Reporting on China is challenging. The country’s leaders seldom give interviews to Western media and when they do they tend to stick to prepared official lines. To understand China, journalists rely on well-connected academics who know the workings and worldview of the Communist Party.

The Economist’s Geopolitics editor, David Rennie, speaks to one of China’s shrewdest experts on America, Da Wei. He is a professor and director of the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University. They discuss China’s view of Taiwan and how Beijing could take the small island nation.

00:00 – Could Trump sell out Taiwan for a trade deal?
02:24 – How China can win over the Taiwanese
03:35 – How Taiwan would be governed under China
06:01 – The opportunity from a Donald Trump

Do you think kids spend too much time on their phones? You might be worrying about the wrong age group. Tom Wainwright, our media editor, reveals which generation is the most square-eyed.

Can online reviews actually be trusted? Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast and Andrew Palmer, host of the Boss Class podcast, discuss how consumers can navigate the subjective world of customer ratings.

00:00 – What was the last online review you used?
00:45 – Can you trust an online review?
01:44 – Have researchers looked at how reliable online reviews are?
02:47 – What types of reviews can we rely on?
04:23 – Are there particular platforms that are more reliable than others

Should you trust that five-star rating on Airbnb?: http://econ.st/4mKYkZj
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#theeconomist #review #travel

Why are phrases like delulu, 67 and hanky panky popular? Lane Greene, our language correspondent, delves into why people love to use slang.

Cryptocurrencies have gone mainstream this year, with more people than ever owning digital assets. The Trump administration created the first legal framework for stablecoins; a move widely welcomed by the industry. However, concerns about money laundering, the evasion of sanctions and what this all means for monetary policy persist. Our top economics and finance editors dissect what’s been happening.

00:00 – How crypto went mainstream
00:40 – What’s happened to the price of crypto
03:04 – Donald Trump has embraced crypto
05:37 – How crypto was accepted institutionally
07:13 – What are the benefits of crypto?

Watch the full show to learn what crypto going mainstream could mean for financial markets: https://econ.st/4oVZmSB

Crypto got everything it wanted. Now it’s sinking:

Crypto is no stranger to volatility. But since hitting record highs in October, bitcoin has plunged more than 30%. Our Wall Street editor, Mike Bird, explains why this correction is different from the others.

The Economist’s editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, explores the power of arguing in schools.

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Micro-dramas may only be a few minutes long, but they are crammed with racy plot lines and taboo topics. Don Weinland, The Economist’s China business and finance editor, visited one of the largest production studios to see behind the scenes of this popular industry.

The Economist has crunched the data to analyse how chaotic the next general election could be.

The mega-rich are giving up on luxury assets. Forget fine wine, great art and glitzy mansions. Instead, they’re spending on hotels, restaurants and sporting events. The Economist’s senior economics writer, Callum Williams, explores the growth in ultra-luxury services.

Tap the link to learn why working as a housekeeper in Palm Beach in Florida can now net you more than $150,000 a year

Could geothermal soon overtake nuclear power? Vijay Vaitheeswaran, our Global energy & climate innovation editor and winner of the Energy Writer of the Year Award 2025, speaks to Alok Jha, host of the Babbage podcast, about long-neglected geothermal energy and the new suite of technologies that could finally see it rolled out across the world.

00:00 — Why Has Geothermal Energy Been So Limited Until Now?
01:25 — What Is Geothermal Energy and Where Does the Heat Come From?
03:10 — What’s Driving the New Optimism Around Geothermal Power?
05:42 — Which New Technologies Could Make Geothermal Work Everywhere?
08:53 — How Close Are We to Commercial-Scale Geothermal Power?
10:27 — What Are the Remaining Risks and Roadblocks to Global Adoption?

Listen to the full episode:

Is China’s military might strong enough for it to become a superpower? Our editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes, deputy editor Edward Carr and our China experts assess the current state of the country’s armed forces.

President Trump has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela and blown up alleged narco-boats across the Caribbean. What’s behind this escalation of military force?

Tap the link in our bio to read why an American oil blockade would devastate the Venezuelan regime.

It has been a good year for China. The country is winning its trade war with America. China is mastering new technologies and becoming an even more fearsome competitor in global markets.

Zanny Minton Beddoes, our editor-in-chief, and deputy editor Edward Carr sit down with our top China experts to assess what—if anything—could halt China’s rise.

00:00 – How strong are China’s armed forces?
03:02 – What could undermine the Chinese economy?
05:07 – The threat from China’s population
08:41 – Will China be the new superpower?

Watch the full show: https://econ.st/4oMaxxe

Why China is winning the trade war: https://econ.st/4iVifDY

How America could end up making China great again: https://econ.st/4awcf2r

China knows how to punish countries that offend it: https://econ.st/48B9YS8

Russia’s confrontation with the West isn’t playing out on a traditional battlefield. It’s unfolding through sabotage attempts, cyber operations and political interference—all part of a widening grey-zone conflict.
On Inside Defence intelligence expert Gordon Corera joins David Rennie, our geopolitics editor, to explore the Russian mindset and how Western governments should respond.

00:00 – Russia’s siege mentality
01:03 – Sabotage, proxies and grey-zone tactics
02:05 – Why deterrence no longer works

Watch the full show: https://econ.st/44SuJ9r

Read our coverage on how Russia is testing the West: https://econ.st/4pVzRCD

Sign up to the Insider newsletter: https://econ.st/4nOyzIb

Excited to settle in with a new book this Christmas? Rachel Lloyd, our deputy culture editor, shares five of our top novels published in 2025.

