China In Context
China In Context is a weekly podcast by the SOAS China Institute (University of London) which offers expert analysis on the politics, economy, society, culture and history of China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. It features interviews with leading academics, researchers, journalists and other China-specialists from around the world.
Episodes
181 episodes
The impact of Donald Trump’s re-election on US relations with China and East Asia
What will Donald Trump’s re-election mean for relations between China and the US? Is Beijing alarmed by his threats of massive new trade tariffs, and the unpredictability that he likes to boast about? Or will it see his relative lack of interes...
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Season 4
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Episode 181
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34:13
Has China’s process of reform gone into reverse?
The Chinese Communist Party guides the thinking of the masses through slogans. Some of these are written in huge letters on walls around the country. They are studied by party members, who try to figure out how society should respond. One of th...
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Season 4
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Episode 180
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15:06
The mounting risk of another global war
The head of the CIA, Bill Burns has described Vladimir Putin as a bully who presents the greatest threat to world peace. The idea that Russia and China may partner to launch a joint provocation is a particular concern for the US and its allies....
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Season 4
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Episode 179
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14:13
Escalating tension between China and the Philippines
The battle for supremacy in Asia has a new flashpoint in the South China Sea. It is known as the Sabina Shoal and it lies near the Philippines, a nation which is locked in a maritime dispute with China. This has led to collisions between boats,...
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Season 4
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Episode 178
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14:33
How America's Democratic Party views China
There is a rising mood of bipartisan hostility towards China in Washington ahead of the 2024 election. If Donald Trump returns to the White House, he intends to impose steep tariffs on Chinese exports. His Democratic party opponent, Kamala Harr...
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Season 4
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Episode 177
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15:10
The politics of pandas
Two pandas which have been on an extended diplomatic mission to Australia are soon to be recalled to China. Fu Ni 福妮 and Wang Wang 网网) (PRON: "wong wong") have been living happily together at Adelaide Zoo since 2009. However, China wan...
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Season 4
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Episode 176
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14:21
Deterring a war over Taiwan
Taiwan and China are practicing for war. China's People's Liberation Army has increased the number of ships and warplanes conducting drills around the island. The Taiwanese air force has responded with live-fire exercises. In this podcast, Bill...
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Season 4
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Episode 175
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15:21
Is Apple bowing to China’s censorship laws?
The world's biggest technology company Apple has close ties to China. Although it is based in California, where it designs famous products, a huge proportion of its gear is assembled in China. Furthermore, Chinese consumers continue to crave Ap...
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Season 4
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Episode 174
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13:25
How China and NATO see each other
NATO's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg has warned that China is conducting a huge military build-up. He says China is investing heavily in modern missiles, including an arsenal of nuclear weapons. NATO has ordered its forces to be prepared ...
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Season 4
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Episode 173
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14:41
Has Hong Kong lost all freedom and autonomy?
A bi-partisan group of politicians in Washington has called for sanctions to be imposed on officials in Hong Kong. They claim the officials - acting on instructions from Beijing - use tough laws to try to silence political opposition and intimi...
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Season 4
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Episode 172
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14:47
Why the partnership between Russia and China worries Europe
The war in Ukraine has made the Russian leader Vladimir Putin something of a pariah in the West but he still meets regularly with Xi Jinping. In theory, Russia and China enjoy a no-limits partnership. But are there constraints on their relation...
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Season 4
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Episode 171
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14:01
The looming trade war between China and the EU
Manufacturers of Chinese electric vehicles intend to build their companies into powerhouses to rival Volkswagen and Renault. The Chinese government backs their expansion into new markets, including Europe. This has caused political tension and ...
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Season 4
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Episode 170
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15:11
Women, Communism and social change
The best-selling book Wild Swans by Jung Chang contains harrowing accounts of life in China during the 20th Century. It covers the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, the civil war, the establishment of the CCP and the Cultural Revolutio...
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Season 4
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Episode 169
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15:11
Why are Russia and China squabbling over North Korea?
North Korea is a troublesome neighbour for China. At one level, its Workers' Party, led by Kim Jong-Un, claims fraternity with the Chinese Communist Party. But Marshall Kim follows his own agenda, including belligerent rhetoric against South Ko...
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Season 4
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Episode 168
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14:05
Xi Jinping's attitude towards the Global South
China has a strategy to forge partnerships with countries in the so-called Global South. This pits it against other influential nations which also claim to be international leaders. Furthermore, many people in developing countries resent being ...
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Season 4
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Episode 167
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14:40
The risk of war over Taiwan
Tension rose in East Asia following the inauguration of the Taiwanese president Lai Ching-Te in May 2024. China dispatched fighter jets, bombers armed with live missiles and naval vessels into areas very close to Taiwan’s east coast. Was this a...
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Season 4
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Episode 166
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14:56
The political significance of Tibet
Tibet, on China's border with India, is seen as having great strategic importance to Beijing. The region, which has been prone to unrest, has been under Chinese control since 1950. Its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama is in exile in India but p...
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Season 4
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Episode 165
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13:40
China's approach to the Middle East
China's leaders have taken a sharply critical tone against Israel over its war with the Palestinian militant group, Hamas. They have also suggested that the United States is exploiting and exasperating long-running conflicts in the Middle East....
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Season 4
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Episode 164
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13:17
China's grip on the internet in Southeast Asia
China is becoming a dominant force in the online realm in Southeast Asia. Partnerships through a network known as the Digital Silk Road enable China to have extensive influence on how people access the internet in countries such as Cambodia, Ne...
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Season 4
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Episode 163
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14:18
Xi Jinping's fraught relationship with Europe
The prime minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, regards China as a "pillar of the new world order." Mr Orban admires leaders such as Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, who are challenging the western-led system. Professor Hanns Maull from the Mercator...
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Season 4
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Episode 162
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14:16
What does Xi Jinping think about technology?
Xi Jinping is urging Chinese companies to compete vigorously with other countries in the development of advanced technology, including high end computer chips. There is an ideological basis to the strategy: Xi Jinping has spoken about China bec...
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Season 4
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Episode 161
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14:01
China criticises Japan’s alleged "wrong actions"
Japan has taken a tough stance on China, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida firmly committed to upholding the American vision of a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” But China is also a huge market for Japanese companies for which talk of “decoupling...
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Season 4
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Episode 160
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14:44
Can China still shock the global economy?
China's factories have pumped out so many solar panels that other countries are complaining. Some people are said to be lining their garden fences with the panels, due to a global glut of the product. This is being held up as an example ...
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Season 4
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Episode 159
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14:42
How China sees Gaza
China has emphasised its pro-Palestinian stance during the Israel-Gaza war. It has been critical of Washington’s handling of the situation, especially the American policy of arming Israel. In this podcast, Dr Mercy Kuo from Pamir Consulting con...
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Season 4
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Episode 158
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13:49
Why does China spy on its citizens?
The introduction of advanced surveillance technologies has given the Chinese Communist Party powerful tools. It collects information related to people’s spending habits. It is also able to record how they act at work, and even in their homes. I...
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Season 4
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Episode 157
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15:04
