China Watch

Tariffs have yet to be finalized, but the U.S.-China trade war has moved on from them. And perhaps very different from what you hear from the legacy media, the Trump administration’s tariffs haven’t been a failure—they have set a whole new precedent. Behind the hustle and bustle of tit-for-tat tariffs, the global trade order has undergone a fundamental shift. Meanwhile, a new battlefield for finan...

Rare earths have become a strategic weapon in China's trade arsenal. That situation is by design, as the Chinese regime uses its supply-chain monopoly to influence worldwide trade.  How did we arrive at this point with such a heavy reliance on China? What were some of the past struggles to break free from China's control over rare earths? Now, the United States is moving once again to build a...

The U.S. bunker-busters that ended the 12-day war in Iran sent metaphorical shockwaves all the way to the Far East. The Chinese regime’s rhetoric has long been that of a “rising East” and “declining West.” But these strikes have flipped that narrative on its head. The sudden and decisive action of the United States may have taken the wind out of the Chinese Communist Party’s sails. The Chinese hav...

Everyone knows that history often repeats itself. Today, we’ll look at a case where people are actively seeking to repeat history.  Nearly 3,000 years ago, a famous chancellor in China successfully used trade to expand the power and territory of his state. Today, the Chinese communist regime has borrowed strategy from the same playbook. How China has used its rare earths trump card may reveal...

Back in May, I spoke with Professor Li Shaomin, a painter who created propaganda for the Chinese communist regime, including portraits of former leader Mao Zedong. I hoped he would help me resolve my emotional dilemma mentioned several episodes ago in “U.S.-China Breakup: It’s Getting Personal.” When the Trump administration began revoking Chinese student visas earlier this month, my identity as a...

Welcome to an extra episode of China Watch. In this interview with AI expert Ethan Tu, we talked about the natural divergence between the AI supply chains led by the United States and China. How much of our impression of China’s AI leadership is shaped by Chinese propaganda? How has China redefined the game to look like it’s ahead of U.S.? And what are the hidden ideological and technical risks in...

The AI race is the defining aspect of the U.S.–China competition, similar to the previous Space Race between the United States and the former Soviet Union. Rather than a competition in space, the AI race is happening around us in our daily lives more than many of us realize. Join Terri as she unpacks the high stakes of the U.S.–China contest and the key drivers that will determine the winner. This...

The new visa policy for Chinese international students marks another major shift in the U.S.-China decoupling. It’s getting personal. The potential impact is way bigger than tariffs. It’s also personal for host Terri Wu because she came to America as a Chinese student. There’s a lot to unpack: national security concerns, personal concerns, and emotional reactions. The count of Chinese students in...

He created propaganda by painting Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong’s portraits. He studied in America to try to figure out a way to help China’s economy. But with free access to information in the West, he realized that his world views were not grounded in reality—they were shaped by the regime’s propaganda, which he now calls a mass “brainwashing project.” Li Shaomin, professor of internationa...

Nvidia’s Jensen Huang once said that humanoid robots are the only AI product that can scale because they can do what humans do. The sector is on the cusp of mass production this year. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may produce more than 10,000 units by 2027. One unit has already joined the police force, patrolling the streets in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. The CCP is also developing AI weapon...

In this bonus episode, we’re not just going to rehash tariffs—we’ve heard enough of that. We’re going to talk about the scheming of China’s negotiators. This topic is so significant that I rushed to talk to my favorite experts.  So, how should we understand communist-Chinese deal-making? Join us as we lay out Beijing’s “Art of the Deal.” Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the hos...

In June, another 12 million students in China will graduate from college. About 7 million of them will enter the job market, and the remainder will pursue advanced studies. The influx of new workers is expected to strain a job market already defined by a high youth unemployment rate. As a consequence, fewer young people are getting married in China—they cannot afford to. Many of them have to rely...

Exports made up one-third of China’s economic growth last year. If Beijing doesn’t resolve its tariff standoff with the United States soon, it will lose tens of millions of jobs. That will drive China’s economy into depression, experts say. Listen for more details that the Chinese regime doesn’t want you to know. Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necess...

If you are confused and fatigued by the China tariff news, listen to this episode. We cancel the noise for you and show you what matters in the trajectory of U.S.-China relations.  Reports covered in this episode: In First 100 Days, Trump Reorganizes the Chess Board Against China ( Read ) Chinese Exporters Begin to Feel Pain of Tariffs as Containers Stack Up ( Read ) Views expressed in this e...

Xi Jinping’s drunk fight in the late 1980s offers a glimpse of his personality. The two leaders also face different domestic pressures.  In addition, Xi has an extreme option he could use in the battle. Read the original report: With Tariff Escalations, US and China Enter a New Era — Terri Wu is a Washington-based freelance reporter for The Epoch Times covering education and China-related iss...

Experts say U.S.–China relations have crossed a key threshold. A showdown between the world’s largest and second-largest economies has begun. Read the original reports: With Tariff Escalations, US and China Enter a New Era Why US Has Upper Hand Over Beijing in Tariff Standoff Views expressed in this episode are opinions of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch T...

A lot is going on in China, aside from tariffs. In this episode, we present a unique analysis of Xi Jinping’s grey hair, the serial disappearances of Chinese generals, and how they are connected to a well-known Chinese prophecy. Show Notes: Poem No. 46 有一軍人身帶弓　只言我是白頭翁 東邊門裡伏金劍　勇士後門入帝宮 There is a soldier carrying a bow, A voice says, I’m just an old, white-haired man. A...

President Donald Trump has imposed an additional 20 percent tariff on all goods made in China, citing a national emergency on the continued trafficking of fentanyl—a deadly opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine—into the United States. To this day, China remains the primary source of fentanyl precursors, which are shipped to Mexico, where they’re manufactured into the illicit dru...