Click the link to see the rest of our top picks: https://econ.st/48Jpf1P

Is an insurgency brewing in Syria? Gareth Browne, our Middle East correspondent, joins Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, to discuss Syria’s fraught transition one year after Assad’s fall and whether another uprising might be on the horizon.

00:00 – Could Syria face a new insurgency?
00:28 – What fault lines are emerging in Syria?
02:27 – How is the transition feeling on the ground?
03:25 – What are the economic and political challenges?
05:23 – What kind of state is being built?
06:47 – Is Syria heading toward a new authoritarian structure?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/48KC4t3
An insurgency may be brewing against Syria’s new leaders: https://econ.st/3YkID0h
Sign up to our weekly newsletter: https://econ.st/3J0xzBr

#TheEconomist #Syria #Assad

Since the ceasefire in Gaza was announced, nothing has been done to rebuild the devastated territory. Our Middle East editor, Josie Delap, looks at how much reconstruction could cost, and who might foot the bill.

Why are more Americans being executed? Rebecca Jackson, our Southern correspondent, and Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss how politicians and the Supreme Court have helped usher in a new era of capital punishment.

Chapters:
00:00 – Why is America increasing the number of executions?
00:57 – Do Americans actually support executions anymore?
01:40 – If public support is low, what’s driving the surge in executions?
03:06 – With declining support, will execution rates continue to rise?
03:54 – Are states pushing the Supreme Court to expand executions even further?

Links:
Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/4iDfvuR
More Americans are being executed: https://econ.st/49Zm3Sc
Sign up to our weekly newsletter: https://econ.st/3J0xzBr

#TheEconomist #Florida

The price of gold reached record levels in October 2025. The Economist’s commodities editor, Matthieu Favas, explains why the assumption that gold is a "safe haven" may not fully explain the surge.

Britain wants stronger growth—but politics keeps getting in the way. Zanny Minton Beddoes, Edward Carr and our Britain team unpack why closer EU ties remain difficult, how migration shapes the debate and whether the UK could ever rejoin the single market.

00:00 – Why not get closer to Europe?
02:10 – What is really happening with immigration
05:05 – How British voters feel about immigration

Watch the full show: https://econ.st/49ZXvIH

Read our Britain coverage: https://econ.st/48DsCrn

Watch the full Starmer interview: https://econ.st/48soxHH

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The Labour party stormed to victory in last year’s UK general election, following a long period in the political wilderness, but their popularity has collapsed since they took office. Like their European counterparts, they are facing pressure from the left and right. Our editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes sat down with Keir Starmer, the prime minister, to discuss his plans to address the country’s problems and what he makes of the rise of the insurgent Reform UK party.

Watch the full interview to hear how he hopes to meet the moment.

00:00 The fate of centrist politics
00:50 Reform UK’s policies
04:40 Britain’s relationship with the European Union
07:24 How Keir Starmer would sum up his politics on a bumper sticker

Watch the full interview:

The Economist’s editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, pushes Keir Starmer on why he hasn’t made bigger reforms, given the pressure Britain’s Labour party is under from the populist right-wing.

Sir Keir Starmer called Reform UK, Nigel Farage’s populist right-wing party, “pro-Putin or Putin-neutral”. In an interview with The Economist’s editor-in-chief, @ZannyMintonBeddoes, Britain’s embattled prime minister said a Reform government would harm Britain and potentially break the West.

The full interview will be available to watch at 4pm UK time. Click the link to watch: https://www.economist.com/insider

Britain’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has told The Economist that the populist right-wing Reform UK party would "tear our country apart" if they came to power.

Speaking to our editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, the prime minister said he believes that his government is the last chance for centrist politics in Britain.

The full interview will be available to watch at 6pm UK time at https://www.economist.com/insider

Arrested as he tried to leave Iran, Nicolas Pelham, The Economist’s Middle East correspondent, was detained for seven weeks in 2019. Now the regime has invited him back.

India is taking a different path on AI. It is embedding AI models built by Indian universities in the government tech stack.

On the latest episode of Inside Tech, Tom Standage and Alex Hern explain how India’s approach works and why it stands out globally.

00:00 – Why India’s AI strategy stands out
01:12 – Why language is important
03:05 – What India’s experiment means for global AI

Watch the full show: https://econ.st/4iyEJu7

How can a middle power compete in AI: https://econ.st/3Y5X48o

India has a unique opportunity to lead in AI: https://econ.st/4pa1ZBf

Sign up to the Insider newsletter: https://econ.st/4nOyzIb

Looking for a Christmas present for a bookworm in your life? Rachel Lloyd, our deputy culture editor, shares five of our favourite non-fiction books of 2025.

Plagued by corruption and weakened on the battlefield, Ukraine now risks being beaten at the negotiating table. If it does not show that it is willing to talk peace, it risks losing American support. Zanny Minton Beddoes, our editor-in-chief, and Edward Carr, deputy editor, and a panel of our experts dissect the latest peace plan and what it means for Ukraine. #ukraine #russia

Plagued by corruption and weakened on the battlefield, Ukraine now risks being beaten at the negotiating table, too. If it does not show that it is willing to talk peace, it risks losing American support. Zanny Minton Beddoes, our editor-in-chief, and Edward Carr, deputy editor, and a panel of our experts dissect the latest peace plan and what it means for Ukraine.

00:00 – What we know about the negotiations
03:30 – Who leaked the Steve Witkoff-Yuri Ushakov call?
04:48 – The details of the “peace plan”
06:35 – What the deal could mean for Ukraine

Watch the full show: https://econ.st/4indiU2

Read our coverage of the war: https://econ.st/48sr43i

Ukraine may be a step closer to peace, or to destruction: https://econ.st/4rqtCaB

If the fighting ends in Ukraine, the infighting in