Drum Tower

Drum Tower

Two of The Economist's China correspondents, Alice Su and David Rennie, analyse the stories at the heart of this vast country and examine its influence beyond its borders. They’ll be joined by our global network of correspondents and expert guests to examine how everything from party politics to business, technology and culture are reshaping China and the world. Published every Tuesday. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about Economist Podcasts+, including how to get access, please visit our FAQs page here https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts.

  1. Climate change: could China lead the world’s fight?

    19 NOV • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Climate change: could China lead the world’s fight?

    LONGi is one of the world’s biggest solar manufacturers. At its headquarters in Shaanxi province, robots turn slices of silicon into solar cells around the clock. Companies like LONGi have helped China become a clean-energy powerhouse. The solar panels and lithium-ion batteries the country produces are crucial for greening the world’s economies. But China is also the world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide. Shaanxi province is home to a thriving coal industry. And China’s love affair with the stuff is far from over: last year, on average, two new coal-fired power plants were approved every week. The country has work to do if it’s to hit Xi Jinping’s target of being carbon-neutral by 2060. In the final days of the COP29 conference, Alice Su, The Economist’s senior China correspondent, and Gabriel Crossley, our correspondent based in Beijing, examine China’s climate policy and ask: what’s stopping the country from leading the world’s fight against climate change? For more on COP29, check out the latest episodes of our sister podcasts: “Babbage” looks at how to wean countries off coal, while “Money Talks” counts the cost of the energy transition. Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

    29 min
  2. Climbers (part four): The American dream

    29 OCT • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Climbers (part four): The American dream

    The Chinese and American dreams both extol working hard to achieve success. But in recent years, for many Chinese, attaining that dream has felt out of reach. Some have decided to pursue the American one instead. They embark on the zouxian journey, which takes them from South America to the US through some of the most difficult and dangerous terrain in the world. Drum Tower has been following Chinese migrants on this path from Necoclí, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, to Tapachula in southern Mexico, to Jacumba Hot Springs in southern California. The migrants have trudged over mountains, forded rivers and been robbed and extorted by gangs and cartels. But none of them have given up hope of making it to America. This week we go to Monterey Park, California, where the new arrivals try to build their lives. They come to Fatty Ding Plaza, a nondescript shopping mall, to find informal work, a place to live and to connect with other migrants. In the final episode of our four-part series, Alice Su, The Economist’s senior China correspondent, catches up with the migrants she met along the way. As they begin the next chapter in their quest for the American dream, she asks, was it worth it? Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

    44 min

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  • Narendra Modi may well be the most popular politician on the planet. India’s prime minister is eyeing a third term atop the world’s biggest democracy.  A tea-seller’s son, Mr Modi began life an outsider. The man behind the political phenomenon remains hard to fathom. India has become an economic powerhouse during his ten years in charge. But he’s also the frontman for a chauvinistic Hindu nationalist dogma.  Can Mr Modi continue to balance both parts of his agenda and finish the job of turning India into a superpower? The Economist’s Avantika Chilkoti finds out what makes him tick.  Launching June 2024. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

  • How did two old, unpopular men end up running for the world's most demanding job? It’s the question John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, gets asked the most. And the answer lies in the peculiar politics of the baby boomers.  Since 1992, every American president bar one has been a white man born in the 1940s. That run looks likely to span 36 years - not far off the age of the median American. This cohort was born with aces in their pockets. Their parents defeated Nazism and won the cold war. They hit the jobs market at an unmatched period of wealth creation. They have benefitted from giant leaps in technology, and in racial and gender equality.  And yet, their last act in politics sees the two main parties accusing each other of wrecking American democracy. As the boomers near the end of their political journey, John Prideaux, The Economist’s US editor, sets out to make sense of their inheritance and their legacy.  Launching July 2024. To listen to the full series, subscribe to Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.

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Two of The Economist's China correspondents, Alice Su and David Rennie, analyse the stories at the heart of this vast country and examine its influence beyond its borders. They’ll be joined by our global network of correspondents and expert guests to examine how everything from party politics to business, technology and culture are reshaping China and the world. Published every Tuesday. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about Economist Podcasts+, including how to get access, please visit our FAQs page here https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts.

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