Send us a textAs we come to the end of the first year of Donald Trump's second Presidency, a shift is underway in the United States. Political and demographic changes across the country have seen a new generation of leaders stepping forward and a different approach to multilateralism. But what does it all really mean for America and its relations with the rest of the world?Joining Juliet Mann on this edition of The Agena are Charles Kupchan, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor of international affairs at Georgetown University, David Andersen, Associate Professor in US Politics in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University and Mark Shanahan, Political Engagement Professor at the University of Surrey.
Send us a textThe UK economy has been in the spotlight recently as Finance Minister - or Chancellor of the Exchequer as she's known in Britain - Rachel Reeves delivered the annual budget.With her Labour party languishing in the polls in spite of their landslide election victory 18 months ago, sluggish growth and a real cost of living crisis, the pressure was really on. And not everyone is happy as she delivered measures which mean British citizens will now face the highest tax take ever. So what does this say about the economics, and politics of the UK? And its standing on the world stage? Joining Juliet Mann on this edition of The Agenda are Vicky Pryce, Chief Economic Adviser at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, Iain Begg, Professorial Research Fellow at the European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science and Chris Southworth, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce
Send us a textAs artificial intelligence spreads into almost every aspect of our lives concerns over its regulation are becoming increasingly acute. The EU recently signalled a potential delay to key enforcement deadlines of its landmark AI Act, which many see as a victory for tech giants in the battle for stricter regulation. So where is the world of AI and its regulation heading? On this edition of The Agenda Juliet Mann talks to Virginia Dignum, Professor in Responsible Artificial Intelligence and member of the UN High Level Advisory Body on AI, Fabian Westerheide, CEO at Rise of AI, and Qiaochu Zhang, Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute.
Send us a textGlobal leaders, climate experts and NGOs are now in the city of Belem, Brazil ready for the negotiatons to begin at COP30. They are gathering at the place known as the gateway to the Amazon amidst a rather depressing backdrop -with the latest figures showing global temperatures still rising and climate targets missed by almost everyone. So what can we expect from this COP? And have we left it too late to save the planet?Joining Juliet Mann on this episode of The Agenda are Ivo de Boer, Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Karl Falkenberg, Senior Adviser at Shearwater Global and Former EU Director-General for the Environment, and Benjamin Horton, Dean of the School of Energy and Environment at City University of Hong Kong.
Send us a textChina has now set out its plans for the next 5 years. The blueprint for development from 2026-2030 covers guiding principles for economic and social development - everything from new technology to agricultural advancement, job creation to high-quality growth. So what does this all actually mean for China? And indeed the rest of the world?On this special edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann gets the thoughts of Dr. Palitha Kohona - Former Sri Lanka Ambassador to China and now CEO of AsiaAdvisors, Janusz Wojciechowski, Former European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Qian Jun, Professor of Finance and Executive Dean at the International School of Finance at Fudan University, Heiwai Tang, Victor and William Fung Professor in Economics at the University of Hong Kong and Margit Molnar, Head of the China Desk at the OECD Economics Dept
Send us a textWhile China discussed the details of its next five year plan in Beijing – this week Juliet Mann went to Nicosia where an incredible mix of politicians, academics and broadcast experts gathered for the China-Cyprus-Europe Media Forum – an event designed to consider how increasing media exchanges and cooperation can shape a better future for relations between China and Cyprus, and indeed the rest of Europe.And as at the 4th Plenum in Beijng, technology was at the forefront of the event – especially how AI is changing the economic and media landscape.So in this special edition of The Agenda, from the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation Headquarters in Nicosia, Juliet Mann is joined by Thanasis Tsokos, Director General of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, Liu Zhen, Vice President of Kuaishou Technology, Rita Fatiguso, China expert and former Beijing Correspondent of the Italian channel Il Sole 24 Ore, Professor Fu Xiaoguang from the Communication University of China in Beijing, and Elli Kotziamani, Chair of the Cyprus Media Ethics Committee and Director of the News Department at the Greek network, Ant1.
Send us a textThe United Nations is now celebrating its 80th anniversary. Set up in the wake of the Second World War, it was designed to maintain peace across the globe, fostering friendly relations between nations.But eight decades on, with the world a markedly different place, what does the organization need to do to maintain its position at the heart of 21st century geopolitics?In this editon of The Agenda, Juliet Mann travels to Madrid to speak exclusively to Maria Fernanda Espinosa – who served as the President of the 73rd General Assembly – one of only five women in history to have held that position.
