ChinaFile asked me and some other China people for our predictions about the coming year. This was mine: “Backlash” is the word for China in 2020. Engagement, progress, friendship, admiration, prosperity—the arc of change for China has moved, with the horrific exception of Tiananmen and its aftermath, in a steady, consistent, and predictable direction. Until..
What does the announced “Phase One” trade deal between China and the US really mean? Monocle radio spoke with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and me.
Who’s standing up for the Uyghurs?: The treatment of the Uyghur people in China’s far west Xinjiang region has been condemned by journalists but overseas governments have largely remained silent. Has China become too powerful to criticise or does the international community simply not care? Andrew Mueller from Monocle Radio’s Foreign Desk program is joined..
Hong Kong’s chaos continues as its leader uses an old British colonial law to repress civil liberties and try to unmask its rioters/protesters – I discuss with Monocle radio
I contributed some thoughts on flags, symbolism, protests and causes that are in the eye of the beholder to News Decoder . Here is my article: By David Schlesinger What does it mean when protestors halfway around the world sing your national anthem? Or wave your flag? Or burn your flag? Or appropriate a symbol..
I discuss the latest diplomatic and political moves with Monocle radio
I contributed this to China File. The full conversation is here. By David Schlesinger “The dragon must have two eyes.” This was the inevitable, hopeful refrain whenever I interviewed Hong Kong businessmen in the 1980s, during the long and tortured handover negotiations. Their point was that while Shanghai might flourish, Hong Kong’s sophistication and internationalism..
I participated in a podcast from The National on Hong Kong’s weeks of crisis. Have a read and listen here: https://www.thenational.ae/world/asia/beyond-the-headlines-podcast-what-sparked-the-hong-kong-protests-1.898571#2
As the 10-member ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ summit in Bangkok starts, the real action is how China and the United States interact with the trade block. I discussed with Monocle radio:
China’s President Xi Jinping is making the first state visit of a Chinese leader to North Korea in nearly 15 years – I discussed the implications with Monocle radio.