Podcasts about Shenzhen

This week on Sinica I'm joined by Robert Wright, author of The Moral Animal, Nonzero, and The Evolution of God, for a conversation that runs a little outside our usual beat, though China sits closer to its center than you'd expect. The occasion is his new book The God Test: Artificial Intelligence and Our Coming Cosmic Reckoning, which reads the AI revolution as the latest turn in a story going back billions of years. We get into the French Jesuit paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin's "noosphere," Bob's argument that we evolved large language models rather than engineered them, the cognitive empathy we've both long preached, and the two-word talking point — "But China!" — that Bob thinks is most likely to lead us astray.6:56 – Teilhard de Chardin, the noosphere, and why a planetary "global brain" has become necessary14:49 – Directionality without the mysticism: complexification, teleology, and the "cell's-eye view" worry21:57 – The God Test: is moral progress really the price of governing AI, and is that hopeless on a short clock?28:33 – Why Bob says we evolved large language models rather than built them, and the sycophancy problem that follows35:19 – Open weights and open source: a real safety argument, or competitiveness in safety's clothing?40:03 – Cognitive empathy as the master key, and the same capacity as an engine of deception48:06 – Arms-race fatalism and its limits: cheetahs, gazelles, and the rival who can pick up the phone53:40 – "But China": fear of Beijing, Anthropic and Amodei, Jeff Ding, and the chip-control backfire1:10:48 – Nonzero: game theory, common threats, and the takeoff scenarios that worry Bob most1:23:22 – Attribution error and projection, Ed Fredkin's old warning, and the actual first movePaying It Forward: Garrison Lovely, author of the forthcoming Obsolete (Nation Books) and the Substack of the same name on the AI race.Recommendations:Bob: Pantheon, the animated series on uploaded minds and emergent superintelligence; and the Crowded House song "Don't Dream It's Over."Kaiser: Kyle Chan's High Capacity podcast, especially his episode with Carnegie's Matt Sheehan, "Is China Getting Worried About AI?"; and Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Neste episódio do Emílias Podcast, Julia Peron Metzger foi entrevistada por Adolfo Neto e Carolina Bruno, compartilhando sua jornada na Engenharia de Computação com foco na área de hardware. Na contramão da maioria dos colegas que seguiram para o desenvolvimento de software, Júlia uniu sua paixão pela eletrônica à criação de conteúdo digital e ao empreendedorismo, gerenciando hoje uma marca autoral de acessórios eletrônicos. Durante a conversa, ela detalhou os desafios de coordenar uma cadeia física de produção e relembrou sua recente viagem internacional por grandes polos tecnológicos, como Shenzhen na China, onde registrou o ecossistema maker e a cultura de testes rápidos no exterior.A trajetória de Júlia também joga luz sobre o isolamento feminino na tecnologia, já que ela foi a única mulher a se formar em uma turma que inicialmente contava com quase 50 alunos. Ela defendeu a necessidade de maior representatividade feminina no setor para que problemas reais sejam resolvidos sob novas perspectivas e relatou como lida com o preconceito no mercado através do humor em suas redes sociais. Ao analisar o cenário brasileiro, explicou que as altas taxas de importação de componentes encarecem a inovação e punem o erro dos estudantes. Para incentivar quem está começando, ela destacou o fascínio de tirar ideias do papel e recomendou os materiais de eletrônica do professor Newton C. Braga.JuliaLabshttps://www.instagram.com/juliallabs/ https://www.youtube.com/@UChfu9xWITOvsXYLKm7hieSQ  https://www.tiktok.com/@juliallabs Indicações: (Adolfo)Why We Fear AI: On the Interpretation of Nightmares - Hagen Blix  https://amzn.to/49RZFt3 (JuliaLabs)Professor Newton C Braga: https://www.youtube.com/c/InstitutoNCBNewtonCBraga https://www.newtoncbraga.com.br/ Naruto - Masashi Kishimoto https://naruto.fandom.com/pt-br/wiki/Masashi_Kishimoto Episódio 139Edição: Carolina BrunoSite da Rede Emílias de Podcasts: https://fronteirases.github.io/redeemilias/ Site do Emílias - Armação em Bits:  https://utfpr.curitiba.br/emilias/ Formulário de feedback: https://questionario.utfpr.edu.br/limesurvey/index.php/251852

How do startups actually beat established incumbents? In this episode of the BRAVE Southeast Asia Tech Podcast, Jeremy Au reframes the classic David vs Goliath story to explain why startups are not underdogs. They are operators who choose the right weapon, then go for the kill shot of category creation. Break down the David vs Goliath Reframe, where the slingshot was equivalent to a pistol and David won not by luck but by choosing speed over armor. Walk through Startup Case Studies including Oatly building a billion-dollar oat milk category from nothing in 1994, and Hon Lik inventing the vape in Shenzhen for himself, as examples of how startups experiment where incumbents cannot. Wrap up with Jeffrey Bussgang's Jungle, Dirt Road, Highway framework, using Jeff Bezos's transition from finance to Amazon as the canonical startup lifecycle example. Tune in to find out why category creation comes from experimentation, not optimization, and why startups should invent rather than compete. Watch, listen or read the full insight at https://www.bravesea.com/blog/invent-the-category  WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VakR55X6BIElUEvkN02e TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jeremyau Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyauz Twitter X : https://x.com/jeremyau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bravesea English: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Bahasa Indonesia: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts Chinese: Spotify | YouTube | Apple Podcasts

In this episode of PING we're hearing about secure Internet Routing and its data distribution problem from Job Snijders who has been on PING before talking about his measurements in BGP and RPKI. We caught up at IETF125 in Shenzhen where Job presented to the SIDROPS working group on a new protocol he's been designing, called Erik. The Erik protocol was named in honour of Erik Bais who died in May 2024. Erik was a stalwart of the RIPE routing community. He was a chair of the Address policy working group, and active in the Dutch cloud community and the data center association. RPKI, the principal mechanism for determining secure inter domain routing intent (hence SIDR) depends on every relying party (or RP) validating the data collecting all the signed statements from all the publication points, worldwide. This is a time consuming process which inherently serialises behind the sequence of bytes fetched to form a given repository state at a publication point, and how the protocol works out whats changed since the last fetch by this user, and what to send. It's not very efficient and it's not scaling as well as we'd like as the amount of data rises, and the number of validators or RPs are fetching the data. Job's “Erik” protocol is designed to improve significantly on the two mechanisms defined at present, the RSYNC protocol, originally designed in the mid 1990s for filesystem synchronisation, and RRDP, a SIDR specific delta protocol which was designed to improve on rsync, using experience gained from the NRTM mechanism used to copy data in the RIR WHOIS databases. Job has been able to find why RPKI fetch is slow, and design a protocol using the Merkle Tree mechanism which can significantly improve the collection delay, as well as allow for intermediaries such as CDN providers to host services in the cloud.

El programa 2885 de Radiogeek repasa las novedades tecnológicas más importantes de la semana: cambios en YouTube Shorts y Google One, 200 vulnerabilidades corregidas por Microsoft, conflictos laborales en TP-Link, novedades en Instagram y la paradoja de Anthropic en Washington. El episodio 2885 de Radiogeek arrancó con una noticia que podría pasar desapercibida pero que afecta a millones de usuarios: YouTube Shorts reemplazará el clásico botón de "Me gusta" —el pulgar hacia arriba— por un corazón, siguiendo una tendencia que ya adoptaron otras plataformas de video vertical. En el frente de la ciberseguridad, Microsoft lanzó su Patch Tuesday de junio de 2026 con la corrección de 200 vulnerabilidades, uno de los paquetes de parches más voluminosos de los últimos tiempos. Un recordatorio puntual de la importancia de mantener los sistemas actualizados. Desde el ecosistema de networking, TP-Link anunció importantes despidos en su sede de Shenzhen, una movida que refleja la creciente presión competitiva que ejercen Huawei y Xiaomi en el mercado de hardware de conectividad. En el ámbito de las redes sociales, Instagram finalmente habilitó la posibilidad de arrastrar y soltar publicaciones para reorganizar el perfil, una función que los usuarios reclamaban desde hace tiempo y que competidores como TikTok ya ofrecían. Por el lado de Google, el gigante de Mountain View modificó las reglas de Google One, incorporando una nueva tarifa que ofrece más espacio de almacenamiento a un precio considerablemente más bajo, lo que reordena el panorama de los servicios de almacenamiento en la nube. El cierre del programa estuvo reservado para la nota más llamativa del episodio, que da nombre al título: Anthropic figura en la lista negra del Pentágono y, simultáneamente, es utilizada por la NSA. Una contradicción que ilustra a la perfección las tensiones entre la regulación de la inteligencia artificial y su uso operativo por parte de agencias gubernamentales. Haz lo que yo digo, no lo que yo hago. Toda esta información la pueden encontrar desde nuestra web www.infosertec.com.ar o bien desde el canal de Telegram/Whastapp, o Instagram. Esperamos sus comentarios.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Small-Cap Spotlight, Ning Ding, Chairman and CEO of ZJK Industrial, joins WTR's Tim Gerdeman, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer and equity analyst Eric Goldstein to unpack the company's record 2025 results, its expanding role in the AI infrastructure supply chain, and a multi-year plan to scale production globally — including a new Vietnam facility and a planned U.S. R&D and testing center.ZJK Industrial (NASDAQ: ZJK) is a Shenzhen-based precision metal parts manufacturer with one of the most technically demanding portfolios in global manufacturing — supplying AI infrastructure, liquid cooling for high-performance computing, electric vehicles, aerospace, medical devices, and advanced electronics.

We talk with Pete Staples, founder of Blue Clover Devices, about the often-overlooked challenge of flashing firmware in production. Pete shares insights from running a contract manufacturing operation in Shenzhen and explains why the handoff from engineering to manufacturing is more like "hucking it over a fence" than a smooth relay race. We explore the gap between engineers' assumptions about factory capabilities and the dusty reality of production floors. Pete discusses security challenges, the complexity of modern microcontroller programming, and how Blue Clover's Production Line Tool addresses the middle ground between expensive custom automation and ad-hoc bench setups. We also touch on provisioning, calibration workflows, and why the engineer who designs the product must also define how it's tested. Key Topics [02:30] The reality of factory firmware flashing - dusty PCs, hot glue, and cables everywhere [06:15] Security challenges: managing sensitive firmware and the "glass room" solution [09:45] The gap between engineer assumptions and factory reality - no, they don't have better equipment than you [14:20] In-circuit testing and bed-of-nails fixtures explained [22:30] The Production Line Tool: standardizing hardware and software across engineering and factory [28:00] Recording what matters: firmware versions, hardware serial numbers, and test results per device [31:45] Provisioning and security: webhooks, cloud databases, and managing secrets in production [38:20] The Test Agent: a companion device for running third-party software and complex programming workflows [43:00] Who should write the test plan? Why engineers must define "good enough" before production Notable Quotes "Engineers assume that the factories are a lot more sophisticated than they really are. In reality, it's a lot more like just hucking it over a fence and just hoping there's somebody there waiting." — Pete Staples "They show you their pick-and-place machine and 10-zone reflow oven, and you're like, 'wow, these guys are tipped off.' And then rarely do they say, 'oh, and here's where we do firmware flashing.' It's normally another floor of the building, dimly lit, dusty old PCs." — Pete Staples "The engineer responsible for the product has to not only engineer the product, but how it's tested. They can't just say, 'here's a bunch of design files, build it and let's see what happens.'" — Pete Staples Resources Mentioned Blue Clover Devices - Pete's company specializing in factory firmware flashing solutions Embedded World (Nuremberg) - Annual trade show in March where Blue Clover exhibits Embedded World North America (Anaheim) - North American version of Embedded World, September 22nd Kinetic (San Francisco) - Hardware-focused event put on by Hardware FYI You can find Jeff at https://jeffgable.com.You can find Luca at https://luca.engineer.Want to join the agile Embedded Slack? Click hereAre you looking for embedded-focused trainings? Head to https://agileembedded.academy/Ryan Torvik and Luca have started the Embedded AI podcast, check it out at https://embeddedaipodcast.com/

Shenzhen Jisu Technology Co., Ltd. v. The Entities And Individuals Identified In Annex A

