Why China’s Rise Cannot Be Stopped
February 5, 2026
1 hr 5 min
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February 5, 2026
Why China’s Rise Cannot Be Stopped
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Conflicted Episodes Around February 5, 2026
Episode 171 of 210 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
1:05:49This episodeWhy China’s Rise Cannot Be Stopped
Summary
In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to veteran Singaporean diplomat Prof. Kishore Mahbubani about his thesis that the 21st century will be remembered as ‘the Asian Century’, and how the West can prepare peacefully and optimistically for China's return as the fulcrum of world history.
Drawing on his books Living the Asian Century, Has China Won?, and Can Asians Think?, Prof. Mahbubani explains:
Why the 21st century will be the Asian century and why this need not require Western decline
How colonialism shaped Asian self-perception, and the need for intellectual decolonisation
How other countries can adopt Singapore’s model for success
His meeting with Fidel Castro, Hafez al-Assad, and Yasser Arafat
The hypocrisy of Western power and diplomacy
How the United States keeps the UN weak on purpose
Why Pres. Trump’s China realism has been a good thing
The threat of war in Asia
Follow Prof. Mahbubani on X: https://x.com/mahbubani_k
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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.
Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.
This episode was produced and edited by Thomas Small.
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