Podcasts about Shenzhen

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.

The gaming industry is facing its most significant legal week of 2026. First, we break down the U.S. government's move against Tencent Games—the Shenzhen-based giant behind League of Legends and Riot Games—citing the same data privacy concerns that led to the TikTok divestiture. Then, we dive into Nintendo's blockbuster lawsuit against the U.S. Court of International Trade. Following the February 20th Supreme Court ruling striking down IEEPA-authorized tariffs, Nintendo is demanding a full refund, with interest, for billions in "unlawful" duties paid on Switch 2 accessories and hardware. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China will focus on translating the goal of building an Asia-Pacific community into action, and turn the blueprint into reality.

Ali bomo zahodnjaki že v kratkem začeli sanjariti, da bi lahko bivali in ustvarjali v Tokiu, Seulu ali Šanghaju – prav kakor so ljudje z vsega sveta nekoč sanjali o življenju v Parizu in New Yorku?Ker se svet neverjetno hitro spreminja, si seveda ni prav lahko predstavljati, kako bomo živeli čez nekaj desetletij. Pa vendar se številnim, ki so v zadnjih desetih, petnajstih letih obiskali katero izmed večmilijonskih metropol vzhodne Azije, zdi, da so podobo časov, ki šele prihajajo, pravzaprav že uzrli. Hiperkinetična, propulzivna mesta, kot so Tokio in Osaka, Seul in Pusan, Peking in Šanghaj, Shenzhen in Chonqing, Tajpej in Singapur, namreč preveva naravnost futuristična atmosfera – pa naj gre za gradnjo novih, drzno načrtovanih poslovnih stolpnic, nakupovalnih in zabaviščnih središč, industrijskih parkov, mostov, pristanišč ter stanovanjskih četrti; za širitev in z novimi, pametnimi tehnologijami podprto optimiziranje ključne urbane infrastrukture od kanalizacije prek večnadstropnih avtocest do podzemne železnice; ali, čisto preprosto, za neonsko bleščavo nočnih ulic. Seveda pa vse to še ne pomeni, da se velemesta vzhodne in jugovzhodne Azije ne soočajo z nekaterimi težavami. Skokovita rast prebivalstva, ki jo spremlja rahljanje tradicionalnih družbenih vezi, prilagajanje urbane krajine vremenskim ekstremom, ki jih s seboj prinaša globalno segrevanje, pa nove oblike dela in proizvodnje, nove oblike potrošnje in zabave, novi življenjski slogi – vse to predstavlja izziv, s katerim se morajo državne in mestne oblasti ter lokalne skupnosti v urbanih metropolah vzdolž pacifiških obal Azije zdaj soočati. Kako probleme rešujejo in kakšne recepte za urbano življenje v 21. stoletju posredno ponujajo preostalemu svetu, smo ugotavljali v tokratnih Glasovih svetov, ko smo pred mikrofonom gostili urbanega sociologa, dr. Blaža Križnika. Naš gost je vrsto let živel v Južni Koreji in delal na tamkajšnjih univerzah, nazadnje na Podiplomski šoli za urbane študije Univerze Hanyang v Seulu, zdaj, po povratku v domovino, pa predava na Oddelku za azijske študije ljubljanske Filozofske fakultete, kjer vodi raziskovalni projekt CASIE. V tem kontekstu ga zaposluje vprašanje, kako se običajni meščani in meščanke sodobnih vzhodnoazijskih velemest povezujejo, da bi – tako rekoč od spodaj navzgor – pripomogli k oblikovanju take urbane krajine, ki človeku navsezadnje omogoča zdravo, kreativno in izpolnjujoče življenje. Foto: večerna panorama Seula (Joon Kyu Park / Wikipedia)

Shoot us a Text.Episode #1283: Oil markets are on edge as global conflict pressures fuel prices and supply chains. Meanwhile, BYD may have cracked the code on five-minute EV charging, and CarMax becomes the first U.S. auto retailer to launch a shopping app inside ChatGPT.Oil markets are on edge after military action involving the U.S. and Israel disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. While automakers aren't seeing immediate shutdowns, rising energy prices and potential shipping reroutes are adding another variable to an already complex year.Roughly 20 million barrels of crude flow through the strait daily, along with LNG, aluminum, steel inputs and key plastics used in vehicle production.Oil briefly jumped nearly 7%, with analysts warning prices could top $100 a barrel if the conflict drags on.Automakers rely heavily on Asia–Europe sea lanes for semiconductors, battery materials and electronics—any expansion into the Red Sea or Suez would be “significantly disruptive.”“It certainly adds risk [for OEMs] and you've got to be thinking about rerouting anything that's going to go through that part of the world,” said AlixPartners' Dan Hearsch.If range anxiety has been the headline problem for EV adoption, BYD may be attacking it at the source. The Chinese automaker is testing a 1,500 kW “flash charging” network that looks less like a parking lot and more like a traditional gas station.The demo site in Shenzhen features liquid-cooled charging guns and pull-through lanes, allowing drivers to plug in and roll out—no backing into stalls required.Leaked specs suggest up to 1,500 kW on a 1,000V architecture—potentially adding 249 miles in about 5 minutes. For context, most U.S. and European fast chargers top out at 350 kW.Testing is currently limited to select BYD models with a “Flash Charge” badge, with charging reportedly starting within 10 seconds of plug-in.Pricing at the demo site is around $0.18 per kWh, a fraction of many Western public charging rates.CarMax just became the first U.S. auto retailer to launch a car-shopping app inside ChatGPT, bringing both buying and selling tools directly into the AI platform. It's another signal that conversational commerce isn't coming—it's here.Customers can browse CarMax's 45,000+ vehicle inventory using natural prompts like “SUV with third row under $25,000” or “small AWD car with good tech.”The app also allows sellers to check their vehicle's value and connect directly to CarMax's online offer tool.CarMax says the goal is to reduce the overwhelm of used-car shopping by meeting customers on a platform they're already using.Today's show is brought to you by iPacket Value. From accurate MSRP validation to smarter merchandising decisions, iPacketJoin Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/ JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/

