<p>In this episode of The Silk and Steel Podcast, host Carl Zha sits down with Han Fei-Zi (aka Blue Bear, formerly Doggy) – a prolific writer at Asia Times – for a deep dive into classical economics, the Lucas paradox, China&#39;s development model, and why the West fundamentally misunderstands China&#39;s economic rise.</p><p><br></p><p>The key insights:</p><p><br></p><p> • The Lucas paradox – capital should flow from rich to poor countries, but since the 1970s, it&#39;s been flowing from poor to rich</p><p><br></p><p> • How assets-for-goods trade has de-industrialized the West and enriched Asia (at a cost)</p><p><br></p><p> • Why China&#39;s economy is already 2-3 times larger than the US on a real basis – and why that&#39;s dangerous for Americans to ignore</p><p><br></p><p> • The difference between Western aid (Peace Corps, microcredit, window dressing) and Chinese infrastructure investment (roads, rails, dams, solar panels)</p><p><br></p><p> • Why manufacturing is the hardest part – and why the US can&#39;t replicate China&#39;s supply chains</p><p><br></p><p> • The zero-to-one myth – China isn&#39;t just copying; it&#39;s scaling and improving faster than anyone</p><p><br></p><p>We break down:</p><p><br></p><p> • Why the Belt and Road Initiative had a record year in 2025 (double 2024)</p><p><br></p><p> • How China&#39;s solar panel exports to Africa, Pakistan, and South America are transforming the Global South</p><p><br></p><p> • Why Western aid workers teaching Africans agriculture is absurd (Africans have been farming for thousands of years)</p><p><br></p><p> • The Dutch disease and Baumol&#39;s law – and how they explain US de-industrialization</p><p><br></p><p> • Why Elon Musk admitted that design is a &quot;rounding error&quot; compared to manufacturing engineering</p><p><br></p><p> • The birth rate panic – and why China&#39;s STEM workforce will triple by 2050</p><p><br></p><p>Plus: Why the US should become a &quot;theme park&quot; (cowboys, NASCAR, NBA), why a brown guy telling white people to work harder killed his political career, and why Americans think they invented everything (they didn&#39;t).</p><p><br></p><p>Han Fei-Zi writes for Asia Times and can be found on X as Blue Bear Monkey (formerly Doggy – RIP).</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>► Join UK Column Live every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1pm UK time or watch previous live recordings here: <a href="https://bit.ly/UKColumn_Live" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://bit.ly/UKColumn_Live</a></p><p><br></p><p>► [UK Column Website] Explore all our written and video content on the official UK Column website: <a href="https://www.ukcolumn.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://www.ukcolumn.org/</a></p><p><br></p><p>► [Support UK Column] Please donate to support our independent journalism &amp; investigative journalism: <a href="https://support.ukcolumn.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://support.ukcolumn.org/</a></p><p><br></p><p>► [UK Column YouTube] Please subscribe to the UK Column News YouTube channel for more alternative news and independent news: <a href="https://bit.ly/ukcolumnofficial" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://bit.ly/ukcolumnofficial</a></p><p><br></p><p>Follow #UKColumn on:</p><p>► X: <a href="https://x.com/ukcolumn" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://x.com/ukcolumn</a></p><p>► Telegram: <a href="https://t.me/ukcolumn" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://t.me/ukcolumn</a></p><p>► Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/UKColumnExtracts" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://www.facebook.com/UKColumnExtracts</a></p><p>► Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/uk_column_news" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://www.instagram.com/uk_column_news</a></p>