logo
episode-header-image
May 2022
25m 3s

The city that never slips: Beijing and c...

The Economist
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Today
Who will deal the final blow? Israel, Lebanon and Hizbullah
As attention has focused on war in Iran, Israel sees an opportunity to crush a weakened Hizbullah in Lebanon. Our correspondent says it would be far better for the Lebanese state to do so. As south-east Asia is modernising, Islam is counterintuitively gaining greater primacy in c ... Show More
25m 2s
Yesterday
An act of self-harm: Trump’s latest war might be his undoing
A rash entry into a war of choice exposes President Donald Trump in a number of ways—and he may prove more dangerous as he becomes weaker. Turkey’s foreign entanglements mask the democratic backsliding at home; that is bad news for an opposition figure whose trial just began. And ... Show More
24m 43s
Mar 18
Flagging carriers: war shuffles the Gulf-airline flight deck
Cancelled flights, longer routes, higher prices: the war in Iran is taking its toll on the airline industry. The conflict may force lasting change on the big Gulf carriers. We ask why the once-frothy fake-meat industry is losing its bite. And why PDFs, one of technology’s most pe ... Show More
18m 40s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
All that Xi wants: China’s Ukraine dilemma
After backing Russia’s grievances against NATO, China now finds itself treading a <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2022/02/26/xi-jinping-drew-closer-to-russia-on-the-eve-of-war-in-ukraine?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content ... Show More
20m 44s
Aug 2023
Drum Tower: Solo-motherland
A growing number of Chinese women are pushing for control over family-planning decisions. That can cause discomfort in a society where traditional households are still the norm and where there are many legal barriers to becoming a single parent. But, faced with a shrinking popula ... Show More
36m 32s
Mar 2024
The Intelligence: Moscow massacre
<p>Warnings from the Americans went unheeded, police took too long to respond, and now the Kremlin has found a way to link it to Ukraine. Could this tragedy be used to <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/03/24/vladimir-putin-begins-operation-blame-ukraine?utm_campaign= ... Show More
23m 14s
Sep 2023
Drum Tower: Inside Fortress China
Panzhihua used to be a state secret. The steel-making city, buried deep in the mountains of Sichuan, formed part of Mao Zedong’s Third Front, a covert plan to move core industries inland in case America or the Soviet Union attacked. David Rennie, The Economist’s Beijing bureau ch ... Show More
42m 1s
Jan 2024
The Intelligence: is Germany al[t]right?
<p>The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party represents a growing <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/01/21/germany-strikes-a-brave-new-deal-on-immigration?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr ... Show More
21m 46s
Feb 2023
Drum Tower: Bricks and people
It is impossible to imagine Beijing without its hutongs. The ancient alleyways harbour the city’s character, culture and history inside their low, grey walls. But for decades the hutongs have been in peril.  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie goes in search of the ... Show More
29m 26s
Jan 2024
The Intelligence: The city that never slipped
<p>From Brexit to covid-19, nothing has yet stymied London’s successes. The city has its problems, but it remains a <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/12/14/londons-resilience-is-a-lesson-to-policymakers-everywhere?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_so ... Show More
24m 49s
Jul 2023
China’s Economic Rebound Hits a Wall
<p>When China suddenly dismantled its lockdowns and other Covid precautions last December, officials in Beijing and many investors expected the economy to spring back to life. It hasn’t worked out that way.</p><p>Daisuke Wakabayashi, an Asia business correspondent for The Times, ... Show More
22m 59s
Apr 2024
The Intelligence: Surveilling China’s diaspora
<p>There are fears about TikTok, but it’s not the only social media platform that the Chinese state might be using to monitor the rest of the world. That’s especially worrying for those in its <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2024/02/26/living-outside-china-has-become-mor ... Show More
23m 3s