Unpicking the thread: forced labour in Xinjiang

About this episode

Sanctions are tightening around the Chinese province amid suspicions of forced labour. Western firms that are reliant on the region’s cotton and other commodities <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2020/08/20/forced-labour-in-china-presents-dilemmas-for-fashion-brands?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">are in a bind</a>. The pandemic has shown the merits of some governments’ digitised bureaucracies, but rushing the digital shift <a href="https://www.economist.com/international/2020/09/01/covid-19-is-spurring-the-digitisation-of-government?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">comes with risks</a>. And how Canada’s border closures <a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2020/09/05/the-closure-of-canadas-border-with-alaska-has-split-twin-towns?utm_campaign=the-intelligence&utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=third-party-host&utm_content=show-notes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">threaten</a> a tiny town in remotest Alaska. For full access to print, digital and audio editions of <em>The Economist</em>, subscribe here <a href="http://www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer</a> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>