Sharp China with Bill Bishop

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.

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 Woodside Summit and the San Francisco Vision; Fentanyl; Real Estate; Applied Materials and SMIC — Sinocism Li Qiang heads CFC; Real Estate; Taiwan election; US-China; Prosecutors and Xi Thought on Culture — Sinocism Watch: The moment Biden and Xi discuss presidential sedans — NBC News In Talks With Biden, Xi Defends China’s Rise, While Seeking to Reassure — New York Times Biden removes sanctions from Chinese institute in push for fentanyl help — Reuters The global network behind the fentanyl crisis — Financial Times Chinese propaganda frames Xi's US pivot — Reuters U.S. Executives Get No Reassurance From Xi on Tougher China Business Environment — Wall Street Journal Biden calls Xi a dictator after carefully planned summit — Reuters Why did Joe Biden call Xi Jinping a dictator? — China in Context/SOAS China Institute Taiwan’s Opposition in Disarray as Alliance Talks Stumble — Bloomberg Taiwan's former US envoy, well-known in US, vilified by China, named VP candidate — Reuters One of the Most Influential Ambassadors in Washington Isn’t One — New York Times Take heart, it looks like China could send new pandas to the US — AP The Amazing Panda Adventure (1995) Official Trailer — Rotten Tomatoes Classic Trailers YouTube Channel California Governor Presents Xi with Golden State Warriors Jersey — CCTV Video News Agency YouTube Channel Biden Panda Cold Open — Saturday Night Live YouTube Channel

Tech analyst Ben Thompson, author Bill Bishop, and commentator Andrew Sharp discuss topics such as the chip ban, China's response, TikTok's ban, the efficiency of authoritarian government, and the upcoming apex meeting in San Francisco. They explore the impact on tech companies, the US-China relationship, and the strategic benefits of the American system.

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 Xi Jinping’s trip to San Francisco and a likely meeting with President Biden next week. Topics include: A planned dinner with business leaders, why the PRC hasn’t yet confirmed the trip, modest goals for both sides, more ambitious concessions China and the US may seek. From there: Janet Yellen’s column in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal offers one calculation for foreign capital flight, and why changes at the as yet unscheduled Third Plenum may not allay investor anxiety. At the end: The detention of Zhang Hongli, a.k.a. Lee Zhang, in what appears to be another corruption investigation, warming relations between the PRC and Australia, and the pandas in Washington D.C. prepare for a long flight. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm PRC-Australia back on the "right path"; He Lifeng to DC; Investor detentions and foreign funds outflows; Vanke; Hydropower — Sinocism More state capital for key areas; Prepping for Xi in San Francisco; More real estate support likely; PLA; Huawei AI chips; BRI — Sinocism US Defense Chief Lloyd Austin Asks to Meet With China’s Still-Unnamed Counterpart — Bloomberg There’s a way for the U.S. to compete with China — and to work with China — Washington Post Foreign Firms Pull Billions in Earnings Out of China — Wall Street Journal Wang Xiangwei's Thought of the Day on China — Wang Xiangwei's Thought of the Day on China China Opens Corruption Probe Into Ex-ICBC Banker Zhang Hongli — Bloomberg Inside a Brazen Scheme to Woo China: Gifts, Golf and a $4,254 Wine — New York Times Private schools rethink China future after flunking growth test — Reuters Australian and Chinese leaders talk pandas and wine as ties improve despite disagreements — AP Here’s How the Pandas Are Getting From the National Zoo to China — Washingtonian The hidden power of China’s pandas — and why the U.S. is losing them all — Washington Post Surprise panda goodbye — Axios