Shenzhen Huajie Technology Co. v. Shenzhen Leyibei Technology Co

What does manufacturing in China for the U.S. really look like in 2026? In this episode, we share the full audio from a live presentation by Fabien Gaussorgues, CEO of Agilian Technology, on the risks and opportunities facing companies that import from China into the United States. Fabien breaks down the current tariff landscape, including recent changes, and explains why tariffs are now structural, not temporary. If you're sourcing electronics, electromechanical products, or components from China, this is essential listening. You'll learn: How Section 301 and new reciprocal tariffs impact landed cost Why “China+1” isn't as simple as shifting final assembly What “substantial transformation” really means under U.S. Customs rules The hidden cost of longer lead times and locked-up working capital Real-world comparisons: Shenzhen vs. Malaysia production timelines When U.S. or Mexico manufacturing makes economic sense The realistic 2026 scenario for U.S.–China trade (and why full decoupling is unlikely) How to design a supply chain based on total cost of ownership, not slogans Fabien also answers audience questions on supplier diversification, automation in China, labor shifts inland, and how to think about tariff risk without overreacting. If you're a product company, importer, operations leader, or founder manufacturing in China, or considering moving production to Vietnam, India, Mexico, or the U.S., this episode will help you make decisions grounded in operational reality. This is not a theory. It's what's happening on the ground right now. Listen in and decide how you'll structure your supply chain for 2026 and beyond.   Episode Sections: 02:42 - Manufacturing Risks and Opportunities 08:25 - Navigating Tariff Challenges 11:23 - China Plus One Strategy 13:20 - Substantial Transformation Explained 15:06 - Final Assembly Considerations 21:13 - Moving Production Out of China 22:32 - Risks of Full Decoupling 25:19 - Key Takeaways for Businesses 28:07 - Audience Questions and Insights 53:52 - Closing Remarks and Future Insights   Related content… Download the accompanying PPT here.   This episode is brought to you by The Sofeast Group and includes links in the show notes to our blog posts and resources, and recommended books. For help with manufacturing in Asia, inspections, auditing, new product development, contract manufacturing, 3PL warehousing and fulfillment, visit sofeast.com.  Get in touch with us Connect with us on LinkedIn Contact us via Sofeast's contact page Subscribe to our YouTube channel Prefer Facebook? Check us out on FB

While the A-share market performed strongly on the first trading day of the Year of the Horse, it is likely to gallop forward even further in the following months, mainly driven by a more amiable domestic macro environment and the development of emerging technologies, experts said.专家表示，虽然A股在马年首个交易日表现强劲，但在未来几个月可能会在更友好的国内宏观环境以及新兴技术发展的推动下进一步上涨。After the extended Spring Festival break, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.87 percent to close at 4117.41 points on Tuesday, while the Shenzhen Component Index jumped 1.36 percent. The tech-heavy ChiNext in Shenzhen also added 0.99 percent. Total trading value on the Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing bourses amounted over 2.2 trillion yuan ($319 billion), up nearly 11 percent from the previous trading day.春节长假过后，基准上证综指周二上涨0.87%，收报4117.41点，深证成指上涨1.36%，以科技股为主的创业板指上涨0.99%。上海、深圳和北京证券交易所的总成交额超过2.2万亿元人民币（合3190亿美元），较前一交易日上涨近11%。Oil and gas extraction companies as well as precious metal enterprises contributed the most to the Tuesday rally, with the former reporting an average 7.53 percent price increase and the latter up by 7.01 percent on average.油气开采企业以及贵金属企业是当日涨幅最大的板块，前者平均上涨7.53%，后者平均上涨7.01%。Uncertainties in the external market have buoyed the performance of the above A-share sectors. The twists and turns in the US-Iran talks have pushed up oil prices, and uncertainty in Washington's tariff policies may escalate the risk-averse sentiment, resulting in higher precious metal prices, said Xia Fanjie, a strategist at China Securities.外部市场的不确定性推动了上述A股板块的表现。中信建投证券策略分析师夏凡捷表示，美伊谈判的曲折推高了油价，美国政府关税政策的不确定性可能会加剧避险情绪，导致贵金属价格上涨。The A-share market is likely to rise further after the Chinese New Year while short-term volatility may not be avoidable, said Yang Chao, chief strategist at China Galaxy Securities. Market anticipation of more supportive government policies may serve as the core driver of a bull market, which can be further sustained by ample market liquidity and development of emerging industries, Yang said.中国银河证券首席策略分析师杨超表示，春节后A股市场有望进一步上涨，但短期内波动可能无法避免。杨超表示，市场对政府出台更多支持性政策的预期可能成为牛市的核心驱动力，而充足的市场流动性和新兴产业的发展可能进一步维持牛市。As the A-share market had already seen adjustments before the holiday when overseas assets underwent rearrangements, odds are high that the Chinese stock market will see gains after the country gets fully back to work following the long break, said Zhang Qiyao, chief strategist at Industrial Securities.兴业证券首席策略分析师张启尧表示，由于节前A股市场在海外资产重新配置的同时已经进行了调整，在长假后国内全面复工复产后，中国股市上涨的可能性很大。Higher risk appetite, coupled with various supportive macroeconomic and industrial policies, will lead to higher readings of the benchmark A-share indexes. In light of tech giants' significantly rising capital expenditures and the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence models, investors are urged to focus on so-called "pan-AI assets", including companies specializing in computing infrastructures and AI commercialization, Zhang said.张启尧称，较高的风险偏好，加上各种支持性宏观经济和产业政策，将推动A股基准指数进一步上涨。鉴于科技巨头资本支出大幅增加和人工智能模型的快速发展，张启尧建议投资者关注所谓的"泛AI资产"，包括专门从事算力基础设施和人工智能商业化的公司。In particular, investment opportunities may lie in optical modules, energy storage, power grids and leading storage companies, which are integral to computing infrastructures. Humanoid robots, autopilot and consumer electronics companies may benefit from a wider AI commercialization, he added.特别是，投资机会可能存在于光模块、储能、电网和存储龙头，这些是计算基础设施的组成部分。他补充道，在更广泛的人工智能商业化中，人形机器人、智能驾驶和消费电子公司可能受益。Liu Xiaoyao, computer industry analyst at Kaiyuan Securities, also holds a positive outlook on the AI sector this year, saying that a "Deep-Seek moment" may be anticipated among multimodal companies. Game, marketing, film and TV-related firms are likely to prosper amid enhanced multimodal capabilities.开源证券计算机行业分析师刘逍遥也看好今年人工智能行业的前景，他表示，在多模态公司中可能会出现一个"DeepSeek时刻"。在多模态能力增强的情况下，游戏、广告、影视相关公司可能会繁荣。The ongoing market rebalancing across the globe is mainly determined by AI's growing influence against the backdrop of divergent monetary policies and other moves adopted by major economies, said experts at Sinolink Securities. Investment activities worldwide, which were mainly driven by AI, have now expanded to sectors more closely related to the real economy. The path of US interest rate cuts is expected to be relatively smooth. All these will provide an amiable environment for the recovery of the global manufacturing cycle.国金证券专家表示，在主要经济体采取不同的货币政策和其他举措的背景下，人工智能的影响力日益增强，这决定了当前正在进行的全球市场再平衡。全球范围内主要由人工智能驱动的投资活动现在已经扩大到与实体经济更密切相关的领域。预计美国降息路径将相对平稳。所有这些将为全球制造业周期的复苏提供有利的环境。During this process, Chinese assets are likely to be reevaluated, boosting the return of capital flow. This will in turn facilitate China's domestic consumption, they added.他们补充道，在这个过程中，中国资产可能会被重新评估，从而促进资本回流，这将反过来刺激中国国内消费。gallop forward /ˈɡæləp ˈfɔːrwərd/快速上涨；奔腾向前risk-averse sentiment /ˈrɪsk əˈvɜːrs ˈsentɪmənt/避险情绪pan-AI assets /pæn eɪ aɪ ˈæsets/泛AI资产

