Truce story: (a sketch of) a Trump-Xi trade deal

About this episode

<p>Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/10/30/america-and-china-have-only-holstered-their-trade-weapons?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">holster their trade weapons</a> for now. But even if the deal holds, it does not address the deeper problems in the relationship. We examine why mercenaries—and slick international firms that employ them—are doing a <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2025/10/21/the-mercenary-business-is-on-the-brink-of-another-boom?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">roaring trade</a> these days. And a Halloween look at what our correspondent calls a <a href="https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/10/30/frightfully-good-stuff-why-this-is-a-golden-age-of-horror-films?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">golden age of horror</a>.</p><br><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p> <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>