logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
40m 45s

Drum Tower: Up in the air

The Economist
About this episode

Sino-American relations have been blown off course after the downing of a Chinese balloon


The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and our senior China correspondent, Alice Su, explore whether China and America are heading towards a stand-off and what needs to be done to avoid any escalation.


The historian John Delury unearths the roots of distrust between the two superpowers. And, Da Wei, director of Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy, weighs up whether Xi Jinping and Joe Biden are serious about managing their relationship.


Sign up to our weekly newsletter here and for full access to print, digital and audio editions, as well as exclusive live events, subscribe to The Economist at economist.com/drumoffer.




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Oct 2023
Drum Tower: Cracks in the consensus
At a time when Republicans and Democrats agree on very little, there is striking unity in DC about China. This week, we return to David Rennie in Washington DC, where he talks to senators and congressmen at the heart of China policymaking. We hear what brings the two parties toge ... Show More
30m 23s
Oct 2023
Drum Tower: Walls and ladders
Drum Tower is turning one. To celebrate our first anniversary, we are taking listeners behind the scenes of how we make the podcast. We will also open our mailbag to answer listeners' questions about how we report on China. David Rennie and Alice Su host.Sign up for Economist Pod ... Show More
27m 57s
Oct 2023
Drum Tower goes to Washington DC
Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited time offer. You will not be charged until Economist Podcasts+ launches* All is not well in the world’s most important relationship. China and America are at loggerheads over everything from tra ... Show More
40m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
Drum Tower: China v America
The China-US contest is entering a new and more dangerous phase. The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, are joined by The Economist’s editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes. They discuss what the escalation means and what can ... Show More
37m 10s
Nov 2022
Drum Tower: Back to the future
As China re-shapes the existing world order, its officials argue that the values behind it are Western and not universal. Western leaders worry that China is merely trying to make the world safe for dictatorships. Do universal values exist? The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, D ... Show More
32m 17s
Nov 2022
Introducing Drum Tower
<p>Two of <em>The Economist</em>'s China correspondents, Alice Su and David Rennie, analyse the stories at the heart of this vast country and examine its influence beyond its borders.</p><br><p>They’ll be joined by our global network of correspondents and expert guests to examine ... Show More
2m 18s
Apr 2024
Drum Tower: Xi’s doomed economic plan
The Economist’s editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes was recently in Beijing for the China Development Forum, an annual gathering where senior Chinese officials meet foreign business bosses. She joins our Beijing bureau chief David Rennie to assess Xi Jinping’s new plan to escape ... Show More
37m 18s