logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
31m 8s

Drum Tower: Belt tightening

The Economist
About this episode

Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited time offer*


China is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The global infrastructure project is a keystone of Xi Jinping’s foreign policy and he has lauded the huge economic benefits the scheme has brought to the world. But enthusiasm for the BRI is fading at home.

David Rennie, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, and Alice Su, our senior China correspondent, host the second episode of a two-part look at China’s BRI and how it’s changing. They speak to Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University. 

*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
Today
Dune raider: Saudi is a video-game superpower
Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, is a huge video-game fan. Now his hobby is becoming a multi-billion-dollar industry for the kingdom, which is acquiring some of the world’s biggest gaming firms. How Finnish icebreakers became a focus for polar power politics. And ... Show More
19m 57s
Yesterday
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
Oct 8
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
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
Drum Tower: Belt tightening
Sign up for Economist Podcasts+ now and get 50% off your subscription with our limited time offer* China is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The global infrastructure project is a keystone of Xi Jinping’s foreign policy and he has lauded the ... Show More
31m 8s
Sep 2023
Drum Tower: Riding an express train of China’s development
Ten years ago Xi Jinping announced the “project of the century”, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Over the last decade, more than 150 countries have signed up to Mr Xi’s global infrastructure project.  In this first episode of a two-part look at the BRI, Alice Su, The Econ ... Show More
43m 41s
Nov 2022
Introducing Drum Tower
Two of The Economist'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. They’ll be joined by our global network of correspondents and expert guests to examine how everything from p ... Show More
2m 18s
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 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
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
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
May 2023
Drum Tower: Cash into their chips
 Unicorns are becoming a common sight in China. In 2022 there were more than 300 private firms valued at more than $1bn—more than double the number from just five years ago. Alice Su, The Economist’s senior China correspondent, and Don Weinland, our China business and finance edi ... Show More
29m 2s
Dec 2022
Drum Tower: The red and the green
China’s energy security concerns are undermining its ambitious climate pledges. We try to understand the contradiction from the perspective of China’s leaders. And, in a country where activism can be dangerous, we find out how environmentalists are working within the system. Is C ... Show More
30m 10s