Xi Jinping
General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party since 2012 (born 1953)
Named in 15 episodes, from 4 July 2025 to 11 November 2026: Peter Zeihan 11 · Paul J. Warburg 4. Wikidata
2026 · 10 episodes
2025 · 5 episodes
November 2026 · 1
5:18
China's Power Vacuum Worsens
Peter Zeihan
Xi Jinping has created a one-man dictatorship that is purging the bureaucracy to the point where China cannot function accurately. It is really hard to get an accurate view of what is going on inside the country now because everyone who used to collect that information has now been purged.
October 2026 · 1
5:44
Does China Have a Succession Plan
Peter Zeihan
If Xi dies tomorrow, there simply isn't an institution, much less a personality, who could potentially step forward and take over his role. The best case scenario is that Xi becomes the new Yeltsin or Brezhnev and remains just alive enough that he can be propped up in a chair and wave to the crowd every once in a while while everything slowly disintegrates around him.
September 2026 · 4
5:02
U.S. Sanctions on Iran Take a New Approach
Peter Zeihan
The U.S. aims to make life difficult for the Iranian population so they will rebel and overthrow the government. Two arrogant and increasingly isolated men are pretending that they know what's going on.
11:31
What Does Life After Donald Trump Look Like?
Peter Zeihan
Trump has destroyed the Republican Party's institutional capacity and mirrors the fragile personalist regimes of China and Russia. When these leaders leave, the result will be quick and complete collapse because governance is them.
+5
32:42
Something Very Strange is Happening to China’s Military
Paul J. Warburg
China is a paper tiger using propaganda to appear stronger than it actually is. Investing in cheap drones can overwhelm China's expensive, unproven military image.
4:28
Why a Russian-Chinese Pipeline Won't Happen
Peter Zeihan
The Chinese see the Russians as backwards barbarians and the Russians see the Chinese as peasants. Whenever Putin and Xi get together, the conversation always is, hey, let's do a pipeline.
August 2026 · 1
The Limits of China's Military Reach
Peter Zeihan
China utterly lacked the military means in order to protect that trade even within sight of its own shore. But we now know that if they do go down, they're going to be taking the fuel systems of a half a dozen countries that the United States cares a fair amount about as a side effect.
July 2026 · 1
Chinese Marriage Data Confirms Demographic Crisis
Peter Zeihan
China faces an irreversible demographic crisis because there are not enough people left to marry and repopulate the nation. The situation is dire and will not last much longer.
June 2026 · 1
China No Longer Controls North Korea
Peter Zeihan
North Korea is no longer a Chinese satellite but an independent state seeking leverage against Beijing. This shift makes North Korea a dangerous wildcard that will cause pain to dynamic Asian economies.
May 2026 · 1
China’s Taiwan Problem Just Got Much Worse - with Greg Terry
Paul J. Warburg
The war in Ukraine has made a Chinese invasion of Taiwan impossible through military means. The West must stop its arrogance and learn from Ukraine's example of winning through unity and action.
November 2025 · 2
What Everyone Gets Wrong About China Invading Taiwan
Paul J. Warburg
Threatening invasion benefits China politically while actual invasion brings only costs. The actual danger to Taiwan is not military invasion but a long-term propaganda campaign.
How Was Trump's Trip to Asia?
Peter Zeihan
Trade relationships with aging nations must eventually go to zero regardless of political reasons. The back and forth and the ebb and flow continues without final resolution.
September 2025 · 1
Russia Just Fell for China’s Biggest Trick Yet
Paul J. Warburg
The relationship between Russia and China is one of convenience where China uses Russia to weaken itself and secure cheap energy for future goals. When it comes to the nature of China actually being able to help Russia and actually wanting to help Russia, what you need to look at are not the nice words that China and Russia throw at each other, but rather the actual concrete realities of how energy physically moves across physical territory.
July 2025 · 2
Xi Purges Chinese Military of Corruption…Kinda
Peter Zeihan
General Miao was arrested and fired from the Central Military Commission for corruption. Xi Jinping's purge targets political control rather than just corruption since 2012.
Finally, a Productive NATO Summit
Peter Zeihan
Europeans must manage Donald Trump by flattering him to secure necessary defense commitments. If Europeans figure out how to play the game, the Russians are in a pickle.
Drawing: photo Presidencia de la República del Ecuador, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, redrawn in our house style.