EP7: North Macedonia | Uphill battle of EU accession, sunshine and solar power & more

Finale: China | Digital RMB, debt-trap diplomacy, evolution of BRI & more

Guest: Yao Xiaolin 姚嘯林 (PhD candidate at the School of International Studies of Peking University) Host: Enzo Kong (Governor, Path of Democracy) Show Notes: 00:00 Intro 01:32 China's plan to relieve domestic industrial overcapacity 05:28 Internationalization of RMB and the digital RMB 08:23 Debt-trap diplomacy and the Sri Lanka example 13:05 Lack of materialization of BRI projects 16:17 Australia's withdrawal from the BRI 18:10 Is Build Back Better World a threat for the BRI? 19:59 Young people coming to study in China 13:47 Evolution of the BRI

EP8: Morocco | Africa’s recovery, phosphate and rare earth, supply chain crisis & more

Guest: Zayed Bennani (Founder and President, Peking University HSBC Business School Student Union) Host: Enzo Kong (Governor, Path of Democracy) Show Notes: 00:00 Intro and Africa’s post-COVID recovery plan 13:22 North Africa’s strategic importance 16:08 Morocco’s role in the BRI 18:04 Potential of the Tangier Tech City 22:04 Phosphates and rare earth elements of Morocco 24:24 The largest concentrated solar farm in the world 26:40 Chinese tourists in Morocco 28:35 African youth’s prospects in the BRI

EP7: North Macedonia | Uphill battle of EU accession, sunshine and solar power & more

Guest: Anastasija Milkovska (Holder of Master's degree in Economic Development and International Finance) Host: Enzo Kong (Governor, Path of Democracy) Show Notes: 00:00 Intro and a bit of history 05:19 EU accession and disputes with Greece and Bulgaria 13:19 What does BRI mean for North Macedonia 16:23 Strategic importance of the 2 Chinese-built highways 24:17 North Macedonia’s sunshine and potential for solar power 29:40 North Macedonia as a tourist spot 32:07 Information asymmetry for companies 38:05 BRI as a bottom-up initiative led by the youth

EP6: Italy | China-EU investment deal, The Godfather, rulemaking in global economy & more

Guest: Luca Bonadiman (Current JD student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong) Host: Enzo Kong (Governor, Path of Democracy) Show Notes: 00:00 Intro and Luca's journey so far 07:49 The Godfather and the historic and cultural ties between Italy and China 11:45 What the BRI means to Italy 23:59 The Port of Trieste deal and the China-EU investment deal 33:20 China's soft power strategy and the potential for the BRI as a bottom-up initiative

EP5: Montenegro | Billion-dollar motorway, debt sustainability, tourism prospects & more

Guest: Ivan Piper (PhD student and Teaching Assistant at the University of Donja Gorica) Host: Enzo Kong (Governor, Path of Democracy) Show notes: 00:00 Intro, 15 years since independence 05:39 Current administration and EU accession 08:58 Cultural and historical roots of BRI 13:42 Bar-Boljare motorway and debt sustainability 25:53 Chinese donation for reconstruction of Tara bridge 27:29 Attracting Chinese tourists 30:34 Environmental protection and energy projects 33:05 Young people's struggles and exchange opportunities in the far East 38:07 Vaccine diplomacy and Montenegrins' perception towards BRI