The Intelligence: how strong is the Chinese military?

<p>Miscalculating the prowess of the <a href="https://www.economist.com/special-report/2023-11-11?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">People’s Liberation Army</a> is dangerous. Overestimating it could cause unnecessary confrontation, but underestimating it is risky for Taiwan. We bring you some balance. Can descendants of slave traders be absolved of the sins of their ancestors (09:00)? And a <a href="https://www.economist.com/obituary/2023/11/09/david-kirke-believed-safe-sport-repressed-peoples-imaginations?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">tribute</a> to a man who believed life is best lived dangerously (16:50).&nbsp;</p><br><p>Sign up for a <a href="http://www.economist.com/podcastsplus-intelligence" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">free trial</a> of Economist Podcasts+</p><br><p>If you’re already a subscriber to <em>The Economist</em>, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription.</p><br><p>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our <a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAQs page</a> or watch our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48TlDbL-4vU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">video</a> explaining how to link your account.</p><br><p>Podcast transcripts are available upon request at podcasts@economist.com. We are committed to improving accessibility even further and are exploring new ways to expand our podcast transcript offering.</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https: