On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with takeaways from the Central Economic Work Conference, including the latest push to stimulate domestic demand, why consumption is intertwined with security, speculation surrounding Politburo member Ma Xingrui, and a reminder that many of the economic challenges facing China remain intertwined with politics. From there: More thoughts on the sale of H-200s to China, and a look back on the stories that dominated the podcast this year, including a TikTok saga that still hasn’t been resolved, the world tour of US-China negotiations, the PRC weathering the storm from the U.S., China’s ongoing economic struggles, omnipresent EU questions, the Xi rumor mill, and Xi succession plans.

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Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism

To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm

@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube

@Stratechery Channel — YouTube

Expanding Domestic Demand is a Strategic Move; Weak November economic data; Jimmy Lai; Meta and China scam ads — Sinocism

Central Economic Work Conference concludes; Five Musts and Eight Key Tasks; US-Japan-China; H200s — Sinocism

Xi Warns Officials Against Chasing ‘Reckless’ GDP Expansion — Bloomberg

No “Out-of-Pocket Expenses” for Childbirth in China From 2026 — Reuters

China Is ‘Rejecting’ Nvidia’s H200 Chips, Outfoxing US Strategy, Sacks Says — Bloomberg

US Lawmakers Question Basis for Allowing Sale of Nvidia H200 Chips to China — Financial Times

Trump Allows H200 Sales to China, The Sliding Scale, A Good Decision — Stratechery

Nvidia AI Chips to Undergo Unusual U.S. Security Review Before Export to China — Wall Street Journal

Nvidia Builds Location Verification Tech That Could Help Fight Chip Smuggling — Reuters

What’s Next for TikTok in the US as Deal Prospects Remain Uncertain? — BBC

China’s Economy Is Deteriorating on Several Fronts — Wall Street Journal

[Pour aller + loin] Le Mercosur

La base

Introduction

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