Send us a textDespite Donald Trump’s claim that “Europe is in serious trouble” over illegal immigration, UN data shows arrivals have actually fallen sharply. Yet migration remains one of Europe’s most divisive issues, shaping politics, fuelling populism, and driving tough new border policies. On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann explores whether Europe’s approach to migration is working and if the continent is being fuelled by fear rather than facts with Heaven Crawley, Former Director of the Migration for Development and Equality Hub, Klaus Jurgens, Director of EconomyFirst and Dr Paolo Novak, Senior Lecturer in Development Studies and Co-Director of Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies at SOAS
Send us a textThe rise of AI is set to send the semiconductor industry skyrocketing to a value of over $1 trillion by 2030. But as the market expands, so too does the battle for global control. So who's really leading the way? Just where do chips fit in to the current global trade tensions? And is the race to sign up a new generation of tech talent the next vital battleground? On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Dr Steven Hai, Assistant Professor in Tech-Innovations at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University & Affiliate Fellow at King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Malcolm Penn, founder and CEO of Future Horizons and Christopher Thomas, Chairman of Integrated Insights.
Send us a textAs populations age and birth rates fall, the so-called silver economy is becoming one of the biggest forces shaping our future. On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann asks whether longer lives will bankrupt the global economy or spark a new era of growth. From Europe’s pension protests to China’s booming elder-care market, retirement no longer looks the way it used to and governments are scrambling to adapt.Joining Juliet to discuss the risks and opportunities Du Peng, Dean of the School of Population and Health at Renmin University, Nicholas Barr, Professor of Public Economics at the London School of Economics, and Haleh Nazeri, Longevity Economy Lead at the World Economic Forum.
Send us a textNew UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle has had to hit the ground running. Just days after being promoted to the job he was off on a whistle-stop tour to Washington, and then to Beijing, where he helped to reboot the UK-China Economic and Trade Commission (Jetco) - which hadn’t met in seven years. But what does this really say about the state of the UK’s trade relationships? And where are the mutually beneficial opportunities for trade with the world’s second largest economy? Joining Juliet Mann on this edition of The Agenda are Dr Gerard Lyons, Economist and Senior Independent Director, Bank of China, Yin Zhiguang, Professor of International Politics, Fudan University and Michael Mainelli, Chairman of Z/Yen Group
Send us a textThe eyes of the world have been firmly focused on China, as leaders from across the globe gathered for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Tianjin, and then moved on to Beijing for a huge military parade to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War.So what have we learned from last week's events? And what might President Xi Jinping's Global Governance initiative mean for the future?On this edition of The Agenda podcast, Juliet Mann speaks to Political commentator and author of “When China rules the world”, Martin Jacques, Josef Gregory Mahoney, Professor of Politics at East China Normal University and Zoe Reed, Chair Emerita of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding.
Send us a text80 years after the end of the Second World War, the roles of the UK, US and the then Soviet Union are rightfully celebrated. But the crucial role played by China in the conflict is too often forgotten.So in this special programme, Jamie Owen talks to a panel of experts to consider just why that is, and also to see whether the lessons learned and institutions founded 80 years ago remain relevant today.At a unique event in Liverpool, Jamie is joined by Professor Yangwen Zheng from the University of Manchester, historians Dr Frances Wood and Dr Robert Lyman, Spain’s former Foreign Minister Ana Palacio, and ex-Prime Minister of Hungary, Peter Medgyessey.
Send us a text2025 marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War.After eight decades, the exploits of the UK, US and then Soviet Union are justly well remembered. But the role of China, remains largely overlooked in the West. On this episode of The Agenda, we find out why China’s pivotal role has often been dismissed with world-renowned historian Rana Mitter.
Send us a textThis week marks the final stages of the latest Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. And with a prize pot of more than $70 million, it’s becoming very big business. The global market is projected to surge from $2.09 billion in 2024 to about $9.54 billion by 2034. The biggest market? China.So what’s driving this growth and just how big could this latest tale of sporting success really get?To find out, on this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Chester King, Founder & President, British Esports, Professor Tom Cannon, Expert on sports' finance and economics at the University of Liverpool and Jake Trotman, long time gamer and Teaching Fellow at The University of Salford.
