On the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, has CCP Chairman Xi Jinping overreached? He's facing blowback everywhere from Hong Kong to Xinjiang amid an escalating trade war with the US. Even his signature infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative, has run into trouble. Is the world entering a new cold war? We ask former Obama administration Asia advisor Charles Edel, now with the University of Sydney, and the Lowy Institute's Richard MacGregor, who is the author of Xi Jinping: The Backlash.

On the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, has CCP Chairman Xi Jinping overreached? He's facing blowback everywhere from Hong Kong to Xinjiang amid an escalating trade war with the US. Even his signature infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative, has run into trouble. Is the world entering a new cold war? We ask former Obama administration Asia advisor Charles Edel, now with the University of Sydney, and the Lowy Institute's Richard MacGregor, who is the author of Xi Jinping: The Backlash.

The Little Red Podcast: interviews and chat celebrating China beyond the Beijing beltway. Hosted by Graeme Smith, China studies academic at the Australian National University's Department of Pacific Affairs and Louisa Lim, former China correspondent for the BBC and NPR, now with the Centre for Advancing Journalism at Melbourne University. We are the 2018 winners of podcast of the year in the News & Current Affairs category of the Australian Podcast Awards. Follow us @limlouisa and @GraemeKSmith, and find show notes at www.facebook.com/LittleRedPodcast/

The Little Red Podcast: interviews and chat celeb…

The Little Red Podcast

Awardwinning interviews and chat celebrating China beyond the Beijing beltway. Hosted by Graeme Smith, China studies academic at the Australian National University's Department of Pacific Affairs and Louisa Lim, former China correspondent for the BBC and NPR, now with the Centre for Advancing Journalism at Melbourne University. We are the 2018 winners of podcast of the year in the News & Current Affairs category of the Australian Podcast Awards and we're funded by the Australian National University's Centre on China in the World. Find us on your favourite platforms: we're on Stitcher, Spotify and even Podbean. Follow us @limlouisa and @GraemeKSmith, and find show notes at www.facebook.com/LittleRedPodcast/. Our editor is the Saturday Paper's Andy Hazel (@AndyRickie), background research is by the Asia Society's Julia Bergin (@juliabergin1) and Xu Chong (@ChongXuCheng), our stirring theme tune was composed by Susie Wilkins (@susiewilkins) and our iconic art is courtesy of Seb Danta (@SebDanta).

Awardwinning interviews and chat celebrating China beyond the Beijing beltway. Hosted by Graeme Smith, China studies academic at the Australian National University's Department of Pacific Affairs and Louisa Lim, former China correspondent for the BBC and NPR, now with the Centre for Advancing Journalism at Melbourne University. We are the 2018 winners of podcast of the year in the News &amp; Current Affairs category of the Australian Podcast Awards and we're funded by the Australian National University's Centre on China in the World. Find us on your favourite platforms: we're on Stitcher, Spotify and even Podbean. Follow us @limlouisa and @GraemeKSmith, and find show notes at www.facebook.com/LittleRedPodcast/. Our editor is the Saturday Paper's Andy Hazel (@AndyRickie), background research is by the Asia Society's Julia Bergin (@juliabergin1) and Xu Chong (@ChongXuCheng), our stirring theme tune was composed by Susie Wilkins (@susiewilkins) and our iconic art is courtesy of Seb Danta (@SebDanta).

Big Bad China?  The New Cold War

In our new series—China Rules—we look at how China is a global exporter, not just of goods, but also of standards, ideas, technologies and mechanisms of control. We’re starting with politics, and whether China is exporting its brand of “smart authoritarianism”. China’s heady mix of extractive political institutions and pro-growth economic policies makes for an attractive recipe to would-be imitators, just as China borrowed these ideas from South Korea and Singapore. Coupled with its edge in AI, digital surveillance and emerging technologies, China has moved from a passive exemplar to marketing—and profiting from—its blueprint for staying in power. Louisa and Graeme are joined by Jennifer Lind from Dartmouth College, the author of Autocracy 2.0: How China’s Rise Re-Invented Tyranny, and Bethany Allen from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and author of Beijing Rules: China's Quest for Global Influence.

