China Decode: China’s Long Game in the Middle East

The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

Vox Media Podcast Network

Entrepreneurship, Business, Careers

4.4 • 5.3K Ratings

🗓️ 17 March 2026

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As the war with Iran escalates, the United States is shifting military assets back to the Middle East — raising new questions about whether Washington can stay focused on the Indo-Pacific and China. Alice Han and James Kynge speak with Gulf Research Center chief economist Dr. John Sfakianakis about how the conflict could reshape global power dynamics and whether Beijing may gain strategic breathing room while U.S. attention is divided. Then, a new set of university rankings is fueling debate over the future of global research. Chinese universities are climbing rapidly, backed by massive state investment and a surge in scientific output. Finally, China’s electric vehicle giant BYD is reportedly exploring a dramatic new move to boost its global brand: entering Formula One. We look at what it would mean for the sport — and for China’s ambitions in the global auto industry. Subscribe on Substack for ad-free episodes and much more! chinadecode.profgmedia.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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0:40.3	The Wednesday. store locator to find David in stores at a retailer near you. The worst advice I have ever gotten is stay in your lane. I am Rabinette's son, athlete, executive, founder, and staying in my lane would have kept me small.
0:51.2	Don't protect other people's comfort at the cost of your growth. This week on Project
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1:03.1	wherever you get your podcasts.
1:07.6	Megan Rapino here. This week on a touch more, our Captain America Hillary Knight is joining us to talk about her storybook career. And the March Madness bracket is out. And we have thoughts and predictions to share. Plus, we're also taking a look at the NWSL's Blockbuster opening weekend. Check out the latest episode of a touch more wherever you get your podcast and on YouTube. The Chinese are playing a long game in the Middle East, but also
1:36.8	a long game around the world. So the China of today is far deeper in the Middle East,
1:42.8	including the Gulf, including Iran, including Iraq.
1:46.9	When Western companies are not so forthcoming to build things, the Chinese are always there
1:53.3	to build things. So that tells a lot about China's presence in the Middle East.
1:59.7	I think what is clear is that when this war is over, it's going to be a very different Middle East.
2:10.6	Welcome to China Decode. I'm Alice Han. And I'm James King. In today's episode of China Decode,
2:16.7	we're discussing how the Iran war is helping China,
2:20.2	why Chinese universities are rising in global rankings, and why China's EV giant wants to join Formula One.
2:27.2	That's all coming up, but first, let's do a quick check-in with how the Chinese markets are starting off the week.
	...

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