This week on Sinica, I speak with Yi-Ling Liu, journalist, former China editor at Rest of World, and author of the new book The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet. Yi-Ling's book traces the arc of Chinese online life through five protagonists — a rapper, a gay rights entrepreneur, a feminist activist, a science fiction writer, and an internet censor — each navigating the creative and constrictive forces of the Chinese internet in their own way. The result is a deeply reported, novelistic account of what it felt like to live, create, and push back in one of the most surveilled and dynamic digital environments on earth. We discuss the book's central metaphor of "dancing in shackles," the early utopian glow of Chinese netizen culture, the parallel fates of hip hop and science fiction under the state's alternating embrace and constraint, and the eerie convergence between the Chinese internet and our own.0:06 — "Wall dancers" as a metaphor: what it captures that "dissident" or "netizen" doesn't0:09 — Why 网民 (wǎngmín) took root in China as a concept of digital citizenship0:13 — The early Chinese internet: more open than we remember, but not as free as the myth suggests0:15 — Ma Baoli: closeted cop to CEO of China's largest gay dating app, and the Gay Talese reporting strategy0:20 — Lan Yu, Beijing Story, and the film that became a coming-out moment for a generation of queer men0:22 — Pragmatism at the heart of the dance: how individuals and the state negotiated the internet together0:28 — Lu Pin and Feminist Voices: from "playing boundary ball" to sudden exile0:35 — Stanley Chen Qiufan and the state's attempt to co-opt science fiction for nationalist ends0:43 — The generational split in Chinese sci-fi: Liu Cixin's cosmic scale vs. the near-future unease of Chen Qiufan and Hao Jingfang0:46 — Hip hop's arc: from underground scenes in Chengdu and Beijing to The Rap of China and sudden constraint0:51 — Eric Liu, the Weibo censor: humanizing the firewall from the inside0:55 — Common prosperity, Wang Huning, and the moral panic behind the crackdown on "effeminate" culture0:59 — Techno-utopianism in retrospect: was the emancipatory internet always a fantasy?1:03 — The convergence of the Chinese and American internets: Weibo and Twitter, TikTok and Oracle1:07 — What it means to be free: how the book expanded Yi-Ling's sense of what freedoms people actually wantPaying it forward: Zeyi Yang, technology reporter at WIRED, and co-author (with Louise Matsakis) of the excellent tech x China newsletter Made in ChinaRecommendations:Yi-Ling: The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai; Machine Decision is Not Final, an anthology of essays on Chinese AI compiled by scholars affiliated with NYU Shanghai.Kaiser: The Coming Storm: Power, Conflict and Warnings from History by Odd Arne Westad (forthcoming); Essays from Pallavi Aiyar's Substack The Global Jigsaw, particularly "How Has China Succeeded in Making People Mind their Manners" and "Why I Would Rather Be Born Chinese than Indian Today."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shenzhen-based Transsion Holdings is now a massive Chinese technology company that few people outside of Africa and certain parts of Asia have heard of. Even in China, the brand, now the world's 5th-largest mobile phone producer, remains largely unknown. Transsion gained notoriety after it entered the African market in 2006. Back then, the world's largest phone brands all but ignored African consumers, selling low-end, late-model devices designed primarily for Western and Asian consumers. The Chinese company saw an opportunity and tweaked the software on its phones to optimize photos for darker skin tones, and added a suite of features like dual SIM cards, dustproofing, and longer battery life to sell sub-$100 phones to Africa's booming youth market. That formula worked, and the company's three brands, Tecno, Infinix, and iTel, have dominated the market for more than a decade. But little is known about how Transsion achieved its success in Africa. Lu Miao, an assistant professor at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, joins Eric & Cobus to lay out the company's strategy and why it was so effective in a market that others largely ignored. Purchase the book: The Transsion Approach: Translating Chinese Mobile Technology in Africa by Lu Miao: https://a.co/d/04AKaajZ

Shenzhen-based Transsion Holdings is now a massive Chinese technology company that few people outside of Africa and certain parts of Asia have heard of. Even in China, the brand, now the world's 5th-largest mobile phone producer, remains largely unknown. Transsion gained notoriety after it entered the African market in 2006. Back then, the world's largest phone brands all but ignored African consumers, selling low-end, late-model devices designed primarily for Western and Asian consumers. The Chinese company saw an opportunity and tweaked the software on its phones to optimize photos for darker skin tones, and added a suite of features like dual SIM cards, dustproofing, and longer battery life to sell sub-$100 phones to Africa's booming youth market. That formula worked, and the company's three brands, Tecno, Infinix, and iTel, have dominated the market for more than a decade. But little is known about how Transsion achieved its success in Africa. Lu Miao, an assistant professor at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, joins Eric & Cobus to lay out the company's strategy and why it was so effective in a market that others largely ignored. Purchase the book: The Transsion Approach: Translating Chinese Mobile Technology in Africa by Lu Miao: https://a.co/d/04AKaajZ

ITP - 140 A Liverpool-born educator who once resisted teaching ends up saying yes to South Korea—and never looks back. Ken Bence traces an 18+ year arc from public-school TEFL to PGCE, then into a fast-growing bilingual school in Shanghai where rapid expansion pulled him into hiring, standards alignment, and early leadership. Seeking the IB bridge, he lands in Kuwait and grows into K–12 instructional coaching with the help of strong mentors, then tackles leadership fairs, multiple offers, and a vice head role that drops him back into China just as COVID reshapes borders and daily life. The journey continues through Shenzhen and Chengdu, a doctorate alongside principal work, and a brief interim senior leadership post in Budapest—plus practical rituals that make each new country feel like home: spices, quality bedding, and a folder of notes that keeps the purpose front and center.(00:00) Introduction to Ken Bence and His Journey(02:35) Cultural Shock and First Impressions in South Korea(06:53) Transitioning to Leadership Roles in Education(12:40) Exploring New Opportunities in Kuwait(17:37) Navigating Job Fairs and Networking in International Teaching(22:48) Navigating Career Pathways in Education(24:31) Midway-Contact Break(27:06) Cultural Shifts: Returning to China During COVID(29:59) Transitioning to Chengdu: New Challenges and Opportunities(32:55) Career Baby Steps: Progressing Through Education Roles(34:19) New Beginnings: Moving to Budapest(36:20) Preparing for Change: Leaving Budapest(40:29) The Emotional Journey of Teaching AbroadThe International Teacher Podcast is a bi-weekly discussion with experts in international education. New Teachers, burned out local teachers, local School Leaders, International school Leadership, current Overseas Teachers, and everyone interested in international schools can benefit from hearing stories and advice about living and teaching overseas.Additional Gems Related to Our Show:Greg's Favorite Video From Living Overseas - ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQWKBwzF-hw⁠Signup to be our guest  ⁠https://calendly.com/itpexpat/itp-interview?month=2025-01⁠Our Website⁠ -  ⁠https://www.itpexpat.com/⁠Our FaceBook Group - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/itpexpat⁠⁠JPMint Consulting Website  - ⁠https://www.jpmintconsulting.com/⁠Greg's Personal YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs1B3Wc0wm6DR_99OS5SyzvuzENc-bBdO⁠Books By Greg "the Single Guy":⁠International Teacher Guide: Finding the "Right Fit" 2nd Edition (2025)⁠ | by Gregory Lemoine M.Ed.⁠⁠"International Teaching: The Best-kept Secret in Education"⁠⁠ | by Gregory Lemoine M.Ed.Featured APP:https://apps.apple.com/app/6755244840 Who's That? Name & Face Trainer  (Nov 21, 2025 ): For specialists and teachers that can't remember all 180 or more of their student's faces and names. Free. Local Data Only. Greg uses it daily to train his brain on 650 students this year.

