Sharp China with Bill Bishop

US-China tensions at Munich and Vienna meetings; criticism of CIA by MSS on WeChat; FBI warning on Chinese malware; America's struggles countering PRC info warfare; debate over lobbying blacklist; Rep. Gallagher's decision not to seek reelection; China protests treatment of its students at US entry points

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 On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with another week of volatility in and around the PRC markets, including a crash on Monday, stabilization as the week unfolded, reports of a meeting between Xi and regulators, and changes at the CSRC. Then: For the first time in 17 years Mexico has supplanted China as the biggest U.S. trade partner, which raises questions about the future of the bilateral trade relationship and volume of PRC goods that have been diverted through countries like Mexico and Vietnam. At the end: The future of green energy manufacturing in the EU and China, a look at the sad and absurd week of controversy surrounding Lionel Messi, and a Happy Lunar New Year to all Sharp China listeners. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm CSRC head replaced; Government wants more EV exports; Wei Fenghe absence; Messi’s groin good enough for Japan — Sinocism Stocks; Xi Thought; Nukes — Sinocism Xi Can’t Use 2015 Playbook to Calm China Markets, Investors Say — Bloomberg Xi to Discuss China Stocks With Regulators as Rescue Bets Build — Bloomberg China’s Economy Is in Serious Trouble — New York Times Hitting China's Wall — New York Times China’s well-to-do are under assault from every side — The Economist How a U.S. Embassy post about giraffes became an outlet for despair about China’s tumbling stock markets — NBC News China dethroned as top source of US imports after 17 years, replaced by Mexico: census data — SCMP A China-U.S. Decoupling? You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet — Wall Street Journal EU mum as solar industry time bomb ticks — Politico With solar industry in crisis, Europe in a bind over Chinese imports — Reuters Messi is playing in a match that concerns integrity: Global Times editorial — Global Times China says Messi's absence in Hong Kong match beyond 'realm of sports' as fury builds — Reuters Josh Ye — @ByJoshYe The 2024 CMG Spring Festival Gala — CCTV YouTube Channel

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 On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with reactions to the revival of Article 23 and thoughts on the landscape in Hong Kong as its laws continue to converge with the mainland. Then: A step back for the stock markets after last week’s stabilization efforts, another politburo meeting comes and goes without any announcement of a plenum, and a question about buying real estate in China. At the end: A listener has a question about President Trump and Taiwan, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is grilled by Senator Tom Cotton, Secretary Raimondo has concerns about EV data collection, and it’s the one-year anniversary of the spy balloon. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm Article 23 for Hong Kong; Real estate; Economic policy; Bill Burns on China — Sinocism Stock Market; China Evergrande liquidation; US-China; Another missile cadre goes down — Sinocism Hong Kong unveils new security law in further repeal of liberties — Nikkei Asia Hong Kong activist publisher Jimmy Lai pleads not guilty to sedition and collusion charges — AP Hong Kong announces plans to ‘trawl the world for talents’ — CNBC China Stocks Sink to Five-Year Low as Traders Unwind Rescue Bets — Bloomberg China Politburo Avoids Setting Date for Key Economic Meeting — Bloomberg China Says Trump Could Abandon Taiwan If He Wins US Election — Bloomberg Trump says Taiwan 'took our business away' — MSNBC YouTube Channel Tom Cotton Unflinchingly Grills TikTok's CEO At Senate Hearing On Child Online Safety — Forbes YouTube Channel Cotton defends pressing TikTok CEO on ties to Chinese Communist Party — The Hill TikTok Struggles to Protect U.S. Data From Its China Parent — Wall Street Journal Jake Sullivan on the Future of US-China Relations — CFR Raimondo Says Chinese EVs Are a National Security Risk For US, EU — Asia Financial Spy Balloon Memories — Politico EU

Bill Bishop, author of Sinocism, and Andrew discuss the challenges faced by Tesla in China, the security risks associated with Tesla vehicles, and the potential impact of Chinese EVs flooding foreign markets. They also touch on Beijing's response to weak investor sentiment, Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and the latest adventures on WeChat from the Ministry of State Security.

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 On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with last weekend’s election in Taiwan, where William Lai and the DPP retained their hold on the presidency but lost a majority in legislature. Topics include: The reactions from China and around the world, continued questions about a timeline for reunification, Hong Kong as a cautionary tale for the Taiwanese, Nauru and the United Nations, and sparring between the Foreign Ministry and the Philippines. From there: Li Qiang delivers good news to Davos, investors in China and Hong Kong remain wary, and one year after China announced to the world it was open for business, several factors have left confidence among the foreign investment community at an all-time low. At the end: The world waits for to China to take action in the Red Sea, a question about cannabis crackdowns in Hong Kong, and a documentary heralds a new crackdown on soccer corruption. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm Taiwan election; Wang Yi on the Red Sea; Li does Davos; Baidu buying opportunity? — Sinocism Xi on financial development; Premier Li's Davos speech; MSS on Taiwan; Spring Festival travel — Sinocism Election result can't change fact that Taiwan is part of China, says Chinese FM — CCTV Secretary Antony J. Blinken With Andrew Sorkin of CNBC — U.S. Department of Statee Hong Kong a cautionary tale as China looms over Taiwan's election — NBC News Taiwan loses diplomatic recognition of Nauru in wake of election — Financial Times The Distortion of UN Resolution 2758 and Limits on Taiwan’s Access to the United Nations — German Marshall Fund China warns Philippines not to ‘play with fire’ over president’s Taiwan remarks — Reuters Philippines defence minister calls out China official for “gutter-level talk” — Reuters A big Chinese delegation unnerves U.S. diplomats in Davos — Politico China Stock Rout Deepens as Data Stoke Recovery Concerns — Bloomberg Did China’s Economy Really Grow 5.2% in 2023? Not All Agree — Bloomberg Beijing tells some investors not to sell as Chinese stock rout resumes — Financial Times Charts This Week #1 & Publishing Update — Real China Chahrts US escalates Red Sea tensions, while China voices fairness — Global Times Why maritime ships are signaling their Chinese identity in the Red Sea — Semafor How Chinese Marijuana Operations Cropped Up in Small-Town America — Wall Street Journal Why Does China Remain Terrible at Soccer? Xi Jinping Has One Answer — Wall Street Journal

