The World Reacts to William Lai, Li Qiang at Davos, and Imprisoned Journalists

Last week Japan and Taiwan coordinated coast guards in a joint maritime exercise, the first of it's kind in over 50 years. Expert Miles Yu explains what the Chinese Communist Party's reaction was and what it could mean for regional alliances. Next, Miles details the unique regional importance of Vietnam in light of the death of Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. And finally, Miles reveals what's behind the viral and failing robotaxis popping up around Chinese cities. 

Deterring the aggressive ambitions of Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party will require more than just setting red lines. Hudson Senior Fellow, John Lee, joins host Miles Yu to explain why it will require an international coalition with both the capability and resolve to effectively counter the CCP with strategies that both deny and impose cost.  Read John Lee's new report titled, "Deterring China: Imposing Nonmilitary Costs to Preserve Peace in the Taiwan Strait." 

After yet another stabbing attack hit headlines, which saw a Chinese man attack a Japanese woman and her son, Miles Yu explains why the Chinese Communist Party and its state-fueled propaganda machine are at fault for rising xenophobia in China. The episode goes on to explain what to expect from the CCP's Third Plenum, and finishes covering an investigative story that exposed wide spread toxic contamination of cooking oils in China. 

With the NATO Summit happening in Washington D.C. this week, Miles details why multilateral engagement in Asia through NATO expansion, or the establishment of a NATO-like alliance, would be such an effective bulwark against the Chinese Communist Party. Secondly, we cover some of China's latest acts of maritime aggression against Taiwan and the Philippines, and Miles hosts the second installment of Hudson's conference on the 2005 Anti-cessation law. 

Miles Yu reacts to Xi Jinping's latest purging of a plethora of military leaders including China's defense minister, and Xi's speech commemorating 70 years of the Chinese Communist Party's “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.” Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of State released its annual report on International Religious Freedom and detailed the CCP's repressive practices against religious minorities in China. 

China is a destructive outlier in the global energy arena. Fifty-five percent of its power still comes from coal, and 17% comes from hydroelectric dams that generate as much geostrategic conflict as they do power. On the other hand, they are attempting to lead the world in electric vehicles and nuclear power. So how does the Chinese Communist Party plan to keep this strategy moving forward as  the countries demands skyrocket?For the inaugural episode of our new "Insider Interviews," host Miles Yu is joined by Hudson Senior Fellow Thomas Duesterberg to provide answers from his report on China's historical water struggles and solutions.  Read Tom's report titled The Global Impact of China’s Water and Related Environmental Problems. 

The Chinese Communist Party publicly threatened to use the death penalty against separatists who support and advocate for an independent Taiwan, Xi Jinping emphasized loyalty at a People's Liberation Army meeting to ensure that "the party controls the gun," and Vladimir Putin and Kim Jun Un signed a defense pact in Pyonyang to keep Xi on his toes in his own backyard. 

Miles Yu assesses the state of US-Chinese relations after a group of American travelers to China were targeted in a stabbing attack during their visit. He then highlights India's increased importance as a geo-strategic counter to Xi Jinping's regional bullying in the the Indo-Pacific, as well as Europe's attempt at curbing Chinese EV market manipulation with a new set of tariffs. 

Miles Yu explains the devious cultural significance of the Gaokao, which is China’s two-day college entrance exam. He then explores why everyday homeowners in China are getting crushed by 20–50 percent increases on their utilities. Lastly, he peels back the curtain on how the Chinese Communist Party uses aggressive subsidies to infiltrate and undermine global markets.

Miles Yu and the team commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989 by recapping what led to that fateful day, the fallout that ensued in China and around the globe for communist movements, and why its legacy still matters today. They then covered how the U.S. righted the diplomatic wrong surrounding U.N. Resolution 2758, which China used to exclude Taiwan from international participation, and assessed the outcome of last week's Shangri-La Dialogues in Singapore.