Why Xi Jinping is in North Korea...(And some announcements)
A new partnership with my favorite Substack about China + say "hi" to me in Ottawa
As an old-school podcaster, people often ask me what podcasts I turn to on a long drive or while cleaning up around the house. My first instinct is to answer in the negative: never true crime shows! While those are easily among the most popular kinds of podcasts, I find them sort of icky and exploitative. I also avoid celebrity-driven shows. Despite seven-figure podcast deals, celebrities who are famous for something else tend not to be especially good at the craft of podcasting. Those tend to disappoint.
Rather — and this will probably not surprise longtime readers and listeners — the shows I turn to on the regular are those that teach me about parts of the world, ideas, or political debates that are not regularly covered by more mainstream media outlets. Invariably, one show I point to is Sinica, a podcast about China hosted by the insatiably curious and well-informed Kaiser Kuo. I’ve listened to Sinica for years for insights into political debates and cultural trends in and about China, as well as its regular focus on Chinese foreign policy, particularly as it relates to the Global South.
It really is one of my favorite podcasts and Substack publications — and today, I’m happy to announce that paid subscribers to Global Dispatches can now get a 50 percent discount on a one-year subscription to Sinica. I’m also happy to announce that if you take advantage of this opportunity, you’ll be helping not just Sinica but Global Dispatches —because the proceeds will be divided between the two of us! (This partnership is part of the NonZero Network, of which Sinica and Global Dispatches are both members.)
To kick off this partnership, we are co-hosting a livestream tomorrow at 12:30 ET in which Kaiser and I will discuss Xi Jinping’s meeting in Pyongyang with Kim Jong Un, and what it says about North Korea’s nuclear program and Xi’s frenemyship with Putin, among other things. We’ll also discuss China’s growing influence at the United Nations and how China is approaching the Iran conflict.
Paid subscribers to Global Dispatches can take advantage of this special offer below the fold. I hope you do! And I hope to see you on our livestream tomorrow.
One last thing…I’ll be in Ottawa on Thursday and Friday participating in an event at Carleton University. If you are in Ottawa and want to meet up, send me an email.
