New quality productive forces. This was one of the key messages from the annual Two Sessions in Beijing. The term, coined by China's President Xi Jinping in September 2023 during a local visit, is viewed in the sessions as key to maintaining and enhancing the quality of China's growth.  In wide-ranging discussions on everything from continued economic growth and upgrading to an increased desire for high quality opening up, this new approach to innovation was front and center.  China's role on...

AI is arguably the world’s most talked about technology since the birth of the internet. It is going to change the way we live and work - creating a new industrial revolution.   At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said AI is a double edged sword - if applied well it will bring huge opportunities to human civilisation, but at the same time it poses real risks to global security and ethics.   So how is AI technology going to develop? And is AI something we’ll...

The gap between the developed north and developing global south has never been more acute. Issues like climate change, debt and technological advances are all threatening to widen the wedge between north and south. So what needs to be done to address that problem. In this edition of the Agenda, Juliet Mann gets the views of four senior ministers from across Africa. She speaks to Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Enoch Godongwana, South Africa’s Finance Minister, Ghana’s Minister for...

Protests by farmers have been sweeping Europe for months. Tractors have blockaded cities in France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Hungary, Romania and more in a show of frustration at EU green policies farmers say threaten their livelihoods.   So, does climate policy need to be more farmer friendly? Or does the already subsidized agricultural sector need to embrace the fast pace of change needed to protect the planet? To find out, in this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Cristiane...

On 31st January 2020, the UK made history when it became the first country to leave the European Union. It followed a hugely contentious referendum campaign when all kinds of promises were made by both sides as to a future inside and outside Europe.   But four years on, what exactly has changed? Is the UK thriving in a post-EU world, or has Brexit left the country woefully adrift from its neighbours, and indeed the rest of the world.   On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to...

On the 27th of January 1964, France became the first major Western nation to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. At the time, it was referred to by some as a diplomatic nuclear explosion. But what have been the real results of that decision 60 years ago? And what might the future hold for Sino French ties?   On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann goes to Paris to speak to former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former Director-General of the...

The theme at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos was rebuilding trust and reshaping the global economic framework. During his keynote speech, Chinese Premier Li Qiang expressed concern that a lack of trust was aggravating risks to global growth, and said that as the world enters a new period of turbulence international collaboration was essential. So what can be done to increase cooperation and rebuild trust among the world’s leading powers? To find out, in this edition of the Agenda...

Brussels went to Beijing last week as European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met Xi Jinping in person for the first time in four years. President Xi said the two sides need to “work together to sustain the momentum of growth in China-EU relations”. But what might that look like in practice? And what did von der Leyen mean when she spoke of “clear imbalances and differences” in trade between the two?  Joining Juliet Mann with their...

In 2023, global debt hit a new record high at more than 307 trillion dollars. That led UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres to warn that more than 3.3 billion people - almost half the world’s population - are now living in a country where money spent on debt repayments outstrip that spent on health and education.  So what can be done to solve the world’s debt issues? On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Situmbeko Musokotwane - Minister of Finance of Zambia, Vitor Gaspar,...

World leaders scientists and environmentalists will gather in the United Arab Emirates this week for the latest UN Climate Conference - COP 28. And far from hitting the much discussed 1.5 degree warming target, the United Nations has warned that the world could be facing what it called a "hellish" 3 degrees if urgent action isn't taken. So can COP28 deliver where so many other gatherings appear to have failed? In this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann takes the global temperature ahead of...

China's President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden have now held their first face to face meeting in a year. After the Summit in San Francisco, both sides seemed positive, with agreements to open new lines of communication, and President Xi insisting China is not going to fight a cold war, or indeed a hot war with anyone.  But what does the summit really mean for global relations more widely? Especially with EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen's visit to Beijing in December? In this episode...

Since 2020, global supply chains have come under pressure like never before. Geopolitical events - Covid and conflict - as well as increasing demand for critical minerals to underpin new technology has changed the way manufacturing operates for ever. The World Economic Forum is providing what it hopes is a beacon to companies looking to embrace change with its Global Lighthouse network – but what does this all really mean for the future of the global economy? In this episode of The Agenda,...

Ten years after China’s President Xi Jinping first announced his plans for a "Silk Road economic belt", world leaders gathered in Beijing for the third Belt & Road forum.    Since 2013, more than 150 countries and over 30 international organisations have signed cooperation documents. But what's been the true global impact of the initiative? And what might the next ten years hold? On this episode of The Agenda Juliet Mann speaks to Jean-Claude Trichet, Former President of the European...

