnerabilities or “backdoors” that allow Chinese state security to access the data of those who use it — in the same way that some US equipment has been discovered to have to have backdoors, sometimes installed in foreign exports by the National Security Agency, or NSA.   Huawei denies having backdoors. Whether it does or not, a Chinese national intelligence law passed in 2017 says Chinese citizens and organizations, including companies, must help Chinese intelligence organs if they ask for help. "...if you're using the Chinese technology, your data is not just in those private companies’ hands, such as Google or Apple. Your data is essentially in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.”Xiao Qiand, founder, China Digital Times“So, in other words, if you're using the Chinese technology, your data is not just in those private companies’ hands, such as Google or Apple. Your data is, essentially, in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party,” says Xiao Qiang, a native of Beijing and founder of China Digital Times. Qiang also heads the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Information’s Counter-Power Lab, an interdisciplinary research group that focuses on digital rights and internet freedom.That’s a risk, he argues, for those signing on to China’s digital Silk Road —whether having China install a 5G network or a "smart city" surveillance camera system. It’s even a risk at the personal level, he says, for users of Chinese apps like TikTok and WeChat, both of which the Trump administration has targeted in an effort to limit or control their use within the United States.“The form of generalized surveillance and political repression that most concerns me is the pervasive surveillance of WeChat, which is the chat and everything else app that pretty much all Chinese people who use smartphones are going to be using,” says Graham Webster, a research scholar who edits the DigiChina project at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center. WeChat concentrates a huge amount of personal data in one place: who you know, who you talk to and what you say, where you go and when, what you buy, and medical and banking records. The app is used by most Chinese within China, where it’s largely considered a must-have convenience and not a surveillance tool.Related: WeChat users in the US rankled by potential ban on the app But the Chinese government has increased surveillance since President Xi Jinping took over China’s top leadership in 2012. It has even been experimenting with a “social credit” system that rewards what the Communist Party considers good behavior and punishes transgressions, both financial and political. Already, millions of Chinese have been blocked from buying plane and high-speed train tickets through various local versions of this system.Other government surveillance in China is done through millions of security cameras, facial and voice recognition technology and artificial intelligence. On its digital Silk Road, it has exported surveillance camera systems to countries such as Ecuador. Within China, the government has used this cutting-edge surveillance technology on Uighurs, Turkic Muslims who live in China’s western region of Xinjiang, who the Chinese government largely distrusts as being separatists. Hundreds of thousands of Uighurs have been detained over the past three years, while many more face a daily gauntlet of checkpoints.“The human rights abuses in Xinjiang are nothing short of ongoing atrocities,” Webster says. “And there’s a technology element there, in that the people who are being targeted may be recognized through facial recognition tools — which, by the way, have high error rates and are likely to misidentify people all the time.”But the dystopian digital future that Xinjiang’s experience shows is not inevitable, even as China’s digital Silk Road rolls out globally. Nor is the digital Silk Road only something to be feared and blocked. China’s ability to make affordable high-quality technology cheaply has put smartphones in the hands of hundreds of millions of people in developing countries who otherwise may not have been able to afford them. It has also created ever-faster networks to connect them.The trick in building a more positive, less invasive digital future, Webster says, is to take more seriously the fact that values are embedded in how technologies are made and regulated and be more proactive in steering both in a less invasive and predatory direction. “These could be some pretty darned compelling products around the world,” he says. “If there's a whole technological ecosystem that is more respecting of freedoms and privacy and data security, then that would contrast with the Chinese offerings, which are built for surveillance and manipulation and, frankly, for lower cost.”

On China's New Silk Road
China's Digital Silk Road

On China's New Silk Road

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2020 48:20


Episode 7: China is fast becoming a global leader in cutting edge technologies—such as AI, facial recognition, surveillance, and 5G—and is exporting them worldwide. Fans like the high quality and low cost. Critics say China’s technology enables authoritarian control and increases dependence on an autocratic state. They call for democracies, including the U.S., to work together to create a tech ecosystem that protects privacy and freedom of speech. On China's New Silk Road is produced by the Global Reporting Centre.

On China's New Silk Road
China’s Arctic Ambition

On China's New Silk Road

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 7, 2020 42:54


Episode 6: China’s leaders see climate change as an opportunity in the Arctic, where a new shorter trade route is emerging as ice melts. With its Polar Silk Road, China is targeting access to rare earths, uranium, fish stocks, oil, gas—and the strategic benefits of having a presence in the Arctic. China’s initiative has revived U.S. interest in the region and stoked concerns over an ambitious rising power. On China's New Silk Road is produced by the Global Reporting Centre.

Global Security
China's new Silk Road runs through Latin America, prompting warnings from the US

