
China In Context
China In Context is a fortnightly podcast by the SOAS China Institute (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London) which offers expert analysis on the politics, economy, society, culture and history of China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. It features interviews with leading academics, researchers, journalists and other China-specialists from around the world.
Latest episodes

Jul 11, 2023 • 15min
Has Xi Jinping’s leadership left China on shaky ground?
Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China has been asserting itself as a confident and strong country. But how firm are the foundations of Xi’s power and what are the risks associated with a system in which one person has so much influence and authority? In this podcast, Bernhard Bartsch from the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) discusses Xi Jinping with regular host, Duncan Bartlett, the Editor of Asian Affairs.________________________________________The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and are not necessarily those of the SOAS China Institute.________________________________________SOAS China Institute (SCI) SCI Blog SCI on X SCI on LinkedIn SCI on Facebook SCI on Instagram ________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

Jul 4, 2023 • 14min
Does China need more economic stimulus?
China’s economy is struggling to regain momentum following the pandemic. Dwindling export demand has held back the manufacturing sector and there’s been a slump in property prices. In this podcast, Duncan Wrigley, Chief China Plus Economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, discusses the options available to help revive China’s fortunes with regular host, Duncan Bartlett.________________________________________The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and are not necessarily those of the SOAS China Institute.________________________________________SOAS China Institute (SCI) SCI Blog SCI on X SCI on LinkedIn SCI on Facebook SCI on Instagram ________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

Jun 27, 2023 • 15min
What drives the US Republican Party’s agenda on China?
The Republican politician who chairs Washington’s Select Committee on China, Mike Gallagher, has said that he views the ruling Chinese Communist Party as "as an enemy of the United States." Other members of his party are also vocal in their criticism of China, with many describing it as a threat. In this podcast, James McGregor, Chairman of APCO Worldwide’s Greater China region and Zuri Linetsky from the Eurasia Group Foundation in Washington discuss the Republican Party's position on China.________________________________________The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and are not necessarily those of the SOAS China Institute.________________________________________SOAS China Institute (SCI) SCI Blog SCI on X SCI on LinkedIn SCI on Facebook SCI on Instagram ________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

Jun 20, 2023 • 14min
Xi Jinping’s quarrel with liberal values
Xi Jinping challenges the liberal values of the west and hopes to forge a new world order which does not denigrate China’s Communist party system. This has major implications for China’s role within international institutions and its relations with other countries. In this podcast, Dr Moritz Rudolf from Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center discusses the ideology of President Xi’s “Global Civilization Initiative” with regular host Duncan Bartlett.________________________________________The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and are not necessarily those of the SOAS China Institute.________________________________________SOAS China Institute (SCI) SCI Blog SCI on X SCI on LinkedIn SCI on Facebook SCI on Instagram ________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

Jun 13, 2023 • 15min
How will Joe Biden handle China if he wins a second term?
President Biden is pursuing re-election for a second term, urging voters to give him four further years. He has promised a thaw in relations with China, yet intense competition between the superpowers suggests a softening of tone is unlikely. In this podcast, James McGregor, chairman of APCO World wide's Greater China region, offers his expert perspective on the Biden Administration's foreign policy to regular host, Duncan Bartlett.________________________________________The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and are not necessarily those of the SOAS China Institute.________________________________________SOAS China Institute (SCI) SCI Blog SCI on X SCI on LinkedIn SCI on Facebook SCI on Instagram ________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

Jun 6, 2023 • 14min
Canada’s Clashes with China
There are allegations that China has been interfering in the Canadian political system and preventing free speech. In the spring of 2023, Canada expelled a Chinese diplomat, alleging that he had been harassing a politician. Soon afterwards, a Canadian frigate was intercepted by a Chinese warship in the Taiwan Strait. In this podcast, Zuri Linetsky, research fellow at the Eurasia Group Foundation in Washington and Jonathan Berkshire Miller, Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Ottawa, discuss Canada's strategy for China and the Indo-Pacific.________________________________________The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and are not necessarily those of the SOAS China Institute.________________________________________SOAS China Institute (SCI) SCI Blog SCI on X SCI on LinkedIn SCI on Facebook SCI on Instagram ________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

May 30, 2023 • 15min
Will there be a thaw in US-China relations?
When Joe Biden went to Hiroshima for the G7 summit in May, he declared that there will soon be a thaw in relations between the US and China. Dialogue has increased but some fundamental disagreements still keep the two countries very far apart. In this podcast, renowned author and journalist Jonathan Fenby offers his reading of the situation to regular host, Duncan Bartlett.________________________________________The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and are not necessarily those of the SOAS China Institute.________________________________________SOAS China Institute (SCI) SCI Blog SCI on X SCI on LinkedIn SCI on Facebook SCI on Instagram ________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

May 23, 2023 • 14min
De-risking and decoupling - what do the terms really mean?
Every field has its jargon and the field of Sinology - or China studies - has many special terms. Two terms which are in common use at the moment are de-risking and decoupling but their precise meaning is somewhat ambiguous and dependent on context. In this podcast, James Laurenceson, director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology, Sydney, offers his definitions of the words to regular host, Duncan Bartlett.________________________________________The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and are not necessarily those of the SOAS China Institute.________________________________________SOAS China Institute (SCI) SCI Blog SCI on X SCI on LinkedIn SCI on Facebook SCI on Instagram ________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

May 16, 2023 • 15min
China’s fraught relationship with the G7
Previous summits of G7 leaders have rebuked China’s actions in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and have berated its relationship with Russia. In this podcast, Dr. Moritz Rudolf from Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center considers what the 2023 meeting of G7 leaders in Hiroshima, Japan has in store for China. The podcast is hosted by Duncan Bartlett, Editor of Asian Affairs.________________________________________The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and are not necessarily those of the SOAS China Institute.________________________________________SOAS China Institute (SCI) SCI Blog SCI on X SCI on LinkedIn SCI on Facebook SCI on Instagram ________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

May 9, 2023 • 15min
What is South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol's view on China?
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol received widespread praise in the international media for his historic five day state visit to the United States in April 2023. Joe Biden reassured Mr Yoon that America will defend South Korea in the face of threats. In this podcast, Dr John Nilsson-Wright of Cambridge University discusses the changing dynamics in East Asian politics with Duncan Bartlett, Editor of Asian Affairs.________________________________________The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers and are not necessarily those of the SOAS China Institute.________________________________________SOAS China Institute (SCI) SCI Blog SCI on X SCI on LinkedIn SCI on Facebook SCI on Instagram ________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0