Podcasts by CSDS-Asia Matters Podcast

China's Politics and Economy as the Winter Olympics Open from 2022-02-05T07:00

The eyes of the world are on China as Beijing hosts the Winter Olympics. 

A successful Games will be used by leader Xi Jinping to bolster his image and status at home and abroad; a status ...

Is there a Transatlantic Approach to China and the Indo-Pacific? from 2021-12-15T23:00

We’re heading to familiar territory again on this week's podcast - the Indo-Pacific. 

Increasingly, the area is becoming the centre of the geopolitical conversation being had all a...

Good COP? China, Asia and Climate Change from 2021-11-27T10:00

This week we take stock of COP26, the latest major international meeting on climate change which just wrapped up in Glasgow - billed beforehand as the "last best hope for the world to get i...

China Tackles Its Tech Titans from 2021-11-12T18:00

This week we look at China's tech industry - few sectors have been more dynamic or grown as fast in recent years, with the likes of e-commerce giant Alibaba and video games maker Tencent ri...

Delta Damage: Asia's Continuing Covid Struggle from 2021-10-13T14:00

For those hoping the coronavirus pandemic was under control in Asia, the summer has been a nasty shock. A resurgence of Covid-19 across Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia and elsewhere, main...

South Korea: The Tech Powerhouse on the Cyber Frontline from 2021-10-07T11:00

In any list of influential tech powers in the world, South Korea would undoubtedly be near the top. 

In this episode we delve into how the country achieved this status,  transforming th...

North Korea: The View from the South from 2021-08-08T19:00

We turn again to the Korean peninsula in this week's episode, in another collaboration with CSDS. 

We often talk about North Korea's future in terms of how the issue plays out...

Myanmar Six Months On: A Failed State? from 2021-07-19T12:00

The most shocking political development in Asia so far this year is arguably the seizure of power by the military in Myanmar, and the arrest of the country’s former de facto leader Aung San Suu ...

The Olympics in Asia: Gold, Glory and Geopolitics from 2021-07-12T18:00

Against all odds, and after much compromise,  the Tokyo Olympic Games are set to go ahead this summer.  With no foreign fans and most spectators banned, it's certainly not the event  Japan ...

How the EU Fits into Asia’s Security Puzzle from 2021-06-27T17:00

This week we turn our attention to the Indo-Pacific -   the new geopolitical groupings emerging there, from multilateral trade deals to nascent security arrangements - and how Europe fits in to ...

Does China See Itself as a Great Power? from 2021-06-08T13:00

In July the Chinese Communist Party turns 100. From humble beginnings in a small building in Shanghai's French Concession, the party would go on to seize power, retaining it into the presen...

North Korea: Is Full Denuclearisation Still a Viable Goal? from 2021-06-01T19:00

For this episode we're taking a look at one of the world’s most intractable geopolitical issues - North Korea - as the second of our collaborations with the Centre for Security, Strategy an...

Japan and South Korea: Navigating an Era of Competition from 2021-05-28T13:00

This week we set our sights on Japan and South Korea, East Asia's most prominent middle powers. 

With the United States and China showing no sign of backing away from confrontatio...

Biden Post-100 Days: The View from Asia from 2021-05-13T00:00

US President Joe Biden has steamed past his first 100 days in office, typically a stage where we can look back and take stock of where a new administration is headed. For those of us outside Ame...

Dealing with Disinformation: A Global Challenge from 2021-05-03T12:00

This week Asia Matters joins forces with the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Brussels School of Governance, home to a rich expertise on Asia and working to enhance understandi...

How China Is Changing - And Being Changed by - the UN from 2021-03-28T23:00

China’s growing economic clout has seen its influence rise accordingly in major international institutions — and none more so than in the United Nations. 

For several years now, China h...

China Faces Up To Its Biggest Challenges from 2021-03-16T22:00

China’s rulers have been setting out their goals for the country at their big annual political meetings in Beijing. This year’s event held special significance, with policy makers revealing thei...