Send us a text2025 is once again predicted to be one of the hottest years on record.Climate change has seen high temperatures, drought conditions and forest fires flaring up across the globe. Elsewhere flash floods and huge storms are destroying the landscape. So as countries like the United States roll back on environmental laws - who's now taking charge of the fight to save the planet? And where is new technology being developed to tackle extreme weather? To find out, on this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann is joined by Christine Loh, Chief Development Strategist at Institute for the Environment at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Arvea Marieni, Director of Ecological Transition Engineering Solutions at BEAM CUBE and an EU Climate Pact Ambassador and the inventor of the Sponge City - Professor Yu Kongjian, Dean of Peking University's College of Architecture and Landscape.
Send us a textIt's been a busy few weeks for global trade negotiations.After Donald Trump made a deal with EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen, US trade negotiators met their Chinese Counterparts in Stockholm - the third such meeting in as many months. There have also been US trade deals or ongoing negotiations with the likes of Japan and South Korea and India. So, six months after Trump stepped back in the White House looking like he wanted to upend the rules of global trade - just where are we now? To answer that question, on this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann is joined by Jeff Moon, Former Assistant US Trade Representative for China, Andrew Sheng, Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong, and Chief Adviser to the China Banking Regulatory Commission, Huang Jing, Professor and Director of the Center for American and Pacific Studies at Shanghai International Studies University and David Henig, Director of the UK Trade Policy Project.
Send us a textAs the film world gears up for a summer box office bonanza - just where do things really stand in global cinema? Hollywood still has yet to return to pre-COVID levels of production and ticket sales, and it’s looking very much like the biggest hit of the year may be an animated sequel, but it’s one made in China - Ne Zha 2. On this episode of The Agenda. Juliet Mann is joined by Charles Gant, Box office expert and film critic, Zhang Fan, the Producer of Living the Land which won a Silver Bear at this year’s Berlin Film Festival and Santiago Esteves, Argentinian film director of “The Reborn”, which premiered at the Shanghai Film Festival 2025.
Send us a textThe recent BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro was the 17th annual gathering of the organisation.But it was the first since 13 new partner countries joined up - including Malaysia, Indonesia and Turkey, and matters were largely overshadowed by Donlad Trump's threat on the last day of the meeting to impose a further 10% in tariffs on BRICS members for what he called "anti-American policies". So just where does this leave the voice of the global south? Joining Juliet Mann on this edition of The Agenda to consider that question are Patrick Bond, Distinguished Professor and Political economist at the University of Johannesburg, Dr. Ilango Karuppannan the Former Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore and former Ambassador to Lebanon and Cyprus, and Dr Mohan Kumar India’s former Ambassador to France.
Send us a textJune the 20th marked the annual World Refugee Day. And this year the statistics are more troubling than ever - 2024 marked a new record - with almost 130 million people across the world displaced, everywhere from Gaza to Myanmar, Sudan to Venezuela. Last year the UN's Refugee Agency, the UNHCR spent nearly $5bn dollars - less than half of what was needed, thanks largely to governments around the world cutting back on their aid budgets. To discuss the growing crisis, on this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann is joined by Matthew Saltmarsh - Head of News and Media at the UNHCR, Sudan expert and CEO of African Stream, Ahmed Kabello and Dr.Ruvi Ziegler, Associate Professor in International Refugee Law at the University of Reading.
Send us a textOn May the 6th, China and the European Union mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties. But just where do relations between two of the world's largest economies stand in 2025? And are they moving closer together, or further apart – especially as Donald Trump’s tariff plans start to bite?In this special edition of The Agenda, CGTN’s Li Jianhua talks to Ambassador Cai Run, Head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár and Portugal's Minister of the Presidency, António Leitão Amaro, to find out.
Send us a textWhen President Trump announced 25% tariffs on all cars imported into the US from April, and the same levy all car parts from May, he described them as "permanent." Since then, his hard lines on trade have become increasingly blurred… but, as things stand, just what are the implications of the somewhat erratic US trade policy for the automotive sector, global supply chains and the world economy? In this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Dan Hearsch, Leader of the Americas automotive practice at consultant AlixPartners, Burkhard Riering, Publisher & Editor at Germany's only auto B2B paper - Automobilwoche, and Zhang Yu, Managing Director of Automotive Foresight.
