The Sinofile

China is running a record-high merchandise trade surplus of approximately $1.2 trillion, the largest annual trade surplus ever recorded by any country. However, as the West restricts access to its markets for high tech Chinese products, it faces the catastrophic danger of overcapacity. Between governments protectionism and consumer demand, how far wide will the next China Shock be felt in the worl...

China is not only competing with the United States in AI, it is also wielding its influence in the world to compete directly with the international "rules based" order. China views the Global South as vital to its success. It holds significant influence in the BRICS organization and leads the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. As Chinese President Xi Jinping's prepares for a meeting with U.S. Pres...

Last week, China invited 29 countries to sign an agreement establishing the China-backed World AI Cooperation Organization at the 9th World AI Conference. Attending for the first time, President Xi Jinping announced that China will welcome outside investment to develop and govern an open AI that should benefit the international community, namely the Global South. But the AI race between China and...

From Maoist and Marxist revolutions exporting their respective ideologies abroad, to U.S. President Truman's power struggle with General MacArthur, this episode dives into how international events are connected with domestic audiences and issues.

Few countries have direct access to the Hermit Kingdom of North Korea in the way China does, but Russia is one of them. As Russia–DPRK collaboration reaches new heights, Beijing has grown increasingly uneasy. In response, Chinese President Xi Jinping has prioritized North Korea as his first foreign destination for 2026. How does China really view North Korea? How close is the China–Russia–DPRK ali...

For years, Western analysts have concluded that China is "playing the long game" in their effort to replace the United States as the world's new hegemony. However, most of what China has been achieving in recent years suggests the opposite. So why the persistent rhetoric? The answer lies in a discussion between U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, b...

After nearly a decade of not hosting a sitting U.S. president, and years of no communication with Washington, what moved Beijing to host its biggest adversary now? US-Taiwan relations cannot be ignored when analyzing the US-China relationship; and most importantly US arms sales to Taiwan.

After years of failed attempts at decoupling between the world's largest economies, the leaders of the United States and China meet among what they both have come to realize is their true shared common interest: tech billionaires.

Following a historic U.S. weapons sale to Taiwan, what does KMT Chair Zheng Liwen's recent meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping mean for the future of Taiwan? What does it mean about China today?

For decades, Beijing has wielded economic coercion against foreign nations to achieve political gains. After Japan's new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, vocalized support for Taiwan last November in the event of a Chinese attack, Beijing did what it knows best: it riled up the Chinese population through its state-run media to impact Japanese business in China and Chinese tourism in Japan. Howe...

As the world becomes increasingly unstable and volatile, China can appear to be offering little support to its allies against U.S. pressure. However, this is not a contradiction to its long-standing policy of "non-interference in internal affairs." China does not seek to outcompete the U.S. security commitments; rather, it offers only economic and political support to its allies around t...

For decades, Beijing has promoted a policy of "one country, two systems" to lure in overseas territories it seeks control over. However, recent actions in Hong Kong suggest that Beijing may be ending its softer approach. What does it all mean for Hong Kong? What does it say about China? And how does it all bode for Taiwan?

The recent firing of China's highest ranking military officer, Zhang Youxia, is just the latest example of a decade-long purge from president Xi Jinping against the military. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is one of the few militaries in the world that is designed to protect the ruling party; not the country. However, prior to Xi, the PLA enjoyed a high level of autonomy for decades. Those day...

Following the Chinese civil war, the victorious Communists vowed to capture Taiwan, where deposed Nationalist forces fled to. Ever since, Beijing has gained over a billion believers at home to realize "the Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation." However, as the United States continues its policy of Strategic Ambiguity toward Taiwan, China has been unable to fulfill on its promise of r...

an essential part of life in the early 21st century means having wifi to be online and on social media. In China, there is no constitutional amendment allowing freedom of speech. In fact, it is highly limited and censored by the state. However, that has not stopped Chinese people from doing it. Instead, they have figured out how to do so in code, avoiding censorships and worse. Tune in to hear how...

Prior to 911, deepening ties with Latin America (LATAM) was at the top of the U.S. agenda. Instead, China stepped in. Ever since, China has sought to increase diplomatic ties, BRI cooperation, funding for infrastructure projects, and telecommunications developments with the region. But what led to the conditions for many LATAM countries to consider China as a viable partner? What challenges exist...

Following China's harsh covid lockdowns, its economy bounced back quicker than most Western economies and appeared to return to pre-Covid normalcy. However, the affects from Covid, and the West's reaction to a more emboldened China, may not have been realized so immediately. Today, China's economy is hurting and its markets are experiencing brutal competition. For those companies that have survive...

Xi Jinping's rule has left China in a place much different from where its trajectory seemed to be taking it. However, this change is not a departure from the way the CCP wants to govern China; rather, it is a revival. Tune in to listen why.

The West continues to incorrectly view the Chinese people as separate from the CCP, expressing views that convey a feeble, weak, and oppressed people. But in reality, the opposite is true. How do Chinese people really view their government? And is there anything that Westerners can compare it with? The largest atheist country in the world may not lack what organized religion provides to people, af...

China's continued efforts to replace the dollar with the yuan as the world's trade currency falls in line with its ambitions for global primacy. However, there is more to the picture beneath the surface. Why wouldn't the yuan replace the dollar? And what is the real source of power to the valuation of currency? Tune in to find out.

China was, no doubt, a rapidly developing nation with great potential until Xi Jinping took power. Since his rule, China has estranged old allies, lost the trust it once enjoyed from the international business community, and focuses on regional security over prosperity. However, these facts are unknown to most people, especially the youth, living outside of China. Seeking to export its "splin...

What started the infamous Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing? What events led to this bloody day that most people connect with the "tank man" video that we remember so vividly? 36 years ago on the day of this recording, June 4th 1989, a nationwide protest was brewing that the CCP feared could topple the regime. Its response and efforts to erase this day from the public speaks volumes a...

Since its economic rise, China has been sending hundreds of thousands of its youth to study in the United States every year. That may be ending soon. The Department of State will be implementing new vetting standards for potential Chinese students wanting to study in the United States. Who are these young people? What do they want? How does the CCP view them? In this episode, I discuss how Chinese...

What is going on in the South China Sea? Earlier this week, China and the Philippines clashed in disputed waters again, demonstrating China's resolve to defend what it claims as its sovereign territory. As the ASEAN annual summit approaches, unless it is willing to discuss and ultimately address relating to the South China Sea with Beijing, it will become a fully militarized zone for Chinese p...

History does not live in the past; rather, it is well alive in the present. The CCP often references the "Century of Humiliation," when foreign powers occupied China and disgraced its sovereignty in order to create unity and control the narrative among Chinese citizens today. Of the Eight nations that occupied China during this era, its closest neighbor, Japan, wrecked the most havoc on...