Image: China’s Police Liaison Team demonstrates martial arts during a community engagement event in Honiara, Solomon Islands. RFA/AFP/Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), June 2025

Transcripts available at https://ciw.anu.edu.au/podcasts/little-red-podcast

In our new series&mdash;China Rules&mdash;we look at how China is a global exporter, not just of goods, but also of standards, ideas, technologies and mechanisms of control. We&rsquo;re starting with politics, and whether China is exporting its brand of &ldquo;smart authoritarianism&rdquo;. China&rsquo;s heady mix of extractive political institutions and pro-growth economic policies makes for an attractive recipe to would-be imitators, just as China borrowed these ideas from South Korea and Singapore. Coupled with its edge in AI, digital surveillance and emerging technologies, China has moved from a passive exemplar to marketing&mdash;and profiting from&mdash;its blueprint for staying in power. Louisa and Graeme are joined by Jennifer Lind from Dartmouth College, the author of Autocracy 2.0: How China&rsquo;s Rise Re-Invented Tyranny, and Bethany Allen from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and author of Beijing Rules: China's Quest for Global Influence.
Image: China&rsquo;s Police Liaison Team demonstrates martial arts during a community engagement event in Honiara, Solomon Islands. RFA/AFP/Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF), June 2025
Transcripts available at <a href="https://ciw.anu.edu.au/podcasts/little-red-podcast">https://ciw.anu.edu.au/podcasts/little-red-podcast</a>

China Rules: Autocracy for sale

As an Easter treat, we're bringing you a cracking tale of espionage from one of our favourite China podcasts: Face Off. We'll be back shortly with a new season called China Rules.

Espionage

Two young CIA agents were flown to northern China in 1952, part of a bizarre Cold War operation to overthrow Mao Zedong. The plane crashed. The two Americans were arrested, and jailed for 20 years. We fast forward to today and turn the tables: How does China spy on the US now? Who is ahead in the fight over the new technologies?

Guests: John DeLury, author, Agents of Subversion; Nigel Inkster, former director operations, MI6; former agent in Beijing.

Details about John Delury’s compelling book that tells the story of how two CIA operatives were captured in China and how they endured 20 years in jail.

https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501765971/agents-of-subversion/

Nigel Inkster’s book about the US and China, the two big tech competitors.  

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Great_Decoupling/K4xfzQEACAAJ?hl=en

As an Easter treat, we're bringing you a cracking tale of espionage from one of our favourite China podcasts: Face Off. We'll be back shortly with a new season called China Rules.
Espionage
Two young CIA agents were flown to northern China in 1952, part of a bizarre Cold War operation to overthrow Mao Zedong. The plane crashed. The two Americans were arrested, and jailed for 20 years. We fast forward to today and turn the tables: How does China spy on the US now? Who is ahead in the fight over the new technologies?
Guests: John DeLury, author, Agents of Subversion; Nigel Inkster, former director operations, MI6; former agent in Beijing.
Details about John Delury&rsquo;s compelling book that tells the story of how two CIA operatives were captured in China and how they endured 20 years in jail.
https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501765971/agents-of-subversion/
Nigel Inkster&rsquo;s book about the US and China, the two big tech competitors.&nbsp;&nbsp;
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Great_Decoupling/K4xfzQEACAAJ?hl=en

Little Red Podcast x Face Off

Britain is the latest country to be plunged into yet another espionage scandal after an MP’s husband was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. Beijing’s long been known for its ‘thousand grains of sand’ strategy relying on amateur intelligence collectors, but it’s now increasingly employing cognitive warfare to shape public opinion. This month, we analyse changes to China’s spying ground game on three continents. Louisa is joined by former Australian diplomat Sam Guthrie who’s the author of The Peak, a spy thriller set in Australia and China, national security expert Dennis Molinaro, the author of Under Assault: Interference and Espionage in China's Secret War Against Canada, and human rights activist Lyndon Lee, who has been targeted by Chinese agents in the UK.

Image: c/- Sergeant Paul Shaw LBIPP/MOD, under Open Government License version 1. Union and Chinese flags together.

Transcripts available at: https://ciw.anu.edu.au/podcasts/little-red-podcast

Britain is the latest country to be plunged into yet another espionage scandal after an MP&rsquo;s husband was arrested on suspicion of spying for China. Beijing&rsquo;s long been known for its &lsquo;thousand grains of sand&rsquo; strategy relying on amateur intelligence collectors, but it&rsquo;s now increasingly employing cognitive warfare to shape public opinion. This month, we analyse changes to China&rsquo;s spying ground game on three continents. Louisa is joined by former Australian diplomat Sam Guthrie who&rsquo;s the author of The Peak, a spy thriller set in Australia and China, national security expert Dennis Molinaro, the author of Under Assault: Interference and Espionage in China's Secret War Against Canada, and human rights activist Lyndon Lee, who has been targeted by Chinese agents in the UK.
Image: c/- Sergeant Paul Shaw LBIPP/MOD, under Open Government License version 1. Union and Chinese flags together.
Transcripts available at: <a href="https://ciw.anu.edu.au/podcasts/little-red-podcast">https://ciw.anu.edu.au/podcasts/little-red-podcast</a>

Big Bad China? The New Cold War

In 1 playlist(s)

The Little Red Podcast

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips