

Sharp China with Bill Bishop
Andrew Sharp and Sinocism’s Bill Bishop
Understanding China and how China impacts the world. Hosted by Andrew Sharp and Bill Bishop.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 19, 2023 • 12min
(Preview) Macron and Lula Meetings; 'Surgical' Trade Retaliation; The DOJ Charges Dozens of Chinese Security Officers; Waiting for the FBI's Balloon Report
Subscribe to Stratechery Plus to get full episodes of Sharp China, plus Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Sharp Tech, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering.
Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism
To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm
Lula and Xi; National security cases; US indictments of PRC police officers; Yi Gang on the RMB; Spy balloon disclosures — Sinocism
Lula vows partnership with China to ‘balance world geopolitics’ — Finanical Times
Why China’s Leader Hasn’t Called the President of Ukraine — New York Times
Europe must resist pressure to become ‘America’s followers,’ says Macron — Politico
China starts ‘surgical’ retaliation against foreign companies after US-led tech blockade — Financial Times
U.S. Arrests Two, Charges Dozens for Alleged Illegal U.S. Activities by Chinese Security Agents — Wall Street Journal
China stalls Antony Blinken’s Beijing visit over ‘spy balloon’ concerns — Financial Times
Leaked secret documents detail up to four additional Chinese spy balloons — Washington Post

Apr 13, 2023 • 59min
(Free Preview) The Tsai/McCarthy Meeting and China's Reaction, Taiwan's Upcoming Presidential Election, Warren Buffett and TSMC, and China and AI
Subscribe to Stratechery Plus to get full episodes of Sharp China, plus Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Sharp Tech, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering.
Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism
To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm
Taiwan's president warns 'democracy is under threat' in joint remarks with McCarthy — CNN
European leaders in Beijing; Tsai in California; Xinhua attacks US financial hegemony; Saudi-Iran Beijing meeting — Sinocism
China to inspect ships in Taiwan Strait, Taiwan says won't cooperate — Reuters
PLA exercises around Taiwan; Macron and the PRC; Did Tedros "slander China"?; AI Bubble — Sinocism
China military ‘ready to fight’ after drills near Taiwan — Associated Press
Xi inspects Guangdong; Lula to China; Draft AI rules; Macron; Sandstorms; Substack Notes open to all — Sinocism
2024 election a choice between 'democracy and autocracy': DPP nominee Lai — Focus Taiwan
China slaps security reviews on AI products as Alibaba unveils ChatGPT challenger — Financial Times
Buffett says geopolitics a factor in Berkshire sale of TSMC stake — Reuters

Mar 24, 2023 • 11min
(Preview) The Grim Implications of Xi's Week in Moscow and the Continuing Adventures of TikTok on Capitol Hill
Subscribe to Stratechery Plus to get full episodes of Sharp China, plus Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Sharp Tech, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering.
Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism
To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm
Xi-Putin; Ukraine; Reshaping the world order; Cloud loophole for US chip controls; Lula to China — Sinocism
TikTok toast?; PRC-Russia; China Development Forum; National security rectification; Taiwan; Knowledge decoupling — Sinocism
Xi Jinping-Vladimir Putin talks highlight Russia’s role as ‘junior partner’ to China — Financial Times
China Is Starting to Act Like a Global Power — Wall Street Journal
The world according to Xi — The Economist
How TikTok Failed to Make the Case for Itself — Platformer
US Regulator Warns About Data Security During TikTok Hearing — Bloomberg
How TikTok Became a Diplomatic Crisis — New York Times
Tech Shame in the "New Era" — China Media Project
Chinese recommendations in the DMV? — Sinocism Chat

Mar 15, 2023 • 13min
(Preview) Middle East Diplomacy and Reports of a Putin Visit; New Submarines for Australia; A Kamala Harris Beijing Trip?; What Xi Learned from His Father
Subscribe to Stratechery Plus to get full episodes of Sharp China, plus Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Sharp Tech, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering.
Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism
To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm
A country in flux: Recent and future policy shifts in Chin — Brookings Institute
Premier Li’s first State Council Executive Meeting; National Data Bureau; AUKUS — Sinocism
Two meetings; Xi to Russia; Update on PRC visas; AUKU — Sinocism
Saudi Arabia, Iran Restore Relations in Deal Brokered by China — Wall Street Journal
Exclusive: China's Xi plans Russia visit as soon as next week - sources — Reuters
China’s Xi Plans to Speak With Zelensky for First Time Since Ukraine War Broke Out — Wall Street Journal
Germany and the Netherlands signal weakening of Europe’s China tech ties — Fortune
China looms large as Biden makes submarine moves with UK, Australia — CNN
A Squabble About History Almost Killed Xi Jinping’s Father — Foreign Policy
What Xi Jinping Learned—And Didn’t Learn—From His Father About Xinjiang — The Diplomat
Simple, but not easy: After rejecting basketball for years, Zach Edey's Zen-like approach made him unstoppable — CBS Sports
Let sleeping dogs lie — Tashi the Golden Doodle's Substack

