Sharp China Podcast

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with the implementation of this month’s deal between the US and China, including a variety of early indications that both sides intend to follow through with commitments made in South Korea, the PRC’s clarification on its December 2024 export controls, and a report on the PR...

This episode of Sharp China is outside the paywall. Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill break down the latest deal between the US and China, beginning with details from the White House over the weekend, why the PRC is likely happy with a tactical retreat and the new status quo, and why stability is likely at least through April. From there: Why the PRC was motivated to deal despite its goa...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with the looming Trump-Xi meeting in Seoul, South Korea, and the “consensuses” agreed upon in Kuala Lampur this past weekend. Topics include: Treasury Scott Bessent’s comments indicate that the recent rare earth export controls could be delayed by a year, questions about wha...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with questions surrounding the Fourth Plenum as it continues in Beijing this week. Topics include: The Party’s messaging on past successes, a timeline for policy announcements in the days and weeks to come, steps the Party may take to address consumption with its next Five-Y...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill react to the PRC’s announcement of expanded export controls on rare earths and related manufacturing equipment. Topics include: Why countries around the world were immediately concerned, clarifications offered from the PRC that may not allay those concerns, and why viewing these r...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a mounting scandal in the UK after prosecutors dropped charges against two men accused of spying for China. Topics include: Fingers pointed and claims that PM Keir Starmer and his Labour appointees were unwilling to present evidence of China as an “enemy,” ongoing reluc...

This episode of Sharp China is outside the paywall. Show Notes: On today’s Andrew and Bill begin with President Trump’s executive order authorizing a proposal for a TikTok divestiture from ByteDance. Topics include: Why the proposed deal would be a win for ByteDance, China and the Trump administration, security concerns that haven’t necessarily been addressed, and signals that opposition to the de...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with last Friday’s call between Trump and Xi. Topics include: Plans for a meeting in South Korea and a Trump visit to Beijing early next year, whether summits on the horizon will lead to a period of stabilization, and why both sides may see the status quo as advantageous. Fr...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with the news of a “framework,” a consensus, and a possible deal to divest TikTok US from its parent company, ByteDance. Topics include: The many details yet to be resolved publicly, the unknown fate of the algorithm and its legal implications, messaging from both the US and...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin by looking back at last week’s Victory Day parade. Topics include: The domestic messaging from the PRC, cold war imagery from a regime that denounces cold war thinking, questions about the EU perspective, the implications of the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, North Korea's...

This episode of Sharp China is outside the paywall. Show Notes: On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with takeaways from the SCO Summit, including Xi's announcement of the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), outreach to the global south, and the PRC's warming relationship with India as Modi's first trip to China in seven years spawns anxiety in the US, and a variety of structural tensions remain....

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with Li Chenggang in Washington for another round of meetings with American negotiators. Topics include: Outreach to soybean farmers and rumors of Boeing purchases, why the PRC may sense an opportunity for dealmaking, President Trump's plans to welcome 600,000 PRC students,...

This episode of Sharp China is outside the paywall. Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a raft of news on Nvidia that came during the podcast’s vacation, including reports the company was summoned to meeting with the Cyberspace Administration of China, sources saying the same regulators have warned PRC companies against purchasing the H-20 chips, and news that the US is now gran...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with July’s Politburo meeting, including a date for the Fourth Plenum, more condemnations of “disorderly competition,” and signals that Party leadership remains confident despite the tumultuous year. From there: the U.S.-China meetings in Stockholm, the latest moves from Tru...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with comments from Xi Jinping and renewed emphasis on building more rational marketplaces across key sectors in tech and beyond. Topics include: The implication that not every province has to participate in new growth areas, cadres parsing conflicting guidance from Beijing,...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with reports that Nvidia will soon be allowed to again sell its H20 chips in China. Topics include: A win-win deal for Nvidia and the PRC, whether this is the beginning of more rollbacks of existing chip controls as the PRC exerts leverage with rare earth export controls, an...

This episode of Sharp China is outside the paywall. Show Notes: On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with a look at tensions between the PRC and the EU ahead of the EU-China summit later this month. Topics include: Reports concerning Wang Yi's comments to EU counterparts conveying Beijing's perspective on the Ukraine war, the PRC Foreign Ministry implores the EU to "rebalance its mindset" rather...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with PRC perspectives on the past two weeks of attacks on Iran. Topics include: dispelling notions that U.S. involvement was welcomed by the PRC, why regional stability in the Middle East is stressed in every PRC statement, and how Iran and other PRC partners may view China'...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill take stock of the US-China trade framework in the wake of last week’s negotiations in London. Topics include: US escalations that brought the PRC side back to the table, PRC rare earth leverage that forced a compromise but no additional export control concessions, and variables to...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a call between President Trump and Xi, two days of meetings between the U.S. and China in London, and an apparent effort from both sides to de-escalate. Topics include: retracing steps of the past few weeks, clarity for the U.S. and others on the PRC’s leverage over rar...

This episode of Sharp China is outside the paywall. Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a series of escalatory policies from the U.S. and talk of a call between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump later this week. Topics include: The rare earth frustration on the American side, the PRC’s use of leverage, the potential downsides for the PRC as the rest of the world grapples with shortage...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with reports that next year's five-year plan will double down on the Made in China 2025 strategy. Topics include: The legacy and successes of Made in China 2025, ferocious domestic competition in industries like electric vehicles, and an aspect of self-reliance that continue...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Show Notes: On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with the Commerce Department's guidance on Ascend Chips, caustic responses to that policy on the PRC side, citations to the "Geneva Consensus," and the news the U.S. will be partnering with Saudi Arabia and the UAE on AI investments in a move that may limit PRC influence in...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com Sharp China: A 90-Day Pause, Big Tariff Reductions and What De-Escalation Might Mean for the U.S. and China Show Notes: On today's show Andrew and Bill gather on short notice with reactions to Monday's news of a deal between the U.S. and China to significantly reduce tariffs for ninety days, while establishing a formal dial...

This episode of Sharp China is outside the paywall. Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with the news that the US and PRC are sending representatives to Switzerland to discuss trade talks this weekend. Topics include: Why expectations should be set low, the week of signs that the PRC was willing to engage, questions about cooperating on fentanyl, and the latest measures to loosen mon...