One of the fun bits of my job at the FT is when I occasionally co-host our economics podcast, The Economics Show. For me, the task largely involves having a fascinating and enjoyable conversation with a very knowledgeable expert, while my brilliant colleagues work behind the scenes to make it all happen and ensure the product sounds as good as my raw material allows. Thanks to all of them.
Yesterday, The Economics Show published my conversation with Michael Pettis, an expert on the Chinese economy well known to many Free Lunch readers. I encourage you to listen to it here — come for the discussion about China’s involution challenge, stay for the Chinese indie rock recommendations. If you prefer text, the transcript is available too. In today’s newsletter, I want to pick up on some of the themes we discussed and point out some of the big questions they raise for those of us who are trying to understand the Chinese economy and its role in the world.