It's a big week for Chinese politics as its annual political conclave gets under way in Beijing. Amid the pomp and heightened security, the Two Sessions is an important preview of the government's plans and policies for the year ahead. And increasingly over the last decade, that roadmap has been underpinned by the instructions of China's leader and the doctrine named for him - Xi Jinping Thought. 
 
But despite the fact that his decisions affect so many, Xi’s beliefs and what guides him can seem difficult to understand, at least to outsiders.

Our guests this week have set out to decipher this. 

Steve Tsang is Professor of China Studies and Director of the China Institute at SOAS in London; and his colleague Olivia Cheung is a research Fellow there. 

Together they have written a book - ‘The Political Thought of Xi Jinping’ - which sets out Xi’s philosophy and why it’s important for us all to understand his beliefs. 

Diplomats, policy-makers and experts gathered at the Brussels Indo-Pacific Dialogue, hosted by our partners at the Center for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy.

Participants shared their insights on the key issues that make this moment arguably the most consequential since World War II: conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, trade wars, supply chains, economic security, artificial intelligence, and more. 

To better understand what's at stake, CSDS-Asia Matters' Andrew Peaple traveled to Brussels to speak with several panelists. 

Highlights include Ambassador Caroline Millar of Australia explaining how she sees the strategic partnership with the European Union, beyond NATO and other alliances; Taiwan's representative to the EU, Roy Chun Lee, talked about Europe's approach to the One China policy and trade security; Han-koo Yeo, a former trade minister of South Korea, shared his views on globalization and inter-reliance. 

Andrew also spoke with Charles Edel from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Alan Chong from the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, Anit Mukherjee from the India Institute at King's College London, and Cheng Ting-Fang, Chief Tech Correspondent for Nikkei Asia.

In January the world's eyes were on Taiwan as the self-ruled island held elections. Now the dust has settled, what is the significance of the results, both for Taiwan itself and for the wider international community? 

The Democratic Progressive Party has now won its third presidential election in a row, with Lai Ching-te, or William Lai, set to become Taiwan’s new leader in May. 

But the outcome in the country’s Legislative Yuan – the equivalent to its parliament — was more of a mixed bag, with none of the leading parties gaining a majority.

This episode discusses the lessons from the election and how the new president will deal with challenges both at home and abroad - not least its large and increasingly belligerent neighbour across the Taiwan Strait, China. 

On the show to talk through these issues is Emily Y. Wu, co-founder of Ghost Island Media - a podcast network that brings perspectives from Taiwan on issues from politics to social issues to climate change. 

And joining her is Joseph Wong, Professor at Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, who was in Taiwan for the election as an observer. 

Following a historic meeting between the leaders of the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea at Camp David in August, the three countries have been strengthening military and intelligence cooperation. 

What does it mean for the balance of power in Asia? Could this lead to an escalation of tensions with China and North Korea? And crucially, can the "trilateral partnership" last, given the difficult history between Japan and South Korea?

In this episode, CSDS-Asia Matters' Andrew Peaple interviews Tongfi Kim, from the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Brussels School of Governance, and Mayumi Fukushima, a researcher at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

This episode was produced in conjunction with the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Brussels School of Governance.

A coalition of rebel armed groups known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance has been taking over towns and claiming control of more than 200 military outposts in northern Myanmar, in a push to overthrow a military regime that appears to have lost most of the country's territory. 

Nearly three years after army leaders seized power in a coup, Myanmar's gruelling civil war may have reached a turning point with the attacks, known as Operation 1027, prompting China to step in. 

And as the violence increases, so do human rights abuses: the United Nations reports an increase in alleged war crimes, which include torture, executions and air strikes targeting civilians.

For this episode of Asia Matters, host Paolo Bosonin interviewed the head of the United Nations' Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, Nicholas Koumjian, and the analyst and former BBC editor Tin Htar Swe. 

Smartphone and telecom-equipment maker Huawei is one of China's most successful and controversial companies.  Despite efforts from the U.S. and other countries to restrict its access to cutting edge semiconductor technology, Huawei recently launched a new phone - the Mate 60 - featuring advanced made-in-China chips. The breakthrough has raised one question: Is America's effort to limit the rise of China's tech sector failing?

In this episode, CSDS-Asia Matters' Andrew Peaple analyzes Huawei's rise, fall, and apparent rise again, with guests Paul Triolo, from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Dylan Patel, Chief Analyst at the semiconductor consulting firm SemiAnalysis.

Western governments, led by the U.S., have been taking a harder line on trade with China. At stake is global economic leadership, particularly in vital technologies from semiconductors to Artificial Intelligence to electric vehicles, as well as cooperation on climate goals. 

But how united are the U.S. and Europe on how to approach trade relations with China? What steps are big companies taking as tensions with Beijing rise, and how is Beijing responding?

In this episode, Asia Matters’ Andrew Peaple is joined by Emily Benson from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Alicia Garcia-Herrero at the European think-tank Bruegel.

A spy balloon and China’s presence in Cuba have put the spotlight on Beijing’s surveillance network around the globe this year, further fueling tensions with the U.S. But what do we know about China’s international intelligence operations? What are Beijing’s goals, and how is it using secret agents alongside satellites, TikTok and other hi-tech tools to monitor what happens in other countries?

To answer these questions, CSDS-Asia Matters’ Paolo Bosonin spoke with former Pentagon official Kari Bingen – director of the aerospace security project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies – alongside Professor Chong Ja Ian from the National University of Singapore, and Liza Lin, Wall Street Journal reporter and co-author of the book, “Surveillance State: China’s quest to build a new era of social control”.

Cambodia’s longtime leader Hun Sen emerged as the winner once again in the country’s recent general election, with his ruling Cambodian People’s Party winning 120 of the 125 seats in the country’s national assembly. 

But if the election result was hardly in doubt, there is some change in the air. 

Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia since the mid 1980s, has said he wants to pass his premiership on — though only as far as to his own son, Hun Manet. 

With that transition coming up later in August, this week we take a look at what it might mean for the South East Asian country. How much power will Hun Sen still hold? What do we know about Hun Manet? And what challenges lie ahead for the governance of Cambodia post-Covid, widely seen as the nation most tied to China in the region? 

To delve into these questions, our guest is Sophal Ear, associate professor at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University and a long time commentator on Cambodian affairs. 

Cyberattacks are estimated to have caused trillions of dollars of damage to the world’s economy in recent years, and are now seen as a major national security threat by governments around the world. Some governments and private companies are looking to step up cooperation to fight the hackers, but nascent initiatives, such as a new pact between the EU and South Korea, face a number of hurdles. 

In this episode, CSDS Asia Matters’ Andrew Peaple speaks with three experts about the geopolitical forces – and rivalries – that are shaping the global cybersecurity landscape. His guests are Michael Reiterer, distinguished professor at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Brussels School of Governance, Prof. Seong-jong Song from the department of military science at Daejong University, in South Korea, and Wilhelm Vosse, from Japan’s International Christian University.

You can find further analysis in this book, 'Cybersecurity Policy in the EU and South Korea from Consultation to Action' which contains contributions from Michael and Song-jong.

This episode was produced in conjunction with the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Brussels School of Governance.