logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
34m 49s

Drum Tower: The prince and the prime min...

The Economist
About this episode

This month China’s prime minister, Li Keqiang, will retire. He was once a rising star of the Communist Party and a contender to lead it, but under Xi Jinping he had little chance to shine. 


The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Alice Su, ask what Mr Li’s career and retirement reveals about power in China. They speak to two people who know Mr Li: Tao Jingzhou, a former university classmate, and Joerg Wuttke, the head of the European Union chamber of commerce in China, about his political and economic outlook. And The Economist’s James Miles decodes the choice of Mr Li’s successor. 


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
Today
Finally, a deal: the fragile peace in Gaza
Donald Trump has brokered an agreement between Israel’s government and Hamas. It’s a momentous breakthrough. Our correspondent analyses what comes next. We launch “The Economist Insider”, our new TV show for subscribers, where senior editors debate the news. And, do red-light mas ... Show More
23m 25s
Yesterday
Liberté, égalité, désordre: chaos in France
France’s newly-appointed prime minister has resigned only weeks into the job. Now President Emmanual Macron has given him 48 hours to come up with a plan for next year’s budget. Can Macron survive the turmoil? As driverless taxis take over San Francisco, what will happen to the h ... Show More
21m 3s
Oct 7
Man of steel, and aluminium: Carney talks trade with Trump
The swiftest way for Prime Minister Mark Carney to ease pressure on Canada’s economy is to convince President Donald Trump today to pare back tariffs. But he has far broader plans afoot, too. A heady online mix of e-commerce and entertainment is creating a new generation of shopp ... Show More
21m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2022
The Prince bonus 2: The 20th party congress
Host Sue-Lin Wong dissects the unexpected and the foreseen from the Chinese Communist Party’s five-yearly meeting, with The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief David Rennie, who was there. How did Xi Jinping use the event to tighten his grip on power?  Listen to The Economist’s new ... Show More
29m 51s
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
Feb 2023
Drum Tower: Up in the air
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 don ... Show More
40m 45s
Nov 2022
Drum Tower: Better than a punch in the face
Xi Jinping and Joe Biden met face-to-face for their first time as national leaders. Both men spoke about feeling the eyes of the world on them. What does the world need from this relationship?  The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, David Rennie, and senior China correspondent, Al ... Show More
36m 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
Sep 2022
Introducing The Prince
Xi Jinping is the most powerful person in the world. But the real story of China’s leader remains a mystery. The Economist’s Sue-Lin Wong finds out how he rose to the top in a new podcast series launching on September 28th.  For more China coverage, subscribe to The Economist and ... Show More
3m 28s
Jan 2023
Inside China’s global propaganda machine – with Joshua Kurlantzick
With China’s military and economic power continuing to grow, Katie Stallard speaks to Joshua Kurlantzick, a journalist and fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, about Beijing’s ambition to become an information superpower. They discuss his new book, Beijing’s Global Media O ... Show More
20m 57s
Oct 2022
Xi Jinping Opens a New Chapter for China
Four years ago, Xi Jinping set himself up to become China’s leader indefinitely.At last week’s Communist Party congress in Beijing, he stepped into that role, making a notable sweep of the country’s other top leaders and placing even greater focus on national security.Guest: Chri ... Show More
25m 20s
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