This month, President Xi Jinping has warned that "protectionism will lead nowhere" and called on countries to not sign a deal to appease the US. The Chinese Head of State has been on a three-nation working trip through Southeast Asia. The Asian powerhouse has made a concerted effort to expand trade relations to present itself as a stable partner in the global economy given the instability of tariff announcement from Washington D.C. President Xi Jinping visited Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia as Beijing seeks to offset the impact of US tariffs. China is also linked to new trade deals in Kenya and Mexico. In the past 24 hours, China has dismissed President Donald Trump’s proposal to bring down tariffs if they negotiate a new trade deal. In this hour, we explore how the second biggest economy has quietly responded to the US tariff hikes and if there are opportunities for the global South to benefit from this pivotal moment. We are joined…

Guest (Telephone): Prof. Patrick Bond - Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Director of Social Change at the University of Johannesburg

Guest: Dr. Marvellous Ngundu -Research Consultant at African Futures Initiatives at the Institute of Security Studies 

Guest: Tshepo Matseba is the Managing Director at Reputation 1st Group, Strategic Partner at Ebony+Ivory Integrated Communication Agency, and Non-Executive Director at the Institute of People Management (IPM)