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PODCAST

Sinobabble

A relaxing, educational podcast covering China"s modern history, current events, and academic analyses of China"s politics, society, and culture in a variety of mini-series. Starting with the history of the 20th century, this podcast aims to explore all facets of the history of China, from the major events to the smallest local changes, to give you a full picture of the development of one of the world"s most powerful nations. As the series develops, we will discuss Chinese art, religion, politics,

news news commentary

All Episodes

70:50

Engineering or Authoritarianism? Breakneck Book...

Sinobabble ·

2026/01/30

**This livestream was recorded on Tuesday 27th January 2026** We discuss the book Breakneck by Dan Wang. A huge hit towards the end of 2025, we talk about whether the hype is merited, the strengths and weaknesses of his narrative, and whether or not his ideas stand up to scrutiny. At the end, we (and by we, I mean I) ramble about the Three Body Problem trilogy for 10 minutes. Buy book club books here: https://www.sinobabble.com/bookclub Buy me a cof...

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39:49

Hebei heating scandal & the politics of clean energy...

Sinobabble ·

2026/01/23

Recently, news of Hebei villagers freezing in their homes this winter has sparked heated discussion online. The villagers are part of a government scheme to convert the population to 'clean' energy sources, mainly via a coal-to-gas policy. But as subsidies taper and the cost of gas rises, poorer residents are opting out of the policy, either using traditional heating methods to stay warm or suffering the cold. In this episode we explore the origins of the coal-to-gas policy, the real-term eff...

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46:30

The CCP's war against bad vibes

Sinobabble ·

2026/01/16

In 2025, the Chinese Cyberspace Administration introduced a new policy that aims to police online content that promotes violence, aggression, pessimism and negative emotions. While censorship is nothing new in China, this new law poses a new set of questions: what exactly is the difference between censorship and misinformation? What is a legitimate grievance, and what is a blatant attempt by someone to spread fake news or stir up a gender war? And how exactly do you police a bad vibe? Chapte...

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53:42

Does China owe the world good trade?

Sinobabble ·

2026/01/09

China shock 2.0, $1trillion surplus, Adam Smith. Is the neoliberal global order coming to an end? Is it China's fault? Do they care? In this episode we tackle the underlying questions surrounding fears of China's domination of all major manufacturing industries. Should China stop what they're doing? If so, why? And if why, how should they bring back balance and let us poor Westerners keep some of our jobs? We also talk globalisation, who's really to blame for the current situation, and why Or...

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44:42

All the China books I read in 2025

Sinobabble ·

2025/12/23

Leave your recommendations below. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Chapters (00:00) About the books (2:20) The Dean of Shandong (12:35) Private Revolutions (20:35) The New China Playbook (29:20) I Deliver Parcels in Beijing (40:40) Final thoughts (42:30) Books for next year, book club? Buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sinobabblepod Latest Substack post: https://substack.com/@sinobabble/p-178934152 Links to everything: https://linktree.com/sinobabble Support the show...

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49:22

Xi's PLA purges in their historical context

Sinobabble ·

2025/12/07

In recent months news of purges at the very top of the PLA have gripped headlines, with many speculating as to the cause and outcomes of this series of high-profile oustings. Many have concluded that regardless of the cause -- coup attempt, rampant corruption, incompetence, paranoia -- the result is that Xi has tightened his control over an historically elusive and *opaque* arm of the party-state. Xi is an outside figure -- he is not a military man, he has seen no bloodshed, commanded ...

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83:41

What do Chinese people really think about China?...

Sinobabble ·

2025/11/21

I'm joined by Nick Zeller (https://uscnpm.substack.com/) and Craig Kafura (https://bsky.app/profile/ckafura.bsky.social) to discuss a public opinion poll carried out earlier this year and what it tells us about what Chinese people really think about China. Broken down into 4 reports, we talk about the economy, China-US relations, global leadership, the impact of demographics on answers and why the reaction from westerners reveal an ideological bent and a lack understanding of Chinese society....

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34:54

Did China build too much High-Speed Railway?

Sinobabble ·

2025/10/31

Today we'll be examining the argument of a prominent Chinese scholar that China has built too much High-Speed Railway that is underutilised, unprofitable, and will cause major economic problems in the future. We ask why the state-government would pursue such a misguided policy, and how it's beginning to affect the rest of the world too. Read Lu's original essay here: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-iBh9BPpi7kl2BGhkGWHaw Chapters (00:00) Introduction - HSR and white elephants (05:00)...

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24:24

How China built its own Silicon Valley

Sinobabble ·

2025/08/25

Hangzhou is a city once famed for its poets, tea, and silk, but it’s now capturing attention for something entirely different: AI labs, robotics startups, and IPO-hungry tech firms. The rapid rise of innovative and globally competitive tech startups has led to Hangzhou being dubbed “China’s Silicon Valley.” But not everyone agrees that the comparison is so black and white. Chapters (00:00) Introduction - Hangzhou (02:15) Historical role of Hangzhou (03:28) A bit on Alibaba (09:45) How ...

