Send us a text One in four people around the globe now lives in a country grappling with severe water stress. And that figure is only expected to rise as by 2050, global water demand is projected to surge by 20% to 25%. On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Professor Asit K Biswas, Honorary Professor, Glasgow University, Changhua Wu, Vice Chair, Governing Council of Asia Pacific Water Forum and Dr. Peter Gleick, Senior Fellow and Co-founder of Pacific Institute to ask about the ch...
Aug 29, 2023•30 min
Send us a text The China Investment Corporation - better known as the CIC, is the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, managing an impressive $1.35 trillion in assets. Its carefully chosen investments in various resources and cutting-edge technologies are strategically aimed at bolstering China's global influence. But just what are they investing in? And how big can they really get? In this episode, Juliet Mann speaks to Zongyuan Zoe Lui, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author...
Aug 14, 2023•29 min
Send us a text Few sectors, if any, were hit harder by the pandemic than travel and tourism – with bookings dropping by around three-quarters between 2019 and 2020. But now the world’s opened up again, is the sector back on its feet? Or has the way we travel changed forever? Has the crucial Chinese market returned? And, as global boiling hits the headlines, are we now ready to pay more for sustainable travel? In this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Miguel Sanz, Director of the Europ...
Aug 08, 2023•29 min
Send us a text Less than a decade ago, the Greek economy was very much the sick man of Europe. For 13 years Greece faced a debt crisis and financial stagnation. Three international bailouts - and a global pandemic – later, the economy is steadily growing. The cost of living still soars and unemployment remains high. But growth in Greece is outpacing most Eurozone countries. So what’s behind this revival? And what has Greece learned from the economic crisis? In this week’s episode Juliet Mann is ...
Aug 01, 2023•29 min
Send us a text For decades now, Hong Kong has served as China's gateway to the world - especially in the financial sector. So as China continues opening up post-pandemic and looks to expand business beyond its borders - what does the future really hold? Hong Kong's Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury - Christopher Hu i has spent much of this year travelling around the world to underline the message that Hong Kong is back open especially for sustainable and hi-tech businesses. In th...
Jul 25, 2023•29 min
Send us a text In recent weeks both the United Nations and the World Economic Forum have released their latest reports on Gender parity - and it's not looking good for the world's women. According to the UN at least the gender gap only appears to be widening, and WEF say it will still be more than 130 years before we reach anything like true equality. But just why does the distance between men and men’s roles remain so stubbornly large? In this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Raquel...
Jul 19, 2023•30 min
Send us a text As both BYD and Tesla released record sales figures for the second quarter of the year, this week on The Agenda we consider the future for electric cars. In spite of rising sales, many consumers still suffer from range anxiety – concerns over how far they can travel on a single charge – as well as worrying about car prices in the midst of a global cost of living crisis. But is this all set to change as China leads the charge for cheaper, higher performance vehicles? In this episod...
Jul 13, 2023•29 min
Send us a text As the world's experts gather in Shanghai for the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, on this episode of The Agenda, we consider the rise of AI. Following the launches of the likes of OpenAi’s ChatGPT and Baidu’s Ernie Chatbot, the rise of computer learning seems to have created as many concerns as opportunities, with tech giants like Elon Musk and Apple founder Steve Wozniak calling for an immediate halt to development on anything more powerful than GPT4. So what regulation...
Jul 04, 2023•29 min
Send us a text It's time for China and Europe to rise above their differences and find creative solutions to solve global problems like climate change and poverty. That was the message from Li Qiang at the end of his first overseas visit since becoming Chinese Premier earlier this year. At the end of a week where he visited Germany and France to talk trade and cooperation, he also made China’s views on future relationships very clear, stating: “China will unequivocally reject trade protectionism...
Jun 28, 2023•29 min
Send us a text The World Health Organisation expects the number of people aged over-65 to double by 2050. That will mean there are around 2.1bn people – one in four of us – at around pensionable age. What effect will that have on the global economy and productivity? And what do the world’s governments need to do to head off a longevity crisis? How can we ensure financial resilience for consumers, for the workforce, and for investors? At the recent World Economic Growth Summit in Geneva, Juliet M...