Global Security

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2020


This essay is part of "On China's New Silk Road," a podcast by the Global Reporting Centre that tracks China's global ambitions. Over nine episodes, Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for The World, partners with local journalists on five continents to uncover the effects of the most sweeping global infrastructure initiative in history. The Panama Canal was a marvel of American engineering when it built more than a century ago. It’s still pretty impressive, moving up huge container ships from one ocean, level by level, through three locks to a lake well above sea level, then down again and on to another ocean. Over the past century, the Panama Canal has helped transform global shipping. It can shave off two weeks or more from the route of otherwise having to go around the horn of South America —  saving shippers time and money, with the bonus of skipping the stormy seas.Related: The 'China dream': China's new Silk Road begins at homeAmericans didn’t just build the Panama Canal. For most of the 20th century, from 1903 to 1979, they also controlled it. The US military was based on a strip of land that ran the entire length of the canal and 10 miles across.  But Panamanians generally weren’t allowed to enter the Panama Canal Zone. That created both mystique and resentment and eventually led to an end to what pro-independence protesters saw as a neocolonial American presence. American housing in the old Panama Canal Zone has now been left to rot, with graffiti thick on the walls. And Panamanians are proud to control the Panama Canal themselves.“Even from high in the government, they have recognized that the canal is running efficiently — even better now than in the old system,” said Johnny Wong, an engineer who worked on the Panama Canal for three decades. He helped oversee an expansion project of the canal from 2007 to 2016, adding an extra lane and doubling the canal’s capacity.China is now interested in the Panama Canal both for its economic utility in cutting time and cost on shipping routes, and for its strategic and symbolic value, with China aspiring to replace the US as the global, preeminent power. Johnny Wong is an engineer who helped oversee expansion of the Panama Canal. He is one of many Panamanians of Chinese ancestry.  Credit: Mary Kay Magistad/The World For 20 years, Hutchison Ports, a Hong Kong company, managed ports at either end of the canal.A Chinese state-owned company plans to build a bridge over the canal. Another has built a convention center and a cruise ship terminal on the Pacific side of the canal, where the Chinese government also wanted to build a new embassy — until pushback from both the United States and Panama caused them to look elsewhere. Several other Chinese projects were also proposed since Panama joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative in 2017, including a high-speed rail system across Panama. “Belt and Road” stands for a belt of land routes and a maritime Silk Road of sea routes — which is what China aims to build with this global infrastructure initiative. Most of the world’s countries have signed on or expressed interest in it. When Panama shifted its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in June 2017, a step needed to join the Belt and Road later that year, then-President Juan Carlos Varela sat down for an interview with China’s state-run CGTN television network. “China has the largest population in the world, has the second-largest economy, [and] is the second-main user of the Panama Canal,” Varela said. Varela also said he gave the Trump administration about an hour’s notice of Panama’s decision to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative. “This is our decision,” he said. “And I’m pretty sure I did the right thing for our people.”The Trump administration soon made it clear it had a different view. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Panama in late 2018 and warned against what he called China’s “predatory economic activity.”  Related: China's new Silk Road traverses Kazakhstan. But some Kazakhs are skeptical of Chinese influence. Soon after, Chinese projects in Panama started being scaled back, canceled or rejected. A $4 billion high-speed rail project was canceled. A $2.5 billion monorail project, linking Panama City with its western suburbs, went to South Korea’s Hyundai instead of, as earlier expected, to a Chinese company. The Panama Canal bridge to be built by a top Chinese state-owned company was scaled back. Negotiations between Panama and China for a free trade agreement stalled. And Panama’s government said it will audit Hutchison Ports and is considering whether to renew its concession when it expires in 2022. Patiently and methodically, China is using its Belt and Road Initiative to expand and strengthen its strategic presence around the world, including in what has long been called the United States’ backyard.Welcome to a 21st-century version of the Great Game. The 19th-century version had imperial Russia and imperial Great Britain vying for influence and access to resources in Central Asia. Now, it’s the world’s two top economies vying for influence around the world: the United States as the incumbent premier power, and China as an ambitious contender for that position. China, patiently and methodically, is using its Belt and Road Initiative to expand and strengthen its strategic presence around the world, including in what has long been called the United States’ backyard.“Our government, the generals and the president should have sat down and said, ‘Hey, something is going on around here,’” said retired US Sergeant First Class Sidney Thomas, on a cruise down the Panama Canal in November 2019. He was born in Panama, moved to the United States as a kid, and came back to Panama with the US military in the 1970s. “It’s like playing checkers, or even chess. You make a move, and you wait for the other person. If the other person doesn’t make a move, you study the board to get an advantage. So, yeah — I believe China has an advantage now.” China has been investing heavily in Latin America for more than a decade. It has built roads and dams in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest as land is cleared to grow more soybeans for export to China. It has also built or expanded ports in Peru, Mexico, Panama; a dam and surveillance system in Ecuador; and dozens of other projects throughout the region. In Latin America, 19 countries have now joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative — after a decade in which trade between China and Latin America increased more than twentyfold.  The hope across much of Latin America had been that signing on to Belt and Road membership would bring more Chinese investment of the kind each country needed, and more opportunities for Latin American countries to export to China, narrowing often sizable trade imbalances. That hasn’t always happened. Venezuela and Ecuador, in particular, now have high debts to China and new economic woes in the wake of COVID-19. The region’s four largest economies — Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico — still haven’t signed a Belt and Road Initiative agreement. Together, they account for 70% of Latin America’s gross domestic product. But the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei is already building 5G networks in Mexico and Argentina, and has done pilot runs of its 5G technology in Brazil. “Mexico has to be always open to build up a strategic relationship with China, but always very, very clear: It has to be a relationship that is well-balanced. We don’t want to create any type of dependency, not to China, neither to the United States.” Idelfonso Giajardo, Mexico's former Secretary of Economy“Mexico has to be always open to build up a strategic relationship with China, but always very, very clear: It has to be a relationship that is well-balanced. We don’t want to create any type of dependency, not to China, neither to the United States,” Mexico’s former Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo told Isabella Cota, a Mexican journalist and economic correspondent for the Spanish newspaper, El Pais.   Isabella Cota is the economic correspondent for the Spanish newspaper El Pais and a partner reporter for the "On China’s New Silk Road" podcast. Credit: Mary Kay Magistad/The World Later, Cota — a partner reporter for the “On China’s New Silk Road” podcast — said the hit Mexico’s economy is taking from COVID-19 is causing the government to consider the best way forward. Mexico’s central bank has warned the economy could contract by almost 13%, and 15 million or more Mexicans could fall out of the middle class and into poverty. Chinese investment in the Mayan Train, a 900-milelong tourist train on the Yucatán Peninsula and in an oil refinery may help. But Cota says many Mexicans are looking to the new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement — the new North American Free Trade Agreement — more than anything else. “Mexican officials are just so hopeful that this is going to be the thing that makes the economy come back in Mexico,” Cota said. “I’m not so sure it’s going to work out that way, at least not immediately. But this shift in mentality is important. It’s been kind of like being more grounded, being more realistic about Mexico’s opportunities. Cota says it’s not clear yet how Mexico is going to balance its long-standing and close economic relationship with the United States, and new investment opportunities that may be coming from China.  “But I think that they’re going to try and get the best of both worlds,” she said. “And you know what? Quite frankly, I hope they do. Because we need as much investment and as much opportunity as we can get in Mexico.”

Inkstone
Presidential debate: Donald Trump blames ‘China plague’ for US economic woes

Inkstone

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 30, 2020 6:22


The #PresidentialDebate2020 was a controversial affair full of interruptions and name-calling. On China, Trump blamed the country for America’s economic woes

Global Security
Italy is caught in the middle of the EU's tussle with its 'systemic rival,' China

