Geoeconomic Competition
Welcome to "Geoeconomic Competition", a thought-provoking podcast diving deep into the intricacies of geoeconomics. In each episode, Francesca Ghiretti engages with other economic security and geoeconomics experts to navigate the intricate and often hidden manoeuvres of economic security and of global economic power plays. From the growing set of policies to the changes in globalisation, we explore how countries leverage their economic strengths, engage in trade wars, and form strategic alliances to gain geopolitical advantages.
Logo by Daniele Saccani
Episodes
54 episodes
Short - China's Supply Chain Security Law and Anti-Extraterritoriality Law
In this quick 10 minutes episode, Francesca Ghiretti unpacks China's State Council Decree Number 834: the Regulations on Industrial and Supply Chain Security, and Decree Number 835: the Regulations on Countering Foreign Improper Extraterritoria...
What to expect from the Trump-Xi Summit with Wendy Cutler
In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti speaks with Wendy Cutler, Vice President of the Asia Society Policy Institute, about the upcoming Trump-Xi summit. What are the key issues likely to dominate the agenda? How might t...
"Buy (with) Europe" and the Industrial Accelerator Act with Sander Tordoir
In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti speaks with Sander Tordoir, Chief Economist at the Centre for European Reform, about the EU Industrial Accelerator Act and "Buy European". What are the key elements of the Industria...
The 15th Five Year Plan with Jost Wuebbeke
In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti speaks with Dr. Jost Wübbeke is Managing Partner at Sinolytics, about the content of China's 15th Five Year Plan (2026-203). What are the new priorities? Does the plan tack...
What's next for EU-India? with Garima Mohan
In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti speaks with Garima Mohan, Senior Fellow in the Indo-Pacific Program at GMF, about the future of the EU–India agreement and what it reveals about shifting geoeconomic priori...
The Critical Minerals Game with Cory Combs
In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti speaks with Cory Combs, Associate Director at Trivium, about the intensifying global competition over critical minerals and the strategic responses taking shape in Washington and be...
Redefining European Economic Security with François Chimits
How is the European Union redefining economic security in an era of geopolitical tension? In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Francesca Ghiretti sits down with François Chimits, Head of the Europe Program at Institut Montaigne, to exami...
Will the RMB become the next Global Reserve Currency? With Gerard DiPippo
At the end of January 2026, Qiushi published a 2024 speech by Xi Jinping that, among other themes, underscored the strategic importance of having a global reserve currency. In this episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Gerard DiPippo breaks down ...
Do we need manufacturing? with Chris Miller
Europe and the US are racing to bring manufacturing back home - but should they be? Inspired by an article from The Economist, Chris Miller, Professor of International History at Tufts’ Fletcher School and author of Chip War, ...
Can Chinese investments in European BEV become genuine engines of growth? with Agnes Szunomar
With the EU and China reaching price undertakings on Chinese EV imports, this episode features Ágnes Szunomár, Associate Professor at Corvinus University of Budapest, to unpack the scale, motives, and consequences of Chinese investment in Europ...
What will China's anti-involution campaign (not) solve with Yanmei Xie
In the final 2025 episode of Geoeconomic Competition, Yanmei Xie tackles the big questions behind China’s anti-involution campaign. What distinguishes involution from overcapacity, and why does that distinction matter? Why is China’s o...
What is the Reparation Loan and Why it matters so much with Lucas Guttenberg
On the 18th of December, the leaders of the EU will discuss the much debated reparation loan, a proposal to use the frozen Russian assets to finance the Ukrainian war effort. In this episode, Lucas Guttenberg, Director of the programme Europes ...
The future of IEEPA tariffs with Geoffrey Gertz
On 5 November, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral argument on the use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by Donald Trump to impose sweeping tariffs. The decision, which is expected in the next few months, ...
What's going on with Nexperia with Judith Huismans
In October, the Dutch government took over Nexperia, a Dutch chip maker owned by the Chinese Wingtech. The initial and main reason for the takeover was bad management. In the meantime, tensions between The Netherlands and China have escalated, ...
Deep Dive: What to expect from China's 15th Five Year Plan with Gerard DiPippo
The 4th Plenum unveiled information about what to expect from China's 15th Five Year Plan (March 2026). Francesca Ghiretti chats with Gerard DiPippo, an Associate Director, RAND China Research Center and expert in China's economy to analyse wha...
Deep Dive: China's Export Controls with Rebecca Arcesati
This episode is a deep dive into the details of the development of China's export controls, from 2022 to the updates of October 2025. Rebecca Arcesati is Lead Analyst, in the Science, Technology and Innovation Programme at MERICS.
The Key is Heavy Rare Earths with Jason Bedford
Francesca Ghiretti speaks with Jason Bedford, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore. In his paper RARE EARTHS AND INDUSTRY: WHY DEPENDENCE ON CHINA ENDURES, Jason explores the details of C...
The importance of migration for European competitiveness with Alberto Rizzi
In this episode, Francesca Ghiretti hosts Alberto Rizzi, Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations' Rome office. In his policy brief "Markets, migrants, microchips: European power in a world of demographic change", he tackles a...
The Hidden Risks of Connected Vehicles with Project Lion Cage
In this episode, Francesca Ghiretti hosts the leader of Project Lion Cage, Tor Indstoy and Arild Tjomsland. The project "explores how everyday connected technology—such as smart vehicles and IoT systems—could be exploited in future secur...
Is the EU stuck between a rock and hard place? with Iana Dreyer
In this episode, Francesca Ghiretti chats with Iana Dreyer, Founder and Editor ot Borderlex, a magazine specialised in trade. With Iana, we try to understand the implications of the EU-China summit as well as the tariff "deal" between the EU an...
The Defence Spending-Growth Conundrum with Stuart Dee
In this episode, Francesca Ghiretti chats with Stuart Dee, Research Leader and co-Director of the Centre for Defence Economics and Acquisitions at RAND Europe. Stuart joined RAND after spending over a decade in industry, most recently at Rolls-...
The US-China "deal" with Reva Goujon
This is the third episode of the Geoeconomic Competition series on new "trade" deals. In this episode, Francesca Ghiretti chats with Reva Goujon, Director at Rhodium Group. What are the tariffs China and the US imposed on each other...
The EU-UK deal with Georgina Wright
This is the second episode of the Geoeconomic Competition series on new "trade" deals. In this episode, Francesca Ghiretti chats with Georgina Wright, special adviser to the president and senior fellow at GMF. How did we get to the ...
The UK-US prosperity deal with Sam Lowe
This is the first episode of series on new "trade" deals and they are and will shape the global system. The UK has been the first country to strike a deal with the US after Washington imposed widespread tariffs. In this episode, Fra...
China's response to Trump tariffs with Henry Gao
In this episode, Francesca is joined by Henry Gao, Professor of Law at the Singapore Management University. The episode unpacks US tariffs against China, China's response and potential future responses and the impact on global trade.