Best MERICS Podcasts (2025)

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The Price of Power: Thomas Meric on Policy, Investment, and Infrastructure 1:17:49

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7d ago1:17:49

1:17:49

In this episode of Know Power, hosts Noha and Mike are joined by energy finance expert Thomas Meric, formerly of Janney Montgomery. They explore how political pressure, regulatory constraints, and supply chain issues are shaping power markets, new builds, and nuclear deployment. Thomas explains the capital hurdles in energy investment, shares his v…

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The Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a vehicle to promote narratives of China and Russia, with Claus Soong 21:16

27d ago21:16

21:16

From August 31 until September 1, China’s party and state leader Xi Jinping will chair the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Chinese port city Tianjin. Among the leaders expected at the summit is Russian president Vladimir Putin. In a new episode of our podcast, MERICS Analyst Claus Soong explores the role of the group in…

651
China’s rise in biotechnology, with Alexander Brown and Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau 32:55

1M ago32:55

32:55

Biotechnology is strategically important because of its potential to transform humanity’s control over nature. Governments worldwide are racing to secure their positions in the field – and China is no exception. MERICS experts Alexander Brown and Jeroen Groenewegen-Lau join Johannes Heller-John to discuss the rise of China in biotechnology. They ar…

1
China's rise to global tech leadership, with James Kynge 19:58

2M ago19:58

19:58

In this episode, long-time Financial Times journalist and former MERICS Senior Fellow James Kynge joins Johannes Heller-John to look at China’s technological development in the last decades and ahead into the next ones. He talks about his work as a journalist in China since the mid-1980s and China’s rise as a technological power. James argues that …

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China aims for self-reliance in AI, with Wendy Chang and Antonia Hmaidi 30:07

2M ago30:07

30:07

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the way we live and work, and its potential use in military applications could alter the global balance of power. The Chinese Communist Party is taking note of this development. During a Politburo study session focused on AI in April, China’s party and state leader Xi Jinping urged a nationwide mobilization to a…

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„China in 25“: EU-China Beziehungen + BRICS-Gipfel + KI in China 25:59

2M ago25:59

25:59

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China. In dieser Folge geht es um die Beziehungen zwischen China und der EU im Licht der Europareise des chinesischen Außenministers Wang Yi und vor dem EU-China Gipfel in Beijing, um Xi Jinpings Abwesenheit auf dem BRI…

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The 2025 EU-China summit, with Abigaël Vasselier 24:05

3M ago24:05

24:05

The next EU-China Summit will take place in Beijing at the end of this month. In this episode of our podcast, Abigaël Vasselier, Director of Policy and European Affairs and Head of Program for Foreign Relations at MERICS, joins Claudia Wessling, Director Communications and Publications, to talk about her expectations for the summit, the state of EU…

1351
China’s National Security White Paper, with Katja Drinhausen und Helena Legarda 32:08

3M ago32:08

32:08

With an uncertain geopolitical environment and ongoing competition with the US and Europe, national security has become even more important than before in China. So much so that a National Security White Paper, the first of its kind, was published in May of 2025. How has China’s approach to security changed under the changing international environm…

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China in 25: China und der Nahost-Krieg + Grundlagenforschung + EU-China-Gipfel 24:25

3M ago24:25

24:25

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China. In dieser Folge geht es um die Eskalation zwischen dem Iran und Israel und wie Chinas Reaktionen darauf einzuschätzen sind, um die Forschungsinvestitionen des chinesischen Telekom Riesen Huawei sowie um die EU-ch…

1751
The party and the private economy, with Kasper Ingeman Beck and Nis Grünberg 33:11

4M ago33:11

33:11

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is widening its influence over private companies. Since Xi Jinping took office as party and state leader, the CCP has increased its control over the private economy by guiding capital, controlling shares and engaging in corporate governance. In this episode, Kasper Ingeman Beck, Postdoc at the Copenhagen Business S…

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Power Players: Rich Powell on Energy Policy and Clean Buying 1:01:07

3M ago1:01:07

1:01:07

In this episode of Know Power, hosts Noha and Mike speak with Rich Powell, CEO of the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA). Rich outlines the evolving dynamics in U.S. electricity markets, focusing on the policy decisions shaping clean energy deployment and pricing. He shares insights into CEBA’s advocacy priorities, including maintaining volunta…

1
Chinese FDI in Europe rebounds, with Armand Meyer and Andreas Mischer 25:56

4M ago25:56

25:56

Chinese outbound foreign direct investment in the EU and UK rose for the first time in 2024 after seven consecutive years of decline. In this episode we look at what has changed, where the money is going, and what is happening in the particularly important sector of electric vehicles. Armand Meyer, Senior Research Analyst with Rhodium Group’s China…

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What to expect from the UK’s China Audit, with Charles Parton 31:59

4M ago31:59

31:59

The Labor government in the UK launched an audit of the country’s relations with China in 2024. The results are set to be released in June. In this episode of the MERICS China Podcast, Charles Parton joins Johannes Heller-John to talk about the UK’s China Audit and the importance of science and technology in the China context. Charles Parton is a m…

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„China in 25“: KI-Chips, nationale Sicherheit und Chinas Investitionen in Europa 23:01

4M ago23:01

23:01

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China. In dieser Folge geht es um eine neue Eskalation zwischen den USA und China im Bereich Hochleistungschips und Künstliche Intelligenz, um Chinas Sicherheits- und Rüstungspolitik sowie um Chinas erstmals seit Jahren…

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„China in 25“: Einigung im Zollstreit und Xi in Moskau 21:56