This week on Sinica, I speak with Kyle Chan, a fellow at the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings, previously a postdoc at Princeton, and author of the outstanding High-Capacity Newsletter on Substack. Kyle has emerged as one of the sharpest and most empirically grounded voices on U.S.-China technology relations, and he holds the all-time record for the most namechecks on Sinica's “Paying it forward” segment. We use his recent Financial Times op-ed on “The Great Reversal” in global technology flows and his longer High-Capacity essay on re-coupling as jumping-off points for a wide-ranging conversation about where China now sits at the global technological frontier, why the dominant decoupling narrative misses powerful structural forces pulling the two economies back together, and what all of this means for innovation, choke points, and the global tech ecosystem.4:35 – How Kyle became Kyle Chan: from Chicago School economics to development, railways, and systems thinking 12:50 – The Great Reversal: China at the technological frontier, from megawatt EV charging to LFP batteries 17:59 – The electro-industrial tech stack and China's overlapping, mutually reinforcing tech ecosystems 22:40 – Industrial strategy and time horizons: patience, persistence, and the long arc of China's auto industry 33:45 – Re-coupling under pressure: Waymo and Zeekr, Unitree robots, and the structural forces binding the two economies 40:22 – The gravity model: can political distance overwhelm technological mass? 47:01 – What China still wants from the U.S.: Cursor, GitHub, talent, and the AI brain drain 51:52 – Weaponized interdependence and the danger of securitizing everything 57:30 – Firm-level adaptation: HeyGen, Manus, and the playbook for de-sinification 1:02:58 – The view from the middle: Gulf states, Southeast Asia, and India as geopolitical arbitrageurs 1:10:18 – Engineering resilience: what policymakers are getting wrong about the systems they're buildingPaying it forward: Katrina Northrop; Grace Shao and her AI Proem newsletterRecommendations:Kyle: Wired Magazine's Made in China newsletter (by Zeyi Yang and Louise Matsakis); The Wire China Kaiser: The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet by Yi-Ling LiuSee 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 speak with Patricia Kim, a Fellow at the Brookings Institution's John L. Thornton China Center, where she focuses on U.S. policy toward China and the broader Asia Pacific. One year into Donald Trump's second term, Pattie and her colleague Joyce Yang have published a comprehensive Brookings assessment titled "Making America Great Again? Evaluating Trump's China strategy at the one-year mark," which examines whether the administration's stated objectives on reindustrialization, AI leadership, strategic dependence, and global standing are actually being met. We discuss the paradox of Trump's China policy (which is surprising consistency in goals despite the absence of a formal strategy document), with its mixed results on economic rebalancing and supply chain security, the troubling deterioration in U.S.-China diplomatic and military channels, and why the administration's approach to allies and partners may be undermining its own objectives. Pattie brings analytical discipline and empirical rigor to debates that are often long on rhetoric and short on evidence, cutting through a lot of noise to assess what's actually working, what isn't, and where the strategy is running up against reality.4:45 – Does Trump have a China strategy? Consistency without a formal framework8:15 – Assessing the economic rebalancing goals: reindustrialization and tariffs15:30 – Technology competition: export controls and AI leadership23:45 – Supply chain security and strategic dependence challenges31:20 – The deterioration of diplomatic and military-to-military channels39:50 – The ally and partner problem: how Trump's approach undermines his own goals47:15 – Global standing and American credibility in the Trump era52:30 – Paying it forward: The Lost in Translation series at BrookingsPaying it forward:Lost in Translation Series (Brookings Global China Project)Recommendations:Pattie: To Dare Mighty Things by Michael O'HanlonKaiser: Stalingrad by Vasily GrossmanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

① During a visit to an information technology innovation park in Beijing, President Xi Jinping stressed self-reliance in science and technology. How can China achieve this strategic goal? (00:53) ② What is China's vision for this year's APEC Leader' Meeting that will be held in Shenzhen? (15:15) ③ We explore how Epstein files are raising questions about US elite ties. (24:53) ④ Indian farm unions and opposition parties have called for nationwide protests against a new trade framework between India and the United States. Will the agreement put India's farmers at a disadvantage? (32:03) ⑤ In China, winter sports were traditionally concentrated in Xinjiang and the northeast. Why are they gaining traction in the country's south nowadays? (42:12)

Ep 139 - Hosts JP Mint and Greg Lemoine reconnect with longtime international educator and MYP middle school principal Chris Irvin, whose 20+ year journey spans Canada, Venezuela and China. Chris shares how he built a sustainable international teaching career—starting in a small Venezuelan school, transitioning into leadership, and eventually moving into MYP and IB continuum leadership at a large international school in Shenzhen. The conversation dives into international school hiring, what administrators really look for beyond credentials, how schools evaluate “right fit” and the elusive “plus one” candidates bring to a community, and why IB and MYP experience is not always required to get hired. Listeners also hear candid stories about local vs expat contracts, raising Third Culture Kids, language learning abroad, safety and independence for teens overseas, and memorable life moments—from power blackouts and police encounters in Venezuela to building a new life in China. Packed with practical advice, leadership insight, and real-world experience, this episode is essential listening for teachers, aspiring leaders, and anyone navigating international education, MYP schools, and long-term life abroad.Chapters[00:00] Intro[02:16] Teaching Journey Begins[05:08] Transitioning to International Teaching[08:18] Challenges of Teaching Abroad[11:14] Navigating Local Contracts[14:11] Leadership Roles and Responsibilities[17:21] Future Aspirations and Changes[19:50] Navigating International Education Choices[27:20] Life as Empty Nesters[35:15]  MidShow [36:46] Social Life and Community Engagement[43:01] Reflections on Family and Future Plans[43:49] Navigating Family Dynamics and Career Choices[46:07] Reflections on Friendship and Shared Experiences[46:34] The Anchor Story: A Memorable Adventure[50:53] Cherishing Relationships and Cultural Connections[52:14] Returning to Roots: Visits to Venezuela[54:59] The Importance of Well-Rounded Education[57:51] Finding the Right Fit in International Education[01:01:34] The Evolving Needs of Schools and Candidates[01:07:22] Navigating International Baccalaureate Schools[01:09:08] Hiring Practices in IB Schools[01:11:55] Hope for Non-IB Experienced Teachers-more information-The International Teacher Podcast is a bi-weekly discussion with experts in international education. New Teachers, burned out local teachers, local School Leaders, International school Leadership, current Overseas Teachers, and everyone interested in international schools can benefit from hearing stories and advice about living and teaching overseas.Additional Gems Related to Our Show:Greg's Favorite Video From Living Overseas - ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQWKBwzF-hw⁠Signup to be our guest  ⁠https://calendly.com/itpexpat/itp-interview?month=2025-01⁠Our Website⁠ -  ⁠https://www.itpexpat.com/⁠Our FaceBook Group - ⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/itpexpat⁠⁠JPMint Consulting Website  - ⁠https://www.jpmintconsulting.com/⁠Greg's Personal YouTube Channel: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs1B3Wc0wm6DR_99OS5SyzvuzENc-bBdO⁠Books By Gregory Lemoine:⁠International Teacher Guide: Finding the "Right Fit" 2nd Edition (2025)⁠ | by Gregory Lemoine M.Ed.⁠⁠"International Teaching: The Best-kept Secret in Education"⁠⁠ | by Gregory Lemoine M.Ed.

