Sinobabble Podcast
1) Episode 36: The Great Leap Forward (4): Academics argue about how many people died
This is part 4 in a 4 part series on the Great Leap Forward. This series will cover the whys and hows of China's disastrous Second Five-Year Plan, showing how the Leap went from an idea, to a rea...Show More
2) The CCP's war against bad vibes
In 2025, the Chinese Cyberspace Administration introduced a new policy that aims to police online content that promotes violence, aggression, pessimism and negative emotions. While censorship is nothi...Show More
3) Does China owe the world good trade?
China shock 2.0, $1trillion surplus, Adam Smith. Is the neoliberal global order coming to an end? Is it China's fault? Do they care? In this episode we tackle the underlying questions surrounding fear...Show More
4) All the China books I read in 2025
Leave your recommendations below. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Chapters (00:00) About the books (2:20) The Dean of Shandong (12:35) Private Revolutions (20:35) The New China Playbook (29:20) I...Show More
5) Xi's PLA purges in their historical context
In recent months news of purges at the very top of the PLA have gripped headlines, with many speculating as to the cause and outcomes of this series of high-profile oustings. Many have concluded that ...Show More
6) What do Chinese people really think about China? (W/Nick Zeller & Craig Kafura)
I'm joined by Nick Zeller (https://uscnpm.substack.com/) and Craig Kafura (https://bsky.app/profile/ckafura.bsky.social) to discuss a public opinion poll carried out earlier this year and what it tell...Show More
What do Chinese people really think about China? (W/Nick Zeller & Craig Kafura)
1:23:41 | Nov 21st, 2025
7) Did China build too much High-Speed Railway?
Today we'll be examining the argument of a prominent Chinese scholar that China has built too much High-Speed Railway that is underutilised, unprofitable, and will cause major economic problems in the...Show More
8) How China built its own Silicon Valley
Hangzhou is a city once famed for its poets, tea, and silk, but it’s now capturing attention for something entirely different: AI labs, robotics startups, and IPO-hungry tech firms. The rapid rise of ...Show More
9) Why foreign brands are failing in China
Starbucks recently announced that it's looking to sell part of its stake in its China operations, and is looking for a domestic partner to help boost the company's profile. This comes at a time when a...Show More
10) US Rare earth mineral dependency ends trade war | China news discussion #8 | 15 June 25 BMC
A discussion of trending China news articles published in w/c 9th June. We look at how rare earth minerals may be the deciding factor in this trade war and potentially all trade wars to come. We look...Show More