China Talking Points » Podcasts

CTP Podcast – A Casual Rant on Media

Michael McCune — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:24:24 +0000

Ok, we just wanted to get a couple of things off our collective chest.

First we talk about a shifting in tone regarding China coverage – is this really the same media that was so negative on China in the first half of the year? Not that we agreed with all the hullabaloo in the first half, but with currency debate subsiding, google.cn re-registered and a trade agreement with Taiwan, US media appears at a loss on how to sensationalize normalcy.

CTP Podcast – A Casual Rant on Media

Second, we had to return to a conversation about China’s efforts on creating a media outlet that presents an independent and impartial view of the world’s events from a Chinese perspective. Eric is doing some work with France 24, and sees some lessons to be learned from contrasts in state media ownership – something he’ll blog on later.

CTP Podcast – Population Predicaments

Michael McCune — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:59:29 +0000

It seems every economic indicator in China just keeps heading relentlessly upward, but it isn’t so with population. China current fertility rate will cause the population to peak at around 1.5 or 1.6 billion by mid-century.

On the one hand, no one expects that to stymie growth in the next 10 to 15 years, but a looming challenge exists farther out as some estimates put the working population at just 40% by 2050 – that’s a lot of load to carry!

CTP Podcast – China By The Numbers – Population

In this China By The Numbers podcast, we talk about the different social and economic ramifications of China’s demographic curve.

CTP Podcast – Inevitable Confrontations?

Michael McCune — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:58:18 +0000

In this podcast, we tackle the question of how to assess the balance of power in our relationship with China. Does leverage come from existing assets and clout or from pace of progress and growth? Do you undercut a challenger’s point of weakness, or do you assert dominance where you can?

CTP Podcast – Inevitable Confrontations

Should calls for confrontation now be heeded? Is conciliation a sign of weakness? Can one country succeed if the other is mired in internal problems and economic turmoil? We promise no answers, but good food for thought…

CTP Podcast – Factory Suicides in China

Michael McCune — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 16:52:44 +0000

Everyone in China and the West heard about the Foxconn suicides, but the manner the story was told varied widely from region to region. Oddly, but encouragingly, some of the most balanced reporting came out of China.

CTP Podcasts – Foxconn Suicide Coverage

In this podcast, Eric and I reflect on his previous rant about US media coverage and discuss the various factors at play on youth as they migrate from the countryside to take up positions at factories in the coastal provinces.

CTP Podcast – China’s Influence on North Korea

Michael McCune — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:23:30 +0000

With Kim Jung-Il visiting China, we take the opportunity to discuss the PRC’s strategic interests in North Korea vs. what the US holds as important.

CTP Podcast – China’s Influence on North Korea (050610)

CTP Podcast – The Good and The Bad of Foreign Media Reporting on China

Michael McCune — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 19:43:52 +0000

Prompted by narrow reporting on China’s activities in Africa, we pick through the challenges faced by global media outlets in their efforts to present facts from the field.

CTP Podcast – The Good and The Bad of Foreign Media Reporting on China (041810)

CTP Podcast – The Value of the China Currency Debate

Michael McCune — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:31:00 +0000

The debate over the value of China’s currency fits into a larger context of China’s economic rise, the aftermath of the global recession, and American perceptions of our future relationship.

CTP Podcast – China Currency Debate

While we think the Obama Administration will allow the Treasury Department to label China as a currency manipulator, we discuss how this action won’t likely derail the broader relationship, nor will it motivate China to take any immediate steps to alter the value of the RMB.

CTP Podcast – 2010 American Perspectives

Michael McCune — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 06:40:11 +0000

CTP Podcast – 2010 American Perspectives

CTP Podcast – China and the Congo

Eric Olander — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:53:49 +0000

Eric landed in Kinshasa a few days back for a one week visit to the Congo in preparation for his new job that will start in January.

In the past we’ve touched upon China’s quest for natural resources and this trip provided us the opportunity to gain an on the ground view of the full court press China is orchestrating to win and implement these major projects.

In this week’s podcast, Eric shares insight into the nature of the growing population of Chinese in Kinshasa (+20,000), their not-so-surprising ability to assimilate linguistically, and the lingering impression that the West is being out maneuvered. Have a listen:

CTP Podcast – China and the Congo

CTP Podcast – The Influence of Chinese Media

Eric Olander — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:29:45 +0000

What is to become of China’s effort to establish its own Al-Jazeera? Will it be a global propaganda arm selling a centrally controlled story via TV, or will it be an introspective new voice reporting via a multi-national editorial team in a purposefully fragmented manner? Eric and I spoke about his personal experience with state media outlets and his own reflections on this latest effort by China to have the world hear its side of the story. We’ve got three recommendations for readers who wish to make their own prognostications: 1) Study The Domestic Media The domestic media outlets function in an entirely different manner than the international state-owned media channels in China. Follow the business developments of Shanghai Media Group, Southern Weekend, Phoenix and BaiDu. 2) Who’s Running the New Network Will China bring in foreign experts with editorial freedom to develop stories as they see fit? Regardless of foreign management involvement (which may be an unlikely benchmark to await), will the stories carry the same language of the apparatchiks? 3) Will It be Eclipsed by User Generated Content Mobile Phones, Blogs, citizen journalism and independent media are already alive and being incorporated into domestic media content. It feeds a more open dialogue within China, it could also help accomplish China’s goals in a more authentic manner internationally. (Apologies in advance for some audio quality issues with this podcast.)