This week on Sinica, I speak with Ryan Hass, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings and one of the most clear-eyed analysts of the U.S.-China relationship working today. Ryan was director for China at the NSC during the Obama Administration.As Donald Trump moves through his second year in office, the bilateral relationship has defied easy characterization. The once-dominant language of great power competition has receded, China hawks have been sidelined, and Trump's personalistic approach—marked by praise for Xi Jinping and a willingness to bracket ideological disputes—represents a sharp departure from recent Washington orthodoxy.Ryan has just published an essay laying out three plausible pathways for the relationship under Trump: a soft landing, a hard split, or what he considers most likely—a period of uneasy calm in which both sides seek stability not out of trust, but out of mutual constraint. We discuss Trump's apparent strategy, the vibe shift in American attitudes, Beijing's choice between managing Trump versus managing uncertainty, the critical importance of Xi's planned April visit, and whether we're headed toward genuine stabilization or just buying time before the next collision.5:24 – Trump's approach: respect for Xi, military deterrence, and the rare earths constraint8:03 – The vibe shift and Trump's “reptilian feel” for American exhaustion with confrontation10:52 – Three scenarios: soft landing, hard split, or uneasy calm through mutual constraint16:30 – Beijing's bet: managing Trump versus managing whoever comes next26:46 – Economic interdependence and why decoupling is like “separating egg whites from a scrambled egg”37:12 – The April visit as a critical test: pageantry, protests, and what both sides are watching for42:18 – Taiwan as the most dangerous variable and where theory meets practice46:58 – Lack of institutional guardrails and the risks of Trump's personalistic foreign policyPaying it forward:Audrye Wong (USC)Recommendations:Ryan: The Conscience of the Party: Hu Yaobang, China's Communist Reformer by Robert SuettingerKaiser: The Last Cavalier (Le Chevalier de Sainte-Hermine) by Alexandre Dumas; Asia Society conversation with Lizzi Lee, Bert Hoffmann, and Gerard DiPippo on rebalancing China's economy; Trivium China Podcast with Andrew Polk, Joe Peissel, Danny McMahon, and Cory Combs on capital expenditure headwindsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when you stop obsessively planning and trying to control the outcome in the studio and start letting your subconscious lead the way? In this episode of the Create! Podcast, host Ekaterina Popova chats with August Vilella, a self-taught artist whose intuitive approach has landed his work in Art Basel and major galleries across Asia and Europe. August reveals how he abandoned sketches and rigid concepts to find a "direct language" that transcends cultural and language barriers. We explore his "happy accident" move to Japan, his upcoming 10th-anniversary chronological exhibition, and why he believes the best career investment you can make is simply showing up in person.  In This Episode, We Discuss:   The Intuitive Method: Why August starts with a completely white canvas and no prior ideas or sketches to allow the subconscious and past experiences to take a leading role.  The Self-Taught Advantage: How skipping art school allowed August to find his own unique style and "signature" before being influenced by a teacher's perspective.  Building a Career from Zero: The story of how a two-week trip for a show in 2020 turned into a five-year Japanese residency after a flight was cancelled during the pandemic.  Being Your Own "Bad Boss": The discipline required to be strict with gallery deadlines while maintaining a meditative, improvisational creative process.  The "Lottery" of Opportunities: Why traveling to openings and art fairs is essential for letting collectors and directors see your energy and story, not just the final work.  Milestone Exhibitions: A look at his massive 500-square-meter 10th-anniversary show in Shenzhen and upcoming solo exhibitions in Tokyo and Ginza.  Key Quotes: "All my past experience have some deep impact in my painting... my subconscious mind have a very important role in the creative process." — August Vilella "The best way to make an interesting career is to travel, to meet people, to talk with people... they not only see your work, they also see your energy." — August Vilella Connect with the Guest: Instagram: www.instagram.com/august_vilella_art/ Website: augustvilella.com About the Host: Ekaterina Popova is an artist and the founder of Create! Magazine. Explore more articles and opportunities for artists at www.createmagazine.co.

