This weekend, Taiwan will hold the only free and fair elections in the Chinese-speaking world. Whoever wins will lead in a pivotal time—and their term will cover the period during which President Xi Jinping has promised China will annex what it considers a breakaway territory, even by force, if necessary. Could this be Taiwan’s last election? The incumbent D ... Show More
Yesterday
US-China AI Race (ft Gina Raimondo), Kyiv Shakeup, Kash to Moscow, Saudi Nuclear Deal, Iran Update
AI models in the United States may be ahead of China’s in terms of capability, but China far surpasses America in adoption and use. That’s what former US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo says about the state of the AI race, and why she believes it's critical for the US and its ... Show More
44m 44s
Jul 27
Iran's War Plan (ft. Vali Nasr), Burnham In, Fedorov Out, Japan's New Spy Agency, China's AI Grab
Professor Vali Nasr argues that the single objective that's driven Tehran since 1979 has been defending its independence from the US. Author of Iran’s Grand Strategy, Nasr says that logic, more than ideology, explains the current war. He unpacks Iran's shift toward hard-nosed nat ... Show More
1h 4m
Jul 16
Ukraine: Economic Powerhouse (ft Chrystia Freeland), PM Burnham, Iran Stalemate, China's PLA Shakeup
In recent months of the war, Ukraine has managed to hold its front lines and bring war to regular Russians via attacks on infrastructure. That’s why Economic Advisor to the President of Ukraine Chrystia Freeland believes Ukraine has flipped the narrative from being the virtuous v ... Show More
1h 7m
Jan 2024
Drum Tower: Taiwan goes to the polls
China is watching Taiwan’s next presidential race closely. The results will influence Xi Jinping’s next steps when it comes to resolving the “Taiwan question”.
Ahead of the vote on January 13th, Alice Su, our senior China correspondent, goes to campaign rallies of the 3 parties ... Show More
43m 39s
Aug 2022
Inside Taiwan, in the eye of a geopolitical storm
It’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks for Taiwan.
After U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial visit to the self-governed island last week, China followed up with several military drills over the Taiwan strait.
While those drills have now stopped, tensions remain high b ... Show More
28 m
Oct 2023
Drum Tower: What does it mean to be Taiwanese?
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many have worried: is Taiwan next? China is giving Taiwan a terrifying choice: unify with China, or face war. People in Taiwan want neither of these.For this special four-part series, David Rennie, The Economist’s Beijing bureau chief, and Alic ... Show More
46m 31s
Jan 2024
Elections everywhere all at once
This weekend, Taiwan goes to the polls, kicking off the biggest election year in history. The Guardian’s Amy Hawkins brings us up to speed on the candidates, and Vox’s Bryan Walsh explains the stakes for democracy.
This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Amina Al- ... Show More
25m 41s
<p>Taiwan’s presidential election shows that voters are willing to defy China, the 2024 US presidential election kicks off today, and American banks say that American consumers are in good shape. </p><br><p><strong>Mentioned in this podcast:</strong></p><p><a href="https://o ... Show More
