Return to Bandung Ep. 37 - Chinese Socialism and Green Development
feat. special guest Ashwin Shantha!
Episode 37 of the Return to Bandung podcast is out now! Listen below, and read on for more information about my guest and today’s topic:
The Return to Bandung podcast, along with the writing that I publish on culture shock, is a political education project and a labor of love. To support this important work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber today! Paid subscribers get access to the entire culture shock archive, as well as a typewritten physical newsletter in the mail each month :)
About this episode:
In this episode, I’m joined by Ashwin Shantha, PhD student in politics at York University and host of the International Solidarity Podcast, to discuss their recent article “China’s Green Development is Both Anti-Imperialist and Socialist.” We explore the history and current state of China’s green industrialization, its implications for energy sovereignty in China and across the Global South, and why such a development path is only possible because of the socialist nature of China’s political and economic system.
About the show:
Return to Bandung is hosted by Pranay Somayajula, an Indian-American writer, researcher, and organizer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His work explores themes of diaspora, (inter)nationalism, anticolonial politics, and the many lives and afterlives of empire. You can learn more about Pranay and read his writing on his website, as well as on his Substack blog, culture shock.
Support Return to Bandung:
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave a review or rating, and subscribe to the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! If you’re able, please also consider supporting my work—which encompasses both my writing and this podcast, as well as various other political education projects by signing up as a paid subscriber to my Substack or making a one-off contribution:
Sources and helpful links:
Ashwin Shantha — China’s Green Development is Both Anti-Imperialist and Socialist (Journal of International Solidarity, February 2026)
International Solidarity Podcast episode on ecological civilization in China (May 2026)
International Solidarity Podcast episode with India and Global Left on China and India’s development paths (April 2025)
Return to Bandung episode with Tings Chak on China’s role in the global order (March 2025)
International Solidarity Podcast episode with Ken Hammond on culture and politics in the Chinese Revolution (November 2025)
Torkil Lauesen — The Long Transition Towards Socialism and the End of Capitalism (Iskra Books, 2024)
International Solidarity Podcast episode with Torkil Lauesen on The Long Transition (August 2025)
Return to Bandung episode with David Ramírez Álvarez on defending the Cuban Revolution (May 2026)
Chen Yiwen — Marxist Ecology in China: From Marx’s Ecology to Socialist Eco-Civilization Theory (Monthly Review, October 2024)
State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China — China’s Green Development in the New Era (January 2023)
Xi Jinping — Speech at the Leaders’ Summit of the 15th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (October 2021)
Social links:
Return to Bandung:
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Pranay Somayajula:
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Instagram: instagram.com/pranay.somayajula/
Website: pranaysomayajula.com/
Substack: culture-shock.xyz/
Journal of International Solidarity:
Substack: intlsolidarity.substack.com/
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Twitter: twitter.com/revintlist