China Watch

The Trump–Xi summit may not have accomplished much, but both countries walked away with new labels for the U.S.–China relationship. For Beijing, it's "constructive strategic stability." For Washington, it's "a constructive relationship of strategic stability on the basis of fairness and reciprocity." Join Terri as she decodes what the Chinese term really means—and how the regime's intent gets "los...

Most Westerners in business operate on the baseline assumption that hard work leads to success and beating the competition. With business in communist China, that doesn’t hold. Hard work is a must, but not the most important ingredient for success. In this episode, join Terri as she discusses the machinations that determine whether top companies live or die, and how the competitive mentality is se...

Teapots, gas stations, and shadow fleets sound like a grab bag of unconnected things, but they’re all part of a complex system keeping a terrorist regime in power and rendering international sanctions ineffective. That is, they’re part of the system China uses to import Iranian oil. But that system is no longer being allowed to run unchecked. Hear about what has changed since Feb. 28, including wh...

Forced organ harvesting in China was once a taboo topic, in both China and the United States. But now, a book about it, “Killed to Order,” has made it to The New York Times non-fiction bestsellers list. I interviewed the author Jan Jekielek, senior editor of The Epoch Times and host of American Thought Leader, about why and how the tide has turned. Buy a copy of “Killed to Order” The Hot Mic Momen...

Beijing avoids the battlefield, then shows up for the rebuild. Precedents include Iraq and Afghanistan. The Chinese regime moved quickly to secure oil, minerals, and influence. In this way, the regime acted like a vulture on a battlefield. When the Iran war enters a new phase, what role will China play in reconstruction? And how can the United States respond to protect its strategic interests? I s...

How much could concepts such as high school education and high-tech development overlap? Terri says a lot. Hear in this week’s episode, along with producer Daniel, how China’s education system builds people who are very specifically trained for certain tasks—and trained away from other tasks. The specific innovations—and the shocks from China’s AI industry—appear to follow a certain pattern, somet...

For decades, a core assumption about China has gone largely unchallenged: That the Chinese Communist Party can legitimately represent Chinese culture—or is inseparable from it. Then came Shen Yun. For 20 years, the dance company has presented a vision of traditional Chinese culture independent of the regime—one that, some say, counteracts a century of the Party’s efforts to harness culture as soft...

China has set its lowest growth target since 1991, reinforcing concerns that its economy faces structural challenges that may be difficult to reverse. Some analysts have taken it further, asking the fundamental question: “When does China stop growing altogether?” And when that happens, what does it mean for the United States? Join Terri as she presents expert views on this question. Thomas Duester...

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 vi...

China has long maintained a 5% economic growth target, even as many analysts questioned the reliability of the numbers. But this year, Beijing broke that streak. If growth figures have been widely seen as inflated, why lower the target now? And what does the move signal as China prepares for a potential Trump–Xi summit at the end of March? Meanwhile, China’s export numbers look unusually strong. B...

“The energy rice bowl must be held in our own hands.” That’s Xi Jinping’s mantra on China’s energy security. It has guided Beijing’s policy for years. Now, the Iran war is testing that strategy, shaking the very “rice bowl” Xi has warned must remain firmly in China’s hands. But could the conflict also fit into a broader U.S. strategic calculus toward China? Join Terri this week as she speaks to Ta...

While much of the international news focuses on what is happening in Iran, other moving pieces in the region will play additional critical roles in America's future foreign business efforts. And there are consequences for China as well. Listen as Terri and Daniel discuss how America is expanding into its last “Economic Frontier,” which counters many of the power players in the area. Learn how this...

China proudly holds a total global monopoly on critical minerals—at least, that’s what they’d like you to think. As one of this week’s experts explains, “And as long as the perception of dominance remains, dominance remains.” And that is the case for China in terms of its control on this important product, a “smoke-and-mirror” monopoly. Daniel and Terri first examine why early reactions to the Sup...

Happy Lunar New Year! The year of the Horse has arrived, and so has a new co-host for this week’s episode. Show producer Daniel Holl joins Terri this week for a more lighthearted discussion on Chinese propaganda. That is, the kind that takes movie form, which can be unintentionally comical to a non-Chinese audience. And if you noticed issues with Daniel’s audio, he’ll have them fixed for next week...

The Panama Canal, the Board of Peace, and the Critical Minerals Ministerial seem to be unrelated projects, but they’re all coordinated moves against the Chinese Communist Party. Listen to Terri Wu connect these seemingly unrelated dots to explain how they’re part of a broader geopolitical strategy by the United States to address Chinese influence and how the interconnectedness is working in the br...

Greenland stands at the center of a global power struggle between the United States and an aggressive China. Both countries have been jockeying to assert influence on the island, with U.S. President Donald Trump recently taking a decisive lead. What is the significance of the island to each of these countries? Why does the European Union take a contrary stance to Trump? Find out with Terri Wu and...

China has been pursuing a long-term strategy to position itself along key geographic and economic chokepoints surrounding the United States. It’s a long game, with a metaphorical example in one of the country's oldest and most famous games: Weiqi. While it’s often a strategy to encircle the opponent without them realizing it, it seems China has been caught out this time. That may be the reason why...

U.S. President Donald Trump has called for “new leadership in Iran.” The country’s economy is on the brink of collapse. What began as an economic protest quickly escalated into a nationwide anti-regime movement. Iran’s nuclear capabilities and terrorist proxies have also been significantly diminished, and the Islamic regime appears to be more fragile than ever before during its rule since 1979. Wh...

In the aftermath of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s capture by the U.S. military, a wide range of questions have gone unanswered. One of those is the role Chinese defense equipment may have played in letting the United States complete its mission unharmed. Venezuela operates Chinese-built radar systems that Beijing has long advertised as capable of neutralizing U.S. stealth advantages. E...

For one of the rare times in recent history, the Chinese Communist Party has not been in lockstep across its branches in external activities. While rhetoric in 2025 was toned down from outwardly aggressive to friendly and businesslike, the military has been more provocative than ever. The direct threats to America and its allies in the East seem to disconnect with China’s need for economic partner...

When you think of a spy, do you think of a military officer who is a master of languages and disguise? If you do, then you may not understand how China uses its massive web of spies throughout the United States. Instead, think professors, white-collar workers, engineers, and researchers. They aren’t professional spies, but their loyalty to the Chinese regime runs deep. Hear Terri Wu’s in-depth dis...

The second Trump Administration published its first National Security Strategy document this month, and it’s a far departure from what the world has seen in recent years. While it adopts a much more business-like tone than before, some analysts say it’s an indicator of a weak United States.  Is that the case? And what implications does the new foreign policy vision have on U.S.–China relation...

How would one infiltrate a foreign government? It seems like the idea would be to go straight to the top, but a recent trial in New York suggests otherwise. Reporter Nick Zifcak has been covering the New York trial case of Linda Sun, who is accused of acting secretly as an agent of the CCP. Hear how she got into her position, who she worked for, everything she is accused of doing, and her side of...

Japan has a new prime minister, and she’s upending the political tradition that has guided geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific region. China is already dealing with the chaos imposed by President Donald Trump’s trade tactics. Now, it has the added pressure from Sanae Takaichi, the Iron Lady of Japan. Listen as Terri hears from experts, including one who attended the same prestigious institute as Takai...

The financial information of Chinese companies is a black box. Yet these companies enjoy preferential access to U.S. capital markets. How did it happen, and why was it tolerated? For decades, China has been taking advantage of leniency and the openness of America’s market system. And it’s coming to a point where action needs to be taken. Join Terri as she analyzes the predatory investment tactics...