Who is Li Fangwei, the Chinese phantom?

In recent years, Philipp Grüll has spent almost all his time reporting on arms deals. He’s considered something of a specialist, so when his colleague Frederik Obermaier approached him with questions about a major global arms dealer, Philipp was surprised to find he’d never heard of him. His name was Li Fangwei, and he was considered so dangerous that the FBI had put a $5m bounty on his head. Intrigued, Philipp and Frederik enlisted the help of two other German journalists – Bastian Obermayer and Christoph Giesen – to unravel the story of Li Fangwei. This week on Whale Hunting, host Tom Wright speaks with Philipp and Christoph about the group’s search for the elusive arms dealer – the topic of their new book, The Chinese Phantom: the hunt for the world’s most dangerous arms dealer. Together, they discuss the knotty web of diplomatic negotiations, state complicity, and murky dual-use technology that their investigation uncovered – as well as the ongoing mystery surrounding Li Fangwei’s whereabouts.  The Chinese Phantom: the hunt for the world’s most dangerous arms dealer is out now in German, and available for pre-order in English at all good online bookshops. For more from Whale Hunting, make sure to follow the podcast – and you can subscribe to our newsletter at whalehunting.projectbrazen.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/

Om Podcasten

This is WHALE HUNTING, a weekly podcast that pulls back the curtain on the hidden worlds of money and power, hosted by investigative journalists Tom Wright and Bradley Hope. Previously long-time reporters for the Wall Street Journal, Tom and Bradley now run Project Brazen, a journalism studio that’s published stories on everything from US Navy corruption to spycraft in Silicon Valley and embezzlement at the heart of Spain’s royal family.  Now, on the Whale Hunting podcast, you can join them as they share what’s got them talking this week, from the headlines to underworld gossip. Each episode will offer something different, but you can expect obscene tales of corruption, insights on the bizarre habits of billionaires, and conversations with reporters, spies, hostage negotiators, cops, authors, and the occasional criminal. Think of it as dropping in on the watercooler chat at Project Brazen’s office.  So join us. Subscribe to Whale Hunting, and find out how the world really works.  For more, or to sign up to our newsletter, visit whalehunting.projectbrazen.com. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/