Hello and welcome to ways to change the world. I'm Krishnan Girimurthy and this is the

podcast in which we talk to extraordinary people about the big ideas in their lives and

the events that have helped shape them. My guest this week is the Chinese dissident

artist, documentarian, activist, Ai Wei Wei. He's recently published a memoir about his

life and his latest exhibition on in Cambridge is called The Liberty of Doubt. Ai Wei Wei

welcome to the podcast. Thank you. What do you think is the aim of the

Chinese state now and the Chinese president? To make a stronger China not to be

totally dominated by the Western and they already see that's possible. So how do

you think we both as individuals and say the British government should see

China? First, individuals has nothing to do with the government. The government

say China or say any political condition not necessarily present the

individuals thinking we have to be clear about that part and so if you talk

about the individual or you talk about the government. Okay well then let's talk

about the government. I think the government basically is can't remit

the competition you know just to be realistically under this capitalism

free market free economy they cannot compete with China they are far behind.

How do you feel about China now? What is your relationship with China? My

relationship with China I'm Chinese citizen and a whole Chinese passport and

that I've been forced not by the political situation. We've been through a

period in the last 10 to 15 years in which the British government wanted to

engage with China wanted to see China as a investor in Britain you know as a

friend as someone we could do business with and somebody we should improve

...