Mar 8, 2023 • 11min
(Preview) New Language from Xi and Qin Gang; Competing Thoughts on DC Consensus; Trudeau and the UFWD; Lessons from Lee Teng-hui's 1995 US Visit
Subscribe to Stratechery Plus to get full episodes of Sharp China, plus Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Sharp Tech, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering.
Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism
Bill will be on a virtual Brookings panel Friday morning to discuss “the recent policy shifts within China, their underlying causes, and potential implications for the future”. You can sign up here to attend. Ryan Hass is the moderator and the other panelists are John Culver, Cheng Li and Emily Feng.
To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm
Two meetings; Around 5% GDP growth; Xi's vision; Xi on the private sector — Sinocism
Government restructuring; Qin Gang's press conference and a warning to the US; Support for private sector; TikTok — Sinocism
China warns of potential conflict with US over containment strategy — Financial Times
Washington has succumbed to dangerous groupthink on China — Washington Post
China to Create New Top Regulator for Data Governance — Wall Street Journal
At China political meeting, internet bosses are out, chip execs are in — Reuters
Did China mess with Canada? Trudeau says he has a plan to find out. — Politico
Magic Weapons: China's political influence activities under Xi Jinping — Wilson Center
China’s Overseas United Front Work: Background and Implications for the United States — U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
Speaker Kevin McCarthy to meet Taiwan’s president in US to avoid China’s ire — Financial Times
Taiwan's President Tiptoes Around Politics at Cornell — New York Times
Averting Escalation and Avoiding War: Lessons from the 1995–1996 Taiwan Strait Crisis — National Defense University Press
What China can teach Latin America about Good and Bad Graft — Bloomberg
China's Gilded Age: The Paradox of Economic Boom and Vast Corruption — Yuen Yuen Ang
The Fugee, the Fugitive and the FBI — Bloomberg

Mar 1, 2023 • 55min
Empty Rhetoric on Ukraine; The Judiciary Under Xi; When Congress Investigates COVID Origins; Updates on Bao Fan
Subscribe to Stratechery Plus to get full episodes of Sharp China, plus Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Sharp Tech, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering.
Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism
To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm
PRC-Ukraine; Xi and propaganda into the Two Meetings; Legal education guideline; Li Keqiang farewell tour — Sinocism
PRC-Russia-Ukraine; US-PRC; Financial sector personnel and corruption — Sinocism
China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis — MoFA
President Xi Jinping Had a Virtual Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin — MoFA
As China Calls for Peace, U.S. Believes Beijing Is Considering Artillery and Drone Deliveries to Moscow — Wall Street Journal
Putin ally Lukashenko meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing — CNN
China releases key guideline on legal education, stresses firm stand to oppose Western erroneous views — Global Times
Xi’s Law-and-Order Strategy — Foreign Affairs
Lab Leak Most Likely Origin of Covid-19 Pandemic, Energy Department Now Says — Wall Street Journal
The State of Dynamic Zero-COVID and Reactions to That ProPublica Report — Sharp China
Australia rides out Chinese sanctions as exports boom — Financial Times
House committee on China starts two-year drive to ‘decouple’ — Washington Post
Missing Banker Bao Fan Is Cooperating in China Probe, His Firm Says — Bloomberg
With Streaks of Gray Hair, Xi Jinping of China Breaks With Tradition — New York Times
The Knockout EP01: Gao Qiqiang is Sent to the Police for Fighting | 狂飙 | iQIYI — YouTube