Can a country be built from the internet up? Not as a metaphor or an online community, but as a system that replaces institutions we usually think of as fixed, money, law, and governance.In this conversation taken from The Network State Podcast, a16z cofounder Ben Horowitz joins Balaji Srinivasan to explore how internet native institutions are beginning to mirror and challenge traditional state structures. Drawing parallels to China's early special economic zones, they discuss how constrained experiments like Shenzhen tested new rules without rewriting the entire system, and why similar experimentation is now happening online.The discussion examines crypto, digital identity, and network states as attempts to turn code into coordination and coordination into legitimacy, while grappling with a core tension. Code is deterministic, but societies are not. Ben and Balaji explore where these systems work, where they break, and whether network states are a curiosity or the next phase of governance. Resources:Follow Ben on X: https://x.com/bhorowitzFollow Balaji on X: https://x.com/balajisListen to more from The Network State: https://ns.com/podcast Stay Updated:If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends!Find a16z on X: https://x.com/a16zFind a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16zListen to the a16z Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYXListen to the a16z Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg](https://x.com/eriktorenbergPlease note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.    Stay Updated:Find a16z on XFind a16z on LinkedInListen to the a16z Show on SpotifyListen to the a16z Show on Apple PodcastsFollow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. 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 Afra Wang, a writer working between London and the Bay Area, currently a fellow with Gov.AI. We're talking today about her recent WIRED piece on what might be China's most influential science fiction project you've never heard of: The Morning Star of Lingao (Língáo Qǐmíng 临高启明), a sprawling, crowdsourced novel about time travelers who bootstrap an industrial revolution in Ming Dynasty Hainan. More than a thought experiment in alternate history, it's the ur-text of China's "Industrial Party" (gōngyè dǎng 工业党) — the loose intellectual movement that sees engineering capability as the true source of national power. We discuss what the novel reveals about how China thinks about failure, modernity, and salvation, and why, just as Americans are waking up to China's industrial might, the worldview that helped produce it may already be losing its grip.5:27 – Being a cultural in-betweener: code-switching across moral and epistemic registers 10:25 – Double consciousness and converging aesthetic standards 12:05 – "The greatest Chinese science fiction" — an ironic title for a poorly written cult classic 14:18 – Bridging STEM and humanities: the KPI-coded language of tech optimization 16:08 – China's post-Industrial Party moment: from "try hard" to "lie flat" 17:01 – How widely known is Lingao? A cult Bible for China's techno-elite 19:11 – From crypto bros to DAO experiments: how Afra discovered the novel 21:25 – The canonical timeline: compiling chaos into collaborative fiction 23:06 – Guancha.cn (guānchá zhě wǎng 观察者网) and the Industrial Party's media ecosystem 26:05 – The Sentimental Party (Qínghuái Dǎng 情怀党): China's lost civic space 29:01 – The Wenzhou high-speed rail crash: the debate that defined the Industrial Party 33:19 – Controlled spoilers: colonizing Australia, the Maid Revolution, and tech trees 41:06 – Competence as salvation: obsessive attention to getting the details right 44:18 – The Needham question and the joy of transformation: from Robinson Crusoe to Primitive Technology 47:25 – "Never again": inherited historical vulnerability and the memory of chaos 49:20 – Wang Xiaodong, "China Is Unhappy," and the crystallization of Industrial Party ideology 51:33 – Gender and Lingao: a pre-feminist artifact and the rational case for equality 56:16 – Dan Wang's Breakneck and the "engineering state" framework 59:25 – New Quality Productive Forces (xīn zhì shēngchǎnlì 新质生产力): Industrial Party logic in CCP policy 1:03:43 – The reckoning: why Industrial Party intellectuals are losing their innocence 1:07:49 – What Lingao tells us about China today: the invisible infrastructure beneath the hot showerPaying it forward: The volunteer translators of The Morning Star of Lingao (English translation and GitHub resources)Xīn Xīn Rén Lèi / Pixel Perfect podcast (https://pixelperfect.typlog.io/) and the Bǎihuā (百花) podcasting community Recommendations:Afra: China Through European Eyes: 800 Years of Cultural and Intellectual Encounter, edited by Kerry Brown; The Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet by Yi-Ling Liu Kaiser: Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes by Tamim AnsarySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sahand Dilmaghani is the founder and CEO of Terra Kaffe, a design-led coffee company reimagining the home espresso experience. Frustrated by the limitations of pod-based machines and the outdated technology dominating the super-automatic espresso category, Sahand set out to build something better—a beautifully designed, app-connected espresso machine that delivers café-quality coffee at the push of a button. What started with him walking the streets of SoHo with two prototypes and eating one meal a day to conserve cash has grown into a company serving tens of thousands of customers who demanded more from their daily coffee ritual. With a background spanning finance, hardware, and design, and fluency in Chinese that took him from Saturday school as a kid to manufacturing facilities in Shenzhen, Sahand brought a unique perspective to an industry that hadn't innovated in decades. Today, Terra Kaffe's machines—from the flagship TK-02 to the compact Demi—represent what happens when you refuse to accept the status quo and build with relentless attention to detail. In this episode, you'll learn: How Sahand's parents' immigrant journey shaped his "everything is solvable" mentality and entrepreneurial grit The moment he realized the espresso machine industry was ripe for disruption—and why DeLonghi's executives completely missed it Why the best ideas get a 50/50 reaction—half your friends think you're crazy, half think it's brilliant—and why that's exactly where you want to be How to navigate the hundreds of daily decisions that can make or break your business without letting perfect become the enemy of done The critical difference between asking "should I do this?" versus "can I do this?"—and why it defines your entire career trajectory Get your free copy of the Career Pivot Playbook here: https://www.omaid.me/newsletter

