The rise of China as a global economic and geopolitical power is a central theme that emerges from the provided podcast episodes.

In the first episode, billionaire investor Ray Dalio discusses how China's economic and geopolitical ascent is challenging the existing US dominance, which is driving broader economic and political events.

Similarly, in the second episode, political scientist John Mearsheimer argues that the West's efforts to pull Ukraine into its orbit are largely driven by the need to manage the rise of China as a potential peer competitor to the US.