Feb 22, 2023 • 11min
(Preview) US-China Meeting in Munich; Biden in Kyiv and Wang Yi in Moscow; Blinken’s Warnings on Weapons; The Disappearance of Bao Fan
Subscribe to Stratechery Plus to get full episodes of Sharp China, plus Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Sharp Tech, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering.
Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism
To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm
US-China meeting; Wang Yi in Europe; US warnings about aid to Russia; US hegemony; Bao Fan — Sinocism
2nd Plenum dates set, will deepen reform of Party and state institutions; Wang Yi in Russia; Global Security Initiative — Sinocism
China Misreads the Room in Munich — GMF
Wang Yi Meets with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari — MoFA
US warns China not to send weapons to Russia for Ukraine war — AP
U.S. Warnings to China on Arms Aid for Russia’s War Portend Global Rift — New York Times
China’s top tech dealmaker Bao Fan goes missing — Financial Times
Beyond the ballon: the US-China spy game — Financial Times
Hedge Fund Billionaire Extracts Billions More to Retire — New York Times
Covid Cap Forces United Airlines to Delay Extra China-US Services For Six Months — Bloomberg
At Mandarin open mic stand-up shows in U.S., 'warmth' overcomes hate — Nikkei Asia

Feb 16, 2023 • 9min
(Preview) The Balloon Frenzy Floats Along; Anti-US Propaganda; Xi and the Hardening of the CPC System; ChatGPT in China
Subscribe to Stratechery Plus to get full episodes of Sharp China, plus Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Sharp Tech, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering.
Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism
To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm
Xi meets Iran President; Football corruption; Document #1; Anti-US propaganda — Sinocism
Document #1; Balloon mess expands; Blinken and Wang Yi may meet; Iran President to visit — Sinocism
U.S. tracked China spy balloon from launch on Hainan Island along unusual path — Washington Post
US should give responsible explanation on Nord Stream blasts: Chinese FM — Global Times
Chinese State Media Persuades a Global Audience That the “China Model” is Superior: Evidence From A 19-Country Experiment — OSF Preprints
The Oxford History of Modern China (Oxford Histories) — Amazon
Wealth and Power: China's Long March to the Twenty-first Century — Amazon
Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age — Amazon
The World Turned Upside Down: A History of the Chinese Cultural Revolution — Amazon
Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden: Two Sisters Separated by China's Civil War — Amazon
Xinjiang governor cancels EU visit amid Uyghur abuse blowback — Politico
Surveillance State: Inside China's Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control — Amazon
ChatGPT frenzy sweeps China as firms scramble for homegrown options — CNBC
ChatGPT Lookalikes Proliferate in China — Bloomberg

Feb 9, 2023 • 9min
(Preview) Biden’s State of the Union; Escalating Rhetoric in Congress; Holes in the Hardliner Balloon Theory; What Xi Thinks about Competition
Subscribe to Stratechery Plus to get full episodes of Sharp China, plus Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Sharp Tech, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering.
Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism
To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm
Balloon blowup; PRC-Russia; Hong Kong trial; Real estate — Sinocism
Xi and Biden articulate views on systems competition; Balloon mess; AI bubble — Sinocism
Xi schools new central committee members and officials on modernization; Two establishes; Balloon fallout; Tibet rail plans — Sinosicm
Chinese balloon part of vast aerial surveillance program, U.S. says — Washington Post
Agents of Subversion: The Fate of John T. Downey and the CIA's Covert War in China — John Delury
Downed Chinese balloon was 200 feet tall, U.S. military says — NBC News
GOP preps anti-China economic salvo — Politico
China’s military keeps rivals on edge with balloon strategy — Financial Times
China Has More ICBM Launchers Than U.S., American Military Reports — Wall Street Journal
Chinese spy balloon furore puts focus on Xi Jinping’s leadership — Financial Times
House votes to make it easier to report UFOs — Politico
A Chinese Telescope Did Not Find an Alien Signal. The Search Continues. — New York Times
The X files intro and opening theme — YouTube

Feb 3, 2023 • 27min
Emergency Pod: A Reconnaissance Balloon Spotted over the Continental U.S. and D.C. Cancels the Visit by Secretary Blinken
Subscribe to Stratechery Plus to get full episodes of Sharp China, plus Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Sharp Tech, Greatest of All Talk, and Dithering.
Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism
To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm
High-Flying Balloon Seen as Part of Broader Chinese Spy Program — Bloomberg
@TheInsiderPaper — Twitter
Secretary Blinken’s Call with People’s Republic of China (PRC) CCP Central Foreign Affairs Office Director Wang Yi — United States State Department


