Sea of Change

Angela Köckritz and Qin Liwen•seaofchange.net

The Indo-Pacific region will be of tremendous importance for the coming decades. With the rise of China, the Indo-Pacific region has become the central stage for the competition of the two superpowers USA and China. Many things are happening simultaneously in this incredibly dynamic region. India is gaining influence, Indonesia is rising. And each player in this very complex region is pursuing its own unique strategy. Home to four of the world s most populous nations the region is a driver of global economic growth and technological innovation, a hub of world trade and logistics. What happens here is crucial for world´s peace and prosperity. In this biweekly Podcast, we - a Chinese-German journalist team based in Berlin - want to put the jigsaws together: shed light on the hidden stories happening outside the media spotlight while providing macro-level analysis. We want to present key players, and explore the economic, political, social and business trends that matter to the world. Official Website: www.seaofchange.net

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Episodes

Chinese Economy: About Sticks and Carrots

In this episode we take a deep dive into the contradictions of the Chinese economy - and what made it so successful in the first place. Is the Chinese miracle - or rather as our distinguished guest Xu Chenggang likes to call it - the Chinese riddle going to continue or has its meteoric rise already peaked? We examine Xi Jingping´s economic policy, try to distinguish real from fake growth figures and seek to find out why the island of Hainan seeks to attract investors by pledging to "arrest less ...

May 18, 20230

What Made the West See China with Different Eyes?

For many years, the West had great hopes on China. That market economy would eventually lead to democracy or at least a liberalization. But even as these hopes did not materialize, a West in nearly constant crisis was grateful for a Chinese government that other than the Russian one did not exploit its weaknesses, but rather stabilized the system. In the recent past however disillusionment set it. The US and Europe started to realize that not only was Beijing not willing to play by the rules onc...

Apr 27, 20230

Are we entering a New Cold War?

Recently there has been talk about "a New Cold War". Is this exaggerated - or are we already in it? In this episode we discuss with Chinese expert Da Wei about some contentious issues. Is the worsening of relations between China and the West inevitable? Is the US a declining power? What has Beijing learned from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, especially with regard to its relation with Taiwan? Da Wei is the Director of the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua Univer...

Apr 11, 20230

Part 3: Fake News and Conspiracy: China’s Disinformation Attack on Taiwan

Taiwan Trilogy 2023 The Chinese government has been launching a highly sophisticated and intensive disinformation campaign through a plethora of channels - trying to influence Taiwanese voters and raise doubts about American assistance. In the last episode of Sea of Change Podcast’s Taiwan Trilogy, we talked with Professor Puma Shen on his study on these issues. He shared with us his fascinating discoveries and explained to us why the mafia in Taiwan is less of a threat to the island’s security ...

Mar 21, 20230

Part 2: Taiwan’s Defense Strategy – why there is cause for optimism

Taiwan Trilogy 2023 It has been more than one year that Russia invaded Ukraine - and in Taiwan citizens, analysts and politicians ponder upon which lessons Taiwan can learn from it. Is there any way that a Chinese invasion could be avoided? What could be the most likely war strategy taken by China? How can Taiwan deal with it? Is China's grey zone warfare dividing Taiwanese society? Can Taiwan rely on the US and other allies? In the second part of our Taiwan Trilogy, Sea of Change Podcast invite...

Mar 08, 20230

Part 1: Taiwan’s Defense Strategy – why there are reasons to worry

Taiwan Trilogy 2023 With the Russian invasion of Ukraine a lot of international attention has been shifting to Taiwan – will China eventually attack the island? The Communist Party of China has been vowing to take over Taiwan since 1949. For a long time this promise sounded rather hollow, as the People’s Liberation Army did not have the capacity for such a daunting venture, but with the massive upgrading of the Chinese military such a move could be more and more likely. As the China Taiwan confl...

Feb 24, 20230

The Umbilical Chord – Overseas Chinese and their Identity

This is an episode we have been looking for for quite some while. The Overseas Chinese are one of the largest migrant groups in the world – and they are very much thought after by the Chinese Communist Party. Again and again it stresses the notion of an umbilical chord that connects them to their „motherland“ - as it wants to awaken their patriotism. But many Overseas Chinese of the second or third generation are well integrated into their hosting countries and feel not so connected to China any...

Feb 08, 20230

Rising Economy and a Sinking Capital City: Indonesia’s Economic Growth and Its Challenges

Most of the major economies in the world are struggling with recession, but not Indonesia. This most populous country in Southeast Asia even managed to maintain strong export and import during the pandemic, and witnessed a strong rebound after the Covid 2019 crisis. Its inflation rate is relatively low and has one of the best performing Asian currencies. It has a growing young population, a prospering electronic vehicle industry and tech innovation sector. It is attracting foreign investment fro...

Jan 24, 20230

The Uneasy Border: Will China and India find a Way to be Good Neighbors?

On 9 December 2022, another military conflict happened at the disputed border region between India and China, injuring at least two dozen soldiers on both sides. This incident has added to a series of Sino-Indian border conflicts since May 2020. New resentment is brewing between the world's two most populous countries and nuclear powers, fueling further nationalistic sentiments and might lead to more confrontations in turn. Although there should be little concern for an imminent war between the ...

Jan 09, 20230

Chip War — An Invisible Struggle That Defines The Future of Superpowers

In Oct. 2022, The Biden administration published a CHIPS and Science Act with a sweeping set of export controls to cut China off from certain semiconductor chips made anywhere in the world with US tools. This marked a significant escalation of the Chip War launched by the US against a rising China. Washington knows that advanced semiconductor technology is crucial to maintaining its military superiority. Despite the fact that our modern lives depend on semiconductors every day, few of us underst...

Dec 17, 20220

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