The Red Leaf Express

Joey Chou

The Red Leaf Express is a short-form podcast examining geopolitical stability and instability across the Indo-Pacific, reimagining the spirit of the Mayflower—a voyage once made in search of religious and civic freedom—through a modern regional lens. Focused on current affairs and regional flashpoints, the show connects headlines to the historical, cultural, and strategic forces shaping the Indo-Pacific order. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

  1. EP021 - The Maintainer

    4d ago

    EP021 - The Maintainer

    In March 1996, China fired ballistic missiles into the waters off Taiwan's coast. Not at Taiwan. Near it. The target was the psychology — a message delivered to every Taiwanese voter preparing to cast a ballot in the island's first-ever direct presidential election: look at what proximity to us costs you. Look at what your democracy is worth to us. The voters looked. Over ten million of them. Seventy-six percent turnout. They went to the polls anyway. The United States sent two aircraft carrier battle groups to the Taiwan Strait. The largest American naval deployment in Asia since Vietnam. Beijing backed down. The election proceeded. And the democratic Republic of China on Taiwan — the version of Taiwan that had spent decades governed without a direct popular vote — became, in a single day, something new. A democracy that had chosen itself under fire. That was thirty years ago this year. President Lai Ching-te marked the anniversary on May 20th with a speech at the Presidential Office. It was, by any measure, a serious document. And it landed in the most complicated week Taiwan has faced since he took office. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

    15 min
  2. EP020 - The Presidential Speech

    May 22

    EP020 - The Presidential Speech

    Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-te [LYE CHING-tuh], is delivering a speech. It is the one-year anniversary of his inauguration. And the word he uses to describe himself — the political identity he claims in public, on this day, in this moment — matters more than it has at any point in his presidency. Not because of anything Taiwan did this week. Because of what happened in Beijing. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

    15 min
  3. EP014 - The Strait of Hormuz Now Has Got a Price Tag

    Apr 10

    EP014 - The Strait of Hormuz Now Has Got a Price Tag

    Taiwan's economy is flashing red — and this week, red means boom. Record GDP forecasts, record stock gains, record labor fund returns. But in the same week: oil crossed a hundred dollars, a French container ship paid Iran in yuan to cross the Strait of Hormuz, and Taiwan's opposition leader flew to Beijing. Here's what it all looks like from Taipei. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

    15 min
  4. EP013 - China's strategy on all fronts

    Apr 3

    EP013 - China's strategy on all fronts

    But a 34-kilometer strait now has a toll booth, and the costs are already transmitting through everything from jet fuel, electricity bills and plastic bags. Meanwhile, China is running three simultaneous campaigns while the world watches Hormuz — AI-driven information warfare, yuan oil settlement undermining the petrodollar, and political influence reshaping the Indo-Pacific's architecture at Boao and in Beijing. No missiles required. The war in Iran is doing China's work on every front. Taiwan is watching from outside the room. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

    15 min
  5. EP012 - A Clean Break

    Mar 24

    EP012 - A Clean Break

    In 1996, a group of policy advisers wrote a strategy document for a newly elected Benjamin Netanyahu. It was called A Clean Break. It named Iraq, Syria, and Iran as targets to be removed — not negotiated with. Thirty years later, one name remains on the list. And the clock appears to be running. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

    15 min
  6. EP011 - The Insurance Playbook

    Mar 17

    EP011 - The Insurance Playbook

    Iran closed the world's most important oil chokepoint without a navy — just drones, IRGC commanders, and insurance underwriters in London. Taiwan's waters carry nearly half the world's container fleet. This week, we ask the question nobody is saying out loud: has Iran just handed Beijing a playbook for something far cheaper than an invasion? -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

    15 min
  7. EP010 - The Insurance Blockade

    Mar 10

    EP010 - The Insurance Blockade

    Iran closed the world's most important energy chokepoint — not with a navy, but with cheap drones and the insurance market. Joey unpacks the paradox at the heart of the Hormuz crisis: a weapon powerful enough to send oil past $109 a barrel, but one that points at everyone — including the hand holding it. And what Taiwan should be reading in all of this. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

    15 min
  8. EP009 - Who's Burning What

    Mar 3

    EP009 - Who's Burning What

    Taiwan's stock market hit its year-end target in February. The HALO trade is real — hardware wins when AI can't replace the physical. But this week, the US lost in court and launched a war eight days later. Germany flew to Beijing underprepared. The architecture looks intact. The question is whether it still is. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

    15 min
See All (16)

About

The Red Leaf Express is a short-form podcast examining geopolitical stability and instability across the Indo-Pacific, reimagining the spirit of the Mayflower—a voyage once made in search of religious and civic freedom—through a modern regional lens. Focused on current affairs and regional flashpoints, the show connects headlines to the historical, cultural, and strategic forces shaping the Indo-Pacific order. -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

Information

  • Creator
    Joey Chou
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Joe2Mi Ltd.
  • Show Website
    The Red Leaf Express