Jun 20, 2023•29 min
Send us a text As we hit almost exactly the half-way mark between COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh and COP28 in Dubai, politicians, pressure groups and climate experts gathered in Bonn to try to come up with a framework for the next global climate summit. So where exactly are we now on the somewhat bumpy road to net zero? Are we on track? Or have we left it too late to save the planet? In this episode, Juliet Mann speaks to Erik Solheim, former Norwegian Climate Minister and now Vice-President of the Gr...
Jun 13, 2023•30 min
Send us a text In one of Türkiye’s most fiercely contested elections in decades, President Erdogan emerged victorious yet again. Despite a struggling economy marked by skyrocketing inflation and a declining currency, 52% of the electorate granted him another five years in office. The questions now are exactly what factors contributed to Erdogan’s victory? Can he revitalize the country’s faltering economy? And what does his victory mean for Türkiye on the world stage? In this episode, Juliet Mann...
Jun 06, 2023•30 min
Send us a text The relationship between the world's two largest economies, the US and China, has rarely been more tense. China's new Ambassador in Washington Xie Feng has admitted this is a time of "serious difficulties and challenges", but insists he wants to put relations between the two nations back on track. And one person who may have some insight into how to do that is Economist and Author Keyu Jin - whose latest book is "The New China Playbook – Beyond Socialism and Capitalism". The Assoc...
May 31, 2023•28 min
Send us a text This week The Agenda comes from the World Economic Forum Growth Summit in Geneva. Global growth may be lower than in the past – thanks in large part to the after-effects of the pandemic – but there’s no doubt new opportunities are emerging for countries leading the way in food production, tourism, green tech, energy, digital services and more. So just which countries and regions are set to drive global growth and attract investment in the next decade? And how can we ensure that gr...
May 23, 2023•28 min
Send us a text This week The Agenda is in Brussels, where diplomats, business leaders and experts gathered for a meeting to discuss “Navigating the New Era: The Evolving Landscape of China-EU Economic and Trade Relations.” Top of the agenda was looking to see how both sides can benefit from China’s opening up post-COVID, and what the diplomatic acceleration – which has seen high level visits from Chinese officials to Europe and vice-versa in recent weeks – will really mean. At the meeting, Julie...
May 18, 2023•29 min
Send us a text This week The Agenda comes from Geneva at the World Economic Forum’s Growth Summit 2023. At the Summit, WEF released it’s latest Chief Economists’ report – which showed an equal split between those expecting a global recession, and those who think the world economy will recover through the rest of the year. WEF also released its latest jobs report – which warns of major disruptions in the labor market for the rest of this decade. To discuss those reports, and much more besides, in...
May 09, 2023•27 min
Send us a text 2023 has so far been something of a bumpy ride for the global economy. Inflation remains stubbornly high, banks have collapsed and debt is spiralling upwards for some of the world's largest economies. There has been some better news - with China growing and opening up for business post-pandemic - and fears of a global recession seeming to melt away. So where exactly do things stand now? And what can we expect for the rest of the year? On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann spe...
May 02, 2023•28 min
Send us a text The Earthshot Prize is the global award initiative launched in 2020 by Britain's Prince William, with the aim of inspiring and funding innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Each year, a prize of £1 million is awarded to five winners. On this week’s Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to two of the award’s winners from 2022, Charlot Magayi, Founder of Mukuru Clean Stoves and Pierre Paslier, Co-founder of the sustainable packaging startup, Notpla to hear...
Apr 25, 2023•27 min
Send us a text At the recent Two Sessions gathering in Beijing, Foreign Minister Qin Gang announced that China had "pressed the acceleration button" and "sounded the clarion call" for diplomacy. And the world – and especially Europe - certainly seems to have answered that call. In the past weeks Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have all been in Beijing to meet President Xi Jinping. To find out what China’s re-...
Apr 19, 2023•29 min
Send us a text The start of 2023 has had worrying echoes of 2008 for the global banking sector. The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the US and the Credit Suisse takeover in Europe saw banking stocks plunge around the world. So in this edition of The Agenda, we consider whether the world is sleepwalking into another financial crisis – or have the lessons of 2008 been learned and implemented? Juliet Mann speaks to Professor David Blanchflower, Economics Professor at Dartmouth College and former...