Global Security

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2020 7:43


This essay is part of "On China's New Silk Road," a podcast by the Global Reporting Centre that tracks China's global ambitions. Over nine episodes, Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for The World, partners with local journalists on five continents to uncover the effects of the most sweeping global infrastructure initiative in history. If Venice makes you think of scenic canals and singing gondoliers, think, too, about how Venice was once a center of global trade. Goods from as far off as China would travel on the ancient Silk Road, in ships that would sail right up to the city’s San Marco Square. That trade brought Venice wealth, ideas, innovations — and disease. The bubonic plague, which geneticists have traced to its origins in China, wiped out a third of Venice’s — and Europe’s — population in the mid-14th century. Venice’s innovation then was to isolate incoming travelers on islands until it was clear they weren’t infected. It was the dawn of the quarantine.Now, in a new pandemic, Italy faces new challenges. Its economy was already in recession with high unemployment before COVID-19 hit this spring. In March 2019, disgruntled populists, skeptical that the European Union had much to offer Italy, led the way to make Italy the first G7 country to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — a global infrastructure initiative to build a belt of land routes and a maritime road of sea routes, in which Chinese loans and investments, and mostly Chinese state-owned companies, are building roads, railways, ports, pipelines, 5G networks and more around the world.  The hope was that joining the BRI would help Italy export more of its products to China, narrow its considerable trade gap and pull in new Chinese investment. China has already invested some $20 billion in Italy over the past 20 years. But that investment peaked four or five years before Italy joined the BRI. And significant new Chinese investment, or a new Chinese appetite for Italian exports, hasn’t exactly been pouring in since — certainly not this year amid a pandemic.  Related: The 'China dream': China's new Silk Road begins at homeBut Italy’s move closer to China, which the European Union calls “a systemic rival,” served as a wakeup call to the EU: If it doesn’t help member economies when they’re feeling economic pain, they could come up with solutions that may not be in the EU’s strategic interests. When Italy’s economy reeled under COVID-19, the EU offered Italy help: more than $200 billion in cheap loans and grants from the EU’s coronavirus recovery plan, an outsized share of the $890 billion total available in the fund.The EU appeared to be applying a lesson learned during the 2008 financial crisis. At the time, it insisted that an already suffering Greece undergo austerity measures. Instead of being squeezed indefinitely, Greece accepted investment from the Chinese state-owned China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) to manage, and eventually buy, a majority stake in Greece’s storied ancient port of Piraeus, which also happens to be one of Europe’s most strategically located ports. COSCO’s investment has helped transform Piraeus into the busiest port in the Mediterranean.Chinese investments in the Italian ports of Genoa and Trieste were mentioned in the memorandum of understanding Italy signed when it joined China’s BRI last year, a fact that got some Europeans speculating about whether a Chinese presence in those ports would be a Trojan horse for China to dominate central Europe.Michele Geraci is an Italian economist who, as Italy’s undersecretary of economic development at the time, was instrumental in moving Italy to join the BRI. He dismisses such concerns as overblown, given how many European ports China already manages or owns.“When we hear warnings that Chinese should not invest in the Italian ports, it’s too late. China has already invested in all major European ports and almost manages 15 to 20% of European traffic.”Michele Geraci, former Italian undersecretary  of economic development“We have Bilbao, Valencia, Antwerp in Belgium, Zeebrugge, Piraeus in Greece of course, Dunkirk, Le Havre, Marseilles, Nantes in France, Malta, Rotterdam in the Netherlands,” he says. “So when we hear warnings that Chinese should not invest in the Italian ports, it’s too late. China has already invested in all major European ports and almost manages 15 to 20% of European traffic.” The container port in Trieste, Italy.  Credit: Courtesy of Mary Kay Magistad The challenge, he says, should be for Italians to figure out how to make Chinese investment work for Italy’s interests.And in Trieste, a picturesque city rising above the Adriatic Sea, with a port going back to the Roman Empire, and a free port for 300 years, port president Zeno D’Agostino sees great opportunity.“We must try to use this opportunity, which is to be a node in world logistics,” he says. Related: China's new Silk Road traverses Kazakhstan. But some Kazakhs are skeptical of Chinese influence.D’Agostino says he’s been working with Chinese partners to get more Italian exports to eastern China. He’s looking to develop areas of Trieste’s free port, with factories and warehouses to take advantage of its free trade status — only paying duty on goods when they leave the warehouses.  He’d been expecting this kind of investment from the Chinese. But while that’s been slow to come, the publicity that came to Trieste when Italy joined China’s BRI has drawn in more European investors. “I don’t need the money of the Chinese, I can tell you, without problem,” D’Agostino says. “So if we do what we agreed, we are both satisfied. If they do what they want, and it’s something different from what we agreed, we cannot do [it].”Italy’s “Golden Power” rules prohibit the sale of ports and other strategic assets to foreign entities. Back in Venice, the head of its modern Marghera Port, Pino Musolino, says it’s a good thing Italy has those restrictions because China has proven adept at establishing a presence at strategic ports all the way from China to Europe.“The Belt and Road [Initiative] is not just about infrastructure,” he says. “It's a huge design aimed at controlling trade flows and controlling the main global value chains. If you control those, you don't need to control any army anymore. You are controlling the very specific wealth of any country along those economical corridors. Chinese are very much aware of this, and they are doing a very good job on this, honestly. And they are also very straight forward on this, I have to say, I don't see them particularly scheming on this. They have a clear goal and they are pursuing it.” Italy’s government, made up of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the center-left Democratic Party, is working out its own goals for what they expect to be an economic bounce next year, after Italy’s economy contracts 8 to 9% this year. There’s talk of upgrading train lines and creating a fast broadband network. China’s Huawei had been in the running. Italy’s leaders have since reconsidered using them, citing security concerns.

Global Security
China's new Silk Road traverses Kazakhstan. But some Kazakhs are skeptical of Chinese influence.

