logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
23m 16s

Missing in action: China’s defence minis...

The Economist
About this episode

It would not be the first time that a member of the government has gone missing, not even the first time this year. But what does this say about the leadership of the People’s Liberation Army? No one cares about Apple’s new iPhone, but the tech giant has more to worry about (09:24). And why an old-school motorbike is still driving new hype in India (16:00).


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.


Visit http://www.economist.com/podcastsplus-intelligence to join.


If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription.


For more information about Economist Podcasts+, including how to get access, please visit our FAQs page.


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

Up next
Nov 21
Flee country: Britain seeks to slash migration
<p>Britain’s home secretary Shabana Mahmood proposed a big shift in <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/11/20/will-britain-copy-asylum-policy-from-a-place-with-poor-integration?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discov ... Show More
23m 22s
Nov 20
War graft: scandal engulfs Ukraine
<p>Pentagon officials are meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv to discuss a <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/11/19/a-terrible-american-russian-proposal-to-end-the-war-in-ukraine?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_con ... Show More
25m 24s
Nov 19
Crown prince arming: Trump sells jets to MBS
<p>Muhammad bin Salman’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2025/11/18/saudi-arabia-is-in-no-hurry-to-join-the-abraham-accords?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-n ... Show More
21m 55s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
Missing in action: China’s defence minister has disappeared
<p>It would not be the first time that a member of the government has gone <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2023/09/15/the-mystery-surrounding-chinas-missing-defence-minister?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.co ... Show More
23m 16s
Sep 2023
No end in sight: how Ukraine is being shaped by a long war
<p>Reporting from the ground, our Eastern Europe editor explores how the country is bracing for a <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2023/09/21/to-endure-a-long-war-ukraine-is-remaking-its-army-economy-and-society?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source= ... Show More
26m 13s
Sep 2023
Refresh your feed: introducing Economist Podcasts+
<p>For 17 years, The Economist has brought you a host of brilliant shows. Now we are taking that even further. But to bring you even more of the content that you love, we need your support. Why <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/09/04/an-armenian-enclave-inside-azerba ... Show More
26m 45s
Oct 2023
Blown speaker: Kevin McCarthy is out
<p>Another shutdown standoff, funding worries for Ukraine, more leadership chaos: the <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/10/04/the-sacking-of-kevin-mccarthy-will-make-supporting-ukraine-harder?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintellig ... Show More
22m 51s
Oct 2023
Poll vault: Argentina’s Peronist surprise
<p>After dominating the polls for months, Javier Miliei, a right-wing firebrand, was outshone by the candidate from the ruling Peronist administration. We examine why Mr Milei fell so short and the run-off to come. Cross-border assassinations may be rising—and states seem to be m ... Show More
26m 44s
Oct 2023
Invaluable bonds: rising borrowing costs
<p>America may have avoided a government shutdown last month but its fiscal worries are far from over. And unease in <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2023/09/28/forget-the-shutdown-americas-real-fiscal-worry-is-rising-bond-yields?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podca ... Show More
25m 4s
Mar 2024
The Intelligence: Is time up for TikTok?
<p>The US Congress is refusing to scroll past the app’s links to China. If the bill they passed becomes law, <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/03/12/time-for-tiktok-to-cut-its-ties-to-china?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm ... Show More
25m 39s
Mar 2024
The Intelligence: Russia pushes back on Kharkiv
<p>The northeastern province has been subject to more and more shelling, and Western officials are worried about Ukraine’s capacity to respond. Could there be a breakthrough? Not everyone is happy with the 28-year-old building America’s first <a href="https://www.economist.com/un ... Show More
23m 24s
Mar 2024
The Intelligence: Europe is not so hot on its green parties
<p>Melting ski slopes, floods and droughts are enraging the continent’s citizens, but not quite enough for them to consider <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/03/04/europes-new-look-winter-floods-high-sea-levels-and-melting-glaciers?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio. ... Show More
24m 14s
Mar 2024
The Intelligence: Haiti’s latest nightmare
<p>Despite growing pressure from powerful local gangs, Ariel Henry, the prime minister, is refusing to step down. <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/03/07/the-last-scraps-of-the-haitian-state-are-evaporating?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_sour ... Show More
21m 27s