Humanoid robots performing martial arts, robotic dogs demonstrating their agility and robots dancing to foreign folk music have become some of the more unusual scenes on foreign leaders' trips to China this year.今年，外国领导人访华途中出现了一些不同寻常的场景：人形机器人打太极、机器狗灵活跳跃、机器人随外国民族音乐翩翩起舞。Behind the eye-catching moments is a broader trend: China's vast market and technological strength are drawing visiting leaders beyond formal talks in Beijing.这些引人注目的时刻背后，是一个更大的趋势：中国广阔的市场和技术实力正吸引着来访的领导人走出北京的外交会场。The latest is Thongloun Sisoulith, general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao president, who is currently making a five-day state visit to China.最新一位是正在对中国进行为期五天国事访问的老挝人民革命党中央总书记、国家主席通伦·西苏里。During a trip to DEEP Robotics in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, shortly after his arrival in China on Tuesday, Thongloun operated a robotic dog and praised it as "very good" and "very flexible".通伦6月2日抵华后不久便前往浙江省会杭州，参观了杭州云深处科技有限公司。他亲自操作了一只机器狗，称赞其“很好”、“非常灵活”。He also visited the headquarters of Chinese tech company Alibaba Group, where he learned how e-commerce platforms help Lao products reach consumers across the Chinese market.他还参观了中国科技公司阿里巴巴集团总部，了解了电商平台如何帮助老挝产品触达中国市场各地的消费者。Thongloun is not alone. Earlier this year, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also included Zhejiang in their China itineraries.通伦并非个例。今年早些时候，塞尔维亚总统亚历山大·武契奇、巴基斯坦总理夏巴兹·谢里夫和德国总理弗里德里希·默茨也都在访华行程中安排了浙江。The province, long seen as an important window on China's reform and opening-up, is also one of the first places where the country's digital economy took root and flourished.浙江长期被视为中国改革开放的重要窗口，也是我国数字经济最早生根发芽并蓬勃发展的地区之一。Observers said the visits are more than lighthearted moments or technology showcases on packed diplomatic itineraries. Against the backdrop of global industrial transformation, the trips reflect a conscious choice by countries to embrace China's innovation drive and connect with its strengths in the digital economy, they said.观察人士指出，这些访问不仅仅是紧张外交行程中的轻松时刻或技术展示。在全球产业转型的背景下，这些行程反映出各国主动对接中国创新驱动发展战略、借力中国数字经济优势的明确选择。Zhejiang has become one of the most visible stops in this process because it allows visiting leaders to see, in one place, how digital platforms, artificial intelligence, robotics and advanced manufacturing are being applied in real industries.浙江之所以成为这一过程中最受瞩目的站点之一，是因为它能令来访的领导人实地看到，数字平台、人工智能、机器人及先进制造等技术如何在实际产业中落地应用。Jian Junbo, a researcher with the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said the visits reflect foreign leaders' recognition of China's high-tech development, as well as their countries' desire to work with China and benefit from the momentum of its technological progress.复旦大学国际问题研究院研究员简军波表示，这些访问反映出外国领导人对中国高新技术发展的认可，也体现了他们与中国开展合作、借助中国技术进步势头获益的愿望。"They hope to carry out deeper and broader cooperation with China in areas such as sci-tech innovation, education and the application of technological achievements," Jian said.“他们希望与中方在科技创新、教育以及科技成果应用等领域开展更深层次、更广范围的合作，”简军波说。"The main purpose, and also their expectation, is to help drive the growth and development of their own domestic economies," Jian added.“其主要目的和预期，是希望能借此推动自身国内经济的增长与发展，”简军波补充道。Li Xiaopeng, a professor at Hangzhou City University, said: "Effective home-ground diplomacy is not just about meetings, group photos and signing ceremonies. It also requires letting guests see things for themselves — to see a country's development, its capabilities and where its future is heading."浙大城市学院教授李晓鹏表示：“有效的主场外交不仅是会谈、合影和签约，还需要让客人亲眼看一看——看看这个国家的发展、能力以及未来的走向。”Taking Hangzhou as an example, Li said the city has become a highly concentrated example of Chinese modernization. In 2025, Hangzhou's GDP exceeded 2.3 trillion yuan ($340 billion), while the added value of its core digital economy industries reached 678 billion yuan, official data shows.以杭州为例，李晓鹏表示，这座城市已成为中国式现代化的高度浓缩样本。官方数据显示，2025年杭州GDP突破2.3万亿元人民币（合3400亿美元），数字经济核心产业增加值达6780亿元。Behind the figures is an ecosystem that includes platform companies, robotics enterprises, AI startups and advanced manufacturers, forming a broader industrial chain that allows visiting leaders to see more than individual companies, Li said.李晓鹏说，这些数字背后是一个涵盖平台企业、机器人企业、人工智能初创公司及先进制造商的生态系统，形成了更长的产业链，使来访领导人看到的远不止单个企业。Zhejiang is not the only place where such out-of-capital trips have taken place.浙江并非外国领导人离京参访的唯一目的地。Foreign leaders visiting China have also traveled to places such as Shanghai, an international financial center; Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province; and Fujian, Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces — places that showcase Chinese modernization, coordinated regional development, poverty reduction and connectivity.访华的外国领导人还到访了上海这座国际金融中心、河北雄安新区，以及福建、陕西和四川等省份——这些地方展示着中国式现代化、区域协调发展、脱贫攻坚及互联互通建设成就。Jian, the researcher, said that in-person visits by foreign leaders play an irreplaceable role in helping them better understand the reasons behind China's economic success and its future development trends.复旦大学国际问题研究院研究员简军波表示，外国领导人亲身实地参访，在帮助他们更好地理解中国经济成功的原因及未来发展走向方面，发挥着不可替代的作用。"Such visits help them see China more objectively, dispel the interference of certain Western narratives, and put aside prejudice and stereotypes about China," he said.“这些实地参访有助于他们更客观地看待中国，排除某些西方叙事的干扰，摒弃对中国的偏见和刻板印象，”他说。While the Lao top leader was visiting Zhejiang, Yvette Cooper, the United Kingdom's foreign secretary, traveled to Shenzhen, the technology hub in South China's Guangdong province, on Wednesday for a trip focused on science and technology, after meetings in the Chinese capital.就在老挝最高领导人访问浙江期间，英国外交大臣伊薇特·库珀结束了在北京的会谈后，于6月3日前往华南科技重镇广东深圳，进行以科技为重点的参访。If Beijing is where diplomacy is conducted, Shenzhen is where China's industrial innovation takes shape on the ground, experts said.专家表示，如果说北京是开展外交活动的地方，那么深圳就是中国产业创新落地生根的地方。"Shenzhen now stands in the global spotlight, as it will host an important international meeting this year," said Cui Hongjian, a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University's Academy of Regional and Global Governance.北京外国语大学区域与全球治理高等研究院教授崔洪建表示：“深圳目前备受国际关注，因为今年它将主办一场重要的国际会议。”The city is set to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.今年11月，深圳将主办亚太经合组织（APEC）经济领导人会议。Cui said that Cooper's visit to the city and to technology companies shows that Britain's diplomacy toward China has a clear and targeted agenda — to make economic diplomacy a main thread of its China policy.崔洪建指出，库珀访问深圳及科技企业，表明英国对华外交有明确而具体的议程——让经济外交成为其对华政策的主线。draw /drɔː/吸引itinerary /aɪˈtɪnərəri/行程sci-tech innovation /ˈsaɪ tek ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən/科技创新Chinese modernization /tʃaɪˈniːz ˌmɒdənaɪˈzeɪʃən/中国式现代化international financial center /ˌɪntəˈnæʃənəl faɪˈnænʃəl ˈsentə/国际金融中心coordinated regional development /kəʊˈɔːdɪneɪtɪd ˈriːdʒənəl dɪˈveləpmənt/区域协调发展poverty reduction /ˈpɒvəti rɪˈdʌkʃən/脱贫攻坚dispel /dɪˈspel/消除narrative /ˈnærətɪv/叙事economic diplomacy /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk dɪˈpləʊməsi/经济外交main thread /meɪn θred/主线

Hoofdeconoom van denktank Etion Geert Janssens trok met 25 bedrijfsleiders door fabrieken en onderzoekscentra in Beijing, Guangzhou en Shenzhen. Hij kwam terug met één hardnekkige vraag: wat gaan wij in Europa straks nog produceren? Het gesprek loopt langs Trumps mislukte charmeoffensief in Peking, de Hormuzcrisis als gemiste kans voor de energietransitie, en het Draghirapport dat na twee jaar vooral een pletwals van bureaucratie blijft. Meer nieuws en duiding vind je op onze site Trends.be en in de app Mijn Magazines. Host: Laurens Bouckaert Expert: Geert Janssens Productie: Jens Leen Trends is een podcastkanaal van de redactie van Trends.--- --- Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The summit in Beijing produced a "constructive strategic stability" framework and a warming of tone between the two presidents. But heads of state can announce a multi-year horizon; somebody else has to operationalize it. Does the United States have the people — the linguists, the regional experts, the long-haul institution-builders — to do that work?This week, I chatted with two Texans answering that question from very different directions. David Firestein is the inaugural president and CEO of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations in Houston. A career State Department officer who served four administrations and spent five years in Beijing, he's one of the few Americans concurrently affiliated with both a Republican and a Democratic presidential legacy institution. Eddie Conger is a retired Marine major and the founder and superintendent of International Leadership of Texas (IL Texas) — a public charter network of 26 campuses serving 26,000 K-12 students and now the largest K-12 Chinese language program in the country. In January, IL Texas became the first-ever K-12 recipient of the Bush China Foundation's George H.W. Bush Award for Educational Excellence in U.S.-China Relations, joining past honorees including Jimmy Carter and Henry Kissinger.The conversation tackles what David calls the Texas paradox: the same state that just forced its cities to dissolve their sister-city ties with China, that pioneered the closure of Confucius Institutes, and that has restricted Chinese land purchases is also where the country's deepest K-12 Mandarin pipeline is taking root — and where the most institutionally Texan China foundation has chosen to plant its flag. David and Eddie talk through engagement honestly (no straw-man Jeffersonian-democracy fantasies), the erroneous strategic assumptions undergirding U.S. China policy, what real national-language capacity would look like operationally, what they each saw in the Trump–Xi summit, and what 5,000 IL Texas graduates are already doing in the world.05:40 — Eddie's path: Marine infantryman to fifth-grade math teacher to the country's largest K-12 Mandarin program09:12 — David on when the Nixon-through-Obama engagement consensus broke (fall 2017) and how the lexicon shifted13:30 — Engagement honestly defined: what its architects actually believed vs. the Jeffersonian-democracy straw man18:30 — The Texas paradox: HB 128, sister cities, Confucius Institutes — and the country's biggest Mandarin program in the same state31:26 — Texas business, Tim Dunn, faith, and the gap between political rhetoric and where Texans actually are41:54 — The Defense Department safety/security story: when one Chinese word ate an entire bilateral agreement46:16 — David's six (or seven) erroneous strategic assumptions: China doesn't want to be us, and it has benefited more than anyone from the current order52:28 — What real national-language capacity would actually look like: NSLI, WALARA, and why the pipeline still runs through one Marine major in Texas01:06:07 — Reading the Beijing summit: the warmth, the "constructive strategic stability" framing, and whether Trump's Taiwan call could blow it all up01:17:10 — Where 5,000 IL Texas graduates are now — White House interns, service academies, doctors, entrepreneurs, and one high-schooler who pulled a stranger out of the surfPaying it ForwardEddie: Carlos Carrasco; Emily, who is heading to Taiwan this fall on a one-year high-school program; and another student bound for the University of Texas at Austin who will be sent to South Korea for a semester as a freshman — a rarity at UT. And he closes with Miles, a high-school senior and Marine scholarship recipient who, just weeks ago at a national competition in Florida, heard someone screaming for help in the ocean, called for a boogie board, and swam out to save a drowning swimmer while a crowd of adults stood on the beach. "Others before self," as Eddie puts it — the IL Texas mission statement made flesh.David:Frank Zhou, who just graduated from Harvard and chaired the Harvard College China Forum; Selina Gong, a recent graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School involved in its annual China conference; and Dean Dai, a recent graduate of Columbia's SIPA who has been deeply involved in many of the most significant student-run China conferences in the country — and who, as it turns out, was one of the organizers of the University of Chicago U.S.-China Economy and Business Summit where Kaiser spoke earlier this month.Recommendations:Eddie: John Pomfret, The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present (Henry Holt, 2016)David: Stephen Roach, Accidental Conflict: America, China, and the Clash of False Narratives (Yale, 2022)Kaiser: David Grann, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder (Doubleday, 2023)Also mentioned: Stephen R. Platt, The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S. Special Forces in World War II (Knopf, 2024) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The UK just passed a radical ban: no tobacco for anyone born after 2008. Meanwhile, Chinese cities like Shenzhen and Hong Kong are using AI and other technologies to police public smoking, all in the name of clean air. Gen Z is becoming the first "nicotine free generation." But even if laws really can kill addiction, where do we draw the line between protecting health and policing choice? On the show: Steve, Yushan & Yushun

Tencent said on Wednesday that United States users of PayPal will be able to pay at tens of millions of Weixin Pay merchants across China by scanning QR codes, marking one of the most extensive integrations yet between China's mobile payment ecosystem and foreign digital wallets.腾讯周三发布消息称，美国贝宝用户可通过扫码，在国内数千万家微信支付合作商户完成付款。这也是中国移动支付生态与境外数字钱包迄今规模最大的一次对接合作。The integration between Tencent's cross-border platform TenPay and US fintech firm PayPal marks one of the first large-scale international applications of China's unified cross-border QR code gateway system.腾讯旗下跨境支付平台财付通与美国金融科技企业贝宝完成对接，这也是我国统一跨境二维码网关系统首批大规模落地的国际应用场景之一。Under the partnership, US PayPal users visiting China will be able to pay directly at Weixin Pay merchants nationwide using familiar PayPal wallet accounts, without opening Chinese bank accounts. The service will initially launch for US PayPal users before expanding to other markets in phases, Tencent said.腾讯表示，来华的美国贝宝用户可直接使用原有账户，在全国微信支付商户消费付款，无需开立中国境内银行账户。该服务率先面向美国用户上线，后续将逐步拓展至其他地区。The partnership will run through China's unified cross-border QR code gateway — a payment infrastructure system designed to standardize links between domestic and overseas wallets.本次合作依托我国统一跨境二维码网关开展。该基础设施旨在统一境内外电子钱包的对接标准。Otto Williams, senior vice-president of PayPal and regional head for PayPal World's Middle East and Africa, said: "China is home to one of the world's most sophisticated digital payment ecosystems, and for international travelers, the ability to pay seamlessly is integral to the experience of being here. Through PayPal World's partnership with TenPay Global, we are committed to ensuring international visitors can enjoy seamless payments using a wallet they already know and trust."贝宝高级副总裁、贝宝环球中东及非洲区域负责人Otto Williams表示：“中国拥有全球成熟度领先的数字支付生态。对入境游客而言，顺畅支付是出行体验的重要一环。借助贝宝环球与财付通国际版的合作，我们将全力保障境外游客使用常用且信赖的钱包，实现便捷支付。”Tencent said the launch is part of a broader inbound payment service enhancement initiative built around product upgrades, overseas wallet integration and multilingual services ahead of the upcoming APEC.腾讯表示，此次服务上线，是亚太经合组织会议召开前夕，入境支付服务升级工作的重要一环。相关升级涵盖产品优化、境外钱包对接、多语种服务等多个方面。Daniel Hong, vice-president of Tencent's fintech group, announced a series of measures including a 90-day waiver of the 3 percent international card transaction fee for first-time users linking overseas bank cards, covering daily spending of up to 1,000 yuan ($139).腾讯金融科技事业部副总裁洪丹毅宣布多项便民举措。首次绑定境外银行卡的用户，90天内可免收3%的国际卡交易手续费，单日减免额度上限为1000元人民币，折合139美元。Tencent also said Weixin Pay's in-app payment guidance has been expanded into 16 languages including English, Korean, Thai, Russian, Spanish and Arabic, while multilingual offline service desks have been established at Shenzhen, Guangdong province, airports, border checkpoints, hotels and major commercial districts.腾讯介绍，微信支付端内支付指引现已支持英语、韩语、泰语、俄语、西班牙语、阿拉伯语等16种语言。广东深圳的机场、口岸、酒店及核心商圈，也已设置多语种线下服务窗口。Tencent said overseas transactions through Weixin Pay rose nearly 80 percent year-on-year between January and April.数据显示，今年1至4月，微信支付境外交易规模同比增长近八成。Dong Ximiao, chief economist at Merchants Union Consumer Finance and deputy director of the Shanghai Institution for Finance and Development, described the coordination of the two major payment platforms' services as a landmark moment for China's cross-border payments infrastructure.招联首席经济学家、上海金融与发展实验室副主任董希淼表示，两大支付平台实现业务互通，是我国跨境支付基础设施建设的标志性事件。"The launch of Weixin Pay support for PayPal users in China, beginning with US users, is a symbolic event in the interconnection of China's cross-border payment systems," Dong said.董希淼称，微信支付率先向美国贝宝用户开放服务，是我国跨境支付体系互联互通进程中的标志性进展。He said the unified cross-border QR code gateway, which launched trial operations in July 2025 under guidance from China's central bank and other authorities, solved a longstanding fragmentation problem in China's digital payments sector.他表示，在央行等部门指导下，统一跨境二维码网关于2025年7月启动试运行，有效解决了国内数字支付行业长期存在的体系割裂问题。Previously, overseas wallets and Chinese payment systems had to negotiate and connect individually, resulting in high technical costs and inconsistent standards, Dong said.董希淼介绍，以往境外钱包与国内支付系统需逐一洽谈对接，不仅技术成本高昂，对接标准也难以统一。"The PayPal integration marks a substantive shift from simple interconnection toward actual interoperability in China's cross-border payment infrastructure," he added.他补充道，本次与贝宝完成对接，意味着我国跨境支付基础设施，从基础联通迈入了深度互操作的全新阶段。