5M ago21:56

21:56

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China. In dieser Folge geht es um die überraschende Einigung im Zollstreit zwischen den USA und China in Genf, die eine Senkung der gegenseitigen Zölle für 90 Tage vorsieht. Außerdem beleuchten wir die enge Beziehung zw…

1
US-China policy under Trump 2.0, with Thomas E. Kellogg 29:59

5M ago29:59

29:59

After weeks of fierce confrontations, the US and China are making first steps to negotiate in the ongoing tariff row. Ahead of a meeting of representatives of both sides in Geneva, MERICS Director Communications and Publications Claudia Wessling talked with Thomas E. Kellogg, Executive Director of the Georgetown Center for Asian Law. In the new epi…

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Unlocking the Japanese Power Market with Mark Todoroff 52:37

5M ago52:37

52:37

In this episode of Know Power, hosts Noha and Michael are joined by Mark Todoroff, Head of APAC Business Development for Yes Energy. Together, they explore the dynamic changes within Japan’s energy market following its deregulation in 2016. Mark shares his journey into the energy sector and offers insights into Japan’s energy landscape, including i…

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China’s overcapacities, with Max J. Zenglein and Jacob Gunter 23:56

5M ago23:56

23:56

High US tariffs on China have raised concerns in the EU of Chinese goods being rerouted from the US to Europe. This has also rekindled an ongoing discussion about overcapacities in the Chinese industry. Why are they a danger to European industries? What drives them in China? And what options do European decisionmakers have? Max J. Zenglein, Chief E…

2651
„China in 25": Xis Reisediplomatie, Chinas Wirtschaft im 1. Quartal und deutsche Unternehmen 26:17

5M ago26:17

26:17

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China. In dieser Folge geht es um die Reisediplomatie von Partei- und Staatschef Xi Jinping, der sich bei Besuchen in Südostasien darum bemüht hat, Unterstützer im Handelskrieg mit den USA zu gewinnen. Wir sprechen auch…

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Energy Capacity, Consensus & Keeping the Lights On: A Conversation with Asim Haque 1:13:14

5M ago1:13:14

1:13:14

In this episode of Know Power, hosts Noha and Mike sit down with Asim Haque, Senior Vice President at PJM Interconnection and former Chair of the Ohio Public Utilities Commission. Asim shares his winding path into the energy sector, from real estate litigation to one of the most influential roles in the country’s power grid. The conversation explor…

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The China-US trade war and implications for the EU, with Jacob Gunter 35:40

5M ago35:40

35:40

Global tariffs introduced by the US government under the second Trump administration on April 2nd have rocked global markets. While they have been reduced to a blanket rate of 10 percent a week later, they have increased for China to 145 percent. In retaliation, the Chinese government raised tariffs on all US goods to 125 percent. Johannes Heller-J…

2901
"China in 25": Einschätzungen zum Handelskrieg und China im Koalitionsvertrag 23:52

6M ago23:52

23:52

„China in 25“ – in maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China im laufenden Jahr 2025. In dieser Folge geht es um den eskalierenden Handelskrieg zwischen den USA und China sowie um den Koalitionsvertrag zwischen CDU, CSU und SPD. Diese Folge wurde am 10. April um 15:30 Uhr au…

3301
How China sees Europe during Trump 2.0, with Grzegorz Stec 30:51

6M ago30:51

30:51

The widening rift between the United States and Europe will have an effect on the EUs relationship with China. How does Beijing see the EU in the first months of the second Trump administration? Is there an appetite for closer engagement? And what does this mean for Europe? Johannes Heller-John talks to Grzegorz Stec, Head of our Brussels Office an…

1
Die Bundestagswahl von China aus gesehen, mit Kristin Shi-Kupfer 21:58

7M ago21:58

21:58

Die Wahlen zum Deutschen Bundestag vom 23. Februar wurden auch in China aufmerksam verfolgt. Kristin Shi-Kupfer, Professorin für Sinologie an der Universität Trier und Senior Associate Fellow bei MERICS, berichtet in dieser Ausgabe unseres Podcasts, warum Alice Weidel in den Online-Foren so stark diskutiert wird, was die Netizens über Friedrich Mer…

1
Kontrollierte Vielfalt – Chinas soziale Medien, mit Kristin Shi-Kupfer und Katja Drinhausen 29:24

7M ago29:24

29:24

Einige der weltweit größten und erfolgreichsten Social Media Plattformen sind in China – mehrere davon mit hunderten Millionen Nutzern. Sie sind Ort für soziale Interaktion, Unterhaltung, Nachrichten und Wissensaustausch. Auch politische Themen werden diskutiert wie beispielsweise Debatten zur Anhebung des Rentenalters, zur Familienplanungspolitik …

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"China in 25": Zölle, USA, China in Wahlprogrammen 18:22

7M ago18:22

18:22

„China in 25“ ist ein neues Podcast-Format von MERICS: In maximal 25 Minuten sprechen Mikko Huotari, Bernhard Bartsch und Claudia Wessling über aktuelle Entwicklungen in China im laufenden Jahr 2025. In der ersten Folge geht es um den Zollstreit zwischen den USA und China, die Herausforderungen einer transatlantischen Koordination in der China-Poli…

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DeepSeek and the upcoming AI Action Summit, with Rebecca Arcesati 36:57

8M ago36:57

36:57

The Chinese startup DeepSeek has rattled Silicon Valley’s confidence in the United States’ lead in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. DeepSeek’s first free Chatbot App became the most downloaded app on the iOS App Store as well as on the Google Play Store by the end of January. These developments come ahead of the French AI Action Summit, whi…