Asia Matters Podcast

The extraordinary rise of China’s electric vehicle market is one of the most remarkable business stories of our times.  In just over a decade, the country has come to account for over half of global EV sales, and is now home to some of the world’s biggest EV makers. One of them, BYD, recently overtook Tesla as the world ‘s largest EV producer. How has this happened? What’s been the response in oth...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has appeared in a slew of new propaganda videos, promoting technological advances in the regime’s nuclear program and issuing warnings to South Korea and its allies. For the first time since the Korean War was paused seven decades ago, the dictator has talked about South Korea as an enemy, rather than part of a peninsula that had to be reunified under the regime, ma...

Asia is the most exciting and consequential region in the world today. Its countries - all with diverse political systems and complex, fascinating histories - are home to 4.3 billion people, who together generate about two thirds of global growth. B ut it's also where some of the planet's most high-stakes disputes play out on a daily basis: China's menacing of Taiwan; the North Kore...

It's a big week for Chinese politics as its annual political conclave gets under way in Beijing. Amid the pomp and heightened security, the Two Sessions is an important preview of the government's plans and policies for the year ahead. And increasingly over the last decade, that roadmap has been underpinned by the instructions of China's leader and the doctrine named for him - Xi Ji...

Diplomats, policy-makers and experts gathered at the Brussels Indo-Pacific Dialogue, hosted by our partners at the Center for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy. Participants shared their insights on the key issues that make this moment arguably the most consequential since World War II: conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, trade wars, supply chains, economic security, artificial intelligence,...

In January the world's eyes were on Taiwan as the self-ruled island held elections. Now the dust has settled, what is the significance of the results, both for Taiwan itself and for the wider international community?  The Democratic Progressive Party has now won its third presidential election in a row, with Lai Ching-te, or William Lai, set to become Taiwan’s new leader in May.  But the outc...

Following a historic meeting between the leaders of the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea at Camp David in August, the three countries have been strengthening military and intelligence cooperation.  What does it mean for the balance of power in Asia? Could this lead to an escalation of tensions with China and North Korea? And crucially, can the "trilateral partnership" last,...

A coalition of rebel armed groups known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance has been taking over towns and claiming control of more than 200 military outposts in northern Myanmar, in a push to overthrow a military regime that appears to have lost most of the country's territory.  Nearly three years after army leaders seized power in a coup, Myanmar's gruelling civil war may have reached a...

Smartphone and telecom-equipment maker Huawei is one of China's most successful and controversial companies.  Despite efforts from the U.S. and other countries to restrict its access to cutting edge semiconductor technology, Huawei recently launched a new phone - the Mate 60 - featuring advanced made-in-China chips. The breakthrough has raised one question: Is America's effort to limit t...

Western governments, led by the U.S., have been taking a harder line on trade with China. At stake is global economic leadership, particularly in vital technologies from semiconductors to Artificial Intelligence to electric vehicles, as well as cooperation on climate goals.  But how united are the U.S. and Europe on how to approach trade relations with China? What steps are big companies taking as...

A spy balloon and China’s presence in Cuba have put the spotlight on Beijing’s surveillance network around the globe this year, further fueling tensions with the U.S. But what do we know about China’s international intelligence operations? What are Beijing’s goals, and how is it using secret agents alongside satellites, TikTok and other hi-tech tools to monitor what happens in other countries? To...

Cambodia’s longtime leader Hun Sen emerged as the winner once again in the country’s recent general election, with his ruling Cambodian People’s Party winning 120 of the 125 seats in the country’s national assembly.  But if the election result was hardly in doubt, there is some change in the air.  Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia since the mid 1980s, has said he wants to pass his premiership on — t...

Cyberattacks are estimated to have caused trillions of dollars of damage to the world’s economy in recent years, and are now seen as a major national security threat by governments around the world. Some governments and private companies are looking to step up cooperation to fight the hackers, but nascent initiatives, such as a new pact between the EU and South Korea, face a number of hurdles.  In...

The triumph of the Move Forward party in Thailand’s election has highlighted young voters’ desire for change and reform. But with the party’s popular leader, Pita Limjaroenrat scrambling to form a government and facing political roadblocks, questions are mounting over what may happen next in the Southeast Asian nation. What’s the likelihood of a military intervention? Can the next government refor...

There’s been plenty of coverage of the growing tensions between the U.S. and China, particularly when it comes to the Indo Pacific. In this episode we are going to consider how other countries are responding to that friction, and in turn, where that leaves the current balance of power in the region.  Are countries feeling pressure to take sides? What impact are new alliances such as the Quad and A...

From K-pop superhits to Netflix shows and Oscar-winning films, South Korea has established itself as a global cultural powerhouse. “Squid Game,” “The Glory,” “Parasite” and BTS are only some of the names that make K-culture a multibillion dollar industry, with fans in the hundreds of millions. But how did the so-called Korean wave come to be, and what does it tell us about the small country’s chan...

Arrests, sackings and resignations of top politicians amid a series of corruption scandals have dominated Vietnam’s news headlines in recent months. In this episode of Asia Matters hosted by Bill Hayton, political analyst Nguyen Phuong Linh and researcher Nguyen Khac Giang break down the stakes of the latest government shake-ups and explain what they mean for the future of the country, a key econo...

This episode Andrew is joined by Josh Kurlantzick, a senior fellow for South East Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.  Josh's new book, entitled "Beijing's Global Media Offensive: China's Uneven Campaign To Influence Asia and the World", takes a deep dive into Beijing's soft power operations. What tools and techniques has it used to leverage influence over its n...

This episode was recorded at the first ever Indo-Pacific Forum at the Brussels School of Governance, hosted by our partners, the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy.  The forum was an opportunity for experts and policymakers from across both Europe and the Indo-Pacific to come together to talk about some really important issues - and for us to take them to one side to record them.  Delegat...

All eyes have been on China recently as the 20th Communist Party Congress drew to a close, and Xi Jinping was confirmed as leader for a historic third term.  Joining us this episode to discuss the outcome of the congress and more is one of the UK’s leading academics on China, Kerry Brown. He's a prolific author, and started his career as a diplomat in the British embassy in Beijing in the 199...

South Korea has undoubtedly become a major player both in regional and — increasingly — global geopolitics. A remarkable period of economic growth in recent decades has led it to become the world’s tenth largest economy, home to global corporate giants such as Samsung and Hyundai.  Yet the country’s post World War Two politics has been marked by drama, particularly as it transitioned to democracy...

The assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe on 8th July shocked the world, with tributes pouring in from all over the globe.  Abe, Japan’s longest serving prime minister until he stepped down in 2020, was arguably one of the country’s most consequential leaders. He oversaw a programme of economic reform at home, which came to be known as Abenomics, as well as a reorientation of...

This episode focuses on Japan’s role in Asia, and in particular its somewhat overlooked relations with South East Asia. While there is plenty of coverage of China’s increasing economic and diplomatic clout in the region, Japan — still, of course, the world’s third largest economy — has for decades been a major investor in the region.  Not only that, it has also built strong diplomatic ties with so...

With tensions around North Korea starting to make headlines again, in this episode we look at relations between Pyongyang and its closest ally, China.  The North Korean army has already carried out more missile tests this year than ever before, according to the US government - and speculation is mounting that the one-party state may be about to launch its first nuclear missile tests in five years....

At the end of June, the Philippines will formally inaugurate a new leadership – but it will feature two very familiar names.  There will be a second ‘President Ferdinand Marcos’; and another Duterte – Sara, daughter of the current president – will become vice-president. The new President Marcos, generally known as Bongbong, is the son of the man who led the Philippines from the time he was elected...