Paul and John take listeners deep into the heart of China's electric vehicle revolution with Elliot Richards, long-time Shanghai resident and driving force behind of Everything Electric APAC.Fresh from Auto China, the conversation covers: How Elliot went from a three‑month visit to China to 20 years immersed in its EV industry. The rapid transformation of cities like Shenzhen to all‑electric taxis and buses in under two months. The rise of BYD, Geely, and other manufacturers, and how vertical integration is giving Chinese brands a massive global advantage. Game‑changing innovations in batteries, from sodium‑ion grid storage to five‑minute flash charging and upcoming solid‑state technology. Autonomous driving, LiDAR‑equipped vehicles, robo‑taxis, and cargo bots that already operate in Chinese cities. The commercial vehicle sector, battery swapping, and why Europe's legacy manufacturers are now partnering—or being outpaced—by Chinese firms. Elliot Richards (LinkedIn)https://www.linkedin.com/in/elliot-richards/Everything Electric APAChttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVtrDZAqOFM8_wIZHHzsqvg

Eric Olander on how the Global South is reading the Beijing summitsThis week I'm joined again by Eric Olander, founder of the China Global South Project, which runs the most indispensable English-language operation going for understanding China's engagement with Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.I came in with a plan: map, region by region, how the capitals of the Global South were reading the back-to-back Trump and Putin visits to Beijing — relief at a steadier U.S.-China modus vivendi, or foreboding at a G2 condominium squeezing shut their room to maneuver. Eric dismantled the premise within ten minutes. The honest answer, he warned me, is that most of the Global South simply isn't watching the way we are — and the disappointment turned out to be the most interesting thing in the room. What looked like the absence of a story was the story. I'd built my questions around one assumption about what mattered; Eric had built his answers around another, and I cop to being schooled.Once you set the summit framing aside, what Eric's contributors are actually seeing comes into focus: Japan racing to recenter an Asia-Pacific security architecture, a region quietly de-risking from an unreliable United States, fresh cracks in the BRICS, Justin Yifu Lin's “three moves” for Chinese manufacturing, Latin America's “find out” phase, and a Gulf where the Chinese setback so many in Washington insist must exist simply isn't there. We get into all of it — and close on the summit as a remarkable piece of theater, the first since 1945 at which no one quite knew who the most powerful person in the room was.04:27 — The dominant mood: pro forma coverage, exhaustion, and bigger problems at home08:15 — Breaking news: the paused $14B Taiwan arms package and the canceled Colby trip11:15 — The dog that caught the truck: China and the costs of a receding U.S. umbrella13:00 — "Constructive strategic stability" — new equilibrium or just choreography?28:23 — The snub: Beijing sends only an ambassador to the BRICS meeting in New Delhi37:56 — Africa: tariff-free access, the trade imbalance, and Kenya's "collapsed" exports44:34 — Justin Yifu Lin's "three moves": move up-market, localize, move south51:00 — Latin America's "find out" phase in Panama, and very low China literacy57:35 — The Gulf after the war on Iran: who really won?Paying it Forward:Boston University's Global Development Policy (GDP) Research CenterRecommendationsEric: A “rabbit hole” of books on Xi Jinping, currently Party of One by Chun Han Wong (after Kevin Rudd's On Xi Jinping).Kaiser: Angine de Poitrine, a “microtonal math rock” duo from Quebec — think Frank Zappa meets King Crimson — possibly the thing to breathe new life into progressive rock.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Quando parliamo di automazione, tendiamo a guardare nel posto sbagliato. Ci preoccupiamo dell'intelligenza artificiale — dei modelli linguistici, degli algoritmi, del software — e intanto nelle fabbriche di Shenzhen centinaia di robot umanoidi stanno già avvitando bulloni, scaricando pallet e cambiando le proprie batterie da soli per lavorare 24 ore su 24. Senza pausa. Senza ferie. Senza contributi.In questo episodio proviamo a capire davvero a che punto siamo. In Italia ci sono già oltre 106.000 robot industriali operativi — il doppio di dieci anni fa — ma sono macchine fisse, specializzate, che fanno una cosa sola. I robot antropomorfi con intelligenza artificiale sono un'altra storia: sono progettati per fare quello che fa un uomo, nello stesso spazio in cui lavora un uomo, con lo stesso grado di flessibilità. E la Cina ne ha già prodotti 12.800 nel solo 2025, pari al 90% del totale mondiale.Cosa dice l'Europa? Il nuovo Regolamento Macchine UE 2023/1230 — che entrerà in vigore nel 2027 — classifica i robot autonomi con AI come macchine ad alto rischio, imponendo certificazioni esterne obbligatorie e limiti precisi alla loro autonomia decisionale. L'Europa non li vieta, ma li rallenta. Nel frattempo, Pechino accelera.E i posti di lavoro? Il WEF stima che entro il 2030 l'automazione sposterà 92 milioni di ruoli a livello globale, creandone 170 milioni di nuovi. Il saldo è positivo sulla carta — ma la matematica funziona solo se la ricchezza prodotta dai robot viene ridistribuita. Ed è qui che entrano le proposte più interessanti: dalla robot tax immaginata da Bill Gates al dividendo di base incondizionato di Varoufakis, fino ai pilot di reddito universale in Finlandia e Canada, con risultati che sfidano molti pregiudizi.La domanda vera non è se i robot ci ruberanno il lavoro. È chi incasserà i profitti di quel furto — e se saremo abbastanza svegli da farci pagare la nostra parte.

Erst Trump, dann Putin bei Xi: In Peking zeigt sich, wie selbstverständlich China inzwischen als Machtzentrum auftritt. Die USA suchen Deals, Russland sucht Rückhalt und Peking verhandelt ruhig und klug mit beiden. Frank Sieren und Florian Harms sprechen über Chinas Blick auf die Welt, Pekings Rolle im Iran-Konflikt und Shenzhen als Zukunftslabor: mit Robotern, Drohnen, E-Autos und KI, aber auch mit Überwachung und Kontrolle. Was bedeutet Chinas Aufstieg für Europa? Und was kann Deutschland lernen, ohne chinesische Verhältnisse zu kopieren? Haben Sie eine Anmerkung oder Frage zu dem Gespräch im Podcast? Schreiben Sie uns unter podcasts@t-online.de oder schicken Sie eine Sprachnachricht per WhatsApp an die 0151 239 694 97. Transkript: Alle Folgen der Diskussion am Wochenende finden Sie in einer Playlist auf Spotify hier: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1d0dXXtJNcYAF7jQ3oRPg9?si=0f24794f3fe14a27 Den „Tagesanbruch“-Podcast gibt es immer montags bis samstags gegen 6 Uhr zum Start in den Tag – am Wochenende in einer längeren Diskussion. Verpassen Sie keine Folge und abonnieren Sie uns bei Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3v1HFmv3V3Zvp1R4BT3jlO?si=klrETGehSj2OZQ_dmB5Q9g), Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/de/podcast/t-online-tagesanbruch/id1374882499?mt=2), Amazon Music (https://music.amazon.de/podcasts/961bad79-b3ba-4a93-9071-42e0d3cdd87f/tagesanbruch-von-t-online) oder überall sonst, wo es Podcasts gibt. Wenn Ihnen der Podcast gefällt, lassen Sie gern eine Bewertung da.

This week on Sinica, I speak with Andrew Seth Meyer, professor of history at CUNY Brooklyn College and the author of a remarkable new book from Oxford University Press, To Rule All Under Heaven: A History of Classical China from Confucius to the First Emperor. Sixteen years in the making, it's the first proper one-volume narrative history of the Warring States in English aimed at a general reader — a gap in the field that Andy has now decisively filled. We talk about why this period — the roughly 260 years between Confucius's death and Qin's unification in 221 BCE — really is the deepest layer of Chinese political history that still genuinely matters, and we try together to find the line between responsible historical reasoning about modern China and the kind of lazy essentialism that reaches for Han Feizi every time Xi Jinping makes a speech. Along the way we get into the displacement of the hereditary aristocracy by the shi, the Lüshi Chunqiu as a piece of political genius, why the standard caricature of “Legalist” Qin is wrong, and what it means that the Chinese state is still, in some real sense, running on operating software written in the 4th century BCE.8:14 – The 16-year gestation, why no general-reader Warring States book existed in English, and what made Andy think he could be the one to write it11:06 – The romanization headaches: Wei vs. Wey, King Zhao of Qin vs. King Zhao of Yan, and the special agonies of writing about early China for an English audience14:31 – Why he organized the book by state rather than strictly chronologically — and what that structure lets him do18:14 – The relevance question: how to take the deep continuity of Chinese political life seriously without falling into the orientalist “eternal China” trap25:52 – Why the Warring States is properly called a revolution: the destruction of Zhou-era hereditary aristocracy and the rise of the shi33:15 – Fukuyama's claim that Qin built the world's first genuinely modern state — is “modern” the right word?36:30 – Qin's 38 commanderies, why the radical version lasted only 15 years, and the Han retreat: aristocracy or regional autonomy?39:46 – Reading the Hundred Schools as embedded political actors rather than tidy textbook categories — and the Jixia Academy as ancient Brookings44:06 – The Lüshi Chunqiu as a brilliant piece of political propaganda, and what its tripartite cosmological structure was actually arguing52:31 – Why the cartoon-legalist version of the Qin is wrong: the 70 erudites, the Taishan stelae, and what the book-burning episode really was57:05 – The axial age question: pattern-matching or something real?1:00:40 – What the Warring States actually has to teach us about China in 2026: zhong guo as aspiration, not description1:05:08 – How the Warring States is taught in China and Taiwan today, and what archaeology is doing to the field1:08:36 – Constant self-reinvention as the real Chinese legacy, and why no plausible future China fully repudiates the CCPPaying it forward:Avital Rom (postdoc at Cambridge, early Chinese cultural history, editor of a forthcoming volume on disability and impairment in early China)Liang Cai (Notre Dame, new book on Han-era jurisprudence and legal traditions)Recommendations:Andy: Hadestown on Broadway — and Anaïs Mitchell's original concept albumKaiser: To Say Nothing of the Dog: or, How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last by Connie Willis (audiobook especially recommended)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this insightful interview, Eli Ben-Sasson, co-founder of Starkware, shares his journey from academia to blockchain innovation, discusses the significance of ZK-Starks in blockchain scalability and security, and explores the urgent need for quantum-resistant cryptography. Discover how these technologies are shaping the future of digital trust and privacy.Zero Knowledge, Infinite Trust book isn't just about math; it's a story about people, freedom, and the personal journeys that shaped the blockchain revolution.

