279. Michael Sheridan - Does Xi Jinping's Iron Grip Over CCP & China come at the Cost of Economic Growth?

In this episode, we explore how the “black box” of Chinese politics operates. How Xi Jinping seized power, and how he maintains control. We examine China's soft authoritarian power and the apparatus of the absolutist state. Does Xi's iron grip over the CCP and China come at a cost - is it stifling innovation and economic growth? ---------- ABOUT THE GUEST: Michael Sheridan is the Author of a new history of Hong Kong and China, and a long-time foreign correspondent in Asia, Middle East, and Europe. He was the Far East Correspondent for the Sunday Times for 20 years, based in Hong Kong, and later Bangkok. He delivered political and economic news from China, Japan, North & South Korea, southeast Asia, and Pakistan. He covered the rise of China and the handover of Hong Kong, upheaval in Burma and the fall of Suharto in Indonesia. Her reported on the 2011 Japan earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown, and covered multiple assignments to natural disasters involving mass casualties, including the Asian tsunami of 2004. Michael has also interviewed key figures in Asia, including Lee Kuan Yew and Aung San Suu Kyi. ---------- SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain https://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain ---------- BOOKS: The Gate to China: A New History of the People’s Republic & Hong Kong (2021) by Michael Sheridan, Daniel York, et al. The Red Emperor by Michael Sheridan (2024) ---------- LINKS: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-sheridan-4a7499109/ https://www.independent.co.uk/author/michael-sheridan ---------- ARTICLES: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/china-foreign-minister-qin-gang-netflix-b2384179.html https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/china-wuhan-covid-lab-leak-trump-b2351132.html https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/japan-asia-sushi-fukushima-nuclear-plant-b2399551.html https://cepa.org/article/portugal-steps-off-the-silk-road/ ---------- Please like and subscribe to see more great speakers and content on the Silicon Curtain channel, and check you are still subscribed to the channel, as many YouTubers covering the war in Ukraine have reporting losing subscribers, in a way that is unexplained, perhaps as part of some algorithmic change or process; I’d hate for you to miss out on some of the great greats we have lined up. Please also consider becoming a patron to support the work of the channel, or ‘Buy me a Coffee’. ----------