Advertise on podcast: Sharp China with Bill Bishop

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin by reviewing the readouts from last week’s Fifth Plenum, including signs that corruption crackdowns will continue, additional targets may include retired cadres, and an area of convergence with the US on policing “corrupt acts carried out through the internet, virtual currencies ... and the like.” From there: The US-China outlook in the wake of Tuesday’s midterms, including questions about the future of the Democratic Party’s approach to China, turnover at the China Select Committee, unknowns surrounding President Trump’s response, heightened scrutiny forthcoming for Nvidia, and Jensen Huang’s ongoing Megaspeed mess. At the end: Distillation intrigue, a Putin-Trump-Xi summit in Shenzhen, new outbound investment regulations from the Treasury Department, the Washington Post reports on a new Pentagon espionage initiative, an emailer wonders about cyber warfare, and the Mbappé mess remains unresolved.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with five questions on the Fifth Plenum as Xi continues his corruption crackdowns and propaganda campaigns emphasize ideological unity and discipline. Topics include: The logistics of this week’s meeting, the challenge of implementing policies throughout the country, the real corruption crisis that Xi inherited 14 years ago, costs of the crackdowns, and the inevitable arrival of a unified version of Xi Jinping Thought. From there: A tour of the hysterics surrounding Kylian Mbappé and Real Madrid this week, including the benign comments at issue, questions about why this is happening now, how the Party views Mao, how Chinese citizens view Mao, and why, if this is all part of a strategy, it may be a bad one. At the end: More bad news from the stock market as tech stocks continue to collapse, questions about forthcoming policies, and a bittersweet update on Pop Mart’s fortunes in the afterglow of the Labubu craze.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a raft of proposed export controls from Beijing on AI related technologies, solar components, and machinery, as well as continued angst surrounding Japan’s rare earth access. Then: Reactions to strong Q3 GDP numbers in the PRC, continued stock market struggles, questions about GDP targets, and speculation about the agenda for next week’s Fifth Plenum. At the end: The EU signals a willingness to continue protectionist measures in new sectors, a report on new investment deals between the US and China, a potential Putin-Xi-Trump, sanctions on China’s version of Y Combinator, and a Politico report on OpenAI’s suddenly restrained export control lobbying, which spawns a variety of thoughts on the state of US chip policy.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with an extended survey of EU-PRC trade dynamics in the wake of an eventful week. Topics include: a deal on hybrid exports that may have averted a trade war, potential loopholes that may complicate the effectiveness of that reform, the tools proposed by France and Germany that may have forced a compromise, tensions that remain unresolved as the EU Council meets later this week, and a word on currency reforms as the PBOC rejects international methods for assessment. From there: Holiday spending per trip hits a four-year low amid analysis that suggests debt may be constraining stimulus measures. At the end: reactions to a report on Xi’s rest breaks at the White House, Xi succession questions, a report on the F-35 mishap, and speculating on the future of US-China relations and whether the current administration has passed peak China dove.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill talk through Xi Jinping’s trip to Washington last week, including low expectations that were met, lots of pageantry in between, why both sides are incentivized to preserve stability for now, and how Mao Zedong’s writing on “strategic stalemate” may inform Xi’s understanding of the current moment. From there: A Taiwan weapons controversy, panda deliverables, and thoughts on Xi’s plan to recruit 100,000 young Americans to study in the PRC over the next five years. At the end: Shared language on Iran, limited progress on AI, trolling intrigue in the East Room and at the National Archives, new Bloomberg reporting on travel restrictions for AI talent and the continued tax crackdown, and more signals that the central government recognizes the economy is struggling.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill discuss Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States and what to expect in Washington D.C. this week. First: Reactions to the meeting between Scott Bessent and He Lifeng in New York City Sunday, including outstanding questions about the “hotline” that was mooted for AI, details that remain fuzzy on the board of trade that’s been “operationalized,” and lingering rare earths frustration that may or may not delay an extension of the Busan truce. Then: Xi’s agenda in D.C., why asymmetric pageantry is fine, the PRC business delegation that failed to materialize, questions about Taiwan, Iran and Chinese automakers, and a note on Min Zin as he remains detained in China. At the end: Protesters and counter-protesters in New York City, the September Politburo brings the official expulsion of Generals Zhang and Liu, and evidently unfounded Xi rumors make their triumphant return at the BRICS Summit in India last week.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill look at several dimensions of the PRC’s approach to AI. First: The various reasons a push for an agreement with U.S. labs to “pace” AI development is unlikely to bear fruit and the history of the CPC’s approach to control over technology. Then: The head of the MSS offers a view into CPC concerns around political security risks and data risks, while Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei proposes a misguided framework for forcing Chinese compliance with a slowdown agreement. From there: The U.S. reiterates its complaints about Chinese companies conducting “industrial-scale” distillation of U.S. AI models, while Anthropic suggests sensitive PRC data was shared with Claude. At the end: A law broadening exit bans goes live, the New York Times reports Chinese social media “getting dark,” while the Wall Street Journal highlights an influencer scandal captivating netizens.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a perspective on PRC strategy under Xi, including what the party wants from global institutions, how the PRC differs from the U.S., and political security as a paramount priority. Then: Thoughts on the heartbreaking flood at the Nepal-Tibet border, including the party’s response, censorship and data sharing, and the realities of the geography in question. At the end: A raft of U.S.-China stories: the PRC scuppering a G20 joint communique, Anthropic and AI safety questions, notes before Xi’s visit in three weeks, waiting for better evidence that the PRC is shaping U.S. data center discourse, and TikTok dodges the China Select Committee.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a series of questions on the US and China, including a look at the likely toothless threats implied by Trump’s “Economic D-Day” agenda, China’s role or lack thereof in a breakdown between the US and Canada, questions about the next four weeks and four months of the relationship, and, unrelated to the US, what to watch for as Xi heads to the SCO Summit where he could potentially meet Vladimir Putin. From there: A cabbage scandal in Hebei province and a longstanding concern among both PRC citizens and the party. At the end: How and why the central government is using tax crackdowns to cover local government shortfalls, four People’s Daily articles on the economy, a surprise plenary session of the CCDI, the founder of Evergrande is sentenced to life in prison, and thoughts on what the Party wants from the stock market as Unitree stock loses nearly half its value after an initial IPO pop.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill with Wang Yi’s visit to South Korea this week, including the fortunate timing for the PRC in the wake of President Trump’s decision to scale back joint US-ROK exercises, PRC concerns around North Korea, and dynamics on the peninsula that are shifting in ways that aren’t entirely clear. Then: Zhu Rongji’s legacy, a week of nostalgia for the Zhu/Jiang era, and the uncertain future of the Linden Centre after a poignant Financial Times piece two weeks ago. At the end: Catching up on US-China news from the break, including thoughts and questions ahead of Xi’s visit to D.C., a draft plan to make American AI partners choose between the US and China, China’s continued reliance on Nvidia hardware, the White House highlights transshipment concerns, the DOW asks higher education for more info on foreign research, and an emailer who asks about the New York Times’ reporting on PRC programs to surveil foreigners.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with reactions to CXMT’s IPO success this week, including responses from legislators in Washington and the stakes of Apple’s continued lobbying fight to relax restrictions on US companies working with PRC memory firms. Then: The FCC announces rules restricting the import of new, foreign-made robots and power inverters in a move to curb security risks and fuel onshoring. From there: Surveying the ongoing debate over the future of open weights models, including disadvantages facing US-led open source AI efforts, MOFCOM’s statement on distillation and Silicon Valley’s support for Chinese open weights AI, and the risks of building atop PRC AI infrastructure. At the end: Expectations for the July Politburo meeting, news out of Iran that may threaten constructive strategic stability in advance of Xi’s visit to D.C., a bad few weeks for Mercedes, and more clashes between the PRC and the Philippines.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill focus on the arrival of Moonshot’s Kimi K3 model and the “DeepSeek 2.0 concerns” among investors and policymakers. Topics include: The incoherent U.S. approach to the open source AI ecosystem, levers the U.S. side could pull to thwart Chinese progress, and why the Trump Administration might be reluctant to take those steps. Then: Xi’s keynote address at the World AI conference, China’s coherent messaging to the world, questions about infrastructure in the Global South, and the needle the U.S. could thread with open source policy. At the end: Trump’s claims of “an unprecedented election security nightmare” at the hands of the PRC, the Connected Vehicle Security Act heads to mark-up this week, Neville Roy Singham is under investigation, and Rep. John Moolenaar urges the NBA to look closer at Brooklyn Nets owner—and Alibaba Chairman—Joe Tsai.