Global Security

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2020 17:55


This essay is part of "On China's New Silk Road," a podcast by the Global Reporting Centre that tracks China's global ambitions. Over nine episodes, Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for The World, partners with local journalists on five continents to uncover the effects of the most sweeping global infrastructure initiative in history. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Almaty, Kazakhstan’s capital, in 2013, seemed like another boring meeting worth skipping, according to Dulat Yesnazar, then a college student studying international relations. Xi had come to announce the launch of one of the most sweeping global infrastructure initiatives in history. “I thought it was just another of those programs where you just talk much and do nothing — or do little,” Yesnazar said.  Now, as a journalist, Dulat sees China’s new Silk Road — also called the Belt and Road Initiative — as an effort to extend its reach and its power.“It’s just part of China’s ambitions, big ambitions, of being hegemon,” he says.The Belt and Road Initiative, rolled out by the Chinese government in 2013, aims to build a belt of land and sea routes that stretches from East Asia to Europe, spanning some 70 countries. Kazakhstan has called itself a buckle in that belt, echoing the centuries on the ancient Silk Road when Kazakhstan was at the crossroads for caravans of traders from China, India, Persia, Turkey, and beyond. But many Kazakhs are skeptical of China’s intentions and its promises to make the new Silk Road a “win-win” for both countries.In recent years, protests have erupted in Kazakhstan against Chinese workers taking jobs Kazakhs can do, or over what some see as increasing Chinese political influence in Kazakhstan.  Related: The 'China dream': China's new Silk Road begins at homeProtesters pressured the Kazakh government to be more transparent about the nature of Chinese investments. Finally, in 2019, the government released data showing 55 Kazakh projects are receiving Chinese new Silk Road investment and loans totaling $27.6 billion, with approximatley of half going toward oil and gas-related projects. Some protesters have called for some of those projects to be scrapped.But other Kazakhs see the Belt and Road Initiative as an opportunity to help Kazakhstan’s economy, and to get investments that weren’t so easy for Kazakhs to land elsewhere. Almas Chukin, an entrepreneur in Almaty, says he landed a Chinese investment for a wind energy project in Kazakhstan he’d been trying to do for a decade.“We traveled to the United State a few times, but when the first question was, ‘Where is Kazakhstan?’ you understand they’re not going to give you money.”Almas Chukin, entrepreneur, Almaty, Kazakhstan“We traveled to the United State a few times, but when the first question was, ‘Where is Kazakhstan?’ you understand they’re not going to give you money,” he says with a chuckle.  He ticks off his next stops: London? Nope. Paris? Not interested. Turkey? “More words than deeds,” he says.  Almas Chukin, an entrepreneur who got Chinese funding for Kazakhstan’s first major wind energy projects after US and European potential investors turned him down.  Credit: Mary Kay Magistad/The World “And with China, we finally got the project,” he says. The result, he says, will be Kazakhstan’s first major wind energy project at a time when the Kazakh government has committed to moving toward using more renewable energy.  Chinese investment is also helping to transform Kazakhstan’s border with China. On the Kazakh side, there’s now a new dry port where companies load containers onto trains, with plans for much more. And in a new free trade zone on both sides of the border, a new Chinese city has sprung up in Khorgos, where a dusty trading town used to be. Kazakh shoppers come in by the busload to snap up bargains and sell them for a profit back home. “Business is good and getting better,” says Li Xin, a Chinese shop owner in Khorgos who sells handbags and other women’s accessories, who came from northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province. “I didn’t know much about this place, or about the Belt and Road, before I came here. But I’m glad I did.”Li says she thinks she’s here to stay, and she hopes the Belt and Road strengthens relations between Kazakhs and Chinese. She says she hopes the two sides can learn to communicate better. Unintentionally illustrating the challenge, she calls Kazakhs mao zi, the Pinyin spelling of a somewhat derogatory term in Chinese for “Russian.”  When it comes to cultural understanding across the border, the easiest cultural understanding may be between Kazakhs, most of whom are Muslim, and Uighurs, the Turkic Muslim population that, until recently, had been the majority in Xinjiang — the region of China that abuts Kazakhstan. When China’s Communist Party came to power in 1949, it encouraged Han Chinese — the ethnic majority in China — to move to Xinjiang and tame China’s wild west. Uighurs are now a minority in Xinjiang.And over the past three years, Chinese officials have forced hundreds of thousands of Uighur and ethnic Kazakh Muslims into so-called "reeducation camps" and other forms of detention. Chinese officials insist these measures are necessary to prevent extremism, terrorism and separatism. Related: Sterilization abuse of Uighurs in China meets international legal criteria for genocide, experts sayDetainees who have been released tell of being beaten, made to eat pork — against usual Islamic practice — and to recite propaganda.  “Every day, we’d spend 45 minutes learning Chinese and glorifying the Communist Party and President Xi Jinping,” says Gulzira Auelkhan, who was detained for 15 months. An ethnic Kazakh, she was born in Xinjiang as a Chinese citizen, married a Kazakh man, and moved to Kazakhstan. She was detained at the Kazakhstan-China border on her way home to Xinjiang to visit her sick father.   Kazakhs in Almaty hold up photos of their relatives being held in detention in Xinjiang, China. Credit: Kazakhs in Almaty hold up photos of their relatives being held in detention in Xinjiang, China. Auelkhan’s husband was eventually able to bring her home to Kazakhstan — but not before she’d completed a stretch of forced labor, making gloves for export to Germany and the US. Her experience did nothing to sell her on the win-win promises China makes about the new Silk Road.“I don’t believe that Kazakhstan and China are friends. ... I think this project is part of China’s expansion. I think they’re trying to take over other countries.”Gulzira Auelkhan, an ethnic Kazakh“I don’t believe that Kazakhstan and China are friends,” she says. “I think this project is part of China’s expansion. I think they’re trying to take over other countries.” And, she says, it seems they want to “erase Islam” within China’s borders.  Kazakhstan’s leaders are left to balance between the potential economic windfall of strengthening economic ties with China under the New Silk Road, and many Kazakhs’ desire to protect their sovereignty, culture, and religious preferences, as they watch with concern the way Chinese authorities are treating Muslims just across the border. “It’s extremely destructive, because they’re creating this horrible node for just decades to come,” says Gene Bunin, an Almaty-based scholar of the Uighur language, who created an online database of detainees called shahit.biz.  “You’re just going to have a lot of broken people who don’t know what to do with their frustrations.”

Sinica Podcast
Mary Kay Magistad - On China's New Silk Road (Episode 1: The China Dream)

Sinica Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2020 44:45


This week, we're delighted to bring you the first episode of Mary Kay Magistad's brand new podcast, On China's New Silk Road. Mary Kay is a veteran China reporter and a dear friend of the Sinica Podcast – a frequent guest in our early days. After she moved back to the States, she created another great podcast called Who's Century It It?, a show that often looked at issues related to China. We know that Sinica's audience would really appreciate her latest series and wanted to share it with you. On China's New Silk Road is a production of the Global Reporting Centre, a nonprofit group that teaches, practices and promotes innovation in global journalism. Make sure to subscribe to this great new series! We hope you enjoy this first episode.

PRI: Arts and Entertainment
The 'China dream': The new Silk Road begins at home

PRI: Arts and Entertainment

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2020 17:46


In the first episode of "On China's New Silk Road," The World's former China correspondent Mary Kay Magistad looks at Chengdu, China, a stop on both the ancient Silk Road and the new one, for clues on China's global influence via its Belt and Road Initiative.

Global Security
The 'China dream': The new Silk Road begins at home

Global Security

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2020 17:46


This essay is part of "On China's New Silk Road," a podcast by the Global Reporting Centre that tracks China's global ambitions. Over nine episodes, Mary Kay Magistad, a former China correspondent for The World, partners with local journalists on five continents to uncover the effects of the most sweeping global infrastructure initiative in history.If you’d asked Chinese people a decade ago to define the “Chinese dream,” you might have heard answers that sounded a lot like the American dream: opportunity, self-made prosperity, time for leisure with good friends and  family, a happy life.  I asked that very question in different parts of China in the leadup to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and in the years just after, when I was The World’s China correspondent. China, at that point, had undergone an extraordinary economic transformation, using profits from being the factory of the world to build cities, highways, airports and high-speed rail all over the country, connecting people and raising incomes, living standards and expectations. But when President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012 as Communist Party chief, and in 2013 as president, he made it clear he had a different dream. The "China dream," he said, is for China to be strong again in the world, as it was for centuries. He has called on Chinese to unite behind this one shared dream and make it a reality.  As part of that plan, President Xi launched a new initiative in the same year he became president. He even enshrined it in China’s constitution — it’s that important to his vision of China’s place in the world. It’s called the new Silk Road, a new take on the era centuries ago when caravans of traders came from Europe through Central Asia, to China, when ships sailed from China to Southeast Asia to Europe.It’s called the new Silk Road, a new take on the era centuries ago when caravans of traders came from Europe through Central Asia, to China, when ships sailed from China to Southeast Asia to Europe.  The new Silk Road is also called the "Belt and Road Initiative" — as in, a belt of land routes and a maritime Silk Road of sea routes, connecting China with much of Asia, Africa and Europe, with more projects in Latin America, the Arctic, in cyberspace and in space.   A street in Chengdu, China, a stop on both the ancient Silk Road and the new one. Credit: Courtesy of Mary Kay Magistad Most of the world’s countries have signed on to be part of it, and so far, China has laid out more than half a trillion dollars in loans and investments, with mostly Chinese construction teams now applying abroad the infrastructure-building experience they learned at home. China’s leaders pitch the new Silk Road as a “win-win.” In some countries, Chinese investments and infrastructure building have indeed helped create jobs and boost incomes, just as similar efforts did in China.  In other countries, people aren’t so sure about the “win-win” thing. Some joke about this being a double win for China, with China giving loans for projects that seem to serve China’s long-term interests more than meet the most pressing local needs. At least eight new Silk Road partner countries are carrying too much debt for their financial health, a study by the Center for Global Development in Washington, DC, has found. In my new podcast with The Global Reporting Centre, “On China’s New Silk Road,” I team up with local journalists in five continents to explore how China’s global ambitions are seen around the world, what impact China’s new Silk Road investments are having on the ground, and how COVID-19 and other challenges are affecting China’s goals. First up, a stop on the ancient Silk Road and the new one: Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, home of spicy hot pot and convivial teahouses, and a city with one of the fastest-growing economies in China over the past decade.   Mary Kay Magistad, right, reported from China with reporter Shuang Li, left, in June 2019. Credit: Courtesy of Mary Kay Magistad “I think it’s quite amazing, just to think about it, how fast everything is going,” says Shuang Li, a Chengdu native and a journalist who worked with Reuters news agency in Shanghai for a decade before moving to the San Francisco Bay Area. “I remember the early years when China was building the high-speed rail, and a lot of people were very skeptical. ‘This is a huge investment. How can you get it back?’ But then, just within a few years, it completely changed the way that people travel.”On the new Silk Road, Chengdu is a dry port, with trains traveling from its station through Central Asia to Europe. Thousands of trains now make the journey annually from China to Europe, a symbol of how the new Silk Road is retracing the path of the old. But it’s not yet become a game-changer in how goods are shipped from China.“Overland cargo transport from China through central Asia to Europe doesn’t have a really strong strategic advantage on cost or speed,” says Eli Sweet, vice-chair of the American Chamber of Commerce of southwest China, and formerly with Chevron Petro-China. “We were shipping… thousands of tons of cargo every month,” he says. “And it wasn't going by rail through the Silk Road to Europe, even though that rail line was already open at the time. Mostly that was used by Volvo for shipping car parts. If you want something fast, air cargo shipment is still a lot more effective. And if you want something that's going to be the cheapest, sea freight is definitely the most cost-effective.”Shuang also found, when talking on background to European representative trade offices in Chengdu, that “people still want to use the sea, and go through the ports of Shanghai or Tianjin. Because people here — they don’t know how to deal with various goods. So, it can take them a long time to clear customs.”It’s still early days for the new Silk Road, and many Chinese entrepreneurs and officials have been known to learn fast and adapt quickly. That could make new Silk Road projects more attractive — and affordable — for countries now reeling from a COVID-induced economic hit. But in the seven years since the new Silk Road initiative launched, even some countries that signed on to it have grown concerned about Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, on China’s border with India, and in Chinese diplomacy. Some have started to cancel or cut back Chinese loans and Chinese-built projects.  Some have begun looking for other investment partners, and Japan, India, the European Union and to a lesser extent the United States, have started offering alternatives. That leaves President Xi Jinping with a quandary. It’s one thing to have your own dream, to make China great again in the world, and ordering the Chinese military and civilians to work together to more swiftly reach that goal. It’s quite another to get others on the new Silk Road to dream your dream, much less accept it as their reality. 

Whose Century Is It?: Ideas, trends & twists shaping the world in the 21st century

If you like Whose Century Is It?, check out this preview of my new limited series podcast with the Global Reporting Centre, On China's New Silk Road. I've teamed up with great local journalists on almost every continent to explore how China's global ambition is seen around the world, and at the impact Chinese investments in one of the biggest global infrastructure efforts ever, are having on the ground. 

On China's New Silk Road
On China's New Silk Road

On China's New Silk Road

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2020 2:50


Join host Mary Kay Magistad as she explores how China's New Silk Road may change the world. Dozens of countries have invited China to build roads, railways, ports, 5G networks, and more. How is China’s global ambition seen around the world and what impact are its investments having on the ground? Over nine episodes, Mary Kay, a former China correspondent for NPR and PRX’s “The World,” partners with local journalists on five continents to uncover the effects of the most sweeping global infrastructure initiative in history. From the Global Reporting Centre, “On China’s New Silk Road” launches September 2, with new episodes dropping weekly.

Forgotten History of Pacific Asia War
Episode 19: How Much of China did Japan Occupy in WW2?

