If You're Listening

CHINA | S05 02 - How Tiananmen is being repeated in Xinjiang

For decades Australia has taken the approach that when it comes to China; we can criticise their human rights record without risking our trading relationship.We told China we disapproved of their crackdown on students at Tiananmen Square in 1989, but continued to sell them iron ore.Xi Jinping has made it clear that the arrangement has now changed, as he simultaneously takes the lessons Beijing learned at Tiananmen, and applies them to a crackdown on Muslims in his country's far west.Guests:Rose Tang, 1989 Tiananmen Square protesterAlim Osman, president, Uyghur Association of VictoriaKevin Rudd, former Australian Prime MinisterYaqiu Wang, researcher, Human Rights Watch

The world is on fire. There's a coup. Inflation is through the roof, and AI is taking our jobs. What does it all mean? Each week, Matt Bevan explains the biggest story in world news while hiding in his basement from assassins and authoritarian regimes.

Recent episodes include an exploration of the relationship between India and China, a closer look at the Saudi Arabian city of NEOM, the conflict in the Middle East, the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, and Ukraine's incursions into Vladimir Putin's Russia. Matt Bevan draws connections between stories from the past and the events of the present to help listeners understand world news and international affairs.

The podcast also features series about big moments in world news; previous series have focused on the United States presidential election, the United Kingdom's 14 years of Conservative Party leadership, Donald Trump's relationship with Russia, Donald Trump's presidency and promise to Make America Great Again, the Mueller Report, Vladimir Putin's scheme to destroy western democracies, how the relationship between Australia and China came to the verge of collapse, and Australia's turbulent history with climate change.

There's a new episode of If You're Listening every Thursday.