Intelligence Squared

Inside China’s Quest for Social Control

May 1, 2023

In this insightful discussion, Josh Chin, Deputy China Bureau Chief for The Wall Street Journal and co-author of 'Surveillance State', delves into China's pervasive use of technology for social control. He highlights the chilling effects of surveillance on the Uyghurs and the extensive implications for human rights. Chin also addresses how Western firms ironically fueled this surveillance system, alongside the complex and often contradictory views of technology as both oppressive and beneficial in urban areas. His insights reveal a troubling global trend in governance.

35:24

Episode guests

Josh Chin

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

Surveillance State: Control Over the Uyghurs

12min

The Power of Digital Platforms in Social Control

2min

Silicon Valley's Role in China's Surveillance State

5min

Surveillance and Safety: Contrasting Views in China

11min

The Shift in Public Sentiment Amidst Lockdowns in China

4min

China’s quest for social control is now playing out in ways that should worry us all. In this episode of the podcast, award-winning journalist Josh Chin explains how the Chinese government is weaving digital technology into every aspect of daily life from traffic patterns to food safety to emergency response. And he argues that this is a matter of global concern: Western governments encouraged their countries’ companies to sell China the technology it needed to build its surveillance state in the hope that economic and scientific engagement would lead to political reform. Not only did that plan backfire but now China is exporting its system to other countries such as India, Uganda, and Singapore. The host for this episode is Katie Stallard - Senior Editor, China and Global Affairs, at the New Statesman magazine.

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