The David McWilliams Podcast 2025: China’s Year
Dec 23, 2025
China is set to be the dominant global power by 2025, focusing on stability and consolidation rather than conquest. The podcast delves into its 2,000-year history of centralization and the unifying power of its written language. It also explores how China has redirected trade in response to U.S. tariffs, illustrating its strategic economic influence. With a historical perspective on imperial bureaucracy, the discussion highlights why internal cohesion triumphs over imperial ambitions, shaping a resilient and quietly powerful China.
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China's Multipolar Rise In 2025
- China emerged in 2025 as a multipolar power by refusing to be bullied and redirecting trade toward Europe.
- David McWilliams argues China benefited from US tariffs and the West's fragmented response to strengthen its global position.
Christmas Gift Sparked Research
- David McWilliams received two volumes of Chinese history from his mother-in-law and used them to research the episode.
- He mentions the books' author John Kay as a trusted historian guiding his reading.
Two Millennia Of Statecraft
- China has been a unitary, standardized state for about 2,000 years, rooted in Qin-era reforms.
- The logographic script and state exams unified elites and enabled administration across diverse languages and regions.