Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast China In Context
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese EVs: Highly charged — and ready to overtake? | 21 Oct 2026 | 00:42:51 | |
Chinese electric vehicle brands may not yet be on everybody's roads, but they're certainly on the minds of policy makers around the world. With Donald Trump musing recently on whether to allow Chinese cars to be manufactured in the US, leading American auto industry figures have pushed back, arguing that the subsidies China has given its EV and battery firms over the past two decades amount to unfair competition. The head of Volkswagen, meanwhile, has warned that French and German carmakers must work together to combat the challenge from China, whose passenger vehicle exports are expected to hit 11-12 million this year, compared to just five million three years ago. And the EU, which has followed the US in imposing punitive tariffs on Chinese EVs, recently also persuaded Beijing to limit its exports of hybrid cars to the bloc to just 350,000 per year — compared to this year’s predicted exports of 800,000 such vehicles. But the challenge is far from over: with sales in China slowing, the country’s biggest manufacturers, including BYD — now the world’s biggest EV maker — Chery and Geely, which already dominate their domestic market, are seeking to avoid tariffs and add market share by manufacturing in factories in Europe, Latin America and other regions. So how should the world respond to the rise of the cheap, hi-tech Chinese EV — and is its dominance inevitable? Bill Russo, a former senior executive in China for Chrysler who now heads the Shanghai-based advisory firm Automobility, and is also chairman of the automotive committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, shares his views. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| China’s Global Strategy — Winning over the Global South, Targeting Taiwan | 07 Oct 2026 | 00:51:58 | |
September's summit meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping may not have achieved too many concrete outcomes, but to some observers, it highlighted China’s rising international status. Beijing's ambitions on the international stage have been highlighted in recent years by its launch of a series of Global Initiatives, on Governance, Security, Development and Civilisation, which emphasise its own values, and have fuelled fears among some in the west that China seeks to replace the US as the world’s dominant power. So what is China seeking to achieve internationally? That’s the topic of a new book, China’s Global Strategy Under Xi Jinping, co-authored by Professor Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute and a specialist on President Xi's ideology, and Olivia Cheung. It focuses on China's attempts to win over countries of the Global South, increase its influence in multilateral bodies like the UN, and ultimately to take control of Taiwan as part of Xi Jinping's stated aim of achieving what he calls 'The China Dream of National Rejuvenation' by 2050. Steve Tsang joins us to discuss China’s global aims and strategies. Photo credit: Ricardo Stuckert/PR / CC BY-SA 4.0 For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Mr Xi goes to Washington — Stability amid tension? | 22 Sep 2026 | 00:39:54 | |
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington this month comes amidst continuing tensions over Beijing’s strategic ambitions, US arms sales to Taiwan, and restrictions on US chip exports to China. Congress has just passed a bill pledging sanctions against countries which, like China, import Russian oil, while Donald Trump’s recent Greenland deal seems targeted at both Beijing and Moscow. So what are the chances of the two countries extending the truce on trade tariffs they reached last year — to say nothing of reaching a consensus on AI governance, or even building the ‘constructive relationship of strategic stability’ that they agreed to create during Mr Trump’s visit to Beijing in May? Professor Rana Mitter, historian of modern China and ST Lee Chair in US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School, shares his views on the state of the relationship between the two nations. Photo credit: Daniel Torok / White House For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Europe’s New ‘China Shock’ — Trade tensions, job losses, crisis talks | 15 Jul 2026 | 00:44:18 | |
Despite decades of rapid Chinese growth, it’s over the past year that European politicians have begun to talk of facing what’s been dubbed the ‘China Shock 2.0’ — as surging Chinese exports and the impact of higher technology Chinese growth increasingly affect the heartlands of European industry — particularly German car and machinery manufacturing. Germany’s industrial output has fallen around 10% since 2022, and the country is estimated to be shedding some 10,000 industrial jobs every month; Volkswagen has just outlined up to 100,000 possible job cuts. Much of the blame has been placed on Chinese overcapacity, and what Europe sees as unfair subsidies and an overvalued Chinese yuan. And amid fears that job losses could further boost the rise of the far right in European politics, there have been calls for new import restrictions and higher tariffs on Chinese imports to Europe. The European Union and China have just begun three months of trade talks in an attempt to find a solution — but will Europe dare to take tough action in the face of China’s stranglehold on sectors like rare earths and legacy chips — and is China prepared to compromise? Joerg Wuttke of the consultancy DGA Albright Stonebridge Group, for many years president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, and former Vice President for China at the German chemicals giant BASF, discusses the roots of the crisis and the chances of finding a solution. Image © European Union, 2025 / CC BY 4.0 For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Family and Relationship Trends in China — Across generations, across the urban-rural divide | 02 Jul 2026 | 00:41:04 | |
