State of Asia

Selina Ho, Associate Professor in International Affairs and Co-Director of the Centre on Asia and Globalisation at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, discusses the Southeast Asia trip of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, why she labels China's foreign policy as both assertive and insecure, and why China is using the Korean War of the 1950s to rally its population behind the country's leaders in the current trade war with the United States.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member. -STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 8, episode 11 - Published: April 15, 2025Host: Remko Tanis, Asia Society SwitzerlandEditor: Remko Tanis, Managing Editor, Asia Society Switzerland

China's patent applications have surpassed every other country for over a decade and the speed with which technology out of China impresses the world has picked up in the last few years. Its factories churn out cutting-edge electric vehicles packed with futuristic features – so advanced that European carmakers are now partnering with Chinese firms to gain access to their technology. A complete reversal of the old playbook. In renewable energy and green tech, China has leapfrogged to become the world leader in both production and innovation.Then came the DeepSeek moment: an AI breakthrough from a little-known Chinese company, proving that China can build models on par with America's best – at a fraction of the cost. And all this despite restrictions on high-tech imports from the West. Time and again, China’s innovations catch businesses, governments, and analysts in Europe and the U.S. off guard. With massive investments in quantum computing, biotech, and nuclear technology, what's next?On April 7, we hosted an Oxford Debate LIVE on the motion: Innovation Made in China Will Change the World. Hear clear-cut arguments in support and against from:James Kynge, a writer on Chinese technology, the economy and geopolitics, who spent 28 years reporting on China for the Financial Times.John Lee, 2025 TOY Senior Fellow at Asia Society Switzerland and Director of East West Futures, a consultancy specializing in China's high-tech industries, political economy, military capabilities, and international diplomacy.Antonia Hmaidi, Senior Analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin, working on the geopolitics of technology, China's pursuit of tech self-reliance, China's cybersecurity and hacking campaigns.Yuka Kobayashi, a British Academy Global Innovation Fellow in DGAP's Center for Geopolitics, Geoeconomics, and Technology. She is on leave from SOAS, University of London where she is senior lecturer of China and international politics.The full debate, including a conversation in which the debaters delve deeper into their arguments, is available to watch on Asia Society's YouTube channel here.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.-STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 8, episode 10 - Published: April 8, 2025Host: Remko Tanis, Asia Society SwitzerlandEditor: Remko Tanis, Managing Editor, Asia Society Switzerland

Switzerland was one of the first western nations to recognize the People's Republic of China, in 1950, and one of the first to reach a free trade agreement with Beijing as well, in 2013. Historian Ariane Knüsel explores the special bond between China and Switzerland in Die Schweiz und China, a book she co-authored with Ralph Weber.Ariane spoke at an event in our Talk at the Library series. More info, and her bio, is available here.More on the book Die Schweiz und China is available from the publisher.Join us at the Oxford Debate LIVE, on April 7, 2025, in Zurich. The question up for debate: will innovation made in China change the world? All information on our website. Or click here to secure your tickets right away.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.-STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 8, episode 9 - Published: March 18, 2025Hosts: Rebecca Farner and Remko Tanis, Asia Society SwitzerlandEditor: Remko Tanis, Managing Editor, Asia Society Switzerland

Semiconductors, EVs, AI, TSMC, BYD, DeepSeek...In a time when trade, technology, and global power dynamics are more interconnected and in flux than ever before, we turn to an expert on all those things on this episode: John Lee, a leading voice on high-tech industries in China and the region, and on how they impact foreign relations.John is the 2025 TOY Senior Fellow at Asia Society Switzerland, which means he'll be around frequently this year to explore key global challenges, geopolitics, and the impact of technological advances on it all.He has also been named a Fellow at Asia Society's Center for China Analysis. The TOY Senior Fellowship is made possible through the generous support of Max and Monique Burger & the "Thinking of Yves" Family, Hong Kong.  He will provide analysis on a range of technology and political issues including semiconductors, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, national security matters, and the evolving role of technology in geopolitics.John Lee will be one of four debaters at our Oxford Debate LIVE, on April 7, 2025, in Zurich. The question up for debate: will innovation made in China change the world? Find all information on this live event on our website. Or click here to secure your tickets right away.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member. -STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 8, episode 8 - Published: March 4, 2025Hosts: Nico Luchsinger and Remko Tanis, Asia Society SwitzerlandEditor: Remko Tanis, Managing Editor, Asia Society Switzerland

