Our guest today is economist Noah Smith, who made time for an in-person interview during his recent trip to Taiwan. He runs the Noahpinion substack and is the author of an upcoming book on the revival of the Japanese economy.
We discuss…
- The goals of Silicon Valley's pro-Trump constituency, from deregulation, to tariffs, to China policy,
- Whether Elon is standing up for Taiwan behind closed doors,
- Whether Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Poland need their own nuclear weapons,
- How Taiwan could bargain for independence with China’s leaders post-Xi,
- National health insurance as a potential solution to China’s aggregate demand problem,
- A Georgist perspective on China’s real estate problem,
- Why China’s demographic issues are overstated,
- Recommendations for Taiwan’s economic development.
To hear more of Noah's musings, check out Econ 102, a podcast by Turpentine.
Outtro music: Wifey by Dizzy Dizzo 蔡詩芸 (Youtube Link)
Cover art: 清 冷枚 梧桐双兔图
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