Fathom: In Conversation

Today’s blog is something a little different – I’m sharing the video version of our latest special edition podcast episode on AI and US-China techno-economic competition. Last month I caught up with David Lin from the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) at the 2026 SCSP AI+ Expo in Washington DC. We’ve known each other for about four years now, since Fathom wrote a report for the SCSP about...

Talking AI with David Lin The episode explores themes from Welcome to the Machine, a ground-breaking 2022 report written by Fathom for the SCSP. This report analyses how US-China geostrategic competition could play out over the coming decades. It is based on a systematic study involving the latest findings from academia, the use of novel data techniques and the creation of a state-of-the-art techn...

Episode 10: Back to the future This episode is 13:03 minutes long. In the final episode of this series, Andrew Harris and Erik Britton look to the future and ask where China might go from here. For the quote referenced and more observations on early 20th-century China, see: W.Y. Fullerton and C.E. Wilson, New China: A Story of Modern Travel, London 1910, p. 234. We hope you’ve enjoyed listening to...

Episode 9: Doubling down at the double Episode is 9:53 minutes long. While China’s official GDP statistics are remarkably smooth, Fathom’s China Momentum Indicator paints a different picture, showing pronounced slowdown in 2015 as a result of the country doubling down. Andrew Harris, Laura Eaton and Joanna Davies explore what this meant for China’s economy and how policymakers responded. Notes fro...

Episode 8: China ready for a diet? Episode is 7:51 minutes long. Deng Xiaoping's growth model has served China well since the seventies but is ultimately unsustainable. Andrew Harris and Joanna Davies explore China's attempts to rebalance its economy and why it has yet to achieve this. Notes from Fathom Consulting referred to in this episode: https://www.fathom-consulting.com/research-notes/chinas...

Episode 7: Does China challenge US hegemony? Episode is 13:20 minutes long. For more about the Thucydides Trap, see: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/09/united-states-china-war-thucydides-trap/406756/ Here's the clip from The Wire which Kevin refers to in this episode.   Notes from Fathom Consulting referred to in this episode: https://www.fathom-consulting.com/research-notes...

Episode 6: Digging your way out of a hole Episode is 9:10 minutes long. Even in China, growth slows from time to time. Host Andrew Harris is joined by China specialist Laura Eaton to discuss how policymakers have reacted and why they may just be building greater problems for the future. Notes on China's growth slowdown from Fathom Consulting referred to in this episode: https://www.fathom-consulti...

Episode 5: The Global Financial Crisis: Made in China Episode is 13:10 minutes long. The Global Financial Crisis of 2008-2009 left an indelible mark on the global economy. In this episode, Andrew Harris and Erik Britton ask whether the Great Recession had its roots in China. Notes from Fathom Consulting referred to in this episode: https://www.fathom-consulting.com/research-notes/the-is-and-the-ou...

Episode 4: China is leapfrogging up the global value chain. Episode is 10:25 minutes long. The reforms of Deng Xiaoping allowed China to go global and become the leading exporter of manufactured products. Now, China is seeking new ways to expand. Using our suite of proprietary tools, Laura Eaton and Joanna Davies talk to Andrew Harris about how the People's Republic is faring. Notes from Fathom Co...

Episode 3: The day that changed the world Episode is 9:32 minutes long. When China joined the WTO in 2001 it was described as “the day that changed the world”. In this episode, host Andrew Harris is joined by Kevin Loane and Florian Baier to explore the wider impacts of China's emergence. The trio discuss the creation of commodity supercycles and how the People's Republic helped keep a lid on glob...

Episode 2: The elephant in the room Episode is 13:33 minutes long. For the quote referenced at the start of the episode, and more observations on early 20th-century China, see: W.Y. Fullerton and C.E. Wilson, New China: A Story of Modern Travel, London 1910, p. 234. Has China come to the “hour of her destiny”? In this episode, host Andrew Harris is joined by Erik Britton to discuss China's elephan...

Episode 1: Introduction Episode is 6:16 minutes long. An introduction to Fathom Consulting, the research we do and the depth of our knowledge of China's economy. Our first podcast series, 'The rise of China', focuses on China, its extraordinary economic rise and the impact that has had on the rest of the world. Fathom: In Conversation is a podcast from Fathom Consulting. Host: Andrew Harris Editor...