The Agenda Podcast

Send a text Since 2020, global supply chains have come under pressure like never before. Geopolitical events - Covid and conflict - as well as increasing demand for critical minerals to underpin new technology has changed the way manufacturing operates for ever. The World Economic Forum is providing what it hopes is a beacon to companies looking to embrace change with its Global Lighthouse network...

Send a text Ten years after China’s President Xi Jinping first announced his plans for a "Silk Road economic belt", world leaders gathered in Beijing for the third Belt & Road forum.    Since 2013, more than 150 countries and over 30 international organisations have signed cooperation documents. But what's been the true global impact of the initiative? And what might the next te...

Send a text This week on The Agenda Juliet Mann talks cultural collaboration with Tim Yip, costume designer, director, contemporary artist and the Oscar-winning art director of ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Renowned for his innovative reinterpretation of Chinese antiquity in the realm of culture and film, Juliet explores some of the key milestones in Yip's illustrious career and examines t...

Send a text As climate change catastrophes continue to hit the headlines - the transition to a greener future was of course the key talking point at the world's largest energy summit - ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi.  So in this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann looks at whether the world is ready for a post-fossil fuel world – and whether there’s still a need for investment in oil and gas. She speaks...

Send a text As China's Belt & Road Initiative marks it's tenth anniversary, in this episode of The Agenda podcast Juliet Mann explores the impact it's having on the world's energy consumption. She talks to Lord Adair Turner , the former head of the CBI and ex-Chair of the UK's Financial Services Authority. But his current role is chair of the Energy Transitions Commiss...

Send a text Global economic growth exhibited surprising resilience in the early months of this year, but the outlook for 2024 is considerably less promising, with numerous experts attributing this downturn to China's slower than anticipated recovery. In this week's episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann talks to Charles Liu, the founder of HAO Capital to ask if that's really the case, a...

Send a text Extreme weather across the globe has claimed tens of thousands of lives this summer alone. From floods in Libya and China to drought in Sri Lanka and with heatwaves causing fires across much of Europe and North America, the devastating impact of climate change has never been clearer. As UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres put it – we’re no longer talking about global warming – but gl...

Send a text Not since the 1960s has the focus of space travel been so squarely targeted at the Moon – earth’s only natural satellite.  In the past weeks India became the latest country to land a rover on the lunar surface. NASA says it will land men back on the Moon next year, and China is planning to do the same before 2030. So what’s really at stake here? And is the future in space one of collab...

Send 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...

Send 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...

Send 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 sustainab...

Send 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 revi...

Send 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 worl...

Send 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...

Send 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...

Send 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 Wozni...

Send 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 v...

Send 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...

Send 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, Juli...

Send 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 eco...

Send 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 Econo...

Send 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...

Send 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 Chi...

Send 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...

Send 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 stan...