There’s been much talk recently about China’s demographic challenges: a fast-ageing population, a fall in the number of marriages, and record low birth rates - despite the relaxation of the One Child Policy ten years ago - as well as a rise in divorce rates over the past two decades. So what is going on in Chinese families and relationships? One person who studies this in great depth is Liu Jieyu, professor of sociology and China Studies at SOAS, and co-editor of the journal the China Quarterly, whose new book, Embedded Generations — Family Life and Social Change in Contemporary China, features interviews with more than 200 people from three generations — from those born in the 1930s and 40s to those born in the 1990s and beyond. Based on her fieldwork in villages in three provinces, and three cities from northern to southern China, it focuses on her interviewees’ experiences of childhood, relationships, sex and marriage, grandparenting and ageing. And it challenges traditional sociological attitudes to the impact of modernization and individualisation on Chinese society, highlighting some unexpected continuities and reinventions of tradition. Professor Liu joins us to discuss her findings. Image © PRPicturesProduction / Adobe Stock For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| World Cup Dreams and Own Goals — Football in China | 17 Jun 2026 | 00:39:26 | |
Despite the extra places on offer at this year’s expanded FIFA World Cup Finals, the Chinese men’s soccer team once again failed to qualify, continuing a series of disappointments dating back to 2002, when China made its only appearance at the tournament after extra slots were freed up by the host nations, Japan and South Korea, qualifying automatically. Over the past two decades vast sums have been poured into the Chinese Super League, which for a while attracted many foreign stars and managers. And President Xi Jinping has spoken of his dream that the country would host and one day win the World Cup. Yet despite his launch of a major football reform plan in 2015, Chinese soccer is again in disarray — two leading clubs have gone bankrupt, while nine of the country’s top teams were recently docked points, in a corruption scandal that led to the jailing of senior football association officials, club administrators, and even the former national team boss Li Tie. And Chinese state TV only reached a deal to show this year’s World Cup just a month before the competition began. So are China’s traditionally passionate football fans falling out of love with the game? Rowan Simons, author of the book Bamboo Goalposts, and chairman and founder of Club Football Beijing, which trains young players and runs a youth league in the Chinese capital, joins us to discuss the state of Chinese soccer, and whether the country’s World Cup dream might ever become a reality. Image © safat / Adobe Stock For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Did China trump Trump? — After the Beijing summit | 21 May 2026 | 00:42:33 | |
Donald Trump's visit to Beijing, the first by a US president in nine years, not only included plenty of pageantry, but produced some apparently substantive agreements. Aside from China resuming purchases of Boeing planes, beef and soybeans from the US, the two countries agreed to set up boards of trade and investment, and pledged to establish a 'constructive relationship of strategic stability'. And Xi Jinping will visit the US in September. But will this really ease recent trade and political tensions? Melinda Liu, veteran Beijing bureau chief of Newsweek magazine, and Professor Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute and co-author of 'The Political Thought of Xi Jinping', discuss who got the most out of a summit described by President Trump as 'very successful' and by President Xi as ‘historic’. Photo credit: Daniel Torok / White House For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| China's Middle East Balancing Act — Peace plans, pragmatism and economic prospects | 06 May 2026 | 00:35:34 | |
The war in the Middle East has affected China in many ways: as well as targeting Iran, a country with which Beijing has a comprehensive strategic partnership, it has disrupted exports, rattled consumer confidence, and forced the Chinese government to step in to protect consumers from the worst of rising petrol prices. Yet some believe Beijing may benefit from the damage to US global credibility, and China has sought to highlight its role as a responsible diplomatic player, proposing a joint peace plan with Pakistan, and holding talks with Gulf leaders and Iranian officials. And China may also benefit from fresh opportunities, as Gulf countries, with which it has fast growing economic ties, seek to build new port and railway infrastructure to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Yet Beijing’s veto of a Bahraini resolution, opposed by Iran, to guarantee safety of navigation in the Strait at the UN in April was a reminder of the fine line it has to tread in maintaining relations with both the Gulf states and Iran, 90 percent of whose oil sales go to China. Jonathan Fulton, professor of international relations at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, editor of the China MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Newsletter, and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, joins us to assess how recent events in the region will affect China in the longer term. Image © Ruma / Adobe Stock For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| China's International Ambitions — A Global Opposition Party? | 01 Apr 2026 | 00:44:22 | |
The presidency of Donald Trump has given China fresh opportunities to increase its influence on the international stage. China has long been seeking to expand its role in global governance, proposing initiatives on issues ranging from development and security to the regulation of the internet and AI. It’s also founded the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and is a prime mover in groups including the BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. At the recent annual China Development Forum, its premier Li Qiang told an audience of international executives that China was a ‘haven of stability’ in a volatile world. And Beijing, along with Pakistan, has now proposed a peace plan for Iran and the Middle East. Yet China also continues to assert what it sees as its core interests on issues including Taiwan, Hong Kong and the South China Sea, and in its tariff clashes with the US. And many observers have argued that China’s rise makes a conflict with the United States almost inevitable — in line with concepts such as power transition theory and the Thucydides trap. But a new article by two academics proposes an alternative analysis of China’s international role — as the leader of a ‘global opposition campaign’. Its co-authors, Todd Hall, professor of international relations and director of the China Centre at Oxford University and author of the book ‘Emotional Diplomacy - Official Emotion on the International Stage’, and Hannah Bailey, assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University and a specialist on Chinese global influence campaigns, join us to discuss China’s global ambitions, and the tensions between what they describe as the nation’s overlapping and sometimes contradictory personas. Photo credit: kremlin.ru / CC BY 4.0 For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Slower Growth, Hi-tech Self-reliance, and 'Ethnic Unity' — China plans the future | 18 Mar 2026 | 00:40:26 | |