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34:58

Why foreign brands are failing in China

Sinobabble ·

2025/08/08

Starbucks recently announced that it's looking to sell part of its stake in its China operations, and is looking for a domestic partner to help boost the company's profile. This comes at a time when a host of foreign firms are seemingly struggling in China after years of riding the wave of the rising middle class. What are the main factors leading to these struggles? What are these brands missing? And what can they do to reverse their fortunes? Chapters (00:00) Introduction - The Starb...

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31:52

US Rare earth mineral dependency ends trade war |...

Sinobabble ·

2025/06/21

A discussion of trending China news articles published in w/c 9th June. We look at how rare earth minerals may be the deciding factor in this trade war and potentially all trade wars to come. We look at an interview with Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei who states that Chinese chips are still behind the US and more 'basic research' is needed'. And we catch up with some of the latest developments in Hong Kong regarding the national security law. Links: https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-s...

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59:29

China's Soft Power Problem

Sinobabble ·

2025/06/20

We take a thorough look at the nature of soft power, how it can be used, and whether or not a country truly needs it to explore China's soft power deficit and what can be done to fix it. While China does have SOME soft power, arguably its lack of the charm of its neighbours and rivals means its culture and ideology is often met with suspicion or outright rejection. This can lead to difficulties when interacting on the global stage, for example when it comes to pandemic management, border rela...

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36:14

Why the UK is choosing China over the US | China news...

Sinobabble ·

2025/06/15

A discussion of trending China news articles published in w/c 2nd June. China accuses the US of trying to reverse the temporary trade truce in place, affecting the future of Chinese students in the US. Also, China's twist on Klarna and why the UK is choosing to For the full version please head over to Buy Me a Coffee and consider becoming a supporter today for as little as £5: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sinobabblepod Links: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/29/us-revoke-c...

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27:34

Where do all those stolen iPhones go? | China news...

Sinobabble ·

2025/05/31

A discussion of trending China news articles published in w/c 12th May. Will China be the main beneficiary of the clashes between India and Pakistan? Also, we find out where all those stolen iPhones end up, and whether or not China replacing the US as a global health leader is a good thing or a bad thing. Links: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3311270/china-urges-trust-cooperation-pakistan-afghanistan-regional-tensions-mount https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1w3dln...

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37:28

Scam centres and fake job syndicates: Chinese white...

Sinobabble ·

2025/05/27

In January of this year, Chinese actor Wang Xing went viral after being kidnapped in Thailand having travelled for what he thought was a job opportunity, only to be rescued after his girlfriend made a post begging for the authorities to help. After a 4 day ordeal, Wang made a dramatic TV appearance alongside Thai police, with his head shaved but otherwise seemingly unscathed. Wang’s case shed light on an issue that had been getting little coverage in the national press. To date, over 3,000 C...

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29:51

Tariffs paused and Starbucks loses ground | China...

Sinobabble ·

2025/05/24

A discussion of trending China news articles published in w/c 12th May. We discuss the outcome of the China-US tariff deal and how no one in China seems to really care. Starbucks is losing out to domestic coffee brands as its lack of strategy and reliance of hollow premium branding fall flat. Also, Xi's success with Latin American and Caribbean countries, and China's role in the India-Pakistan dispute. For the full version please head over to Buy Me a Coffee and consider becoming a supporter...

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25:00

China and the US meet for tariff talks | China news...

Sinobabble ·

2025/05/16

Apologies for the late upload for this one! A discussion of trending China news articles published in w/c 5th May. We discuss the upcoming scheduled talks between US and Chinese representatives in Switzerland to move towards a resolution on the trade war, as well as Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow ahead of the Victory Day parade. Links: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/08/xi-jinping-vladimir-putin-china-russia-kremlin https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3309454/xi-jinpi...

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33:58

Spies, Secrets & South Korea | China news discussion...

Sinobabble ·

2025/05/10

A discussion of trending China news articles published in w/c 28th April. We discuss the CIA's attempt to recuit spies in the Chinese government, China's plans for an AI dominated future, and why China is annoying South Korea once again. #china #chinanews #AI #USChina Support the show Sign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442 Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/ Support Sinobabble on Buy me a...

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29:02

All US-China tariff war analysis sucks and I'm sick...

Sinobabble ·

2025/05/09

This is a rant video about the 'expert' 'analysis' coverage of the China-US trade war/tariff skirmish. There is no analysis or even coherent thought process here. This is basically just my train of thought about why it's a bad idea to try and predict the future. I try and relate it to Fukuyama as well, I don't know, just listen and have your own opinions. "The End of History?" Francis Fukuyama: https://pages.ucsd.edu/~bslantchev/courses/pdf/Fukuyama%20-%20End%20of%20History.pdf Chapters&nbs...

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21:20

Deepseek wins, Diplomacy woes | China news discussion...

Sinobabble ·

2025/05/03

This is last week's news analysis episode. For the most recent episode head over to Buy Me a Coffee and become a member to get the episodes as soon as they come out! A discussion of trending China news articles published in w/c 21stApril. We discuss mysterious Deepseek news and some of China's latest diplomacy moves in Asia. While China claims it wants peace and even allyship with its Asian neighbours, its actions often seem contrary to its words. Links: https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends...

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38 results

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