This week on The Agenda Juliet Mann talks cultural collaboration with Tim Yip, costume designer, director, contemporary artist and the Oscar-winning art director of ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Renowned for his innovative reinterpretation of Chinese antiquity in the realm of culture and film, Juliet explores some of the key milestones in Yip's illustrious career and examines the profound influence his artistic contributions have left on world cinema.

As climate change catastrophes continue to hit the headlines - the transition to a greener future was of course the key talking point at the world's largest energy summit - ADIPEC in Abu Dhabi.  So in this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann looks at whether the world is ready for a post-fossil fuel world – and whether there’s still a need for investment in oil and gas. She speaks to Francesco La Camera, the Director General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, Barbados’ Minister for...

Global economic growth exhibited surprising resilience in the early months of this year, but the outlook for 2024 is considerably less promising, with numerous experts attributing this downturn to China's slower than anticipated recovery. In this week's episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann talks to Charles Liu, the founder of HAO Capital to ask if that's really the case, and what other underlying factors beyond China are contributing to the current economic landscape. 

As China's Belt & Road Initiative marks it's tenth anniversary, in this episode of The Agenda podcast Juliet Mann explores the impact it's having on the world's energy consumption. She talks to Lord Adair Turner, the former head of the CBI and ex-Chair of the UK's Financial Services Authority. But his current role is chair of the Energy Transitions Commission - and here he tells The Agenda just how important the BRI is to a greener energy future.

Extreme weather across the globe has claimed tens of thousands of lives this summer alone. From floods in Libya and China to drought in Sri Lanka and with heatwaves causing fires across much of Europe and North America, the devastating impact of climate change has never been clearer. As UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres put it – we’re no longer talking about global warming – but global boiling. So what can the world do to respond? Or do we now have to accept that these climate...

Not since the 1960s has the focus of space travel been so squarely targeted at the Moon – earth’s only natural satellite.  In the past weeks India became the latest country to land a rover on the lunar surface. NASA says it will land men back on the Moon next year, and China is planning to do the same before 2030. So what’s really at stake here? And is the future in space one of collaboration or competition? In this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to James Head, Professor of...

One in four people around the globe now lives in a country grappling with severe water stress. And that figure is only expected to rise as by 2050, global water demand is projected to surge by 20% to 25%. On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Professor Asit K Biswas, Honorary Professor, Glasgow University, Changhua Wu, Vice Chair, Governing Council of Asia Pacific Water Forum and Dr. Peter Gleick, Senior Fellow and Co-founder of Pacific Institute to ask about the challenges...

The China Investment Corporation - better known as the CIC,  is the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, managing an impressive $1.35 trillion in assets. Its carefully chosen investments in various resources and cutting-edge technologies are strategically aimed at bolstering China's global influence.  But just what are they investing in? And how big can they really get? In this episode, Juliet Mann speaks to Zongyuan Zoe Lui, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of...

Few sectors, if any, were hit harder by the pandemic than travel and tourism – with bookings dropping by around three-quarters between 2019 and 2020.  But now the world’s opened up again, is the sector back on its feet? Or has the way we travel changed forever? Has the crucial Chinese market returned? And, as global boiling hits the headlines, are we now ready to pay more for sustainable travel? In this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Miguel Sanz, Director of the European Travel...

Less than a decade ago, the Greek economy was very much the sick man of Europe. For 13 years Greece faced a debt crisis and financial stagnation. Three international bailouts - and a global pandemic – later, the economy is steadily growing. The cost of living still soars and unemployment remains high. But growth in Greece is outpacing most Eurozone countries. So what’s behind this revival? And what has Greece learned from the economic crisis? In this week’s episode Juliet Mann is in...

For decades now, Hong Kong has served as  China's gateway to the world - especially in the financial sector. So as China continues opening up post-pandemic and looks to expand business beyond its borders - what does the future really hold?   Hong Kong's Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury - Christopher Hui has spent much of this year travelling around the world to underline the message that Hong Kong is back open especially for sustainable and hi-tech businesses. In this episode...

In recent weeks both the United Nations and the World Economic Forum have released their latest reports on Gender parity - and it's not looking good for the world's women. According to the UN at least the gender gap only appears to be widening, and WEF say it will still be more than 130 years before we reach anything like true equality. But just why does the distance between men and men’s roles remain so stubbornly large? In this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Raquel Lagunas,...