logo
episode-header-image
May 2021
17m 58s

Life after Jack Ma

Bbc World Service
About this episode

What next for China's giant tech companies? Ed Butler speaks to China watcher Richard McGregor at the Lowy Institute in Sydney about why China's leaders have clipped the wings of Jack Ma, the country's most famous business leader and founder of the tech giant Alibaba. Chinese tech sector analyst Rui Ma argues that closer regulation of China's giant tech companies will be good for competition, while Rebecca Fannin, author of Tech Titans of China, worries about the impact on innovation. Eswar Prasad, economics and trade policy professor at Cornell University in the US, outlines the challenge China faces in balancing its desire for control over its tech entrepreneurs with its need for innovation and growth.

(Photo: Jack Ma pictured in Paris in 2019, Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Yesterday
CEO of the Folio Society, Joanna Reynolds
We meet retail turnaround expert Joanna Reynolds, the woman behind the revival of the Folio Society, one of Britain’s oldest publishing houses. Ten years ago, the company was losing money and facing an existential threat from the digital revolution.Joanna explains how she transfo ... Show More
17m 28s
Jan 15
The 'Dry January' effect
Festive celebrations at Christmas and New Year often involve increased alcohol consumption in many parts of the world. For some, that’s followed by a decision to take a break from drinking. It's become widely known as Dry January.However, data shows that more people are choosing ... Show More
17m 28s
Jan 14
What's gone wrong with Iran's economy?
Outrage has been growing in Iran over the country's struggling economy. Any growth this year or next looks unlikely.Protests starting in the capital have spread around the country, driven by mounting economic pressures, sanctions and rising consumer prices. They've been met with ... Show More
17m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
Changing China
How will shifts in China's economic policies affect global commerce? The nation is the world's second-biggest economy and it's been the centre of globalised manufacturing for over three decades. But after a global pandemic, an energy crisis and now war in Ukraine, is this going t ... Show More
28m 58s
Jun 2021
What Business Leaders Need to Know About China Now
Elsbeth Johnson, senior lecturer at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, and Rana Mitter, professor of history at Oxford, argue that there's a lot about the Chinese political system and economy that business leaders from elsewhere in the world still misunderstand. They argue that de ... Show More
26m 12s
Mar 2023
How China Went From Economic Superstar to Faltering Giant
<p>In just a few years, the narrative on China has almost completely flipped. The dominant sentiments in America had been awe, envy and a kind of fear. China’s growth seemed relentless. Its manufacturing prowess was lapping ours. It weathered the pandemic without the mass death s ... Show More
1h 20m
Jun 2023
Inside the U.S.-China Tech War
Over the last few years, the United States has moved to limit China’s technological rise. U.S.-led sanctions have imposed unprecedented limits on Beijing’s access to advanced computing chips. In response, China has accelerated its own efforts to develop its technological industry ... Show More
43m 10s
May 2023
China’s next generation
<p>Gideon talks to economist Keyu Jin about China’s goal of becoming the world’s biggest economy despite a falling population, the impact of the deterioration in US-China relations, and the way in which the aspirations of its younger generation are shaping policy in Beijing. The ... Show More
29m 54s
Sep 2022
China’s Surveillance State — with Josh Chin and Lisa Lin
Josh Chin and Lisa Lin, the authors of “Surveillance State: Inside China's Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control and journalists at the Wall Street Journal, join Scott to discuss the following:  How China operates as a surveillance state The role Silicon Valley has played ... Show More
39m 58s
Jun 2024
China's race to tech supremacy: New frontiers
<p>China is pushing the frontiers of scientific research, launching missions to the Moon and exploring the remotest places on Earth. It’s part of China’s grand plan to be the world leader in science and technology. But why are science and tech so important to Beijing, and is Chin ... Show More
30m 43s
May 2024
Coming soon: China, the new tech superpower
<p>In a new season of Tech Tonic, longtime FT China reporter James Kynge travels around the world to see how China is pushing towards tech supremacy. Will China be able to get an edge in crucial technological areas? What does China’s attempt to leapfrog the west look like on the ... Show More
1m 7s