Hey, cynical listeners, a very happy Chinese New Year to you. I am just back from Switzerland,

so no regular show this week, plus it's Chinese New Year and all. But I have a very special treat

for you, courtesy of my good friends at the Asia Society of Switzerland. I was just in Zurich,

and I gave a little talk there, which was lots of fun, and I sat for an interview for their

podcast, which you can hear in a week or so. They also graciously offered me a recent podcast

of theirs to share with you cynical listeners. Just after the U.S. election, they held their

annual State of Asia event, and that's what I've got for you this week, the state of China.

You will hear a quick introduction from Remko Tennis, editor of the Asia Society of Switzerland's

podcast, and he's going to introduce the three guests as well as the moderator, the South

China Morning Post Europe correspondent, Finn Bar Birmingham.

Two of the guests will be very well known to listeners of this show, as they've both

been on before, and quite recently, in fact, Tzhen Wong of the Center for China and Globalization,

who is now pursuing graduate studies at Princeton University. He was on the show last summer,

I hope you remember, and Adam Too's, who I rate as one of the truly towering intellects of our

time. The third is somebody Adam introduced to me and who I rate as one of the truly towering intellects of our time, the third is

somebody Adam introduced to me and who I got to know a couple of years ago and is now a

friend, I dare say.

Her name is Wang Qing, and she is the host of the popular podcast, Pujuh Shuri, it's called

The Weirdo in English, and was really instrumental in getting Adam's fantastic chartbook

newsletter published in Chinese last year.

Special thanks to Nico Luczinger, who heads the Asian Society, Switzerland, a dear friend,

he's had me there many times now, and I hope there will be many more.

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