Forgotten History of Pacific Asia War

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2020 7:25


In the late 19th century, as China declined in the face of internal struggles and foreign intrusion, Japan was on the rise. As the world moved on to the 20th century, China's loss of influence over Korea and the stunning victory of Japan in the Sino-Japanese War confirmed that China was no longer the premier power in the Pacific. With this victory, Japan, the former tributary state to the Chinese Empire, followed the example set by the Western powers and claimed territory from China. They forced China to sign another humiliating unequal treaty (Treaty of Shimonoseki 1895), which ceded Taiwan, the Penghu Islands, and the Liaodong Peninsula to the Japanese Empire. This was the beginning, but far from the end of the Japanese conquest in China. This conquest would eventually become one of the most destructive conflicts in world history, engulfing China in a storm of chaos and destruction and causing the deaths of millions and the loss of much of China's territory. Book Battle of Shanghai: ​The Prequel to the Rape of Nanking References 1. Holcombe, Charles. A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization to the Twenty-first Century. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge UP, 2017. Print. 2. Kissinger, Henry. On China. New York: Penguin, 2012. Print. 3. Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China. New York: Norton, 1990. Print. 4. Taylor, Jay. The Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the Struggle for Modern China. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 2011. Print. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/pacific-atrocities-education/support

Morning News Auditorial
79: MORNING NEWS AUDITORIAL | 18th September, 2018

Morning News Auditorial

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2018 8:58


In Today’s Auditorial: ➢ MOHANDAS PAI IS NOT THE BIGGEST FAKE NEWS PEDDLER ➢ MOHAN BHAGWAT PRAISES CONGRESS AS RAHUL GANDHI RIDES ON SHIV BHAKTI IN MADHYA PRADESH ➢ DEVOTION: MAN WASHES BJP MP FEET AND GULPED THE SAME WATER ➢ SHAMBULAL REGAR, THE MAN WHO BURNT AND LYNCHED MUSLIM WORKER, IS ALL SET TO CONTEST ELECTIONS ➢ CHENNAI AUTO DRIVER SLAPPED AND ELBOWED OUT FROM TN BJP CHIEF’S PRESS CON FOR ASKING ABOUT FUEL PRICE ➢ US SLAPS THIRD ROUND OF TARIFFS OF $200bn ON CHINA, LEAVES TECH PRODUCTS OUT ➢ ELON MUSK GETS FIRST SPACE TOURIST AND ALSO GETS SUED BY CAVE DIVER ➢ COCA COLA LOOKS FOR A HIGH IN CANNABIS MARKET

听力口语全突破 | 零基础英语口语必备
714-【红包】恭喜发财!大吉大利!【练就完美英语口语】

听力口语全突破 | 零基础英语口语必备

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 17, 2018 5:28


Happy Chinese New Year!May the New Year bring many good things and rich blessings to you and all those you love!新年好!笨笨老师给大家拜年啦!祝愿新年带给您和您所爱的人=许多美好的事物和无尽的祝福! 春节走亲访友,看到谁家门前贴着make money more and more是不是感觉帅呆了!贴英文春联现在在年轻人当中流行起来,偶尔遇见个老外还可以借此介绍介绍中国文化,练练口语呢。English language couplets have become a new and stylish way among Chinese young people to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival.中国年轻人当中掀起了贴英文春联庆祝春节的新潮流。On China's biggest consumer online shopping platform Taobao, there are dozens of shops selling several kinds of couplets in English. A typical one reads "eat well, sleep well, have fun day by day" and "study good, work good, make money more and more".在中国最大的网络购物平台淘宝网上,有几十家网店都在出售多个版本的英文春联。其中一副典型的英文春联上联是:eat well, sleep well, have fun day by day(吃的好睡的好开心每天),下联是study good, work good, make money more and more(学习好工作好赚钱多多)。Yu Runrun, who owns a Beijing shop, expects to sell about 600 sets of English couplets during the holiday season.北京的一位淘宝店主于润润(音)预计在春节假期期间将卖出大约600副英文春联。"I began to sell English couplets four years ago, when I saw a friend from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region hanging couplets hand-lettered in the Mongolian language during Spring Festival," said Yu.他说:“四年前,我看到一位内蒙古自治区的朋友在春节时贴上手写版的蒙古语春联,于是我开始卖英文春联。”A set of English couplets in his shop costs 25 yuan, almost double the price of the Chinese couplets.他的店内一副英文春联售价25元,是中文春联价格的近两倍。今天来学习几句英语的对联吧:上联:大顺大财大吉利Great peace, great wealth, and great luck.下联:新春新喜新世纪New year, new joy, and new century.横批:万事如意Everything goes well.上联:佳年好景随春到A good year and a nice view follow the spring.下联:福乐安康顺意来Happiness and health arrive as you wish.横批:辞旧迎新Ring out the old, ring in the new.上联:瑞雪纷飞辞旧岁The old year leaves amidst the falling snow.下联:旭日东升迎新春The new spring comes with the shining glow.上联:Best wishes for the year to come!恭贺新禧下联:Good luck in the year ahead!吉星高照除了传统的楹联,还有许多不从流俗的趣味对联,也是值得一看。上联:等了一年又一年I've been waiting year after year.下联:年年结婚没有咱Each year lots marry, but not me.横批:再等一年Wait one more year.上联:Everything is possible.任何事都可能下联:Impossible is nothing.没有事不可能横批:Just do it.只要肯去做上联:Live as long as Captain America.长寿如美国队长下联:Earn as much as Tony Stark.财富比钢铁大侠横批:Marvel!棒!Good luck in the year ahead!吉星高照!

Lionel Gelber Prize Podcasts
Henry Kissinger on On China

Lionel Gelber Prize Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 26, 2018


Henry Kissinger, author of the 2012 Lionel Gelber Prize shortlisted book “On China”, speaks with Robert Steiner, Director, Fellowships in Global Journalism at the Munk School of Global Affairs.

China Money Podcast - Audio Episodes
Chinese Electric Vehicle Unicorn WM Motor Aims To Build Uber+Tesla Hybrid, Former Volvo China Chairman Says

China Money Podcast - Audio Episodes

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 9, 2017 56:12


"I've never seen two Chinese guys comparing (car) engines (like people do in Europe)," says Freeman Shen, founder of Chinese electric vehicle start-up WM Motor Technology Co., Ltd. "China doesn't have a long driving culture...the car is more a tool for people to get from point A to B." It's one reason his three-year-old company, with RMB10 billion (US$1.5 billion) in funding, is taking a different route than most of its rivals. Instead of simply producing a decent, mass market car, WM will offer its EV customers flexible ownership, essentially combining Tesla Motors and Uber in one company. It's an important selling point given that WM is targeting young Chinese consumers, who are famously quick to accept new things, but far less willing to purchase new cars. For Shen, the former chairman of Volvo China and a 20-year automobile industry veteran, the future of China's car industry will be shaped by three words: electrification, connectivity and sharing. As such, his company is creating a 100% electric car that is connected 24/7 and will let owners choose if they want to share their cars. "For example, a customer owns our car in Shanghai but he travels to Beijing a lot. With a Super ID (a membership service offered by WM), he can easily access another WM Motor vehicle while in Beijing and lease out his car in Shanghai," Shen told China Money Network at the company's headquarters in Shanghai. The "new business model", as the soft-spoken Shen calls it, is full of unforeseen challenges. Jia Yueting, the disgraced and currently exiled ex-chief of LeEco, wanted to build something similar with that company's smart car unit LeSEE and car hauling platform Yidao. That plan was cut short by corporate financial crisis that is still unfolding. And Tesla itself plans to launch a ride sharing system called "Tesla Network" as early as this years, allowing its car owners to share their vehicles, and creating immediate competition for WM. "The challenge is how to make this dream (become) real...we are in a race to see (which company) can get to the market (first)," said Shen. It is a race indeed. China, the world's largest car and EV market, already has three EV start-ups valued at US$1 billion, (NIO, WM Motor and BAIC BJEV, according to China Money Network's China Unicorn Ranking) with another one (Future Mobility Corporation) approaching unicorn valuation. The U.S., on the other hand, has none. Read more on five Chinese EV start-ups that could rival Tesla Competition between these well-funded Chinese EV start-ups is intense. NIO's ES8 model will hit the market in mid-December. Another Chinese EV start-up, CHJ Automotive (known as Chehejia in Chinese), completed a test production run two months ago at its new factory, which was built in only one year. Shen says WM Motor's high-tech customer-to-manufacturer (C2M) factory in Wenzhou will be completed at the end of this year and small volume production will commence during the first quarter of 2018. Only then will we know if his digital car dream can become reality. Read an interview Q&A below. Also subscribe to China Money Podcast for free in the iTunes store, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter. ON CHINA'S EV INDUSTRY: Q: How would you describe the current transition toward electric vehicles by China and the global automobile industry? A: As you know, China is already the largest car market in the world, and it also leads in electrification. The first reason China is going electric is because it relies on imports for about 60% of its oil, of which 80% is used by cars. From a national security respective, the Chinese government has to push very hard for electrification. Pollution is another reason. The electric vehicle revolution has been going on for about five years. However, at first not many people took it seriously. But I believe now is the right time. Customers are already well educated, and electric cars are a good solution for daily u...

UNDISCOVERED
Boss Hua and the Black Box

UNDISCOVERED

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2017 37:17


A team of social scientists stumbles onto a cache of censored Chinese social media posts—and decides to find out what the Chinese government wants wiped from the internet. On China’s most influential microblogging platform, a wristwatch aficionado named Boss Hua accuses a government official of corruption. But, his posts aren’t censored. So what disappears into the black box of Chinese censorship...and what stays online? A team of social scientists cracked this question—by mistake—with big data. (Original art by Claire Merchlinsky)   FOOTNOTES See the picture that got ‘Smiling Official’ Yang Dacai fired. Read Gary, Jen, and Margaret’s first study on Chinese government censorship (American Political Science Review). Read the results of Gary, Jen, and Margaret’s social media experiment (Science). Read Gary, Jen, and Margaret’s latest study, about what the Chinese government secretly posts to the internet. Hear Gary King on Science Friday.   CREDITS This episode of Undiscovered was reported and produced by Annie Minoff and Elah Feder. Editing by Christopher Intagliata. Fact-checking help from Michelle Harris. Original music by Daniel Peterschmidt. Our theme music is by I am Robot and Proud. Art for this episode by Claire Merchlinsky. Story consulting by Ari Daniel. Translations and voicing by Isabelle. Thanks to Science Friday’s Danielle Dana, Christian Skotte, Brandon Echter, and Rachel Bouton.  

Undiscovered
Boss Hua and the Black Box

Undiscovered

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2017 37:17


A team of social scientists stumbles onto a cache of censored Chinese social media posts—and decides to find out what the Chinese government wants wiped from the internet. On China’s most influential microblogging platform, a wristwatch aficionado named Boss Hua accuses a government official of corruption. But, his posts aren’t censored. So what disappears into the black box of Chinese censorship...and what stays online? A team of social scientists cracked this question—by mistake—with big data. (Original art by Claire Merchlinsky)   FOOTNOTES See the picture that got ‘Smiling Official’ Yang Dacai fired. Read Gary, Jen, and Margaret’s first study on Chinese government censorship (American Political Science Review). Read the results of Gary, Jen, and Margaret’s social media experiment (Science). Read Gary, Jen, and Margaret’s latest study, about what the Chinese government secretly posts to the internet. Hear Gary King on Science Friday.   CREDITS This episode of Undiscovered was reported and produced by Annie Minoff and Elah Feder. Editing by Christopher Intagliata. Fact-checking help from Michelle Harris. Original music by Daniel Peterschmidt. Our theme music is by I am Robot and Proud. Art for this episode by Claire Merchlinsky. Story consulting by Ari Daniel. Translations and voicing by Isabelle. Thanks to Science Friday’s Danielle Dana, Christian Skotte, Brandon Echter, and Rachel Bouton.  

Sinica Podcast
The delights of cooking Chinese food: A conversation with chef and author Fuchsia Dunlop

Sinica Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2016 39:49


In this episode of the Sinica Podcast, Kaiser and Jeremy talk to Fuchsia about her time at the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine, how she chooses recipes for her books and the gamut of flavors of Chinese cuisine. "You both want to challenge people and give people dishes that they don’t necessarily know, but also to offer them things that are doable and that are palatable," says Fuchsia Dunlop, a British writer who has won a cult following with her recipe books of Chinese food. Fuchsia’s 2013 book, Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking, won the 2014 James Beard Award for an international cookbook. The renowned culinary organization also recognized much of her other work, which includes more books as well as articles featured in publications such as Lucky Peach, The New Yorker and the Financial Times. In addition, Fuchsia has appeared on Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, CNN’s On China and NPR’s All Things Considered, consults on Chinese cooking for major companies and gives speeches around the world. For someone who described her relationship with Chinese cuisine as one that began fortuitously, it is an impressive list of accomplishments. As the first foreign student at the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine, Fuchsia studied the regional cooking style along with about 50 other students, only two of whom were women. She remembers the gender dynamics of that experience, as well as the slow transition of her classmates toward calling her by her name rather than laowai, the Chinese slang word for foreigner. Fuchsia’s latest book, Land of Fish and Rice: Recipes from the Culinary Heart of China, delves into the cuisine of Jiangnan. It’s a region whose flavors she loves just as much as those of Sichuan, which she also has written about. Relevant links: Appetite for China: The website of Diana Kuan, writer, cooking teacher and author of The Chinese Takeout Cookbook. The Cleaver Quarterly: A publication that "covers Chinese cuisine as a global phenomenon and a lifelong mission." Travel China Guide: Eight Cuisines of China - Shandong & Guangdong. Recommendations: Jeremy: Ximalaya, an app for listening to audio content in Chinese. Kaiser: No-knead bread. Fuchsia: A Chinese cleaver.

Analyse Asia with Bernard Leong
Episode 73: On China with Kaiser Kuo - Analyse Asia with Bernard Leong

Analyse Asia with Bernard Leong

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2015 49:04


We interview Kaiser Kuo, the host of Sinica Podcast to discuss China. With a background in East Asian studies and corporate experience from Oilgvy China, Youku to Baidu, Kaiser discussed the challenges of China and how the country has evolved from 1995 to 2015. Sharing the story of the Sinica podcast which he co-host with The post Episode 73: On China with Kaiser Kuo appeared first on Analyse Asia.

NEWSPlus Radio
安德的游戏 Ender's Game

NEWSPlus Radio

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2014 4:02


Chinese science-fiction fans and gamers must be excited at the release of Gavin Hood's screen adaptation of the celebrated futuristic thriller, "Ender's Game." On China's social network website, Douban.com, there have already been book reviews on the original novel of the same name by American author Orson Scott Card. Many of them were anxiously looking forward to seeing the Nebula Award winning sci-fi classic being brought onto the big screen. The movie's launch in China on January 7th is sort of a celebration for Chinese fans. Most of the book worms seem to agree that it is a fair enough adaptation. The zero-gravity battle training room so vividly envisioned at the center of the whole book is brought to life in the motion picture. The images of the young cadets floating and fighting in the room are as good as those you see in Alfonso Cuaron's phenomenal pictures from his "Gravity". Compliments extend to the acting skills of Asa Butterfield. The boy from last year's Oscar-winning "Hugo" has now matured into an exceptional teenage leader upon whose shoulder is placed the future of mankind. Butterfield aptly portrays a child prodigy who tries very hard to balance his equally strong senses of reason and emotion. The story uses very obvious stereotypes to explain the author's philosophical ideas, or rather to try and inspire people to think the same questions that no one could supply the answer. For example: is there such a thing as a just war? And should ethical standards be adopted in wars? Even when it is a war about the survival of a species? It is not likely that these questions are related to matters of life and death, but I am sure we could all enjoy letting our minds flow freely for a while. That's the charm of science fiction, and the film "Ender's Game" has obviously delivered on that. But naturally, there are complaints, some of them directed at the adaptation, because the director has stripped the less spectacular, and therefore less marketable, storylines from the book out of the movie. It makes a lot of sense; the script tells a complete story, although some parts could use a bit more color. To sum up, most Chinese moviegoers in general seem satisfied with "Ender's Game." It currently sits at number 2 on this week's box office rankings, right behind the animated comedy "Despicable Me 2".

CRI来明
致青春(怀旧是种病,请拒绝治疗)

CRI来明

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2014 4:00


"So Young" is Chinese actress Zhao Wei's Beijing Film Academy graduation assignment, and also her directorial debut. 15 years ago, Zhao Wei became a household name for her role in the Chinese TV series "Princess Pearl". The series, which has been extended overseas in recent years, was the most viewed Chinese TV drama of its time. Her popularity on screen has continued ever since and her first directed film has set a new opening-day box office record for Chinese movies. However, the film has not been considered a critical success. On China's largest online movie database "Mtime", many critics gathered to share their dissatisfaction, with their criticisms being placed on the narrative. The story is based on a popular online novel about university students in the 1990s, or more specifically, four female students living in the same dormitory. The novel was well-received for vividly captuing the lives of ordinary students. Zhao Wei has aimed to follow suit, and perhaps also try and present sentiments about youth and the past. The movie copies the structure of the book and adopts a multiple-narrative. An excess of perspectives, combined with bad editing, spins the film out-of-focus and as a result, induces mixed feelings of nostalgia and bewilderment in the audience. Another major setback is the nature of the original text itself. Popular online novels are often filled with touching, wise-sounding sentiments; well, that is arguably how they reach their readers' hearts and gain popularity. However, in her interpretation of the literature, Zhao Wei has obviously forgotten to translate such sentences into an appropriate pictorial or viewer-friendly language. The result is that during the film, we far too often hear young college students speaking in a pseudo-intellectual language befitting that of amateur philosophers, with several actors reciting their lines far too rigidly. Many critics poising as rational viewers reject the movie on the grounds that it is unnecessarily sentimental. Well, those who are familiar with Zhao Wei's performance in "Princess Pearl" or indeed, any movies, would know that she spares no effort in trying to express her heartfelt emotions in her acting. The film may be overly dramatic in its nostalgia, but those who share similar experiences to any of the film's characters will immediately identify with the sentiments being expressed. Lastly, the cinematography by Li Ran is near perfect, with the lighting and colors well-suited for invoking a sense of sentimentality in the audience. All things considered, "So Young" is not really the best Chinese movie around, but it is successful in that it appeals to people's sense of nostalgia. After all, we have all had our share of regrets and it is indeed nice to look back on the past from time to time. On a scale from one to ten, "So Young" gets a five.

CRI来明
安德的游戏(养眼健脑,要啥有啥)

CRI来明

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2014 4:02


Chinese science-fiction fans and gamers must be excited at the release of Gavin Hood's screen adaptation of the celebrated futuristic thriller, "Ender's Game." On China's social network website, Douban.com, there have already been book reviews on the original novel of the same name by American author Orson Scott Card. Many of them were anxiously looking forward to seeing the Nebula Award winning sci-fi classic being brought onto the big screen. The movie's launch in China on January 7th is sort of a celebration for Chinese fans. Most of the book worms seem to agree that it is a fair enough adaptation. The zero-gravity battle training room so vividly envisioned at the center of the whole book is brought to life in the motion picture. The images of the young cadets floating and fighting in the room are as good as those you see in Alfonso Cuaron's phenomenal pictures from his "Gravity". Compliments extend to the acting skills of Asa Butterfield. The boy from last year's Oscar-winning "Hugo" has now matured into an exceptional teenage leader upon whose shoulder is placed the future of mankind. Butterfield aptly portrays a child prodigy who tries very hard to balance his equally strong senses of reason and emotion. The story uses very obvious stereotypes to explain the author's philosophical ideas, or rather to try and inspire people to think the same questions that no one could supply the answer. For example: is there such a thing as a just war? And should ethical standards be adopted in wars? Even when it is a war about the survival of a species? It is not likely that these questions are related to matters of life and death, but I am sure we could all enjoy letting our minds flow freely for a while. That's the charm of science fiction, and the film "Ender's Game" has obviously delivered on that. But naturally, there are complaints, some of them directed at the adaptation, because the director has stripped the less spectacular, and therefore less marketable, storylines from the book out of the movie. It makes a lot of sense; the script tells a complete story, although some parts could use a bit more color. To sum up, most Chinese moviegoers in general seem satisfied with "Ender's Game." It currently sits at number 2 on this week's box office rankings, right behind the animated comedy "Despicable Me 2".