Send us a textShould the world fear China? It’s a question on the lips of many in a world where a global trade war seems to be looming. It’s also the title of a new book by senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s Center for International Security and Strategy and retired Senior Colonel in China’s People’s Liberation Army, Zhou Bo.In this Agenda special, Jamie Owen talks to Zhou Bo about his book and gets the author’s reaction to tariffs, Donald Trump, tensions in the South China Sea, relations with Russia and much, much more.
Send us a textHe hasn't yet spent 100 days back in the White House, but Donald Trump has already upset the world with his extraordinary approach to trade and tariffs.So where exactly are we headed, and can we expect more of what China has called Trump's "economic bullying"?On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Marco Simoni, Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Political Science at Rome's LUISS University, German Economist Mark Falkenberg, Professor Ju Jiandong, from the PBC School of Finance at Tsinghua University and Chair of the China Trade Research Group and Douglas Barry, Adjunct Professor at George Washington University and author of "Smart Rabbits - American Small Businesspeople, Trade Wars, and the Future of U.S.-China Relations".
Send us a textFive years after the COVID pandemic, which devastated the industry, tourism is now back on its feet. But concerns about over-tourism and the impact of climate change are forcing the sector to look to new ways of operating. So what does that look like in practice? On this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Olga Kefalogianni, Greece’s Tourism Minister, and her Saudi Arabian counterpart, Ahmed Al Khateeb.
Send us a textIn this CGTN special - China Agenda – Juliet Mann and her guests consider the outcomes of this year's Two Sessions gatherings and what it all means for China, and the rest of the world.Further modernisation, innovation driven development and further opening up were all key themes at the gatherings, but what will this all look like in practice? Juliet is joined by Pascal Lamy, former Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Bert Hofman, Professor at the East Asian Institute of the National University Singapore and former China Director for the World Bank, Turing Prize winner and Emeritus Research Director at the VERIMAG Laboratory, Joseph Sifakis, Rebecca Fannin, entrepreneur and author of "Tech Titans of China" and Shaoshan Liu, Director of Embodied AI, Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Society.
Send us a textThe results of Germany's snap election are in, and Friedrich Merz is set to be the country's next leader after his Christian Democratic Union took 28% of the vote. But with the far-right AFD taking a strong second place, Europe's largest economy faltering and rows between the EU and the US only growing, how big a task is he facing?Joining Juliet Mann on this episode of The Agenda are Heiner Flassbeck, honorary professor for economics and politics at Hamburg University and former state secretary in the German Federal Ministry of Finance, Eberhard Sandschneider, Director of the Research Institute of the German Society for Foreign Policy and Ariadna Ripoll Servent, Professor of Politics at the University of Salzburg.
Send us a textFor decades, the relationship between the United States and Europe has been characterised as a transatlantic alliance with shared values on the likes of foreign policy and security. But after a week of diplomatic shocks, including the Trump administration excluding Kyiv and Brussels from talks to end the Ukraine war, do the US and Europe still speak the same language? On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann is joined by Erol Morkoc, Spokersperson for Republicans Overseas UK, Denis Macshane, the UK’s Former Minister for Europe and Waya Quiviger, a Professor at the IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs at IE University in Spain.
Send us a textAt the end of last year, DeepSeek was a little-known Chinese Artificial Intelligence startup. But by the end of last month it was the most talked about company in the world, whose revolutionary approach to open-sourced generative AI had rocked global markets, wiping more than a trillion dollars off tech and energy stocks, and seemingly leveling the global AI playing field. But what do the shockwaves caused by DeepSeek mean for the future of AI, and indeed the future of global geopolitics?In this episode of The Agenda, Juliet Mann speaks to Toby Walsh, Laureate Fellow and Scientia Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales, Dr Brian Wong, Geopolitical strategist and Tech Advisor from Hong Kong University and Michael Michie co-founder of Kenyan start-up EverseTech to find out.
Send us a textThe United Kingdom starts 2025 in something of a financial mess. Inflation and interest rates remain stubbornly high, and the Labour government, which swept to power in a landslide victory in July of last year, has seen support tumble after its first budget contained tax hikes and spending cuts. But can UK plc trade its way out of trouble? And what might new relationships, with the US, the EU and China really look like? On this edition of The Agenda, Juliet Mann is joined by Allie Renison, Associate Director at SEC Newgate and former Policy Advisor to the UK Trade Secretary, Dr. Gerard Lyons, Economist and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies and Alan Winters, Professor Emeritus at the University of Sussex and Founding Director of the UK Trade Policy Observatory to find out.