China's legislature this month set the nation's GDP growth target at 4.5 – 5%, the lowest since 1991, and also approved the country's new five year plan, which calls for higher quality growth with an emphasis on self-reliance and technological innovation, and pledges to promote domestic consumption and improve citizens' livelihoods. The National People’s Congress also passed a new 'Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity', which among other things, enshrines the use of Mandarin in schools in ethnic minority-dominated regions. In this episode, Evelyn Cheng, senior correspondent for CNBC in Beijing, joins us to assess China’s economic plans, while Christopher Mittelstaedt, Professor of Chinese politics at the University of Zurich, analyses the political implications of the Five Year Plan and the ethnic unity law. Photo credit: Gary Lee Todd / CC0 1.0 For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| China's Economic Plans — and Consumer Challenges | 03 Mar 2026 | 00:43:05 | |
China’s legislature is meeting in March to approve the nation’s new Five Year Plan, which aims to promote higher quality growth, and make China increasingly self-sufficient in new technology of all kinds, from AI to semiconductors. Yet it comes against a backdrop of uncertainty and tariff wars abroad, and high youth unemployment and a slumping property market at home. Xi Jinping has pinned his hopes on boosting domestic consumption and has pledged to promote the private economy, which he had previously hit with a major regulatory crackdown. But will this be enough to stimulate the kind of economic revival the government is hoping for? Andy Rothman, founder of the consultancy Sinology LLC, former China-based analyst and diplomat, and now senior advisor to the DGA Albright Stonebridge Group and senior China fellow at the Asia Society Northern California, discusses China’s economic prospects — and the challenges for consumer confidence and private enterprise. Photo credit: Yu Ko / Unsplash For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Xi Jinping and his Father — Power, purges, parenting | 17 Feb 2026 | 00:45:29 | |
The run-up to the lunar year has been a busy one for China’s President Xi Jinping, with world leaders beating a path to Beijing to meet him; he also found time to purge two of the Chinese military’s top generals, while the outspoken Hong Kong newspaper publisher and democracy advocate Jimmy Lai was jailed for 20 years. And with the erratic trade and foreign policy of the US currently boosting Beijing’s global influence, the 72 year-old leader could be said to be at the height of his powers. Yet even after more than a decade in charge of China, to many people outside the country he remains something of an enigma, rarely speaking to international media. Professor Joseph Torigian, a specialist on Chinese politics at American University in Washington DC, offers an unusual insight into Xi Jinping’s backstory in his new book, The Party’s Interests Come First, a biography of the Chinese president’s father, Xi Zhongxun (1913-2002), who was himself a senior party official, but was purged from the leadership by Chairman Mao and jailed in the 1960s and 70s, before returning to pioneer economic reforms in southern China. In this episode, Joseph Torigian looks at how his father’s experiences may — or in some cases may not — have influenced Xi Jinping’s life and politics. Photo credit: Tatarstan.ru / CC BY 4.0 For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| China and Britain — Thawing ties, underlying tensions | 03 Feb 2026 | 00:41:59 | |
Sir Keir Starmer described his recent trip to China as a chance to end the ‘ice age’ in the two countries’ ties and build a more ‘sophisticated’ relationship. But despite the announcement of visa free-travel to China for British visitors, and the lifting of sanctions on six British MPs and peers, Starmer has been criticised by political opponents for failing to secure the release of publisher and British citizen Jimmy Lai, recently found guilty of sedition and national security offences in Hong Kong. This follows controversy over the approval of China’s new embassy in the City of London, and concerns about alleged Chinese espionage and the potential security risks of Chinese technology. Professor Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute, and Jonathan Fenby, former editor of the Observer newspaper and Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, and author of The Penguin History of Modern China, discuss where Britain stands in its relations with an increasingly powerful China — and the significance of President Xi Jinping’s assertion that when it comes to his country, the UK needs to ‘see the entire elephant’. Photo credit: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Mistress Dispellers and Shanghai Girls — Two female film-makers on love, marriage and divorce in China | 17 Dec 2025 | 00:42:34 | |
In this episode we look at love, marriage and divorce in contemporary China, from the perspective of two female filmmakers. These are topics with a political as well as personal significance — the Chinese government is keen to boost the birth rate to tackle the problem of an ageing population, but the marriage rate has fallen sharply, while the divorce rate has grown significantly over recent decades. Elizabeth Lo’s remarkable new film Mistress Dispeller looks at a growing industry in China — people you can hire to intervene if your spouse is having an affair, and who promise to help save your marriage. Luo Tong’s documentary Shanghai Girls, meanwhile, is an intimate depiction of the experiences of a group of women in their early fifties, and their lives and loves over the past thirty years. They join us to discuss changing attitudes to relationships in China. Photo credit: Ariela Ortiz-Barrantes / CC BY-SA 4.0 For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Japan-China Tensions — Taiwan, Tourism, Migration | 01 Dec 2025 | 00:43:25 | |