This week I'm sharing the fourth and final installment from the day-long conference convened by the Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs (ACF) at Johns Hopkins SAIS on April 3rd in Washington — “The China Debate We're Not Having: Politics, Technology, and the Road Ahead.” The first three episodes featured Jessica Chen Weiss's opening remarks and the panels on what China wants, what the United States wants, and tech rivalry and competing visions of the future. This final installment is a fireside conversation between Henry Farrell and Alondra Nelson, followed by Jessica's closing remarks.Once again, my deep thanks to Jessica Chen Weiss, ACF's inaugural faculty director, for organizing this terrific conference and for so generously letting me share this audio with Sinica listeners.Henry Farrell, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute Professor of International Affairs at SAIS, sits down with Alondra Nelson — Harold F. Linder Professor of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study and former Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy — for what turns out to be the day's most generative reframing of the AI race. Henry begins by asking how it is that ideas once confined to 1980s science fiction — the singularity, AGI, brains-in-vats — have come to anchor mainstream American AI policy discourse. Alondra traces the genealogy back to the “Californian ideology” and the long history of outré thinking in Silicon Valley, but her real point is that something has shifted: U.S. negative sentiment around AI has been climbing and plateauing high since 2022, even as adoption has spread — the opposite of the usual technology-acceptance curve, and the opposite of what's happening in China, Nigeria, or Brazil.From there the conversation opens up into what I found to be its richest vein: the contrast between a Cartesian, disembodied American conception of AI — “we're working on the brains,” as Sam Altman put it when OpenAI shut down its robotics team in 2022 — and a more embodied approach that integrates the cognitive and the physical, which is part of what's powered China's advances in advanced manufacturing and robotics. Alondra is sharp on the costs of the brain-in-a-vat framing: it treats AI as a state of exception in which existing laws and institutions somehow don't apply, and it lets us float aspirational claims (”AI will cure cancer”) that elide all the clunky institutional stewardship actually required to get from aspiration to outcome.She also offers an incisive reading of the Trump administration's AI policy — which, she argues, is misleadingly described as “deregulatory.” Between export controls, the golden share in Intel, immigration restrictions on STEM talent, and the administration's tight stewardship of who wins and who loses in the AI ecosystem, this is industrial policy by another name — and a narrowing of democratic input over decisions of enormous infrastructural consequence.The conversation closes with Henry asking what a small-d democratic successor administration ought to do, and Alondra's answer is bracingly practical: get rid of the state of exception, take the material supply chain of AI seriously (data centers, electricity, critical minerals, communities), let state-level policy generate evidence about what works, and aim for high-watermark aspirations — North Stars, in the spirit of the AI Bill of Rights — rather than pretending the technology itself will deliver our values.Jessica then offers her closing remarks, thanking the panelists, previewing the ACF Insights Series, and putting out the call for new junior fellows at the Institute.Participants:Alondra Nelson, Harold F. Linder Professor of Social Science, Institute for Advanced Study; former Director, White House Office of Science and Technology PolicyHenry Farrell, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute Professor of International Affairs, Johns Hopkins SAISClosing remarks: Jessica Chen Weiss, David M. Lampton Professor of China Studies and Inaugural Faculty Director, ACFSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Sinica, I chat with Ali Wyne, Senior Research and Advocacy Adviser for U.S.-China at the International Crisis Group, just hours after President Trump's plane left Chinese airspace at the end of a three-day state visit to Beijing. We dig into the new framework Xi Jinping put on the table — what Beijing is calling 中美建设性战略稳定关系, a "constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability" — and ask whether it's a genuine doctrine of mutual restraint or a rhetorical tripwire that future American moves can be characterized as having violated. Ali and I work through Foreign Minister Wang Yi's morning-after media briefing, including his striking claim that the U.S. side now "does not accept" Taiwan independence — a notable shift from the standard American formulation. We talk about what Trump actually said on Taiwan in his Air Force One press gaggle, the gap between Trump's account of Xi's private remarks on Iran and what Beijing is willing to say publicly, and whether AI can serve as a durable basis for cooperation coming out of the summit. We also turn to the American domestic side: the bind Democrats find themselves in trying to critique Trump's China engagement without out-hawking him, the generational data showing a striking gap in American attitudes toward China that transcends partisan division, and the question of when that shift in mass opinion actually starts to bite on policy.Full podcast page with timestamps and links forthcoming! Just wanted to get this out quickly.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hong Kong's talent market has been stress-tested like no other—and emerged with a new identity.   The old playbook - expat packages, regional hub prestige, English-only operations - now guarantees mediocrity. Yet for those who understand the new dynamics, Hong Kong offers something rare: a gateway to mainland opportunity with international legal frameworks, a financial center pivoting hard into tech and green finance, and a talent pool that spans Greater China and Southeast Asia. It's more complex, more competitive, and more rewarding for employers who adapt. This webinar delivers the intelligence you need to hire effectively in Asia's most transformed talent market.   10 Critical Shifts Reshaping Hiring in Hong Kong   • The Talent Diaspora & Return Dynamics – Who left, who stayed, who's returning, and why the "new Hong Kong" professional has different loyalty drivers, risk appetites, and career expectations than pre-2020 cohorts   • Mainland Integration Realities – How increasing economic and professional interchange with Shenzhen and Guangdong is reshaping language requirements, compensation benchmarks, and career mobility patterns   • Financial Services Reinvention – Beyond traditional banking: capturing talent in fintech, virtual assets, green finance, and family office services where Hong Kong is aggressively positioning against Singapore   • The Trilingual Imperative – Why "English + Mandarin + Cantonese" capability is now table stakes for client-facing and leadership roles, and how to assess proficiency beyond self-reported fluency   • Visa & Mobility Restructuring – Navigating the Top Talent Pass Scheme, General Employment Policy shifts, and the new competitive landscape for global talent attraction against Singapore and Dubai   • Compensation Compression & Expectation Shifts – Addressing the end of expat premium packages, localized salary structures, and the rising importance of housing allowances, schooling support, and tax optimization in total rewards   • Startup Ecosystem Maturation – Tapping into Hong Kong's evolving tech scene—where government investment, university commercialization, and mainland venture capital are creating new talent competition outside traditional sectors   • Work Culture Hybridization – Balancing international professional norms with evolving local expectations around hierarchy, work-life boundaries, and organizational loyalty in a post-transition environment   • Regulatory & Compliance Complexity – Hiring within Hong Kong's distinct legal framework while managing cross-border data, employment law changes, and increasing mainland regulatory influence on business operations   • Employer Branding in a Polarized Environment – Crafting authentic value propositions that resonate across diverse political and cultural perspectives without alienating key talent segments   We're on Thursday 14th May, 10am BST. Register by clicking on the green button to save your spot. And follow the channel here (recommended) to be notified whenever we go live.

The bullish momentum recently seen in the Chinese market is likely to continue thanks to the structural opportunities provided by the country's rapid adoption of emerging technologies and ongoing economic recovery, said experts.专家表示，中国市场近期的看涨势头有望延续，这得益于中国快速采用新兴技术所带来的结构性机遇以及持续性经济复苏。Their comments were made on Monday after the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index climbed to an 11-year high of 4225.02 points. The Shenzhen Component Index jumped 2.16 percent and the tech-heavy ChiNext in Shenzhen surged 3.5 percent. Combined trading value on the Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing bourses topped 3.56 trillion yuan ($520 billion), up nearly 16 percent from the previous trading day.上述评论发表于5月11日。当日，上证综指攀升至4225.02点，创下11年来新高；深证成指上涨2.16%，以科技股为主的创业板指数大涨3.5%。沪、深、京三地交易所合计成交额突破3.56万亿元人民币（约合5200亿美元），较前一交易日放量近16%。A-share listed semiconductor firms fueled the Monday rally, reporting an average daily price gain of 5.01 percent.5月11日的涨势主要由A股半导体上市公司拉动，相关个股当日平均涨幅达5.01%。Fang Jian, manager of the integrated circuit hybrid fund at Yinhua Fund, said the strong performance of Chinese tech companies may have just begun in earnest. The artificial intelligence surge and semiconductor localization will generate enormous investment opportunities in 2026 as chipmakers will see "a big year of orders".银华基金集成电路混合型基金经理方建认为，中国科技股的强势表现或许才刚刚真正启动，人工智能浪潮与半导体国产化将在2026年催生巨大投资机遇，芯片制造商将迎来“订单大年”。On Friday, China's top internet, economic and industry regulators jointly issued a guideline to regulate the application and innovative development of AI agents.5月8日，国家互联网、经济和行业主管部门联合发布指导意见，规范人工智能智能体的应用与创新发展。While foundational models remain the key investment thesis at the current stage, investors are recommended to keep a close eye on power suppliers, companies with deeper and earlier AI adoption, as well as AI enablers that benefit from China's semiconductor localization trend, experts from Morgan Stanley wrote in a report released on Sunday.摩根士丹利专家在周日发布的报告中指出，尽管基础模型仍是当前阶段的核心投资主题，但建议投资者重点关注电力供应商、较早且深入切入AI领域的公司，以及受益于中国半导体国产化趋势的人工智能赋能企业。The development and application of new thematic indices, analysis tools driven by AI innovation and the completion of financial market infrastructure have fueled the Chinese capital market with robust momentum, said David Day, managing director of the London Stock Exchange Group for Asia-Pacific.伦敦证券交易所集团亚太区董事总经理戴介明表示，新型主题指数的开发与应用、AI创新驱动的分析工具以及金融市场基础设施的不断完善，为中国资本市场注入了强劲动力。China's strong economic numbers over the past few months -including exports and industrial production — have provided more confidence to international investors, Thomas Fang, head of China Global Markets at UBS, said during a news briefing on Monday, adding that China is likely to reenter an inflationary cycle in the third quarter.瑞银集团中国全球市场主管房东明5月11日在新闻吹风会上表示，过去几个月中国强劲的经济数据（包括出口和工业增加值）进一步提振了国际投资者的信心。他还预计，中国可能在第三季度重新进入通胀周期。Meng Lei, China equity strategist at UBS Securities, upgraded his forecast for A-share companies' profitability growth rate this year to 11 percent, up from 8 percent at the end of last year. This will serve as one major driver for an A-share bull run throughout 2026, Meng said.瑞银证券中国股票策略师孟磊将其对今年A股公司盈利增长率的预测从去年年底的8%上调至11%。他表示，这将成为2026年A股走牛的主要驱动力之一。Continued capital inflows into the A-share market will be another engine, which will be comprised of household savings directed into wealth management products, recovery in the issuance of mutual fund products, thematic exchange traded funds and high net wealth individuals investing more in private equities or quantitative funds, he added.他补充说，持续的资本流入是A股的另一大引擎。这些资金包括：居民储蓄转向理财产品，公募基金发行回暖，主题ETF（交易型开放式指数基金）扩容，以及高净值个人加大对私募股权或量化基金的投资。Market sentiment was also buoyed on Monday as the Foreign Ministry announced that United States President Donald Trump will pay a three-day state visit to China from Wednesday.5月11日，市场情绪也得到了提振。中国外交部宣布，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普将从5月13日开始对中国进行为期三天的国事访问。The visit, which will take place as scheduled, will directly improve the risk appetite in the A-share market, said Chen Guo, chief strategist of Eastmoney Securities.东方财富证券首席策略师陈果表示，此次访问将如期进行，并将直接改善A股市场的风险偏好。Overall market confidence will be strengthened. Export companies may benefit in anticipation of a marginal easing in tariff tensions. In the event of phased procurement or investment arrangements, a potential sentiment-driven recovery may be seen in companies specializing in cyclical products, power equipment and machinery, Chen said.陈果认为，整体市场信心将进一步增强。出口企业有望受益于关税紧张局势的边际缓和预期。若出现阶段性采购或投资安排，那些主营周期性产品、电力设备和机械的公司或将迎来情绪驱动的反弹。fueled /ˈfjuːəld/推动，助推news briefing /njuːz ˈbriːfɪŋ/新闻吹风会private equities /ˈpraɪvət ˈekwətiz/私募股权mutual fund /ˈmjuːtʃuəl fʌnd/公募基金buoyed /bɔɪd/提振，推高

【欢迎订阅】 每天早上5:30，准时更新。 【阅读原文】 标题：Why China's exports will keep on risingOur new analysis shows how the country shrugged off the effects of Donald Trump's tariffs正文：DING LEI, a purchasing manager at a chip-trading company in Shenzhen, is having a good year. Among other kinds of semiconductors, his company is selling IGBTs, a type of transistor used to regulate electrical power. Customers include motorbike-makers in Spain, manufacturers in Romania and clients across South-East Asia. His optimism about sales prospects is understandable. In the first three months of 2026,China's exports of transistors jumped by 26% in dollar terms compared with the same period of 2025.知识点：purchasing manager n. /ˈpɜːtʃəsɪŋ ˌmænɪdʒə/a person responsible for buying goods or materials for a company 采购经理• The purchasing manager negotiated a bulk discount with the supplier. 采购经理与供应商谈下了一笔批量折扣。• As a purchasing manager, she travels frequently to source high-quality raw materials. 身为采购经理，她频繁出差采购优质原材料。获取外刊的完整原文以及精讲笔记，请关注微信公众号「早安英文」，回复“外刊”即可。更多有意思的英语干货等着你！ 【节目介绍】 《早安英文-每日外刊精读》，带你精读最新外刊，了解国际最热事件：分析语法结构，拆解长难句，最接地气的翻译，还有重点词汇讲解。 所有选题均来自于《经济学人》《纽约时报》《华尔街日报》《华盛顿邮报》《大西洋月刊》《科学杂志》《国家地理》等国际一线外刊。 【适合谁听】 1、关注时事热点新闻，想要学习最新最潮流英文表达的英文学习者 2、任何想通过地道英文提高听、说、读、写能力的英文学习者 3、想快速掌握表达，有出国学习和旅游计划的英语爱好者 4、参加各类英语考试的应试者（如大学英语四六级、托福雅思、考研等） 【你将获得】 1、超过1000篇外刊精读课程，拓展丰富语言表达和文化背景 2、逐词、逐句精确讲解，系统掌握英语词汇、听力、阅读和语法 3、每期内附学习笔记，包含全文注释、长难句解析、疑难语法点等，帮助扫除阅读障碍。

Amazon's new Shenzhen warehouse is shaking up the cost floor for sellers everywhere. Neil Twa dives into how this pre-export staging point gives Chinese sellers a structural edge, allowing them to move inventory closer to Amazon's infrastructure before it even leaves China. This episode breaks down the mechanics of this change and what it means for sellers at every level. Take, for example, a home organization brand doing $40K a month with modular drawer organizers. Despite good reviews and a solid brand presence, they're facing the same challenge as sellers doing $1M+. Neil outlines three actionable moves to counter this shift. First, run a competitive cost audit on your top three SKUs. Amazon frames the Shenzhen facility as a fulfillment innovation, but the real impact is on your margins. Full transparency: this is about survival. The High Voltage Business Builders Podcast is here to help you navigate these changes.

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Brewed Inspiration: Creativity Blossoms in Shenzhen Café Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2026-05-08-07-38-19-zh Story Transcript:Zh: 春天的深圳，高科技城市的街道充满了活力。En: In the springtime of Shenzhen, the streets of this high-tech city are full of vitality.Zh: 在这里，一家名为“创新咖啡”的咖啡馆吸引了许多年轻的专业人士。En: Here, a café named Inno Coffee attracts many young professionals.Zh: 咖啡馆的落地窗外，可以俯瞰城市高楼与绿色植被交织的美丽风景。En: Outside the café's floor-to-ceiling windows, one can overlook the beautiful scenery of skyscrapers interwoven with greenery.Zh: 空气中弥漫着新鲜咖啡的香气，四周尽是轻快的交谈声。En: The air is filled with the aroma of fresh coffee, surrounded by the sounds of lively conversation.Zh: 这一天是五一劳动节，节日的气氛还未散去。En: This day is May 1st Labor Day, and the festive atmosphere still lingers.Zh: 咖啡馆里，李伟选择了一个角落座位，开始心不在焉地画画。En: Inside the café, Li Wei chooses a corner seat and begins absentmindedly sketching.Zh: 他是一名软件开发者，平时喜欢在空闲时间画画。En: He is a software developer who enjoys drawing in his spare time.Zh: 然而，他总觉得自己的画作不够好，从不敢与别人分享。En: However, he always feels his artwork is not good enough and never dares to share it with others.Zh: 就在此时，小明走进了咖啡馆。En: At that moment, Xiao Ming walks into the café.Zh: 她是一名平面设计师，正为新项目寻找灵感。En: She is a graphic designer looking for inspiration for a new project.Zh: 她环顾四周，视线被李伟手中的素描本吸引住了。En: She glances around and her attention is caught by the sketchbook in Li Wei's hands.Zh: “你画得真好！En: "You draw really well!"Zh: ”小明忍不住夸奖道，打破了李伟的注意力。En: Xiao Ming can't help but praise, breaking Li Wei's concentration.Zh: 李伟有些犹豫，试图把本子合上，却被小明的眼神阻止了。En: Li Wei is a bit hesitant, trying to close the book, but Xiao Ming's gaze stops him.Zh: 小明微笑着说：“我正在找灵感，你的作品很有创意。En: Smiling, she says, "I'm looking for inspiration; your work is very creative."Zh: ”两人开始聊起天来。En: The two start chatting.Zh: 李伟告诉小明，他正在寻找一个灵感点，想要开展自己的科技艺术项目。En: Li Wei tells Xiao Ming that he is seeking a spark of inspiration to start his own tech art project.Zh: 而小明则表达了她在项目设计中遇到的瓶颈。En: Meanwhile, Xiao Ming shares the bottleneck she's encountering in her project design.Zh: 两人自然而然地发现，彼此的创意竟可以完美结合。En: Naturally, they discover that their creative ideas can be perfectly combined.Zh: 梅玲，这家咖啡馆的常客，也是小明的朋友，碰巧经过。En: Mei Ling, a regular at this café and a friend of Xiao Ming, happens to pass by.Zh: 她笑着打趣道：“看来你们俩找到了共同的话题。En: She teasingly remarks, "Looks like you two have found a common topic."Zh: ”随着对话的深入，小明突然提议：“我们一起合作怎么样？En: As the conversation deepens, Xiao Ming suddenly suggests, "How about we collaborate?Zh: 你的素描给了我很多灵感。En: Your sketches have given me a lot of inspiration."Zh: ”李伟有些惊讶，但也被这突然的提议所吸引。En: Li Wei is somewhat surprised, but also intrigued by this sudden proposition.Zh: 他慢慢地点了点头，心中涌起一丝信心。En: He slowly nods, a surge of confidence welling up within him.Zh: 从这一刻起，两人决定一起工作，利用彼此的长处创造一些与众不同的东西。En: From that moment on, the two decide to work together, utilizing each other's strengths to create something unique.Zh: 随着时间的推移，他们的合作渐入佳境，项目变得越来越有趣。En: As time passes, their collaboration hits its stride, and the project becomes increasingly interesting.Zh: 同时，两人之间的感情也悄然升温。En: Meanwhile, the feelings between them quietly grow.Zh: 李伟从一个不敢展示画作的人，变成了愿意分享创意的自信青年。En: Li Wei transforms from someone afraid to show his drawings into a confident young man willing to share his creativity.Zh: 而小明也从中找到了设计的灵感与激情。En: Xiao Ming finds inspiration and passion for design in the process.Zh: 这个春天，正如深圳的天空般清新明亮，小明和李伟都迎来了属于自己的一段崭新关系。En: This spring, as fresh and bright as the skies over Shenzhen, Xiao Ming and Li Wei both embrace a new phase in their relationship.Zh: 两人在创新之路上携手并行，而这段关系正如那一杯浓香的咖啡般，温暖而充实。En: They walk hand in hand on the path of innovation, and this relationship is as warm and fulfilling as a cup of rich coffee. Vocabulary Words:springtime: 春天vitality: 活力overlook: 俯瞰aroma: 香气absentmindedly: 心不在焉地sketching: 画画software developer: 软件开发者hesitant: 犹豫gaze: 眼神bottleneck: 瓶颈proposition: 提议confidence: 信心utilizing: 利用stride: 佳境transforms: 变成embrace: 迎来innovation: 创新phase: 阶段fulfilling: 充实interwoven: 交织linger: 未散去creative: 创意combined: 结合sparks: 灵感点collaboration: 合作surge: 涌起design: 设计uniquely: 与众不同passion: 激情bright: 明亮

Reddit Stories - The Office Fish Guy Stinks Up The Office But Management Says His Code Is Clean. OP works in a Shenzhen tech office where Dale microwaves fish daily, eats in darkness, scrapes metal chopsticks, and declares a quiet lunch zone, leaving OP questioning sanity, workplace culture, and office survival.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lost-genre-reddit-stories--5779056/support.

This week on Sinica, in a special episode recorded as a live joint webcast with NYRB/Poets and Equator Magazine, I sit down with Eleanor Goodman — poet, scholar, research associate at Harvard's Fairbank Center, and one of the most accomplished translators working between Chinese and English — to talk about the extraordinary Sichuan-born poet Zheng Xiaoqiong (郑小琼).Born in 1980 in a mountain village, trained as a nurse, Zheng joined the great tide of internal migration in her early 20s, ending up on the assembly line of a hardware factory in Dongguan in the Pearl River Delta. She picked up a pen after a workplace injury — part of her finger taken off by a lathe — and what came out across poems, essays, and reportage has made her one of the most singular voices in contemporary Chinese literature. Her trajectory from the assembly line to the editorial desk of an official literary magazine is, as far as I know, essentially without parallel.Eleanor has been translating Zheng since around 2013, and the partnership they've built has given Anglophone readers access to a body of work that defies easy categorization — at once intimate and historical, ethnographic and lyric, tender and unsparing. We talk about how they met, about Zheng's resistance to the "migrant worker poet" label, about the bodily feminism that runs through her verse, about her unmoralizing portraits of sex workers, about lost youth and the way the body keeps the ledger of factory time. Eleanor reads Zheng's poem "Woman Worker: Youth Pinned to a Workstation" (女工: 被固定在卡桌上的青春) in both Chinese and her English translation — and it is, every time, devastating.Huge thanks to Abigail Dunn at NYRB Poets and Ratik Asokan at Equator for organizing this conversation and for inviting me to host it, to Eleanor for her generosity and her brilliance, and most of all to Zheng Xiaoqiong, whose voice — even when she cannot be with us in person — comes through with absolute clarity.Eleanor's translation of Zheng Xiaoqiong's In the Roar of the Machine is available from NYRB Poets. The Equator selections, drawn from Zheng's long-form prose, are available at Equator Magazine.05:07 — How Eleanor and Zheng met in 2013, and why a book had to happen08:14 — Navigating the awkward proposition of China for the Western left10:50 — Zheng's trajectory: from a Sichuan village to the assembly line to the editor's desk16:29 — Resisting the "migrant worker poet" (打工诗人) label20:47 — Conventions of the genre: exhaustion, iron, lost identity, the screw in the machine24:58 — Who gets translated into English, and why28:34 — The translator's ethics: how do you render a factory poem honestly?32:42 — Eleanor reads "Woman Worker, Youth Pinned to a Workstation" (女工被固定在卡桌上的青春) in Chinese and English37:14 — Zheng's bodily feminism: irregular periods, a different way of caring40:37 — Lost youth and the passage of time44:36 — Sex work and women's labor: portraits without moralizing49:59 — Whose work actually counts in Chinese urban discourse?52:45 — Why Zheng Xiaoqiong wasn't able to join us, and how censorship really works54:44 — Rose Courtyard and what's next: classical allusions, ancestral homes, embroidering grandmothers57:39 — Audience Q&A: American worker poets, the WeChat communities of migrant writers, and Zheng's standing in Chinese lettersSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Como nasce um produto que deixa de ser só tecnologia e vira parte do dia a dia das pessoas? No novo episódio do Podcast Canaltech, a gente mergulha nos bastidores da indústria de áudio para entender como são criadas as caixas de som que conquistaram o mundo e especialmente o Brasil, onde o nome JBL acabou virando sinônimo da categoria. O repórter Leo Muller conversa com Sharon Peng, vice-presidente sênior de Pesquisa de Consumo, P&D e Engenharia da Harman, empresa responsável por marcas como a JBL. Ao longo da conversa, a executiva explica como a companhia estruturou sua operação global e por que decidiu concentrar design, engenharia e desenvolvimento em Shenzhen, na China uma estratégia que impacta diretamente velocidade, custo e inovação. Sharon também relembra o surgimento de linhas icônicas como a Flip e a Boombox, que ajudaram a popularizar o conceito de caixas de som portáteis. Segundo ela, entender o comportamento do consumidor foi essencial nesse processo e o Brasil aparece como um dos mercados mais relevantes, com usuários que incorporam o produto em diferentes momentos do dia a dia, do lazer aos encontros com amigos. O episódio também olha para o futuro do áudio, com destaque para o papel da inteligência artificial na evolução dos dispositivos. A tecnologia já começa a ser usada para melhorar a qualidade sonora e até permitir novas formas de interação com a música, diretamente nas caixas de som. Você também vai conferir: 4G e 5G podem acabar com a falta de sinal nas estradas, Prompts antigos não funcionam no ChatGPT, entenda o que mudou e BYD Mako chega ao Brasil em 2026 para brigar no mercado de picapes. Este podcast foi roteirizado por Fernada Santos e apresentado por Marcelo Fischer e contou com reportagens de Nathan Vieira, André Lourenti e Paulo Amaral, sob coordenação de Anaísa Catucci. A trilha sonora é de Guilherme Zomer, a edição de Vicenzo Varin e a arte da capa é de Erick Teixeira.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week I'm sharing the third installment from the day-long conference convened by the Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs (ACF) at Johns Hopkins SAIS on April 3rd in Washington — "The China Debate We're Not Having: Politics, Technology, and the Road Ahead." The first two episodes featured Jessica Chen Weiss's opening remarks and the panels on what China wants and what the United States wants. This week's panel — "Tech, Rivalry, and Competing Visions of the Future" — turns to the domain that, more than any other, has come to define how Washington thinks about the U.S.-China relationship: technology, and especially AI. Once again, my deep thanks to Jessica Chen Weiss, ACF's inaugural faculty director, for organizing this terrific conference and for so generously letting me share this audio with Sinica listeners. Moderator Kat Duffy of the Council on Foreign Relations opens by interrogating the very framing of the panel: is "rivalry" actually the right word for what's going on between the U.S. and China in tech? The panelists give a range of answers — from "yes, because both sides believe it is" to Samm Sacks's pithy rejoinder that "rivalry serves specific actors and specific interests." From there the conversation ranges across the FCC's recent move to bar most foreign-made routers, the pitfalls of framing AI competition as a sprint to AGI rather than what Jeff Ding calls a "diffusion marathon," the many internal Chinas that get flattened in DC discourse, the cybersecurity reciprocity problem (Volt Typhoon, Salt Typhoon, and what President Trump tellingly admitted about all of it), and what it would actually mean for the U.S. to compete by being its best self — what one panelist memorably calls "Americamaxxing." There's a lot of substance packed into this hour, and a lot of generative pushback against received DC wisdom. The audience Q&A at the end takes up the role of race and xenophobia in the discourse — a topic that, as one questioner pointedly notes, had been conspicuously absent from the day's earlier discussions. Panelists:— Samm Sacks, Senior Fellow, New America and Yale Law School— Jeff Ding, Assistant Professor of Political Science, George Washington University— Mieke Eoyang, Visiting Professor, Carnegie Mellon University; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy— Selina Xu, Lead for China and AI Policy, Office of Eric Schmidt Moderator: Kat Duffy, Senior Fellow for Digital and Cyberspace Policy, Council on Foreign RelationsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is the wholesale distribution industry heading toward another economic reset, or a new era of AI-powered growth?In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution, Kevin Brown and Tom Burton break down the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, geopolitical volatility in the Strait of Hormuz, tariff refund uncertainty, Amazon's China-to-U.S. logistics expansion, and the rising cost of AI compute. This episode explores how macroeconomics, supply chain disruption, autonomous AI agents, and B2B buying behavior are reshaping manufacturers, distributors, and the global wholesale supply chain.What You'll Learn:Why the Federal Reserve's split vote signals potential instability for capital investment and expansion planningHow oil volatility and Panama Canal congestion impact freight costs, inventory carrying costs, and distributor marginsWhat Amazon's new Shenzhen-to-U.S. warehouse pipeline means for private label brands, importers, and traditional intermediariesThe real barrier to autonomous AI agents in wholesale distribution: compute costs, governance, and infrastructure readinessWhy the “dark funnel” is accelerating, and how B2B buyers are researching before ever calling your sales teamEpisode Highlights:03:05 – The stock market's momentum vs. economic uncertainty: what it means for distributors10:44 – The Fed holds rates with four dissents, political independence or internal division?26:55 – War Powers Act, Iran, and oil volatility: why fuel prices matter to wholesale margins31:52 – Tariffs explained: who actually pays and why refunds won't be evenly distributed46:20 – Amazon's China-to-U.S. logistics expansion and what it signals for supply chain disintermediation54:30 – AI compute costs, token consumption, and why fully autonomous agents aren't practical—yet1:20:21 – The dark funnel in B2B buying: why customers are researching without your sales teamTools, Frameworks, and Concepts Mentioned:Enterprise Growth Platform strategy (LeadSmart Technologies)AI-enabled CRM and customer intelligenceAgentic AI and autonomous procurementThe Dark Funnel in B2B salesAI governance and agent sprawlCompute infrastructure and token economicsClosing Insight:“An autonomous agent running your entire business is probably not as soon as we would like.”Wholesale distribution is not facing a single disruption, it's navigating economic volatility, supply chain risk, AI acceleration, and changing buyer behavior simultaneously.Leave a Review: Help us grow by sharing your thoughts on the show.Learn more about the LeadSmart AI B2B Sales Platform: https://www.leadsmarttech.com/Join the conversation each week on LinkedIn Live.Want even more insight to the stories we discuss each week? Subscribe to the Around The Horn Newsletter.You can also hear the podcast and other excellent content on our YouTube Channel.Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok.

The first shipment of African goods under China's expanded zero-tariff policy has arrived, with 24 metric tons of South African apples clearing customs in Shenzhen.

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The nationwide rollout of China's departure tax refund service, which smoothly reached its one-year mark this month, has effectively stimulated inbound travel and increased consumption vitality, experts said.专家表示，中国离境退税全国性推广本月初平稳迎来实施一周年，有效刺激了入境旅游，激发了消费活力。The policy governing the service aims to further enhance the convenience of departure tax refunds for overseas visitors and optimize their shopping experience. Travelers purchasing tax-refundable items at designated stores across the country can receive a spot refund in renminbi upon signing an agreement and processing a credit card preauthorization.该政策旨在进一步提升境外旅客离境退税的便利性，优化其购物体验。在全国各地指定商店购买可退税商品的旅客，在签署协议并办理信用卡预授权后，即可现场领取人民币退税款。China's tax authorities and relevant government organs have actively encouraged eligible stores to offer this "buy and get a refund" service, with their total number currently exceeding 8,000, surging more than 100 percent since the policy was adopted in April last year.中国税务部门及相关政府机构积极鼓励符合条件的商店提供“买即退”服务。自去年4月该政策实施以来，提供该项服务的商店总数已超过8000家，增幅超过100%。As the service continues to expand, more overseas visitors are receiving spot tax refunds on a wider range of goods, further spurring consumption.随着该服务的持续扩展，越来越多的境外旅客在更广泛的商品品类上享受到了现场退税，进一步刺激了消费。According to data from the State Taxation Administration, the number of individuals processing refunds nationwide over the past year increased by 12.96 times. Both the tax-refundable sales volume and the total refund amount increased by 9.35 times over the past year, marking a rapid growth in scale.根据国家税务总局的数据，过去一年全国办理退税的人数增长了12.96倍。退税销售额和退税总额均增长了9.35倍，呈现出规模化快速增长趋势。Fan Yong, dean of the Central University of Finance and Economics' School of Public Finance and Taxation, said the promotion and implementation of the service have effectively stimulated inbound consumption vitality.中央财经大学财政税务学院院长樊勇表示，该项服务的推广落地有效激发了入境消费活力。"It stands as an important achievement in China's continuous effort to optimize its business environment, and has promoted local brands on the international stage," Fan added.他补充道：“这是我国持续优化国际化营商环境的重要成果，亦有力促进了本土品牌走向国际舞台。”To further enhance the business environment, local tax authorities have actively explored ways to upgrade the service over the past year.为持续优化营商环境，过去一年，各地税务部门积极探索服务升级路径。For instance, Beijing has introduced a citywide processing system, allowing inbound travelers to shop at any tax refund store in the Chinese capital and process their refunds at a centralized location in the city.例如，北京推出了全城通办系统，允许入境旅客在首都的任何一家退税商店购物，并在市内的集中退付点办理退税手续。Sichuan province has launched a refund system based on a QR code, enabling overseas visitors to quickly complete the process and receive instant refunds by simply uploading photos of their application forms, valid identification documents and shopping invoices.四川省推出基于二维码的退税系统，境外旅客只需上传退税申请单、有效身份证件和购物发票的照片，即可快速完成退税手续，实时收到退税款。Shenzhen in Guangdong province has expanded its diversified electronic refund system by launching a real-time transfer service to WeChat Pay HK wallets for visitors from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.广东省深圳市通过推出微信香港钱包实时到账服务，扩展了其多元化的电子退税体系，方便香港特别行政区旅客办理退税。It has also introduced a "digital RMB hard wallet" refund method, which involves a prepaid card that allows travelers to receive and use their refund instantly without needing a bank account or internet connection.该市还推出了“数字人民币钱包”退税方式，即一种预付卡，旅客无需银行账户或网络连接即可实时接收和使用退税款。Gary Cai, a partner at professional services firm KPMG and head of KPMG China Economic Research Institute, said that optimizing departure tax refunds and the payment environment lowers transaction costs for overseas visitors.毕马威中国合伙人、毕马威中国经济研究院院长蔡伟表示，优化离境退税和支付环境降低了境外旅客的交易成本。"This turns potential desire into real consumption," he said, adding that inbound consumption effectively supplements domestic demand and helps optimize the nation's overall trade structure.他说：“这将潜在消费意愿转化为真实消费。”他补充说，入境消费有效补充了内需，有助于优化国家的整体贸易结构。Experts also pointed to untapped consumption potential.专家还指出，目前的入境消费潜力仍处于尚待开发阶段。While China's inbound consumption in 2025 recovered to the pre-pandemic peak level, accounting for 0.7 percent of the nation's GDP, there remains a gap compared with major global tourist destinations, Cai said.蔡伟说，虽然2025年中国入境消费恢复到了疫情前的峰值水平，占GDP的0.7%，但与全球主要旅游目的地相比仍存在差距。"Our focus should shift from scale recovery to quality improvement and structural optimization," he said.“我们的重点应从规模恢复转向质量提升和结构优化，”他说。To further unleash this potential, Cai suggested implementing higher tax refund rates for premium domestic brands and green, smart products.为进一步释放这一潜力，蔡伟建议，对优质国产品牌及绿色智能产品实行更高的退税率。Authorities said they will continue to expand service scenarios and provide stronger support for consumption and high-level opening-up.有关部门表示，将持续拓展服务场景，为促进消费和高水平对外开放提供更有力支撑。

Adam Hoskins (musical director for Rachel Zegler & Joy Woods) co-hosts The West End Frame Show!Adam joins Andrew Tomlins (West End Frame's Editor) to discuss Please Please Me (Kiln Theatre) and Paddington (Savoy Theatre) as well as the latest news about Anything Goes, John Proctor is the Villain, I'm Every Woman, RepresentAsian and lots more.Adam Hoskins is a conductor and orchestrator, extensively working in theatre and commercial concerts. His recent UK concert credits include Rachel Zegler: Live at The London Palladium (Whatsonstage Award for Best Concert Event), Il Volo (World Tour) (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), West End Women, Nothin' Like a Dame, Playing Our Part, Main Men of Musicals, and Love at the Musicals at Cadogan Hall, London.As a Music Director and Conductor in London's West End, his work includes concert presentations for Lambert Jackson of Diana the Musical at Eventim Apollo, London, and Carousel at Royal Festival Hall, London. He has also conducted productions of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Camelot, The Secret Garden, Once, Annie Get Your Gun, Doctor Zhivago, Side Show, Bare, and Songs for a New World, all staged at The London Palladium.Beyond conducting, Hoskins is a orchestrator and arranger, providing orchestrations for Ben Forster at Theatre Royal Haymarket, Lucie Jones at His Majesty's Theatre, Collabro at Adelphi Theatre and on their UK Tour, Layton & Nikita Live! at Theatre Royal Drury Lane and on tour, Samantha Barks One Night Only at The London Palladium, Oti Mabuse – Viva Carnival on its UK Tour, and Joe McElderry's Freedom UK Tour. In June 2025 he conducted two sold-out performances of his own symphonic adaptation of Undertale: The Determination Symphony at Eventim Apollo, London, which embarks on a global tour at the end of 2026.His additional UK concert work includes Musicals From The Heart in association with Heartbeat, The Mayflower, and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He has also held orchestral management roles for world-renowned artists such as Lea Salonga, Jason Robert Brown, Bernadette Peters, and Cynthia Erivo. As an orchestrator and arranger, his work has been featured in performances by The Three Phantoms and The Hallé Orchestra at Bridgewater Hall.International credits include Once in Concert in Japan and China, as well as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He has worked with Park Lane Live across the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and currently serves as Music Supervisor for Ramin Karimloo's The Reunion, an international tour that has appeared in Japan (Suntory Hall, Tokyo & Yokohama), China (Beijing, Shanghai & Shenzhen), Italy (Milan & Trieste), in association with the FVG Orchestra, and most recently in Taipei. In late 2025, he made his conducting debut with the Taipei Philharmonic, and performed sold-out engagements in Tokyo with Ramin Karimloo and Samantha Barks in Home, Love, Family.His work also extends to digital and streaming productions, having served as Music Supervisor for First Date on BroadwayHD and Songs for a New World in association with The Other Palace, both produced by Lambert Jackson Productions.Follow Adam on Instagram: @adam_hoskins_musicThis podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening!Email: andrew@westendframe.co.ukVisit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Program description: China Business Uncovered takes listeners inside China's business world through the eyes of reporters who investigate it firsthand. Featuring open conversations with Caixin journalists, each episode breaks down the most complex developments inside Chinese companies. Tune in to understand how critical stories are covered, what's really happening beneath the surface, and why it matters for businesses and investors operating in and around China. Recorded in Mandarin and produced in English with the help of AI, China Business Uncovered brings Caixin's in-depth investigative reporting to a global audience. Episode intro: For years, Vanke was seen as one of the best-run developers in China's real estate sector. So, when liquidity pressure began to build around the company, it jolted the market. In this episode, host Han Wei speaks with Caixin senior reporter Chen Bo about her investigative reporting on Vanke's crisis — from mounting debt pressure and state-backed rescue efforts to the complex off-balance-sheet funding network that grew around former president Zhu Jiusheng during the boom years. More importantly, through Vanke, they explore the deeper reckoning underway in China's property market: the sector's biggest risks this year, what tools policymakers still have left, and why many in the industry believe a true market bottom remains elusive. Timestamps: (2:47) From model property developer to liquidity crunch (07:12) Vanke's vast "shadow" financing network (16:12) Who is Zhu Jiusheng? (20:51) Shenzhen's shifting rescue stance (24:03) What Vanke tells us about China's property crisis (27:32) Is China's housing market really bottoming out? (32:19) Reading the latest policy signals This episode of China Business Uncovered was based on this Caixin Global story: In Depth: The Vast Funding Network Outside Vanke Produced by Kelsey Cheng and Du Bohan. Subscribe now to unlock full access to Caixin Global and The Wall Street Journal for $200 a year. Group discounts are available — contact us for a customized plan.

This week on Sinica: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrapped up his fourth visit to China in as many years last week, and this one may be the most consequential yet. It comes at a moment when Spain has emerged, almost improbably, as the most outspoken voice in Europe challenging the direction of American foreign policy — closing its airspace to U.S. military aircraft involved in the war in Iran, denying Washington the use of the Rota and Morón bases, recognizing Palestine, and getting expelled from the U.S.-led Gaza Coordination Center for its "anti-Israel obsession." Against that backdrop, Sánchez delivered a remarkable speech at Tsinghua University — a speech I wrote about in detail on the Sinica Substack (PM Pedro Sánchez's Tsinghua Speech: A Masterclass in Diplomatic Rhetoric) — defending multilateralism, calling the EU-China trade deficit unsustainable, and naming China "a country rebuilding its greatness."To help make sense of it, I'm joined by Mario Esteban Rodríguez, full professor at the Autonomous University of Madrid, director of its Center for East Asian Studies, and senior fellow at the Elcano Royal Institute. Mario is the scholar most frequently quoted in Spanish and European media coverage of Spain-China relations, and the author most recently of China's Vertical Multilateralism and the Global South (Routledge, 2026). We discuss whether Sánchez is running an updated Merkel playbook or something qualitatively new, how much of the pivot is really about Trump, the sectoral politics of EVs and Iberian pork, the Chery plant in Barcelona, Spain's role as a gateway to Latin America, and whether Madrid is now a trailblazer for a broader European — and transatlantic — reorientation toward Beijing.06:33 — Sánchez's China strategy: pragmatism, consistency, and political capital08:35 — Domestic politics: the PSOE–PP consensus, Vox, and the regional contradiction12:40 — Merkel's playbook vs. Sánchez's: COVID, Ukraine, and the macroeconomic imbalance15:55 — The Tsinghua speech: Matteo Ricci, multipolarity, and the human rights omission28:17 — The Trump factor: Iran, Gaza, and the limits of overestimating the American effect35:48 — Trade, EV tariffs, pork, and Chinese investment in Spain (the Chery plant in Barcelona)47:04 — Agricultural constituencies and the paradox of Vox voters who benefit from China trade49:01 — Spain's influence in Brussels and the conditions for other member states to follow53:09 — Spain as gateway to Latin America, and the wider European (and Canadian) turn to BeijingPaying it Forward: The European Think-Tank Network on China (ETNC) — a network providing country-specific insights on EU member states' approaches to China, including the granular differences and nuances that non-European analysts often miss.RecommendationsMario Esteban: A trip, rather than a book — New Zealand, which he's visiting this summer with his family to mark the 25th anniversary of the release of The Fellowship of the Ring. A nod to his love of Tolkien and tabletop role-playing games (conducted, he is careful to note, in his own basement — not his parents').Kaiser Kuo: CONG — a new large-format magazine published out of Hong Kong (the title is pronounced Kong, though its ambiguous Pinyin-like spelling invites a second reading), now preparing its third issue. Beautifully produced on glossy and textured paper, with broad coverage of the art, culture, and design scene across East and Southeast Asia. Check it out online here: https://www.serakai.studio/congSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

En 1956, un camionero de Carolina del Norte llamado Malcom McLean tuvo una idea que parecía absurda: meter la carga de un camión dentro de una caja de metal y subirla directamente a un barco. Sin desembalar nada. Sin estibadores tocando la mercancía. Solo una caja. Los sindicatos portuarios se rieron, los armadores lo ignoraron y los expertos en logística dijeron que era una simplificación ridícula de un problema complejo. McLean compró un viejo petrolero de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, le soldó una plataforma en cubierta y cargó cincuenta y ocho cajas metálicas en el puerto de Newark. El barco zarpó hacia Houston sin que nadie le prestara demasiada atención. Veinte años después, el contenedor de transporte marítimo había destruido y reconstruido la economía global. Puertos enteros quedaron obsoletos de la noche a la mañana. Ciudades que llevaban siglos viviendo del comercio marítimo se convirtieron en fantasmas. Y otras que nadie había mirado dos veces, véaise Singapur, Shenzhen o Dubái, se transformaron en las arterias del mundo moderno. Todo porque un camionero miró un barco y pensó: esto se puede hacer de otra forma. Lo fascinante de esta historia no es la caja. Es lo que nadie vio venir después, pues el contenedor no cambió solo el transporte. Cambió qué era rentable fabricar, dónde tenía sentido hacerlo, quién ganaba y quién perdía. Cambió la geografía del poder económico y lo hizo de una forma que ni el propio McLean podía haber imaginado. La lección es siempre la misma: los grandes cambios no avisan. No vienen con un cartel que dice "esto va a transformar el mundo". Vienen disfrazados de cosas que parecen pequeñas, técnicas, aburridas incluso: un estrecho que se cierra; un precio que no es lo que parece; una empresa que cambia de nombre; un fundador que se va. Y de repente, cuando miras el conjunto, el mapa ha cambiado por completo. Esta semana ha pasado algo así en los mercados. Varias cosas que parecían inconexas, algunas aparentemente buenas, otras claramente absurdas, y una que nadie sabe muy bien cómo interpreta, se han combinado para dibujar un panorama que exige atención. No porque el cielo se esté cayendo ni porque todo vaya estupendamente, sino porque la distancia entre lo que el mercado celebra y lo que la realidad dice se ha vuelto lo bastante grande como para que merezca la pena entenderlo. De eso va el episodio de esta semana de Actualidad Semanal +D. De lo que se ve y lo que no., de lo que cuesta el petróleo de verdad frente a lo que dice tu pantalla., de por qué Wall Street bate récords mientras los consumidores están más pesimistas que nunca, y de una zapatilla de lana que, creedme, tiene más que ver con vuestra cartera de inversión de lo que pensáis. Lo tenéis disponible ya en todas las plataformas. Escuchadlo, si queréis compartirlo, os lo agradecemos, y por último decidme si no estáis de acuerdo en que el mapa ha cambiado.

This week I'm sharing the next installment from the terrific day-long conference convened by the Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs (ACF) at Johns Hopkins SAIS on April 3rd in Washington — "The China Debate We're Not Having: Politics, Technology, and the Road Ahead." Last week's episode featured Jessica Chen Weiss's opening remarks and the first panel, "What China Wants." This week, I've got the companion panel — "What Does the United States Want?" — which I think pairs beautifully with that first session, and which takes up a question that's arguably harder and more uncomfortable to answer. The panel is moderated by SAIS Dean James Steinberg, who served as Deputy National Security Advisor in the Clinton administration and Deputy Secretary of State under Obama — and who keeps this moving with real sharpness. He's joined by Matt Duss, Executive Vice President at the Center for International Policy, who starts things off with a bracing observation: the United States does not know what it wants. The old foreign policy consensus has shattered, he argues, and neither the Trump administration nor the Democratic establishment has produced a coherent replacement. He locates the most interesting thinking in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, where he hopes the 2028 primary will force some of these hard questions into the open. Katherine Thompson, a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute who previously served in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill, brings a military-strategic lens. She makes a sharp case that the new National Defense Strategy, for all its imperfections, at least opens the door to an honest conversation about trade-offs — something Washington has been allergic to. If you're going to prioritize deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, she argues, you have to actually give things up elsewhere, and the Iran situation is making that tension impossible to ignore. Jonas Nahm, the Andrew W. Mellon Associate Professor at SAIS who served in the Biden administration, reframes economic competition with China in refreshingly concrete terms. Rather than abstract great-power framing, he identifies three specific buckets — affordability and energy, technological catch-up, and manufacturing competitiveness — where Chinese capacity could actually help solve American problems, if we had the political imagination to let it. And Leslie Vinjamuri, president and CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, brings striking new polling data showing a 40-percentage-point swing in American favorability toward China since 2024 — now at 53 percent — driven largely by Democrats but with movement among Republicans too. She situates this in the fading of pandemic-era hostility and the absence of sustained anti-China rhetoric from the current administration, and adds an invaluable perspective on how utterly confused America's allies are about what Washington actually expects of them. The conversation ranges across Taiwan and strategic ambiguity, whether allies arming up in the Indo-Pacific helps or hurts, the collapse of U.S. credibility on human rights, the future of dollar dominance, and whether the 2028 election will finally force a reckoning with these questions. It's a rich, candid discussion — and a reminder that the hardest debates in U.S.-China policy may not be about China at all. Panelists:— Matt Duss, Executive Vice President, Center for International Policy— Katherine Thompson, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute— Jonas Nahm, Andrew W. Mellon Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins SAIS— Leslie Vinjamuri, President and CEO, Chicago Council on Global Affairs Moderator: James Steinberg, Dean, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International StudiesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A major Amazon Ads payment update has been delayed to August 1st, 2026. Amazon now has a solution for reducing storage fees and how to identify keywords that Amazon's algorithm considers relevant to your products. We're back with another episode of the Weekly Buzz with Helium 10's Senior Brand Evangelist, Shivali Patel. Every week, we cover the latest breaking news in the Amazon, TikTok Shop, Walmart, and E-commerce space, talk about Helium 10's newest features, and provide a training tip for the week for serious sellers of any level.   Update on Amazon advertiser payments https://advertising.amazon.com/library/news/update-on-advertiser-payments/ Identify untapped product opportunities with Discover Unmet Demand https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHM0FLQzhBUFBTQk40RzhN Introducing Global Warehousing & Distribution — now available in Shenzhen, China https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-news/articles/QVRWUERLSUtYMERFUiNHWUQ5WVI1RjRSVkJIUlBX TikTok Shop is expanding in Europe: Poland and the Benelux countries will follow soon https://www.retaildetail.eu/news/general/tiktok-shop-is-expanding-in-europe-poland-and-the-benelux-countries-will-follow-soon/ In episode 513 of the AM/PM Podcast and Weekly Buzz, Shivali covers: 00:00 - Introduction 00:42 - MAJOR advertising payment updates delayed to August 1st, 2026 02:35 - Understand customer preferences with Review Insights on TikTok 06:34 - Identify market opportunities with NEW Discover Unmet Demand feature 08:56 - Identify keywords Amazon's algorithm thinks is relevant for your products 13:40 - Reduce storage costs with Amazon GWD in Shenzhen 16:11 - Is TikTok Shop finally expanding to more European countries?   Enjoy this episode? Want to be able to ask questions to Leo Sgovio live in a small group with other 7 and 8-figure Amazon sellers?  Join the Helium 10 Elite Mastermind and get quarterly workshops, monthly training, and networking calls with Leo at h10.me/elite Make sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to our podcast!  

1. Anne Stevenson-Yang recounts China's transition from a poverty-stricken Maoist culture to an export-driven economy. Deng Xiaoping initiated this shift to acquire hard currency, establishing Special Economic Zones like Shenzhen. This era birthed an elite class of well-connected officials who began separating capital from traditional ministries. (1)1903

150 episodes. Two years. No shortage of stuff happening. On this milestone bro pod, we take stock of where Second Nature has been — and where things are heading. Digging into what's actually changed in 2026: what we've removed, working with an executive coach, launching a live weekly show, and opening the first mountain bike retail store in Shenzhen, China. Plus a real conversation about the grind before the momentum, why the irons are finally heating up, and what it feels like when years of consistent work starts clicking into place. Show Notes: Popfly for Brands: https://www.popfly.com?growsurf_campaign=jpeg2o&grsf=x4d7gg Popfly for Creators: https://www.popfly.com/creators?growsurf_campaign=wovvt7&grsf=3jh7ss Second Nature's Catalog: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia/videos Dustin Klein Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM0r0_R-cfk Matt Lloyd-Thomas on SN: https://youtu.be/UFukxaniLMI Christian Rawles on SN: https://youtu.be/EVPKsO0O8us Christian Rawles: https://www.christianrawles.com/ Enneagram: https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test Super Rider: https://www.youtube.com/@superRiderTV Freetrail Rest Day: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-freetrail-podcast-with-dylan-bowman/id1492327668 Trailcon: https://www.trailconference.com Outside Interactive Revenue: https://www.adweek.com/media/outside-interactive-profit-transformation/ The Rebooting - Outside: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-outsides-media-as-flywheel-strategy/id1595625177?i=1000755772587 BPC - Brand, Product, Content: Thinking In Bets (Book): https://amzn.to/3QnzUK1 Speedland RXLDVL: https://www.runspeedland.com/products/rx-ldvl Join us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/second-nature-media Meet us on Slack: https://www.launchpass.com/second-nature Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secondnature.media Subscribe to our newsletter: https://www.secondnature.media Subscribe to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@secondnaturemedia

My fellow pro-growth/progress/abundance Up Wingers in America and around the world:As a college sophomore, Josh Farahzad assembled a group of students from around the country in an attempt to launch a homemade rocket into space. From there, he ditched the traditional route and scoured the country for the perfect place to build a uniquely American mega-project.Disillusioned with the entrepreneurial atmosphere of the Bay Area, he has since broken ground in central Texas. Caldwell County is now home to Proto-Town—a place Farahzad hopes businesses will have the space to engineer and build world-changing hardware.Today on Faster, Please—The Podcast, I chat with Farahzad about his quest to build America's premier manufacturing town from scratch.In This Episode* Welcome to Proto-Town (1:20)* The Limits of California (5:18)* From the Ground Up (10:46)* The Vision (17:35)(A lightly edited transcript of our conversation will be appear in my Week in Review issue on Saturday. Another option is using the Substack auto transcript function.)On sale everywhere The Conservative Futurist: How To Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit fasterplease.substack.com/subscribe

Opening Remarks & Session 1: What China WantsJohns Hopkins SAIS ACF Conference, April 3, 2026This week's episode features audio from a day-long conference hosted by the Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs (ACF) at Johns Hopkins SAIS, held on April 3rd in Washington, DC. The conference, titled "The China Debate We're Not Having: Politics, Technology, and the Road Ahead," brought together a wide range of scholars, former officials, and analysts to interrogate some of the foundational assumptions underlying US policy toward China — a conversation I found compelling enough to share directly with Sinica listeners, with the full blessing of the organizers.You'll hear two segments in this episode.Opening Remarks — Jessica Chen WeissACF's inaugural faculty director Jessica Chen Weiss opens the conference by framing its central provocation: that much of the prevailing US policy discourse assumes an intrinsically zero-sum competition with China, and that this assumption has not been adequately examined. She argues for a more rigorous, evidence-based conversation — one that takes seriously the possibility that American and Chinese interests are competitive but not necessarily adversarial, and that may even leave room for complementarity in some domains. She previews the day's three thematic sessions — on what China wants, what the United States wants, and the stakes of technological and AI rivalry — and situates the whole enterprise in what she describes as a hinge moment in world history.Session 1: What China WantsModerated by Demetri Sevastopulo of the Financial Times, the first panel takes up the deceptively simple question of what China is actually trying to achieve on the world stage — and whether its ambitions are as expansive as much US policy discourse assumes.Jessica Chen Weiss argues that China's core objectives remain relatively modest and sovereignty-focused: security, development, and legitimacy within an order long dominated by the United States. She pushes back on the idea that China is eager to assume the burdens of global leadership, noting that Chinese interlocutors are acutely aware of the domestic overextension that has constrained American power. Sevastopulo coins — with Weiss's amusement — the term "China-first" to describe Beijing's orientation.Dan Taylor, drawing on his decades in the Defense Intelligence Agency, urges the audience to take Chinese leadership statements seriously rather than projecting worst-case intentions onto them. He notes that Beijing still sees itself as a developing nation with enormous domestic work ahead, and that its articulated goals leave considerable room for interpretation before one arrives at the conclusion that China seeks to displace the United States as global hegemon.Arthur Kroeber adds an economic dimension, tracing how China's export-driven model has generated massive global surpluses — and why the resulting tensions with trading partners are, in his view, a structural problem rather than evidence of strategic malice. He argues that much of what looks like geopolitical aggression is better understood as the consequence of an economic model operating at enormous scale with insufficient domestic demand to absorb its own output.Shao Yuqun, speaking from her perch at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, offers the most pointed challenge to the panel's relatively sanguine framing. She argues that the United States' own behavior — erratic policy, withdrawal from multilateral commitments, and the disruptions of the Trump era — has itself destabilized the order that American strategists claim to be defending. She is measured but direct, and her presence gives the conversation a texture that too many Washington panels lack.The discussion ranges across China's Iran diplomacy, the prospects for a US-China summit, the question of whether Beijing is exploiting Trump-era tensions to deepen ties with traditional US allies, and — in a lively closing exchange — who the next generation of Chinese leadership looks like (with Kroeber's deadpan answer, "Xi Jinping," getting the biggest laugh of the session).Guests:Jessica Chen Weiss, David M. Lampton Professor of China Studies, Johns Hopkins SAIS; Inaugural Faculty Director, ACFDan Taylor, Adjunct Researcher, Institute for Defense Analyses; Senior Fellow, Johns Hopkins SAIS ACFArthur Kroeber, Founding Partner, Gavekal DragonomicsShao Yuqun, Director, Institute for Taiwan, Hong Kong & Macao Studies, Shanghai Institutes for International StudiesModerator: Demetri Sevastopulo, US-China Correspondent, Financial TimesRemaining sessions from the conference — on what the United States wants, tech rivalry and competing visions of the future, and a fireside chat between Henry Farrell and Alondra Nelson on the AI race reconsidered — will be released over the coming weeks.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

An 8-figure seller in China reveals what US sellers get wrong about Chinese competition, black-hat tactics, global expansion, and the data-driven moves behind his Amazon growth. ► Watch The Podcasts On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Helium10SeriousSellersPodcast?sub_confirmation=1 ► Instagram: instagram.com/serioussellerspodcast ► Free Amazon Seller Chrome Extension: https://h10.me/extension ► Sign Up For Helium 10: https://h10.me/signup  (Use SSP10 To Save 10% For Life) ► Learn How To Sell on Amazon: https://h10.me/ft What is really happening behind the scenes with top Chinese Amazon sellers? In this episode, Bradley travels to Shenzhen, China, to sit down with Bennett, an eight-figure seller who shares a rare inside look at how serious Amazon sellers in China are building and scaling brands. Helping guide the conversation is Freeman Cui from Helium 10's Shenzhen office, who serves as Bennett's translator throughout the interview. From launching his first cleaning product in 2017 to growing one brand to $15 million in annual sales, Bennett breaks down the mindset, systems, and strategies behind his success. One of the most eye-opening parts of the conversation is Bennett's take on black hat tactics. He confirms that those tactics still exist but says Amazon is making it harder for bad actors to survive in the long term. His belief is that the future belongs to compliant sellers who focus on quality products, strong branding, and long-term stability. That alone makes this episode a must-listen for sellers who assume all Chinese competitors play the same game. Bennett also opens up about how his team uses data to make smarter decisions across product research, market expansion, keyword strategy, and advertising. He shares how Helium 10 tools like Market Tracker 360, Search Query Analyzer, Cerebro, and Helium 10 Ads help his team spot trends, avoid bad opportunities, optimize PPC, and launch products with more precision. He also walks through how they research trends from Amazon, Etsy, customer feedback, and even physical retail stores. This episode is packed with practical insights on global expansion, AI-driven advertising, and product launches, but it also gives listeners something more valuable: perspective. Bennett explains why Brazil could be one of the biggest untapped Amazon opportunities, why patience is one of his company's unfair advantages, and why his team is aiming to grow from $15 million to $50 million in the coming years. If you want to understand how elite Chinese sellers actually think, this episode pulls back the curtain. In episode 742 of the Serious Sellers Podcast, Bradley, Bennett, and Freeman discuss: 00:00 - Why Chinese Sellers Envy US And European Sellers 00:41 - Meeting Bennett In Shenzhen, China 01:04 - Bennett's Background And First Amazon Product 02:17 - Building A $15 Million Cleaning Brand 02:52 - How He Uses Market Tracker 360 To Find Opportunities 04:12 - A Product Win And A Market Shift That Saved Money 05:50 - The Truth About Black Hat Tactics In China 07:48 - How Search Query Analyzer Changed His PPC Strategy 10:07 - Three Unique Strategies Behind His 8-Figure Growth 12:28 - Why Brazil Is His Top Expansion Market 14:02 - How He Uses AI Advertising And Where It Still Falls Short 17:53 - His New Product Launch Strategy And $50 Million Goal

Economic historian Adam Tooze returns to Sinica fresh from the China Development Forum and his second extended visit to Beijing in under a year. In this wide-ranging conversation, Adam and I cover the 15th Five-Year Plan — what it signals about Beijing's development priorities and whether it represents a genuine shift away from investment-led growth — and the extraordinary scale of China's renewable energy buildout, which Adam argues may be bringing us to the global peak of CO2 emissions right now.They discuss the concept of the “big green state,” why Western analysts keep dancing around the role of the CPC in driving China's environmental transformation, and what the “Chinamaxxing” phenomenon says about a slow but real reckoning in Western public consciousness. From Europe's evolving posture toward China — caught between EV anxieties and transatlantic rupture — to China's role in the Global South's energy future, the conversation moves through coal transitions, Indonesian nickel zones, African microgrids, and the collapse of the flying geese model.The episode closes with a frank exchange on the Iran war, the postponed Trump-Xi summit, the stunning political silence on American campuses, and what Beijing is most likely doing: sitting pretty and waiting it out. Adam also offers a preview of his forthcoming book on the energy transition — which turns out to be another massive one — and recommends Tim Sahay and Wang Hui as essential reading.02:44 – Adam's Chinese language study: HSK3, the Confucius Institute curriculum, and the joys of chasing characters09:41 – The jìhuà/guīhuà distinction and what the shift in nomenclature from the 11th Five-Year Plan onward actually signals12:01 – The 15th Five-Year Plan: green energy tinkering, sci-tech ambitions, and the human development dimension18:10 – Does Beijing genuinely mean to shift from investment-led growth? Reading “high quality development” and “common prosperity”22:38 – The Great Reckoning: has Western intellectual and policy consciousness actually moved on China?29:45 – Environmental authoritarianism, the CPC as mobilizing institution, and why Xi's “petty bourgeois environmentalism” deserves to be taken seriously33:39 – Persistent misperceptions of China in Western discourse; the “jaundiced American” trench perspective39:16 – European neuralgia: EV overcapacity, Ukraine, and whether transatlantic rupture opens a window for China45:02 – China and the Global South: the end of the flying geese model, African microgrids, Indonesian nickel zones, and BRI record lending59:32 – Mark Carney's “age of rupture”: does the framing capture something real, or does it flatter the West?01:05:18 – What Beijing sees from its windows: Iran, Venezuela, the postponed Trump-Xi summit, and a five-point plan for Chinese hegemony (that won't happen)01:14:55 – Preview of Adam's forthcoming book on the energy transition and the “second world” thesisPaying It Forward: Tim Sahay (PolyCrisis / Phenomenal World)Recommendations:Adam: Wang Hui's The End of the RevolutionKaiser: The Chinese series Shēng mìng shù (Born to Be Alive)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Sinica, I welcome journalist and former colleague Chang Che. His recent New Yorker piece "How China Learned to Love the Classics" generated enormous attention. We explore one of the more surprising cultural phenomena in contemporary China: a growing, state-backed enthusiasm for the Greco-Roman classics. We dig into what's actually driving this revival, from the genuine intellectual curiosity of scholars like He Yanxiao, who fell in love with the Odyssey as a Chinese high school student and went on to earn a Chicago PhD, to what might be the more deliberate strategic ambitions of figures like Politburo member Li Shulei and the shadow of philosopher Liu Xiaofeng's Straussianism. We also compare Chang's warmly enchanted 2022 China Project piece on Austrian classicist Leopold Lieb to the politically sharper New Yorker piece four years later — and ask what that shift in tone tells us about what's actually changed. This is an episode about civilizational discourse, soft power, and the strange fate of scholarship when the state decides it finds your obscure passion useful.00:32 – Kaiser introduces the episode from Beijing and reflects on the asymmetry in how the West covers Chinese intellectual curiosity 04:08 – Civilizationist discourse: Spengler, Huntington, and The Civilization Trap 10:56 – Introducing Chang Che and the evolution from his 2022 China Project piece to the New Yorker 15:38 – How Chang first got drawn into the subject: Latin classes, Charlottesville, and young Chinese classicists returning from American PhDs 21:38 – What changed in four years: the state moves from background to foreground 25:28 – Inside the institutional push: what China's "classics departments" actually look like, and who controls the definition of "classics" 31:13 – Xi Jinping's letter to Greek scholars and the move, perhaps, to sever ancient Greece from the modern West 39:57 – Liu Xiaofeng, Leo Strauss, and why Strauss fever gripped Chinese intellectuals after 1989 47:03 – The Padilla Peralta "incident" and the strange porousness between American and Chinese discourse communities on the classics 52:13 – Chenchen Zhang's framework: civilizationist discourse claims difference internationally while enforcing homogeneity domestically 57:30 – He Yanxiao, K-pop, and the idea of "Chinatown classics" 01:07:13 – Where will China's classics revival be in ten years?Paying It Forward: Dongxian Jiang (Fordham) and Simon Luo (Nanyang Technological University)Recommendations: Chang recommends House of the Dragon; Kaiser recommends the Ah-Q Arkestra, led by trombonist Matt Roberts, whose latest album Méiyǒu yìjiàn is on Spotify.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David M. Lampton—“Mike”—is one of America's most distinguished scholars of U.S.–China relations, director of China Studies Emeritus at Johns Hopkins SAIS, and the author of landmark works on Chinese politics and foreign policy. He joins me this week to discuss a striking new Foreign Affairs essay he co-authored with the eminent Chinese international relations scholar Wang Jisi of Peking University: “America and China at the Edge of Ruin: A Last Chance to Step Back from the Brink.”Written against the backdrop of President Trump's planned visit to China (and before the outbreak of the U.S.–Israeli war on Iran), the essay is less a routine policy paper than an urgent intervention — two veteran scholars, one American and one Chinese, throwing a rope across a widening chasm. They argue that strategic rivalry has become self-reinforcing, that the greatest danger is no longer deliberate conflict but accidental war driven by miscalculation and escalation dynamics neither side fully controls, and that a rare, narrow window for “a new normalization” may now be opening.We range across the essay's boldest claims — on Taiwan as the unlikely starting point for stabilization, the corrosive logic of securitization, the ghost of the first Cold War, and the looming talent crisis in serious China studies — in a meaty, substantive conversation.3:39 How the Lampton–Wang Jisi collaboration came together6:31 The division of labor and the essay's unified voice9:15 Wang Jisi's cognitive empathy and his unusual depth of American understanding13:57 The essay's emotional register: veteran scholars and the specter of another Cold War16:32 From reassurance to deterrence—and why deterrence keeps getting harder to maintain25:02 Mirror-image threat narratives as self-fulfilling operating systems32:08 Securitization, the “one-way ratchet,” and whether economic interdependence can be rebuilt39:23 Accidental war: what has changed since Hainan 2001 and Belgrade 199944:16 Where the most damaging choices were made—China's Ukraine pivot, U.S. arms-control withdrawals51:29 The window of opportunity: Trump's China visit, the 4th Plenum, and post-Iran recalculation1:01:30 Taiwan as the counterintuitive starting point for stabilization1:10:03 Collapse fantasies, hubris, and the Pearl Harbor danger of “act now or lose the window”1:13:14 The looming China-talent crisis and the future of the fieldPaying It ForwardMike highlights Rosie Levine, executive director of the U.S.–China Education Trust, where she is leading a major new initiative to expand serious American scholarship in China and encourage Chinese institutions to open their doors wider to foreign researchers and students.RecommendationsMike: The Raider by Stephen R. Platt (Knopf, 2025) — a biography of Major Evans Carlson, the swashbuckling Marine officer who trained with Chinese Communist forces in the 1930s, befriended Zhu De, brought the word “gung-ho” into English, and died in 1947 just in time to miss both the PRC's turn away from liberty and McCarthyism's persecution at home.Kaiser: “How China Learned to Love the Classics,” a New Yorker piece by Chang Che on the remarkable renaissance of interest in Greco-Roman philosophy and literature in contemporary China — and what it says about the world we now inhabit. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to Exponential View, the show where I explore how exponential technologies such as AI are reshaping our future. I've been studying AI and exponential technologies at the frontier for over ten years. Each week, I share some of my analysis or speak with an expert guest to make light of a particular topic. To keep up with the Exponential transition, subscribe to this channel or to my newsletter: https://www.exponentialview.co ---- Apple may have stumbled into one of the most defensible positions in AI. This was not on my radar – just two months ago, I was describing a credibility crisis at the company; they appeared wrong-footed on the most important technology of our times and an acquisition was their only plausible way out.  In this episode I work through what I and many other commentators missed – and what road lies ahead for Apple. I cover: (01:16) Why I was wrong about Apple (02:40) What's behind the Mac Mini shortage (04:07) China goes OpenClaw crazy (06:28) Perplexity builds on a Mac Mini (07:12) The edge case for Apple (09:05) Apple Moat 1: hardware (11:31) Apple Moat 2: privacy (15:47) The K problem: when good enough beats genius (18:08) Privacy, sovereignty & the diary problem Read my old position on Apple at Substack: https://www.exponentialview.co/p/ev-515 For a practical guide  my OpenClaw stack, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCG3dFRF3ek ---- Where to find me: Exponential View newsletter: https://www.exponentialview.co/ Website: https://www.azeemazhar.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/azeem/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/azeem Production by EPIIPLUS1.  Production and research: Baba Films, Chantal Smith, Marija Gavrilov. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week on Sinica, I speak with Daniela Stockmann and Ting Luo, co-authors of Governing Digital China, a new book that examines how an authoritarian state governs a digital ecosystem it doesn't fully own, can never fully control, and yet fundamentally depends on. Danie — a professor of digital governance at the Hertie School in Berlin and a returning Sinica guest, having joined us way back in 2014 to discuss her earlier book on media commercialization and authoritarian rule — and Ting, associate professor in government and artificial intelligence at the University of Birmingham, together offer a richly empirical account of the triangular relationship between the Chinese state, major platform companies, and ordinary internet users. Rather than treating firms as mere instruments of party control or citizens as passive subjects of surveillance, they develop a framework they call "popular corporatism," which captures how bargaining, incentives, and user preferences shape what is and isn't permissible in China's digital spaces — including the endlessly misunderstood social credit system.4:32 — The digital dilemma: how digital platforms simultaneously empower economic development and create political risk for the party-state — a tension that isn't unique to authoritarian regimes7:45 — Why the command-and-control model falls short: platforms require technical expertise and user engagement the state lacks, and firms like Tencent and Sina have real leverage as a result11:41 — Popular corporatism explained: why users — including the "silent majority" of lurkers — must be foregrounded in any account of China's digital governance, and how firms become state "consultants" and "insiders"21:09 — The survey: GPS-based nationally representative sampling, how to desensitize politically sensitive questions, and why this kind of research can no longer be conducted in China27:22 — Lurkers vs. discussants: the 90-9-1 rule and the counterintuitive finding that users who perceive more openness on platforms like WeChat and Weibo report higher political trust in the central government35:40 — Functional liberalization: why partial openness should be understood as governance strategy, not mere concession — and what the fandom-community doxing wars illustrate about that39:23 — The social credit system: what it actually is, what it is not, and why the Black Mirror version is a myth42:38 — Two subsystems, one misunderstood system: the financial/commercial credit infrastructure, the local-government behavioral programs, and how Sesame Credit and court blacklists actually fit together46:20 — The privacy paradox and political trust: why convenience routinely overrides stated privacy preferences — and why where Alipay is most embedded, residents trust the state most52:42 — Stability, exportability, and the Orwell-versus-Huxley question: what preconditions popular corporatism requires, which other developmental states it might apply to, and why China's digital governance is better understood as a coercion-cooption balancing actPaying It ForwardTing Luo recommends Ning Leng, assistant professor at Georgetown University and author of Politicizing Business: How Firms Are Made to Serve the Party State in China.Daniela Stockmann recommends Felix Garten, postdoctoral researcher at the Hertie School, whose work examines how Chinese tech companies behave when operating in regulatory environments outside China — including the EU, Malaysia, and Singapore.RecommendationsDaniela: The Legend of the Female General 《锦月如歌》, a Chinese historical drama available on YouTube with English subtitles, especially for anyone interested in internal martial arts and martial heroines in Chinese popular culture.Ting Luo：Bordeaux, France — specifically, just going there and drinking excellent wine.Kaiser: Two Substack newsletters for following China's relationship with the Middle East, especially as the American-Israeli war against Iran continues to unfold: Jonathan Fulton's China-MENA Newsletter and Jesse Marks's Coffee in the Desert See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.