On today’s show, Andrew and Bill begin by parsing the economic data released by the PRC this week, including slower-than-expected growth, the Party’s response to the status quo, export-powered growth that is widening trade imbalances, and the questions all of this will raise for foreign policymakers. From there: The Party’s findings on Ma Xingrui, questions that remain unanswered, and cadre risk aversion for the next 18 months. Then: PRC messaging around openness in AI, an ongoing U.S. debate over open-source AI models, three chip bills that may end up in the NDAA, and the continued adventures in China policy on Capitol Hill. At the end: Reflections on the 10th anniversary of The Hague ruling on the PRC’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, as well as the state of play today.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with Monday’s SLBM test from the PLA Navy, including questions surrounding its timing and location, regional angst, and a reminder that the PLA continues to enhance its nuclear triad capabilities. Then: Two new PLA generals are promoted while rectification continues and five CMC seats remain vacant, and reactions to last week’s shocking CITIC plane crash and a major security breach in Beijing. From there: An emailer asks about America’s interests in maintaining the Taiwan status quo, Beijing considers limiting access to advanced AI models, the knives are out for Jeffery Kessler at BIS, and the White House preps for Xi’s visit in September. At the end Questions about the release of pastor Ezra Jin, context for the U.S. sentencing of disgraced tycoon Guo Wengui, and the Washington Wizards get a letter from Rep. John Moolenaar.

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building and further signs that one year after from a summer of rumors and one year out from the 21st Party Congress, Xi’s power remains entrenched as ever. Then: MOFCOM and the Ministry of Finance announced restrictions on several dozen US firms, the global memory chip shortage is an opportunity for CXMT and YMTC, what to make of the U.S. government’s scrutiny of ASML, and Elon Musk’s alarm over the West’s China vulnerabilities. At the end: Takeaways from the EU Council meeting on China, Germany’s push for PRC currency revaluation, structural forces that yield EU inertia, and emails on Chinese soccer, space warfare, and the Jim Cramer of weather.