Islands Apart: Pacific Nations In The Covid Era from 2021-03-01T17:00

In this episode we turn to a part of the world we haven’t discussed before — the Pacific Islands. Stretching over a vast area covering some 15% of the earth’s surface, the region is home to dive...

What to Expect from Vietnam’s New Leaders from 2021-02-19T05:00

After a year-long battle behind closed doors, Vietnam has a new political leadership. At its Congress, which finished on February 1st, the Communist Party selected a new Politburo to run the cou...

Myanmar's Military Are Back: First Impressions of the Coup from 2021-02-07T23:00

"Our country was a bird that was just learning to fly. Now the army broke our wings," said one activist. "What was granted by the generals is now being taken back," declared ...

US-India Relations: Why Modi Will Be Key to Biden's Asia Plans from 2021-01-10T23:00

The US and India are the world's two biggest democracies - and the relationship between them is one  of the world's most important bilateral partnerships. In political, economic and se...

Southeast Asia and China: Too Close for Comfort? from 2020-12-21T00:00

Southeast Asia is becoming an increasingly important geopolitical battleground - and so this week, we put the region's complex relations with China in the spotlight. 

Although many...

Biden in Asia: New President, New Rules? from 2020-11-29T18:00

It took a little longer than expected but we finally know who the next American president will be: Democratic candidate Joe Biden. 

The Trump era is drawing to a close then, though som...

Joko Widodo: Indonesia's Leader of Contradictions from 2020-10-26T01:00

When Joko Widodo, widely known as Jokowi, became president of Indonesia in 2014, it completed a stunning rise for a political outsider who had spent much of his previous life running a furniture...

Softbank: Asia's Most Influential Tech Company from 2020-10-08T00:00

This week's episode is a deep dive on a company that's transforming not just Asia, but arguably the entire global tech sector - Japan's Softbank. 

Even if you've never ...

India in the COVID-19 Era from 2020-09-28T14:00

In the second of our special editions recorded at the Association for Asian Studies' annual conference, we turn our focus to India. 

Our guest is Pratap Mehta (@pbmehta), one of th...

South Asia’s Dual Crises: Coronavirus and Climate Change from 2020-09-11T01:00

South Asian countries are facing a double whammy -- the effects of the global pandemic and an increasingly urgent battle against pollution and the effects of climate change. The World Bank predi...

Summer of China: Three Books to Read from 2020-08-27T22:00

This week, we present - the inaugural Asia Matters Book Club episode. 

China has dominated the headlines this summer - and if you're looking for a good book to help you understand ...

Japan's Foreign Policy: The Art of Persuasion? from 2020-08-17T04:00

This week, in a collaboration with the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, we turn our attention to Japan - specifically, its foreign policy. 

Against a backdrop of rising tensions between...

Coronavirus and Racism: Asian-Americans in the Crossfire from 2020-07-27T00:00

The world is still very much in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic - but the blame game has already begun. China, where the virus was first reported last December, has been singled out by many...

Do Middle Powers Have a China Dilemma? from 2020-07-06T00:00

We often talk about geopolitics in terms of superpower competition - at the moment, particularly between the US and China. But where does this leave mid-sized countries like the UK? How should t...

The Luckin Scandal: How'China's Starbucks'Crashed from 2020-06-08T00:00

The pandemic-related lockdown continues in much of the world but in China they are getting back to work. 

That gives us a chance to look into a major scandal from the business world that’s...

China's'Two Sessions': Hong Kong, COVID-19 and the Economy from 2020-06-02T19:00

There was plenty to digest from China's coronavirus-delayed 'Two Sessions' (Lianghui) annual political gathering last week - so much so that we've got a bumper episode for yo...

Pandemic Fallout: Advantage China? from 2020-05-12T19:00

Welcome to another episode of Asia Matters, lockdown style.

This week, Vincent and Andrew are joined by Courtney Fung (@CourtneyFung) of the University of Hong Kong and Rush D...