Episode 22: A Year In China With Ian Goodrum

In this episode we talk to Ian Goodrum, who is a writer and editor at China Daily, an English-language newspaper based in Beijing. Who says that unlike his previous jobs at US newspapers, he no longer has to keep his communism a secret.  We talk to Ian about Western Media's representations of China, about notions of objectivity and subjectivity with regard to media, and about the ways and reasons through which certain situations in China can be exaggerated by the Western press. Ian also discusses how the Chinese government has been able to lift hundreds of millions of people out of extreme poverty, in a period when the rest of the world has seen an increase in extreme poverty. He discusses Chinese trade relations with other countries in the global south and how they differ from Western relations. Ian briefly talks about the differences between Communist parties in leadership in comparison to social democratic parties and also shares his take on the market reforms that many refer to as China's turn to capitalism, as well as his thoughts on the current direction of the Chinese economy and society. Finally Ian discusses current conditions and struggles in China.