# The Villain’s Dilemma—The Trouble of Soft Power With No Support System

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/china-watch-7284301/the-villain-s-dilemma-the-trouble-of-soft-power-with-no-support-system
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/china-watch-7284301/the-villain-s-dilemma-the-trouble-of-soft-power-with-no-support-system.md
Podcast: [China Watch](https://stenobird.com/podcast/china-watch-7284301)
Published: 2026-03-23T14:50:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.theepochtimes.com/podcasts
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/89b0bd61-57b7-4c9d-80a5-5404b148db71.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/china-watch-7284301/episodes/the-villain-s-dilemma-the-trouble-of-soft-power-with-no-support-system
Duration seconds: 849

## Resource

When an ally, even a business partner, is in dire straits, one would think that others would come to their aid. It would be unwise to make this assumption about a partner such as China. As the war in Iran continues, China is being placed in a deeper dilemma about how to handle its relationships with the United States and Iran. It manifests similarly to how many movies and stories have portrayed villains: in a state of total indifference toward their underlings and what happens to them. Join Terri in this week's episode to hear how the Chinese Communist Party truly treats its people and allies, according to historical cases, and why this explains the lack of support for falling regimes such as those in Venezuela and Iran. Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. — Terri Wu is a Washington-based freelance reporter for The Epoch Times covering education and China-related issues. Send tips to terri.wu@epochtimes.com . Enjoyed this podcast? Follow China Watch for a peek behind the red curtain.

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## Transcript

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