Relations between China and Japan — never smooth, given the legacy of Japan's invasion of China in the 1930s — are currently at their tensest in years. This follows the new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks in Japan's parliament last month that if China were to use military force against Taiwan — which Beijing claims as part of its territory — Japan would view this as a threat to its survival, and could deploy its own military in response. China has denounced Ms Takaichi's comments as crossing a red line, and warned that they hint at a revival of militarism in Japan. It has warned its citizens against travelling to Japan, leading to mass cancellations of bookings and flights; concerts by Japanese pop stars and screenings of Japanese films in China have also been cancelled, and seafood imports halted. The tension comes amidst rising Japanese nationalist sentiment, much of it directed at a recent influx of immigrants, including, by some estimates, more than a hundred thousand middle class migrants from China. Rupert Wingfield Hayes, for more than two decades a BBC correspondent in first Beijing, then Tokyo, and most recently Taiwan, joins us to discuss the significance of these developments, and the historical resonances that lie behind them. Photo credit: Official Website of the Prime Minister’s Office of Japan For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Involution and Lying Flat — The challenges for China’s young generation | 14 Nov 2025 | 00:17:03 | |
While young people around the world face growing difficulties finding work and coping with the cost-of-living crisis, the situation confronting China’s youth seems particularly acute. Years of pandemic disruption, economic slowdown and mounting social pressure have created a sense of fatigue and frustration for many. This has given rise to a new language of despair and dark humour. ‘Nei Juan’ (内卷) — or ‘involution’ — describes the exhausting, endless competition where everyone works harder yet gains less, a race to the bottom with no finish line. In contrast, ‘Tang Ping’ (躺平), or ‘lying flat’, signals quiet resistance: choosing to step back, do less, and let go of society’s impossible expectations. But is this realistic in a country with a limited social welfare safety net? Guest host Howard Zhang speaks with Dr Yuan Zhong from SOAS about her recent research in China, exploring what these buzzwords reveal about a generation under strain — and the country’s future. Photo credit: leoon liang / Unsplash For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Trade War Truce — and a Five Year Plan | 03 Nov 2025 | 00:30:42 | |
China and the US reached a truce in their trade war at the recent meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in South Korea. And the two leaders even pledged to visit each other’s countries next year. But US tariffs on Chinese imports remain at around 47% — and a dispute over the export of US semiconductor chips to China looks set to continue. These tensions seem to have informed the Communist Party’s newly released proposals for China’s next Five Year Plan, which focus on innovation and making China technologically self-sufficient. But will this approach, along with promises to boost the private economy, help to tackle unemployment and sluggish domestic consumer spending? Minxin Pei, professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in California, and editor of the website China Leadership Monitor, discusses the prospects for Sino-US relations and the challenges facing China’s leaders. Photo credit: Daniel Torok / White House For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Translating China — Prizes, pressures and prospects for Chinese literature today | 16 Oct 2025 | 00:45:49 | |
The inaugural US-based Baifang Schell Book Prize for Chinese language fiction in English translation was recently awarded to the Taiwanese writer Yang Shuang-zi’s novel 'Taiwan Travelogue'. And with an ever-growing number of Chinese to English translators, and a well-resourced mainland Chinese publishing industry keen to expand globally, this could seem like a significant moment for Chinese writing. But with continuing censorship in China, and the rising popularity of often throwaway internet writing, can mainland Chinese fiction remain relevant and viable, and tackle important contemporary and historical themes? And with heightened tensions between China and the West in the last few years, is there still the same international interest from readers and publishers? Leading translators Jeremy Tiang, himself a published novelist and playwright, and Nicky Harman, founding member of the Chinese literature website Paper Republic, discuss the pressures and prospects for Chinese literature, while Daniel Li of UK-based publisher Sinoist Books reflects on the challenges of navigating between the Chinese and western publishing industries. Books referred to in the discussion:
For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Innovation in China — After the 'DeepSeek moment' | 03 Oct 2025 | 00:39:19 | |
After the sudden emergence of the Chinese company DeepSeek’s generative AI model in January, there has been much excitement about the future of innovation in China. But continuing US efforts to limit the sale of the latest AI chips to China are a reminder of the tensions surrounding this area. The recently announced deal for a partial US takeover of Chinese social media platform TikTok’s American operation may hint at the potential for cooperation. But Jensen Huang, CEO of chipmaker Nvidia, has warned that restrictions on chip production will only encourage the development of China’s own semiconductor industry, with China already just ‘nanoseconds behind’ in AI. Yet how far is Chinese innovation handicapped by political controls? And as China seeks to promote new sectors like robotics and cloud computing, can it avoid the type of overcapacity already seen in its electric vehicle industry? To discuss these issues, we’re joined by Duncan Clark, a specialist in Chinese technology since 1994, when he founded the investment advisory company BDA in Beijing. An early advisor to Jack Ma, founder of the e-commerce giant Alibaba, he’s also author of the book ‘Alibaba — The House that Jack Ma Built’, and is co-chair of the Asia Society France. Books referred to in the episode:
Image © 光画社 (Kōgasha) / Adobe Stock For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| China, the US and WWII — Wartime memories and contemporary resonances | 18 Sep 2025 | 00:47:36 | |
This month’s huge parade in Beijing for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia prompted much debate — both about the array of new missiles, drones and other military technology on display, and about the presence of not only Vladimir Putin, but also the North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un. But while Beijing is happy to demonstrate its newfound military confidence, the parade is also a reminder of the increased attention China has been paying to its own role in World War II, with a growing number of museums and exhibits dedicated not only to its fight against Japan, but also — despite current tensions — to wartime military cooperation between China and the US, in the form of the Flying Tigers and the Doolittle Raiders. Melinda Liu, veteran Beijing bureau chief of Newsweek, and Vice-President of the Royal Asiatic Society in Beijing, discusses the contemporary resonances of these wartime echoes, as well her family connection to a period of history which is becoming an increasingly important aspect of the image China presents to the world. Photo: Kremlin.ru / CC BY 4.0 For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| After the Dalai Lama — China, India and the Tibetan Succession | 15 Jul 2025 | 00:38:47 | |
The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, marked his 90th birthday earlier this month with an announcement that his successor as Tibetan Buddhism’s most senior religious figure would be a reincarnation, to be identified after his death by the staff of his office in Dharamsala in northern India — where he has lived since fleeing Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. The announcement is likely to set up a clash with Beijing, which says it alone has the right to confirm the selection of the next Dalai Lama, and points to its possession of historical relics, including a golden urn from the Qing dynasty traditionally used to select the reincarnations of senior lamas. So how will Tibetans inside and outside China respond if two different Dalai Lamas are nominated? Could the exiled community abandon the current Dalai Lama’s emphasis on seeking only autonomy for Tibet under Chinese rule? And how will this affect India, which has offered shelter to the Tibetan exiled administration, but has recently been seeking to improve its relations with Beijing? Tsering Shakya, professor of Tibetan history at the University of British Columbia, and Robbie Barnett, professorial research associate at SOAS and former professor of contemporary Tibetan studies at Columbia University, join us to share their thoughts. Photo by Norbu Gyachung For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| China, Iran and the Middle East — After Trump's Airstrikes | 01 Jul 2025 | 00:40:49 | |
The shockwaves from Donald Trump’s airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear programme continue to reverberate. China condemned the attack as violating the UN Charter and warned that it risked destabilising the Middle East, an area where Beijing has fast-growing economic and diplomatic links — indeed China is now the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, and after the strikes the US asked it to persuade Tehran not to cut off oil supplies from the Gulf. So will the attack change China’s policy in the Middle East — and could it also have implications for China’s aim of regaining sovereignty over the island of Taiwan, with which the US has close defence ties? We hear the views of Rana Mitter, ST Lee Professor of US-Asia relations at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, and Professor Jonathan Fulton of Zayed University, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of a new book, Building the Belt and Road Initiative in the Arab World (Routledge, 2025) on China’s relations with the Arab world. Photo: Khamenei.ir / CC BY 4.0 For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Left-Behind Men and Rebellious Women — Dating, Relationships and the Gender Imbalance in China | 17 Jun 2025 | 00:35:52 | |
China's one child policy may have ended a decade ago — but its consequences are still being felt — not least in the continuing gender imbalance in the country's population: for several decades, the combination of restrictions on family size with traditional attitudes favouring male children, especially in rural areas, led to many female babies being aborted. China is currently estimated to have at least thirty million more men than women — and a new documentary film explores the impact this has had, particularly on young men from the countryside, who can struggle to find a mate in China's increasingly competitive dating market. Director Violet Du Feng, previously shortlisted for an Oscar for her film 'Hidden Letters' about the secret Chinese women's language Nüshu, joins us to discuss 'The Dating Game', which follows three young men who go on a week long 'dating camp' run by a self-styled 'dating coach' in an attempt to reinvent themselves, and find love. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Is China Winning the Tech War? A conversation with James Kynge | 05 Jun 2025 | 00:44:21 | |
The sudden emergence of DeepSeek’s AI chatbot earlier this year reminded the world of just how fast Chinese technology is developing. But it’s also highlighted continuing tensions over China’s technological rise — US Vice President JD Vance recently spoke of America being in an ‘arms race’ with China for control of Artificial Intelligence: the US has banned the export of its most advanced chips to China, and is now trying to stop companies around the world from using China’s own latest chips. It’s also sanctioned numerous Chinese tech firms due to security fears. The EU meanwhile has imposed tariffs on imported Chinese electric vehicles, amidst concerns about unfair subsidies. But as its technology improves, is China winning the ‘tech war’? And what does this mean for Taiwan, currently the world’s largest chip manufacturer? These topics are explored in a new audio book, ‘Global Tech Wars - China’s Race to Dominate’, by James Kynge, who recently left the Financial Times, where he reported on China for almost three decades. Now a senior fellow at MERICS (the Mercator Institute for Chinese Studies) in Berlin, he discusses his findings with presenter Duncan Hewitt. Image © Adobe Stock For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| China US tariff talks — Is a deal possible? | 23 May 2025 | 00:42:45 | |
After the drama of Donald Trump’s Liberation Day and the 145 percent tariffs he imposed on China, and Beijing’s retaliation with 125 percent tariffs, the two countries have agreed a 90 day pause while they engage in further negotiations. But with the US recently announcing that it would seek to punish any business using advanced chips made by the Chinese IT giant Huawei anywhere in the world, and Beijing threatening retaliatory measures against anyone who complies, what are the prospects for a meaningful and lasting trade deal? On this episode we hear the views of two Americans with decades of experience in China, Kenneth Jarrett, a former US Consul General in Shanghai who is now the Senior Advisor in Shanghai for the strategic advisory firm Albright Stonebridge Group , and Jim McGregor, Chairman for Greater China of the consultancy APCO Worldwide, and formerly the head of Dow Jones in China. Image © Adobe Stock For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Rebooting China's Economy — Lessons from the 2008 Crisis | 08 May 2025 | 00:39:11 | |
In the face of Donald Trump's tariffs, will China's plans to boost its domestic consumer economy succeed — or could the government in Beijing be tempted to introduce massive stimulus measures, as it did after the financial crisis in 2008? In this episode of China in Context, leading scholar Yasheng Huang, professor of global economics and management at MIT's Sloan School of Management, explains why China's political resilience in a trade war may be greater than its economic resilience — and argues that, despite the current obsession with high technology, reforms of land ownership and the rights of rural citizens and migrant labourers could be key to China’s long term economic prosperity. Professor Huang's forthcoming book, Statism with Chinese Characteristics — a revised version of his 2008 work Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics — draws on lessons from China's response to the 2008 crisis to highlight the country's current challenges. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Taiwan's Controversial Budget Cuts — The KMT goes DOGE? | 10 Apr 2025 | 00:31:59 | |
Taiwan is facing a range of challenges — from Donald Trump's threat of 32% tariffs on its crucial exports to the US, to massive Chinese military exercises off its coastline aimed at intimidating the island's leaders. If that weren't enough, the DPP administration, led by President William Lai, has seen its budget slashed by Taiwan’s legislature, which is now dominated by its main rival, the KMT, or Chinese Nationalist Party. It's resulted in months of protests and political wrangling. So how will Taiwan's economy and society cope with these challenges? In the latest episode of China in Context, Dr. Michael Reilly, senior fellow on the Taiwan Studies Programme at the University of Nottingham, and a former British diplomat who was previously the UK's senior representative in Taiwan, analyses the island's political and economic situation, in conversation with Duncan Hewitt. Photo credit: 總統府 / CC BY 2.0 For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Planning China's Future — Boosting Consumption, Enterprise and Defence | 21 Mar 2025 | 00:45:49 | |
At this month’s legislative session China announced policies to maintain GDP growth at 5%, boost consumption and the private sector and promote AI and high tech industry, from quantum computing to the low altitude economy. But will it be enough to reassure consumers and investors — and does the higher than GDP growth increase in defence spending in the budget, and the continuing crackdown on corruption hint that the leadership’s top priorities are still security and stability rather than growth? Professor Steve Tsang, Director of the SOAS China Institute and co-author of the recent book, The Political Thought of Xi Jinping, and George Magnus, former Chief Economist at UBS, and a Research Associate at SOAS and at the Oxford University China Centre, share their views. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Writing Shanghai, Writing China — A Tribute to Lynn Pan | 06 Mar 2025 | 00:43:08 | |
In this episode we look at the life and work of Lynn Pan, one of the most imaginative of writers in English about modern China and particularly Shanghai, who died last year, and was commemorated at a special event at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival earlier this month. Her books, including In Search of Old Shanghai, The New Chinese Revolution, Sons of the Yellow Emperor, Shanghai Style and When True Love Came to China, were accessible, often witty, and always deeply researched. Duncan Hewitt discusses her legacy with Paul French, author of Midnight in Peking and Her Lotus Year, Frances Wood, SOAS Research Associate and former curator of Chinese collections at the British Library, and Michelle Garnaut, founder of the Shanghai Literary Festival. With a further contribution from Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor’s Professor of History at University of California, Irvine. Photo of Lynn Pan by Robert Martin. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| China's Economic Challenges — Consumption Slump and Soaring Local Government Debt | 20 Feb 2025 | 00:51:57 | |
With the US imposing new tariffs on Chinese exports, the state of the country’s domestic economy has become all the more crucial. Despite healthy export growth in recent years, at home consumer confidence has plummeted, with rising youth unemployment and a slump in the once booming housing market. Will recent government steps to reassure consumers and entrepreneurs and stimulate property sales be enough to revive the economy? Or does soaring local government debt mean more creative solutions are required? In this episode, we hear two perspectives on China’s economic challenges — from economist Andy Rothman, founder of Sinology LLC, and Professor Victor Shih, director of the 21st Century China Center at the University of California San Diego, and author of the newly published book, Elite Conflicts and the Path to Economic Decentralization (2025, CUP). For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| China and Africa — An Intimate Portrait | 06 Feb 2025 | 00:44:13 | |
Donald Trump's new tariffs on Chinese exports may only boost the trend for Chinese companies to seek new markets and manufacturing bases overseas — including in Africa, where China is now the biggest trading partner and source of loans. On this episode, we discuss 'Made in Ethiopia', a new film looking at the human impact of Chinese involvement in Africa's industrialisation, with its directors Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan — and debate China's wider relationship with the continent with Professor Carlos Oya, head of the Department of Development Studies at SOAS, University of London. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Trump and China — Deal or No Deal? | 17 Jan 2025 | 00:44:30 | |
Donald Trump is promising to challenge China on everything from its exports to its global influence over the next four years, but what could this mean in practice? Professor Miles Yu of the Hudson Institute, principal advisor on China policy to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during the first Trump administration, and Professor Evan Medeiros of Georgetown University, former senior director for Asia at the White House National Security Council under President Obama share their views on China in Context. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| China and the Climate Crisis — Good COP, Bad COP? | 04 Dec 2024 | 00:35:48 | |
At the recent COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, China was seen as having played a part in getting an agreement — albeit a much criticised one — to increase funding to mitigate the climate crisis. And with Donald Trump threatening to pull the U.S, out of climate change mechanisms, Beijing’s role could become even more important. But China, now the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, continues to reject calls for it to be given developed nation status, which would require it to make increased financial contributions to tackle climate change. Journalist Isabel Hilton, founder of China Dialogue, discuses China's role in the climate talks, and its domestic environmental problems, with presenter Duncan Hewitt. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| The impact of Donald Trump’s re-election on US relations with China and East Asia | 14 Nov 2024 | 00:34:13 | |
What will Donald Trump’s re-election mean for relations between China and the US? Is Beijing alarmed by his threats of massive new trade tariffs, and the unpredictability that he likes to boast about? Or will it see his relative lack of interest in global affairs — and his love of a deal — as a chance to increase its leverage and put more pressure on Taiwan, while boosting its influence in the South China Sea? Presenter Duncan Hewitt discusses these issues with Jim McGregor, Chairman for Greater China at APCO Worldwide, Professor Steve Tsang, Director of the SOAS China Institute, and BBC Asia correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Has China’s process of reform gone into reverse? | 17 Sep 2024 | 00:15:06 | |
The Chinese Communist Party guides the thinking of the masses through slogans. Some of these are written in huge letters on walls around the country. They are studied by party members, who try to figure out how society should respond. One of the most famous slogans is "reform and opening up." It has been in constant use since the late 1970s and although its meaning has changed significantly since then, Sinologists believe it remains a guiding principle for Xi Jinping. In this podcast, presenter Duncan Bartlett asks Professor Steve Tsang, Director of the SOAS China Institute, about the meaning of the phrase and its significance. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| The mounting risk of another global war | 10 Sep 2024 | 00:14:13 | |
The head of the CIA, Bill Burns has described Vladimir Putin as a bully who presents the greatest threat to world peace. The idea that Russia and China may partner to launch a joint provocation is a particular concern for the US and its allies. In this podcast, Samuel Ramani from the defence think tank RUSI provides his assessment of the risks associated with the so-called "no limits" partnership between China and Russia. The presenter is the usual host, Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Escalating tension between China and the Philippines | 03 Sep 2024 | 00:14:33 | |
The battle for supremacy in Asia has a new flashpoint in the South China Sea. It is known as the Sabina Shoal and it lies near the Philippines, a nation which is locked in a maritime dispute with China. This has led to collisions between boats, the use of water cannons and threats of a serious escalation. Other nations are watching warily. In this podcast, the Daily Telegraph's Asia Correspondent Nicola Smith offers a compelling account of her experiences in the region to presenter Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| How America's Democratic Party views China | 30 Aug 2024 | 00:15:10 | |
There is a rising mood of bipartisan hostility towards China in Washington ahead of the 2024 election. If Donald Trump returns to the White House, he intends to impose steep tariffs on Chinese exports. His Democratic party opponent, Kamala Harris has said that "America, not China" will win the competition for the 21st century. In this podcast, James McGregor, Director of APCO Worldwide, uses his extensive knowledge of China-US relations to analyse the positions of the presidential candidates. The host is regular presenter, Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| The politics of pandas | 20 Aug 2024 | 00:14:21 | |
Two pandas which have been on an extended diplomatic mission to Australia are soon to be recalled to China. Fu Ni 福妮 and Wang Wang 网网) (PRON: "wong wong") have been living happily together at Adelaide Zoo since 2009. However, China wants them back by the end of 2024. They’ll be replaced by a younger pair of animals. Australia’s government seems pleased with the panda deal. But what about its relationship with China in other areas? In this podcast, regular host Duncan Bartlett speaks with Professor James Laurenceson, Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology in Sydney. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Deterring a war over Taiwan | 13 Aug 2024 | 00:15:21 | |
Taiwan and China are practicing for war. China's People's Liberation Army has increased the number of ships and warplanes conducting drills around the island. The Taiwanese air force has responded with live-fire exercises. In this podcast, Bill Emmott, chair of the IISS think tank, discusses what might deter China from using force against Taiwan. The host is regular presenter, Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Is Apple bowing to China’s censorship laws? | 06 Aug 2024 | 00:13:25 | |
The world's biggest technology company Apple has close ties to China. Although it is based in California, where it designs famous products, a huge proportion of its gear is assembled in China. Furthermore, Chinese consumers continue to crave Apple iPhones. But critics allege that in order to gain the approval of the Communist Party, Apple assists with censorship and the suppression of political dissent. In this podcast, Benjamin Ismail from the Apple Censorship Project shares his views with regular host, Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| How China and NATO see each other | 30 Jul 2024 | 00:14:41 | |
NATO's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg has warned that China is conducting a huge military build-up. He says China is investing heavily in modern missiles, including an arsenal of nuclear weapons. NATO has ordered its forces to be prepared to counter China's assertive behaviour in the South China Sea and threats to Taiwan. However, China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi insists that it is NATO which presents the greatest threat to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific. In his view, NATO intervention in the region is bound to "trigger confrontation and escalate tensions." In this podcast, Dr Mercy Kuo from Pamir Consulting analyses the rhetoric from both sides. The presenter is regular host, Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Has Hong Kong lost all freedom and autonomy? | 24 Jul 2024 | 00:14:47 | |
A bi-partisan group of politicians in Washington has called for sanctions to be imposed on officials in Hong Kong. They claim the officials - acting on instructions from Beijing - use tough laws to try to silence political opposition and intimidate those who advocate for democratic principles. In this podcast, veteran journalist Stephen Vines explains the impact of legislation in Hong Kong on the media and wider society. The presenter is regular host, Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Why the partnership between Russia and China worries Europe | 16 Jul 2024 | 00:14:01 | |
The war in Ukraine has made the Russian leader Vladimir Putin something of a pariah in the West but he still meets regularly with Xi Jinping. In theory, Russia and China enjoy a no-limits partnership. But are there constraints on their relationship? Abigaël Vasselier is a former diplomat and is currently Director for Policy and European Affairs and heads the Foreign Relations team at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), a think tank based in Berlin. She is also a SOAS alumna. On this podcast Abigaël discusses Russia and China with regular host, Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| The looming trade war between China and the EU | 09 Jul 2024 | 00:15:11 | |
Manufacturers of Chinese electric vehicles intend to build their companies into powerhouses to rival Volkswagen and Renault. The Chinese government backs their expansion into new markets, including Europe. This has caused political tension and as a result, a trade war is looming between China and Europe. On this podcast, Duncan Wrigley, Chief China Plus Economist for Pantheon Macroeconomics, discusses the situation with Zeyu Xu of Xinhua News in Beijing. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Women, Communism and social change | 02 Jul 2024 | 00:15:11 | |
The best-selling book Wild Swans by Jung Chang contains harrowing accounts of life in China during the 20th Century. It covers the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, the civil war, the establishment of the CCP and the Cultural Revolution. In this podcast, Dr Chang gives a riveting account of how these momentous events impacted her mother and grandmother. She also shares her perspective on the lives of women in today’s Chinese society. The presenter is regular host, Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Why are Russia and China squabbling over North Korea? | 26 Jun 2024 | 00:14:05 | |
North Korea is a troublesome neighbour for China. At one level, its Workers' Party, led by Kim Jong-Un, claims fraternity with the Chinese Communist Party. But Marshall Kim follows his own agenda, including belligerent rhetoric against South Korea, the United States and Japan. He's also nurturing his relationship with Vladimir Putin. In this podcast, former BBC China editor Howard Zhang explains how China views the situation in the region. The host is regular presenter, Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| Xi Jinping's attitude towards the Global South | 18 Jun 2024 | 00:14:40 | |
China has a strategy to forge partnerships with countries in the so-called Global South. This pits it against other influential nations which also claim to be international leaders. Furthermore, many people in developing countries resent being pressed to pick sides. The podcast includes a discussion on Chinese foreign policy between Professor Steve Tsang, Director of the SOAS China Institute and regular host, Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| The risk of war over Taiwan | 11 Jun 2024 | 00:14:56 | |
Tension rose in East Asia following the inauguration of the Taiwanese president Lai Ching-Te in May 2024. China dispatched fighter jets, bombers armed with live missiles and naval vessels into areas very close to Taiwan’s east coast. Was this a signal that under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China could be prepared to launch an amphibious assault on the island, with a clear ambition to take out its democratically-elected president and place it under the rule of the CCP? In this podcast, Rear Admiral Mike Studeman from the United States Navy discusses the risk of conflict over Taiwan with regular presenter, Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||
| The political significance of Tibet | 04 Jun 2024 | 00:13:40 | |
Tibet, on China's border with India, is seen as having great strategic importance to Beijing. The region, which has been prone to unrest, has been under Chinese control since 1950. Its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama is in exile in India but plans to visit the United States this summer. In this podcast, Michael Bristow, China Correspondent for the BBC World Service, discusses Tibet's political significance with regular host, Duncan Bartlett. For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk ________________________________________ ________________________________________ | |||