S8 Ep753: STREAMING MAKING SHOW, FEATURING CHANG, FANELL, HOLT, YATES.
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 16 April 2026
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
STREAMING MAKING SHOW, FEATURING CHANG, FANELL, HOLT, YATES.
1750 PERSIA COURT
This transcript from a broadcast of The John Bachelor Show features a roundtable discussion with experts regarding China’s involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts and its broader strategic goals. The participants examine a report alleging that Iran utilized Chinese satellite data to coordinate strikes against American military positions, leading to a debate over whether President Trump should proceed with a planned visit to Beijing. Military analysis suggests that while the U.S. Navy is effectively maintaining a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, China and Russia may be providing tactical support to rogue actors to undermine American interests. The conversation also addresses the internal political climate of Taiwan, noting that the public remains skeptical of Beijing despite efforts by opposition leaders to forge closer ties. Finally, the panel critiques China's economic strategy, characterizing its recent pivot toward heavily subsidized manufacturing and robotics as a desperate attempt to solve deep-seated financial instability. Together, these experts conclude that while China aims for global dominance, it faces significant economic vulnerabilities and a resurgent American military presence.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | But we do... And a very good day to you. |
| 0:41.1 | The Roman Orchestra leaves the stage. |
| 0:43.5 | Well done. |
| 0:44.6 | Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much. |
| 0:46.7 | We begin the making of the John Batchelor show. |
| 0:49.4 | Welcome to carrot soup. |
| 0:51.6 | We turn our attention immediately to the wars in the Middle East, especially in the |
| 0:57.5 | Gulf. I welcome my colleague and friend of many years, Gordon Chang, at Gordon G. Chang. And we're |
| 1:04.0 | very pleased to bring on Captain James Fennell, United States Navy retired intelligence officer. |
| 1:13.1 | He is co-author of the new book, Embracing Communist China, America's Greatest Strategic |
| 1:19.7 | Failure. Yes, yes, that's an ironic title. Government Fellow at the Geneva Center |
| 1:26.1 | for Security. He is in Europe. |
| 1:28.7 | He has five, six hours ahead for the news and can help us through the day of cross-reporting. |
| 1:37.2 | What you see is not necessarily what you get in the Middle East. |
| 1:40.4 | This is a war, and the fog of war is always the reminder. I state again what I've |
| 1:46.2 | learned over 25 years. The first three reports are wrong, not purposely, wrong. That's all. |
| 1:54.3 | The next three reports, this is an update, are information warfare. Consume them, but be aware that there's a motive for this. |
| 2:05.1 | Gentlemen, a very good day to you. Gordon, I begin with you because China, increasingly in the news, |
| 2:11.4 | the headline in the Financial Times this morning seems especially rich, |
| 2:16.7 | given the anticipation of the President of the United States |
| 2:19.8 | to travel to Beijing to sit at a table with Xi Jinping and talk about trade. |
| 2:26.7 | The headline reads starkly. This is major news in London, globally everybody's looking at |
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