Apr 11, 2023•30 min
Send us a text China’s Ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, has just been on his first visit to Belfast. He was in Northern Ireland to talk about cooperation, communication and especially how China and the UK can work together on a cleaner, greener form of energy - hydrogen. On this special edition of The Agenda from Queen's University, Juliet Mann speaks to Professor Cheng Yibing, Strategic Scientist at the Xianhu Lab in Foshan , And Professor David Rooney, Director of the Sustainable Energy Re...
Apr 04, 2023•25 min
Send us a text AUKUS is the trilateral security pact between Australia, the UK and the United States, focusing on military capability and technology including cyber, AI, hypersonic and electromagnetic warfare. It will eventually provide Australia with a fleet of up to eight nuclear powered submarines and could cost Australia up to $368bn between now and the mid-2050s. But far from being a simple defense alliance, many, including China, Indonesia and Malaysia are far from happy with the deal, cla...
Mar 28, 2023•28 min
Send us a text Stability, development and prosperity. That was the message from President Xi Jinping as China's first Two Sessions since the country opened up post-pandemic came to an end. The emphasis throughout the political meetings was very much on common prosperity, peaceful development and especially modernization. So in this special show, The Agenda examines China’s future – from the focus on high quality growth to enhancing its global diplomatic and peace-making efforts – and considers w...
Mar 21, 2023•43 min
Send us a text Of the world’s 100 largest cities, more than a quarter are in China. In 1980, about 20% of the population lived in a city, by 2020 that had risen to more than 60%. Rapid urbanization has seen improved transport links and housing giving millions of people access to better healthcare, education and jobs. Poverty rates have fallen sharply, while at the same time the economy has boomed. So, what lessons can be learned from that? And how can the benefits of urbanization be balanced wit...
Mar 14, 2023•28 min
Send us a text As the annual Two Sessions gatherings get underway in Beijing, this week we consider the real extent of China’s global reach as we speak to the Presidents of two developing nations to get their take on future cooperation. Costa Rica’s Rodrigo Chaves Robles and East Timor’s Jose-Ramos Horta speak to Juliet Mann about the state of relations with Beijing, and why those relationships are so vital to their nations. We also hear their take on the future of global cooperation, and what n...
Mar 07, 2023•20 min
Send us a text As the world works to hit increasingly tough climate targets by the end of the decade, the need for sustainability in all business practices has never been greater One of the company’s leading the way in one of the world’s most polluting sectors – agriculture – is fertilizer giant Yara International . On this episode of The Agenda, the company’s CEO, Svein Tore Holsether joins Juliet Mann to discuss how Yara is working to drive sustainability across the world. Juliet also speaks t...
Feb 28, 2023•26 min
Send us a text Over the next four weeks, 2 billion people are expected to tune in as Europe's top footballers battle it out to be crowned the champions of Europe. Euro 2020 is finally under way, after COVID-19 forced a 12-month delay and a major reorganization. On this edition of The Agenda Podcast , Stephen Cole looks at the financial health of international football. Steven Zhang, Chairman of Inter Milan, discusses the challenges ahead for the club and for European football in general in the w...
Jun 23, 2021•24 min
Send us a text As governments around the world set increasingly tough environmental targets, it's becoming clear that investment from business is also going to increase. A new report from the UN Environment Programme, the World Economic Forum and the Economics of Land Degradation say that by 2030, investment in nature-based solutions are going to have to treble from the current level of $133 billion. This week on The Agenda podcast, Stephen Cole looks at who is likely to foot the bill to reverse...
Jun 17, 2021•24 min
Send us a text The COVID-19 pandemic has, of course, had an extraordinary effect on all our lives. But for women, according to a new report, it's had a particularly devastating impact. The World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual Global Gender Gap Report shows the coronavirus has pushed back gender parity by an entire generation. In this episode of the Agenda podcast, Stephen Cole will look at when, if ever, we might finally reach true gender equality. First on the podcast Cole talks to one of the pe...
Jun 12, 2021•24 min
Send us a text The world's largest biodiversity summit was due to take place in Kunming, China on March 16 but has been postponed once again due to the global pandemic. In a year which has been dominated by COVID-19, Stephen Cole looks at the future of the world's flora and fauna and the fundamental connections between all life on Earth. The pandemic has provided an opportunity to pause for reflection and shown that protecting nature's health is essential if we are also to protect our own. First...
Jun 03, 2021•25 min
