New Enlightenment Is China Really a Global Threat?
In this episode of the New Enlightenment podcast, Professor Adam Dixon is joined by Lee Jones, Professor of Political Economy and International Relations, to unpack China’s rise as a global power and the realities behind Western narratives about Chinese authoritarianism.They explore how China’s political system actually works, why the Chinese party state is not monolithic, and how internal economic and political tensions shape China’s global behaviour. The conversation examines the Belt and Road Initiative, US–China relations, and why China’s growing assertiveness is often a response to Western pressure.The episode also looks at the UK and EU’s alignment with US policy, the position of the global South, and what defines the emerging second Cold War – arguing that de-escalation will require a fundamental shift in Western attitudes toward China.
Key takeways:• China’s power is contested, not monolithic• Belt and Road is decentralised and uneven• China reacts as much as it initiates• The new Cold War is structural, not ideological• Western narratives often miss China’s complexity_________________Professor Lee Jones: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/politics/staff...LinkedIn: / lee-jones-79120744 X: https://x.com/drleejonesFractured China: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fractured-Ch..._________________Professor Adam Dixon : https://www.panmurehouse.org/programm...LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-dixo...X: https://x.com/DrAdam_DixonBooks: https://adam-dixon.com/books/#China #GlobalPower #ChinaPoliticalEconomy #USChinaRelations#Beltandroadinitiative #SecondColdWar #ChineseAuthoritarianism#ChinaForeignPolicy