For years, for most of us, news on global trade mostly hid out in the pages of The Wall Street Journal or the Financial Times. Not anymore. as the U.S. is threatening and hitting friend and foe with punitive tariffs. The rules-based system that has been governing global trade seems to be evaporating in front of our eyes.What does that mean for consumers, companies, and governments in Europe and Asia? Hear insights from both continents. Renowned trade policy experts Deborah Elms, Head of Trade Policy at the Hinrich Foundation in Singapore, and Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy, try to make sense of the rapid changes.The conversations were recorded as part of the latest episode of our online series A Closer Look. That video is available on our website.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member. -STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 8, episode 7 - Published: February 18, 2025Host/Editor: Remko Tanis, Managing Editor, Asia Society Switzerland

Late last year, at our annual STATE OF ASIA conference, we hosted a conversation on the economic developments in Japan, China, and India.After decades of stagnation, Japan’s economy is showing optimism from structural shifts like labor market reforms and wage increases that are finally starting to pay off. In China, growth has peaked and the government is yet to succeed in convincing its population it’s okay to spend money.All the while, India is now the fastest-growing developing economy and scrambling to shed its protectionist past in order to create a lot more much-needed jobs. This, and much more, was discussed in three 12-minute conversations by:Garima Mohan, Senior Fellow in the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund of the United StatesAlicia García Herrero, Chief Economist Asia Pacific at NatixisYumiko Murakami, General Partner at MPower Partners Fund, L.P.More information on the conference, the speakers, plus videos and summaries, are available on our website.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member. -STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 8, episode 6 - Published: February 11, 2025Host/Editor: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland

Kaiser Kuo, host of the long-running Sinica podcast, joins us in Zurich to discuss the evolving narrative on China, and why the West is so often 'stunned' by Chinese breakthroughs in electric vehicles, green technology, or, most recently: AI, with DeepSeek.We explore the reasons behind the challenges of reporting on China, the importance of strategic empathy, and the shifting dynamics of global influence, particularly in relation to American exceptionalism.Recommendations mentioned at the end of the episode:Chartbook, by Adam ToozePekingnology and The East is Read, by Zichen WangInterconnected, by Kevin XuBaiguan, by Robert WuChinese Cooking DemystifiedPlayground, by Richard PowersDal recipeStay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member. -STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 8, episode 5 - Published: February 4, 2025Hosts: Nico Luchsinger and Remko Tanis, Asia Society SwitzerlandEditor: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland

India and Indonesia, the juggernaut democracies of South and Southeast Asia, both ended 2024 with new governments that hold new ambitions. How will this pan out in the year to come?We talked about this with Dewi Fortuna Anwar, one of Indonesia’s foremost foreign policy experts; and Garima Mohan, Senior Fellow in the Indo-Pacific Program at the German Marshall Fund. The conversation is moderated by James Crabtree, 2024 TOY Senior Fellow at Asia Society Switzerland, and was recorded at the third edition of our STATE OF ASIA conference, held last November in Zurich.More information on the conference, the speakers, plus videos and summaries, are available on our website.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member. -STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 8, episode 4 - Published: January 28, 2025Host/Editor: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland

We check in with Schoni Song in Seoul, to discuss this morning's unprecedented arrest of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is accused of leading an insurrection. How have people in South Korea responded to the news, and what could come next?Schoni is a former colleague at Asia Society and was a speaker in our 2023 webcast A Closer Look at South Korea.-STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 8, episode 3 - Published: January 15, 2025Host/Editor: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland

China is undergoing unprecedented changes domestically, while also dealing with the challenges of a volatile world.Listen to Qing Wang, host of the popular Chinese-language podcast The Weirdo; Zichen Wang, Research Fellow at the Center for China and Globalization; and Adam Tooze, economic historian and professor at Columbia University discuss the state of China.The discussion is moderated by Finbarr Birmingham, Europe correspondent for the South China Morning Post, and was recorded at STATE OF ASIA, the flagship conference hosted by Asia Society Switzerland last November, in Zurich.More information on the conference, the speakers, plus videos and summaries, are available on our website.Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member. -STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.  Season 8, episode 2 - Published: January 14, 2025Host/Editor: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland