

China In Context
SOAS China Institute
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

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.For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk________________________________________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 BlogSCI on XSCI on LinkedInSCI on FacebookSCI 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.For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk________________________________________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 BlogSCI on XSCI on LinkedInSCI on FacebookSCI 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.For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk________________________________________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 BlogSCI on XSCI on LinkedInSCI on FacebookSCI 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.For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk________________________________________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 BlogSCI on XSCI on LinkedInSCI on FacebookSCI 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.For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk________________________________________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 BlogSCI on XSCI on LinkedInSCI on FacebookSCI on Instagram________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

May 2, 2023 • 15min
Is the British government betraying Hong Kong?
The British government appears to be taking a position of "robust pragmatism" towards China. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly says the UK should not "pull the shutters down". However, in Hong Kong, resentment lingers towards the UK over its response to the imposition by China of stringent national security laws, as Dr Mark Clifford, President of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, explains in an interview with regular podcast host, Duncan Bartlett, Editor of Asian Affairs.For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk________________________________________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 BlogSCI on XSCI on LinkedInSCI on FacebookSCI on Instagram________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

Apr 25, 2023 • 15min
China and Australia - A relationship in flux
Australia is facing the most challenging strategic circumstances since the second world war, according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. His government has labelled the intense competition between China and the United States “the defining feature of our region and our time”. Yet under Mr Albanese’s leadership, Australia is attempting to “stabilise” the relationship with China, and the Prime Minister is due to visit Beijing in 2023. In this podcast, James Laurenceson, director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, explains Australia's diplomatic strategy to regular podcast host Duncan Bartlett, the Editor of Asian Affairs.For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk________________________________________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 BlogSCI on XSCI on LinkedInSCI on FacebookSCI on Instagram________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

Apr 19, 2023 • 15min
Emmanuel Macron's provocative comments on Taiwan
The French President Emmanuel Macron has drawn criticism for suggesting that Europe should not get embroiled in the issue of Taiwan. Following a meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing, Emmanuel Macron suggested to reporters that the Americans and the Chinese are ramping up tension on the issue and that Europe would be wise to step back. In this podcast, Hanns Maull, Senior Research Associate at the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin, provides his analysis of French President Macron’s remarks in a conversation with podcast 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 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 BlogSCI on XSCI on LinkedInSCI on FacebookSCI on Instagram________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

Apr 11, 2023 • 14min
Can the yuan challenge the dollar as a global currency?
Xi Jinping has an ambition to make the yuan a currency that is in widespread use internationally. Russia now accepts Chinese yuan in exchange for oil and gas and Brazil is also considering using yuan, rather than dollars, when trading with China. In this podcast, experts consider the role of the yuan in international finance and the risks involved. Zuri Linetsky, research fellow at the Eurasia Group Foundation in Washington, DC discusses the topic with Daniel McDowell, Associate Professor of Political Science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in the United States.For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk________________________________________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 BlogSCI on XSCI on LinkedInSCI on FacebookSCI on Instagram________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0

Apr 4, 2023 • 15min
China's growing influence in the Middle East
Xi Jinping is keen to deepen China's links with Arab states and countries in the Persian Gulf. Investment in the region's infrastructure is supported through the Belt and Road Initiative. In return, China expects to be able to secure long-term contracts for its energy. Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking credit for a recent rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. In this podcast hosted by the SOAS China Institute, Zuri Linetsky from the Eurasia Group Foundation discusses China's role in the Middle East with Tuvia Gering, a fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.For information about the SOAS China Institute Corporate Membership scheme, please contact SCI director Steve Tsang: steve.tsang@soas.ac.uk________________________________________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 BlogSCI on XSCI on LinkedInSCI on FacebookSCI on Instagram________________________________________Music credit: Sappheiros / CC BY 3.0


