Asian Insider Podcast
Trade, tech, geopolitics: A rising China tide isn’t lifting all boats
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What more should we know now about this country that is central to the global economy and is playing an ever greater role in geopolitics?
Synopsis: Every second Friday of the month, The Straits Times’ senior columnist Ravi Velloor distils 45 years of experience covering the Asian continent, with expert guests.
In this first-ever joint episode of Asian Insider and Radio Davos, he is joined by the World Economic Forum’s Robin Pomeroy as they speak with Qian Liu, whose Wusawa Advisory helps companies understand China.
It was recorded in late June at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026 in Dalian, China.
Ravi and Robin discuss with Qian about how a Chinese economy built on innovation and scale is impacting the world, the mainland’s internal worry lines such as high youth unemployment and lagging consumption, and why female power could drive China’s next growth phase.
Highlights (click/tap above)
4:00 Exports, joblessness, property in a slowing economy
9:00 China’s property market prospects
11:10 ‘Ageing concubine’ Europe ‘cooking up’ negativity
15:00 EVs, cognac and bubble tea
19:40 You don’t need to get fat on Chinese ice-cream
23:10 ‘Involution’ and its imperatives
25:00 Shrugging off Hormuz
27:00 China’s watching US destroy itself
33:00 Female power in China
More at wef.ch/amnc26 and across social media using the hashtag #AMNC26
Produced and edited by Radio Davos:
Editing - Seamus Hart, Louie Carroll
Studio production: Gareth Nolan
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Host: Ravi Velloor (velloor@sph.com.sg)
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Discover more Radio Davos podcasts:
From ‘US innovates, China imitates’ to ‘Opportunity 2.0’ - lessons from Summer Davos: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/strategic-intelligence-amnc26-debrief-china-innovation/
The Hormuz shock, AI and China: the state of global energy, with Jason Bordoff: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/amnc26-energy-china-hormuz-oil-gas-renewables-bordoff/
AMNC26: What just happened at the Summer Davos?: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/radio-davos/episodes/amnc26-what-just-happened-summer-davos/
All podcasts: wef.ch/podcasts:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wef/podcasts
Radio Davos: https://pod.link/1504682164
Meet the Leader: https://pod.link/1534915560
Agenda Dialogues: https://pod.link/1574956552
