Britain’s dilemma over China

The authorities in China are trying to put an end to a three-year stock market decline and win back the confidence of overseas traders. It is not proving an easy process. Investors cite a range of reasons to be cautious about the Chinese market, including a slowdown in growth, doubts about the reliability of information and opaque policymaking. In this podcast, Duncan Wrigley, Chief China Economist at Pantheon Economics, discusses the volatility on the Chinese market with regular host, Duncan Bartlett.

Just a few years ago, it would have been inconceivable that a Chinese company would disrupt the automotive industry by exporting vast quantities of cheap, reliable electric vehicles. But the Chinese company BYD has overtaken Tesla in terms of overall sales and it is determined to win market share from long-established car giants, such as Volkswagen and Toyota. Does BYD's success result from generous government subsidies? Or, as its bosses claim, it is just better at taking risks than its rivals? In this podcast, Dr Mercy Kuo, Executive Vice President and geopolitical risk advisor at Pamir Consulting, offers her analysis of BYD and other Chinese companies to regular host, Duncan Bartlett.

Protest art was everywhere in Hong Kong a few years ago. Then the Chinese authorities introduced tough new laws which they said were designed to prevent sedition. Most of the art was torn down and some of its creators fled the city in fear. However, memories are kept alive online, especially of a statue portraying a young female protestor, dubbed Lady Liberty, who brandished a flag reading “Free Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times.” San San F. Young - director of the documentary Hong Kong Mixtape - tells Lady Liberty’s story to regular podcast host, Duncan Bartlett.

Chinese politics have been transformed since Xi Jinping became paramount leader in 2012. He has accumulated power in a way unprecedented since the era of Mao Zedong and he expects China's people to study his ideology, just as Chairman Mao's supporters studied his 'Little Red Book'. Professor Steve Tsang, Director of the SOAS China Institute, and Olivia Cheung, Research Fellow at the SOAS China Institute, have co-authored a new book on the philosophy of the Chinese leader, 'The Political Thought of Xi Jinping', which was recently published by Oxford University Press. In this podcast, Professor Tsang discusses the book's themes with Isabel Hilton, visiting Professor at King's College London and the founder of China Dialogue.

Believers in the Chinese zodiac say that this could be an auspicious year for Xi Jinping. It’s been 12 years since he replaced Hu Jintao as general secretary of China’s Communist Party. Xi uses sophisticated media systems to ensure that all citizens study his thoughts. This has helped to ensure that he has overwhelming control of the Chinese political system and society. In this podcast, Chun Han Wong, a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, discusses how Xi views leadership, Taiwan and US-China relations. The host is regular presenter, Duncan Bartlett.

Giorgia Meloni - leader of a right wing party - has confounded her critics since becoming prime minister of Italy. She has taken on major diplomatic challenges and is currently enjoying attention as the president of the G7 group of industrialised nations. Ms Meloni has said that Italy will no longer be a part of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a scheme designed to promote investment in infrastructure. In this podcast, the author and journalist Bill Emmott discusses Ms Meloni’s political approach with regular host, Duncan Bartlett. Mr Emmott is Chair of the IISS think tank.

China's population is shrinking. The National Bureau of Statistics reports that it has fallen by about three million in two years. This puts pressure on the economy, as the number of people in work is also in decline, at the time as the group of retired and elderly people is increasing. One hope is that 2024 will see a bump in births, as it is the year of the dragon in Chinese astrology, a symbol of good fortune. In this podcast, Paul Hodges, Chairman of New Normal Consulting considers China’s demographic dilemma during a discussion with regular host, Duncan Bartlett.

China has sought to portray Taiwan’s new president Lai Ching-te Lai, also known as William Lai, as a dangerously pro-independence provocateur. The Chinese Communist Party has reiterated that there is only one China in the world and has claimed that Taiwan is part of China. In this podcast, historian Dr Gerrit van der Wees considers how the new president will handle relations with China, as well as decide on foreign policy towards other countries, such as the US and Japan. The host is Duncan Bartlett, Editor of Asian Affairs magazine.

Xi Jinping and Joe Biden have exchanged greetings to mark the start of the new year, noting the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said cooperation between China and the US is an imperative. Nevertheless, many potential obstacles stand in the way of a smooth relationship, as James McGregor, Chairman of APCO Worldwide’s Greater China region, explains in this podcast. The host is Duncan Bartlett, Editor of Asian Affairs.

China has been trying to persuade the world’s super wealthy that it remains a good place to invest. It throws parties where the finest champagne flows to show its enthusiasm for international business. Yet confidence has been undermined by political interference in the affairs of many firms. In this podcast, Duncan Wrigley, Chief China Plus economist, Pantheon Macroeconomics, discusses China’s tactics with regular host, Duncan Bartlett.