Bill Bishop, author of Sinocism, discusses topics such as US intelligence assessment on China, PLA corruption, China's nuclear ambitions, foreign affairs work conference, Liu Jianchao's visit to the US, and Xi's connection with old friends in Iowa.

Give your friends and family the gift of Stratechery Plus. 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 On today’s show Andrew and Bill talk through questions and key areas to watch during the year to come in China. First: A look at the economy a year after the end of dynamic zero covid, including a Bloomberg report on real estate market and household wealth, MSS warnings about discourse traps, and a corruption crackdown that's likely to continue. Then: Foreign policy questions include ongoing tensions with the Philippines and Taiwan, an ODNI report on election interference in the US, and a tactical stabilization with the Americans that may be tested as early as January. At the end: Andrew runs through various memories from the past year, including 72 hours of unmanned airship sightings, a Barbie controversy, the God of Money menu, Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, Gina Raimondo’s trip to Beijing, Gavin Newsom, and an emailer’s submission for a new Sharp China logo. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm China’s Weibo Asks Bloggers to Avoid Badmouthing the Economy — Bloomberg China’s Real Estate Meltdown Is Battering Middle Class Wealth — Bloomberg China curtails ‘dangerous’ fighter jet manoeuvres after Xi-Biden summit — Financial Times CCP-tied group is quietly fueling US-based climate initiatives: tax filings — Fox News ODNI and DHS/DOJ Release Reports on Foreign Interference in 2022 Elections — Lawfare Blinken postpones trip to Beijing after Chinese spy balloon spotted over US — CNN Why 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson over 1-seed Purdue is the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history — CBS Sports James Harden Calls Daryl Morey A Liar — SPORTSNET YouTube ‘Barbie’ Map Controversy: Warner Bros. Explains the Drawing That Got the Film Banned in Vietnam (EXCLUSIVE) — Variety Everything on Janet Yellen's "God of Money" restaurant menu in Beijing — QZ China hits back after Biden calls Xi a 'dictator' — Reuters Chinese Hackers Targeted Commerce Secretary and Other U.S. Officials — New York Times Chinese memes make U.S. envoy unwitting brand ambassador for new Huawei phone — Washington Post Chinese TV presenter linked to missing foreign minister had surrogate child in US — Financial Times California Gov. Gavin Newsom plows into child while playing basketball in China — KTLA 5 YouTube D.C.’s pandas leave for China, ending an era for animal lovers — Washington Post What China Saw in Kissinger — Sinocism

Give your friends and family the gift of Stratechery Plus. 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 On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with thoughts on the readout from the Central Economic Work Conference, including the emphasis on "progress" alongside stability, high-quality development and high-level security, PRC attempts at brand management, and where infrastructure investment might be going. From there: More water cannons, more controversy, and the same concerns as problems persist between the Chinese Coast Guard and the Philippines in the South China Sea. At the end: Frustrations with the hawk-dove spectrum, Henry Kissinger's complicated legacy, and questions about flights to China, academic engagement, and good Chinese TV dramas. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm Central Economic Work Conference; Xi in Vietnam; Short video crackdown — Sinocism Central Economic Work Conference; Progress vs stability; PRC-Philippines standoffs; Fentanyl — Sinocism CEWC 2024 readout — Translated by Sinocism Rise in Chinese steel output drives sharp rally in iron ore — Financial Times U.S. Support for the Philippines in the South China Sea — United States State Department Philippine festive flotilla turns back after Chinese interception — The Guardian China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China What It Feels Like To Be the Target of China’s Water Cannons — New York Times China uses water cannons anew vs Filipino ships in West Philippine Sea — Rappler YouTube Channel What Henry Kissinger wrought — Vox Ambassador Xie Feng met with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Chinese Dramas: The Knockout Minning Town In the Name of the People

Bill Bishop, author of Sinocism, joins Andrew to discuss the rumors surrounding China's disappearing cabinet members, the finance sector in China, Moody's precautions for its local employees, and Secretary Raimondo's warnings about chip companies.

Bill Bishop, author of Sinocism, discusses topics such as money flowing out of China, Xi's potential retirement, creative approaches to move money out of China, and concerns over the Chinese political system.