For a long time, there was a pervasive belief in Washington and other western capitals that China would liberalize once it's population had obtained a certain amount of prosperity. What many people failed to understand was the ideology that drove the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and how it could employ capitalism to a communism end. Without a true understanding of what communists believe, it can be easy to fall prey to what they preach, which is very different from what they practice. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss the core beliefs of Xi Jinping and the Communist Party, the connection between progressivism and communism, and how the US can help Chinese people topple the Chinese Communist Party. Joining us in this episode is Brad Thayer, director of China policy at the Center for Security Policy and co-author of “Understanding the China Threat”.

Christopher Balding, Senior Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society and founder of New Kite Data Labs, discusses China's economy, the overvaluation of real estate, the comparison of China's bailout with the US's, increasing debt and unsustainable infrastructure model, the impact of higher education investment, and the environmental impact of Chinese electric vehicles.

China knows the geopolitical significance of the Solomon Islands and the rest of the Pacific islands if it were to go to war with the US and its allies. And it's been slowly tightening the noose around the country's democracy by bribing its officials, training Solomon Island police, and sending Chinese nationals to infiltrate its society. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss how soon before China has complete control of the Solomon Islands, what the US and Australia could do to stop Chinese corruption there, and what Chinese corruption in the Solomon Islands looks like. Joining us in this episode is Colonel Grant Newsham, a former Marine intelligence officer and author of the book When China Attacks: A Warning to America.

Many people think that because China's Navy is relatively untested that it's nothing to worry about. However, that's not necessarily the case. China's weapons have been getting better, it's experience on the sea is growing each day, and it's training is getting more sophisticated. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss China's maritime buildup, it's conflict with the Philippines over a rusty old ship moored on a shoal, and why China might want to go to war sooner rather than later. Joining us in this episode is Captain Jim Fanell, the former director of intelligence and information operations for the U.S. Pacific Fleet and senior intelligence officer for China at the Office of Naval Intelligence.

China's economy is imploding, and the foreign investment that has been propping it up for so many years is starting to decline. In this just us episode of China Unscripted, we discuss China's real estate crisis, BlackRock's outlook on a US-China-Taiwan conflict, and why CCP officials need to start wearing black sharpie goatees.

China might invade Taiwan in August, or at least some of its islands, according to this week's China Unscripted guest Guermantes Lailari. In this episode, we talk about what makes August the most likely month, what Taiwanese islands China might want to take, and how the US could deter China from invading. Guermantes is a retired US Air Force Foreign Area Officer specializing in the Middle East and Europe, as well as strategy, irregular warfare, and missile defense. Last year, he was a Ministry of Foreign Affairs Taiwan Fellow. This year he is a visiting scholar at National Chengchi University in Taipei.

While the West is tearing itself up over pronouns and how many genders there are, China is killing innocent people for their organs, trying to wipe out entire races and fine-tuning its surveillance mechanisms to make sure dissent is a thing of the past. Criticism of China has, in some circles, been muted by accusations of racism, a line the CCP loves to exploit. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about how wokeism is making the West weak, how the US could wipe out its debt to China, and why the US has the upper hand against China but isn't using it. Joining us in this episode is Andrew Hale, the Jay Van Andel Senior Policy Analyst in Trade Policy in the Heritage Foundation’s Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies. Andrew is a dual national of the United Kingdom and the United States. In the UK, Andrew worked for the Department for International Trade, Defence Intelligence, and Parliament. In the US, Andrew has worked for the State Department and in Congress.

Will the US abandon Taiwan if China does actually invade? In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss US policy toward Taiwan, how Chinese money influences US policy, and what the Cold War can teach us about how to navigate the conflict with China. Joining us in this episode is retired Air Force General Robert Spalding who advised the Trump administration on China as the the senior director for strategic planning on the National Security Council. He's now the CEO of Sempre, a digital infrastructure company. Robert has written two books, "War Without Rules" and "Stealth War."

Despite the facade of calm, Hong Kong is a powder keg underneath. Many Hongkongers don't agree with the Chinese Communist Party's takeover of Hong Kong, but also feel powerless to change it. In this episode of China Unscripted, we discuss the bounty Hong Kong has on 8 democracy activists (including our guest), what Hongkongers can do to keep the protest movement alive, and the Biden administration's relationship with China. Joining us in this episode is Anna Kwok, the executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council.

The Chinese Communist Party likes to say it doesn't interfere in other countries' internal affairs. But the reality couldn't be further from the truth, and Canada is a case in point. Thanks to leaks from Canada's intelligence agency, CSIS, we know that the China selected certain candidates it wanted to win in Canada's federal elections, and tried to tip the scales by flooding the races with cash. In this episode of China Unscripted, we talk about China's interference in Canada's democracy, the government's (read Justin Trudeau's) lack of action, and how China silences its critics in Canada through lawfare. Joining us in this episode is Sam Cooper, the award winning Canadian investigative journalist who published many of the CSIS leaks, founder of the new independent investigative platform The Bureau, and author of the book Wilful Blindness: How a network of narcos, tycoons and CCP agents Infiltrated the West.