It's (somehow!) six years ago that we started to learn about this new virus and then find ourselves caught up in a global pandemic. While there were some truly tragic parts to that crisis, it turns out there were also some good results, too. Quite by chance recently, two guests in the space of a couple of days told me stories about huge changes in their lives brought about by their travels around Covid times, and these stories were so interesting I quickly decided to create a whole episode on the topic. First up, I chat with Shannon O'Brien, an international school teacher who was actually working at a school in Shenzhen, China, at the start of 2020. During a school break for the Chinese New Year, Shannon flew to Sumatra, Indonesia, for a short holiday. Spoiler alert: it became a very long holiday! I then speak with Eva Westerling, a German doctor who in 2019 had decided that it was time for a big change and was contemplating a permanent shift to Morocco. When the pandemic hit, she and her partner were in the earliest stages of setting up a tourism business in Morocco, and then of course, no tourists came. My final guest is Eryn Gordon, who was working a corporate job in the United States when the pandemic began, and she soon found herself out of work. Instead of laying low like many of us did during Covid times, Eryn instead decided to get a new qualification and move to the other side of the world, to work in Seoul, South Korea. Links: Shannon O’Brien - https://www.shannon-obrien.com/ Shannon’s memoir Stray - https://amzn.to/4bQdiKT Eva Westerling’s blog Not Scared of the Jet Lag - http://www.notscaredofthejetlag.com Eva’s tour business in Morocco, Berber Adventure Tours - https://berberadventuretours.com/ Eryn Gordon’s website Earth to Editorial - https://earthtoeditorial.com/ Eryn's TEDx Talk on “What it means to be a good traveler” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WQYSdm-5ps Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/380 *Full disclosure: Amazon Services LLC Associates Program NotABallerina.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the show: https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Sinica, I speak with Jia Ruixue and Li Hongbin, coauthors of The Highest Exam: How the Gaokao Shapes China. We're talking about China's college entrance exam — dreaded and feared, with outsized ability to determine life outcomes, seen as deeply flawed yet also sacrosanct, something few Chinese want drastically altered or removed. Cards on table: I had very strong preconceptions about the gaokao. My wife and I planned our children's education to get them out of the Chinese system before it became increasingly oriented toward gaokao preparation. But this book really opened my eyes. Ruixue is professor of economics at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy, researching how institutions like examination systems shape governance, elite selection, and state capacity. Hongbin is James Liang Chair at Stanford, focusing on education, labor markets, and institutional foundations of China's economic development. We explore why the gaokao represents far more than just a difficult test, the concrete incentives families face, why there are limited alternative routes for social mobility, how both authors' own experiences shaped their thinking, why exam-based elite selection has been so durable in China, what happened when the exam system was suspended during the Cultural Revolution, why inequality has increased despite internet access to materials, why meaningful reform is so politically difficult, how education translated into productivity and GDP growth, the gap between skill formation and economic returns, how the system shapes governance and everyday life, and the moral dimensions of exam culture when Chinese families migrate to very different education systems like the U.S.6:18 – What the gaokao actually represents beyond just being a difficult exam 11:54 – Why there are limited alternative pathways for social mobility 14:23 – How their own experiences as students shaped their thinking 18:46 – Why the gaokao is a political institution, not just educational policy 22:21 – Why exam-based elite selection has been so durable in China 28:30 – What happened in late Qing and Cultural Revolution when exams were suspended 33:26 – Has internet access to materials reduced inequality or has it persisted? 36:55 – Hongbin's direct experience trying to reform the gaokao—and why it failed 40:28 – How education improvement accounts for significant share of China's GDP growth 42:44 – The gap: college doesn't add measurable skills, but gaokao scores predict income 46:56 – How centralized approach affects talent allocation across fields 51:08 – The gaokao and GDP tournament for officials: similar tournament systems 54:26 – How ranking and evaluation systems shape workplace behavior and culture 58:12 – When exam culture meets U.S. education: understanding tensions around affirmative action 1:02:10 – Transparent rule-based evaluation vs. discretion and judgment: the fundamental tradeoffRecommendations: Ruixue: Piao Liang Peng You (film by Geng Jun); Stoner (a novel by John Williams) Hongbin: The Dictator's HandbookKaiser: Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right by Laura K. Field; Black Pill by Elle ReeveSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Here we go again – Tariffs and retaliatory tariffs DAVOS – Elitists are Meeting Suicide Coaches? Hedge funds – finally a good year! PLUS we are now on Spotify and Amazon Music/Podcasts! Click HERE for Show Notes and Links DHUnplugged is now streaming live - with listener chat. Click on link on the right sidebar. Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter   Warm-Up - Here we go again - Tariffs and retaliatory tariffs - DAVOS - Elitists are Meeting - Suicide Coaches? - Hedge funds - finally a good year! Markets - Silver and Gold - ATH - Selling off after Greenland threat - Netflix - Saga continues Davos - 2026 - Economic Confab that often brings out the elite (elitists) - Many watch for their key points and do the opposite - Trump going, Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi not - Why is Zelensky going? - Kushner, Bessent, Little Marco will be attending with Trump - Did you know - Larry Fink is the interim Co-Chair. - The CEOs that you would expect that love the limelight ) (Jensen, Nadella etc) World Economic Forum Report (Davos) - Due out Wednesday - expected to show that geopolitical confrontation is the top concern this year - Rising Inflation - Economic Downturn - Asset Bubbles - High debt burdens - Any of those could be any year and anyone in the world that is breathing could have made that list WEF List NEXT - Greenland - Sell or Else! - Trump promises 100% that he will impose tariffs and follow through - The tariffs will start at 10% on Feb. 1 and shoot up to 25% on June 1, Trump said. - Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland - Supposedly in response to EU allies moving troops into Greenland - Greenland protests with - Make America Go Away hats - 200% tariff threatened in champagne and wines (Mad at Macron) Oh - and Gaza - The new Board of Peace - Trump names himself 'Board of Peace' chair under October plan - Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. - Supposedly Putin has said he was also invited to be on the board. - Purpose? Officially, the Board is mandated to “promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict... Saks - bankrupt - Chapter 11 - Problems really got worse after they agreed to purchase Needless Markup (aka Neiman Marcus) - Amazon filed an objection to Saks Global's bankruptcy financing plan on the grounds it could harm creditors and push the tech company further down the repayment pecking order. - Amazon The tech company invested $475 million into Saks' acquisition of Neiman Marcus in December 2024,  a stake it said is now effectively “worthless.” - Amazon threatened more “drastic remedies” if Saks doesn't heed its concerns, including the appointment of an examiner or a trustee. - Amazon initially invested because it thought Saks would start selling its products on Amazon's website and the tech company would offer technology and logistics expertise.| - Amazon's attorneys: “Saks continuously failed to meet its budgets, burned through hundreds of millions of dollars in less than a year, and ran up additional hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid invoices owed to its retail partners.” Suicide Coaches - “This year, you really saw something pretty horrific, which is these AI models became suicide coaches,” Benioff told CNBC's Sarah Eisen on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum's flagship conference in Davos, Switzerland. - In 2018, Benioff said social media should be treated like a health issue, and said the platforms should be regulated like cigarettes: “They're addictive, they're not good for you.” - “Bad things were happening all over the world because social media was fully unregulated,” he said Tuesday, “and now you're kind of seeing that play out again with artificial intelligence.” China - China 2025 new yuan loans 16.27 trln yuan, lowest since 2018 - Dec new yuan loans beat forecast - PBOC announces targeted monetary policy easing - "From the asset side, amid the property market adjustment, the private sector including households and firms showed insufficient willingness to add leverage, while government bond issuance was ramped up to stabilize leverage and the economy." - Now what is happening is that $ that used to go into real estate is heading for stocks/risk assets. - Chinese authorities tightened rules on margin financing, signaling unease over the pace of a rally. - - Under the new rule, investors must now provide margin equal to the full value of the securities they buy on credit, up from the previous 80% threshold. - - - Regulators made the move to rein in potential froth in financial markets, with a fund manager saying it sends a clear signal that they want a slow bull market, not an overheated one. --- Under the new rule, investors must now provide margin equal to the full value of the securities they buy on credit, up from the previous 80% threshold, according to a Shenzhen Stock Exchange statement. The move, which applies to Shenzhen, Shanghai and Beijing bourses, underscores regulators' efforts to rein in potential froth in financial markets. More China - China's population of 1.4 billion continued to shrink, marking the fourth straight year of decrease, new government statistics show. The total population in 2025 stood at 1.404 billion, which was 3 million less than the previous year. - After the one-child policy - now government is pushing or more births - Measured another way, the birth rate in 2025 — 5.63 per 1,000 people — is the lowest on record since 1949 - Government tactics range from cash subsidies to taxing condoms to eliminating a tax on matchmakers and day care centers. Bank Earnings - Generally pretty good! - Yield curve is helping in a big way - steepening - Goldman beats, BAC beast Morgan Stanley bets etc. etc. - Goldman: The company said profit jumped 12% from a year earlier to $4.62 billion, or $14.01 per share, on gains across its capital markets businesses. - Morgan Stanley: Last Thursday reported fourth-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations on the back of strong revenue from wealth management. Fed Chair - Over the weekend, Hassett thinks Trump is right not to have him in that position (What a sap! Good he is not in running anymore) - Rick Reider and Warsh are front-runners - Who ever kisses the most ass should win - Warsh would actually be a good pick - experience and smart guy that is level headed - Meanwhile - all of a sudden Trump says he is not looking to fire Powell (maybe h wants him to resign) Netflix/Warner Brothers Update - Netflix now plans to pay $27.75 per WBD share entirely in cash to acquire WBD's streaming platform HBO Max and the Warner Bros. film studio. - In reaction tot he hostile takeover bid from Paramount/Skydance - The last offer was unanimously approved by the BOD - NFLX Earnings ..... --- Earnings per share: 56 cents vs. 55 cents, estimated ------Revenue: $12.05 billion vs $11.97 billion, estimated - Stock down AH Inflation (Did we talk about this?) - Even though we are told there is little inflation... - Consumer Price Index increases 0.3% in December - Food, rents were the main drivers of consumer inflation - Underlying inflation rises a moderate 0.2% - Food prices surged 0.7% Planes! - Boeing outsold Airbus last year - First time since 2018 - BA stock made an ATH last week Bond Vigilantes - Danish pension operator AkademikerPension said it is exiting U.S. Treasurys over finance concerns tied to America's budget shortfall. - The move comes amid increasing tensions with the U.S. over Greenland as President Donald Trump pushes for control of the island. - AkademikerPension said it plans to have closed its position of around $100 million in U.S. Treasurys by the end of the month. - 10 YR yields moved up again to 4.3% - What if.....??? (Mutual assured destruction?) Hedgies - Hedge fund investors posted gains of about 12.6% last year, the best returns since 2009, according to data compiled by Hedge Fund Research Inc. - Funds run by industry giants such as D.E. Shaw & Co. and Millennium Management posted double-digit returns, with Bridgewater Associates' Pure Alpha II fund scoring a 34% gain. - Hedge funds secured net inflows of $71 billion during the first three quarters of last year, a major reversal after a decade of outflows, with the industry's giants being among the major beneficiaries.     Love the Show? Then how about a Donation? ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF THE THE CLOSEST TO THE PIN CUP 2025 Winners will be getting great stuff like the new "OFFICIAL" DHUnplugged Shirt!     FED AND CRYPTO LIMERICKS   See this week's stock picks HERE Follow John C. Dvorak on Twitter Follow Andrew Horowitz on Twitter

On this episode of Correct Opinions, we get into the great parking-spot debate, talk weird backstage moments (including getting yelled at), and unpack some classic chaos from the road.Get 40% off your entire order at http://Lolablankets.com by using code [CORRECTOPINIONS] atcheckout. Experience the world's #1 blanket with Lola Blankets.Own your health for $365 a year. That's a dollar a day. Learn more and join using my link.. Visit http://www.functionhealth.com/TREY or use gift code TREY25 for a $25 credit toward your membership.Join Thrive Market with my link http://ThriveMarket.com/CORRECTOPINIONS for 30% off your first order plus a FREE $60 gift!! Download Cash App Today: [https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/5zhgqoej] #CashAppPod. Cash App is a financialservices platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partner(s). Prepaid debitcards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. See terms and conditions athttps://cash.app/legal/us/en-us/card-agreement. Cash App Green, overdraft coverage, borrow, cashback offers and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visithttp://cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures.Join the patreon!http://patreon.com/treykennedyCHAPTERS:00:00:00 Intro00:07:41 The “Tebow group” call + special needs prom jokes00:08:23 I somehow become the spokesperson for anti-handicap spots00:09:53 Tesla scratch + Oklahoma State basketball trip planning00:19:56 Dakota Fanning, “I Am Sam,” and movie memory gaps00:22:29 The Oklahoma “paparazzi kid” + being on Ellen00:29:01 Jake Owen backstage story (and his social media crash-out)00:35:09 Security guard vibes + the DM about the “left behind” container00:39:02 Tour travel talk: the Sprinter van idea00:43:50 Correct Opinion: cooking with a toddler is more fun00:48:17 Proposal stories + surprise engagement strategy00:50:53 January 6th jokes (and what you can't say out loud)00:51:18 The pickleball group chat + flying to Shenzhen for paddles01:03:37 “Horse girl” energy and why it's a real archetype01:10:30 Wrap upSubscribe to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL3ESPT9yf1T8x6L0P4d39w?sub_confirmation=1 Subscribe to Correct Opinions on Apple: http://bit.ly/COPodcast

This week on Sinica, I speak with Daniel Bessner, the Anne H.H. and Kenneth B. Pyle Assistant Professor in American Foreign Policy at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington and co-host of the American Prestige Podcast. If you follow U.S.-China relations even casually, you can't avoid hearing that we're in a new Cold War — it's become a rhetorical reflex in D.C., shaping budgets, foreign policy debates, media narratives, and how ordinary Americans think about China.But what does it actually mean to call something a Cold War? To think clearly about the present, I find it helps to go to the past, not for simple analogies but to understand the intellectual and ideological machinery that produced and now sustains a Cold War mentality. Danny has written widely about the architecture of American power, the rise of the national security state, and the constellation of thinkers he calls Cold War liberals who helped define the ideological landscape of U.S. foreign policy. We explore how Cold War liberalism reshaped American political life, how the U.S. came to see its global dominance as natural and morally necessary, why the question of whose fault the Cold War was remains urgent in an age of renewed great power rivalry, the rise of China and anxiety of American decline, and what it would take to imagine a U.S.-China relationship that doesn't fall back into old patterns of moral binaries, ideological panic, and militarized competition.6:20 – Danny's background: from Iraq War politicization to studying defense intellectuals11:00 – Cold War liberalism: the constellation of ideas that shaped U.S. foreign policy16:14 – How these ideas became structurally embedded in security institutions22:02 – The Democratic Party's destruction of the genuine left in the late 1940s27:53 – Whose fault was the Cold War? Stalin's sphere of influence logic vs. American universalism31:07 – Are we facing a similar decision with China today?34:23 – The anxiety of loss: how decline anxiety distorts interpretation of China's rise37:54 – The new Cold War narrative: material realities vs. psychological legacies41:21 – Clearest parallels between the first Cold War and emerging U.S.-China confrontation44:33 – What would a pluralistic order in Asia actually look like?47:42 – Coexistence rather than zero-sum rivalry: what does it mean in practice?50:57 – What genuine restraint requires: accepting limits of American power54:14 – The moral imperative pushback: you can't have good empire without bad empire56:35 – Imperialist realism: Americans don't think we're good, but can't imagine another worldPaying it forward: The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and Responsible Statecraft publication; The Trillion Dollar War Machine by William Hartung and Ben FreemanRecommendations:Danny: Nirvana and the history of Seattle punk/indie music (forthcoming podcast project)Kaiser: Hello China Tech Substack by Poe Zhao (hellotechchina.com)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Any kind of public dissent in China is both dangerous and difficult to document. But that hasn't prevented a dramatic increase in the number of protests taking place across the country. Police and other security forces act swiftly to shut them down – as a Sky News team learned first-hand when they were forced into cars and driven away whilst trying to film a factory strike in Shenzhen. What is the significance of the protests in China and could events in Iran be making Beijing nervous? Niall is joined by Sky's Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Smith. Producer: Natalie Ktena Editor: Mike Bovill

This week on Sinica, in a joint episode with the China-Global South Podcast, I speak with Eric Olander, host of the China Global South Podcast and founder/editor-in-chief of the China-Global South Project. In the early hours of January 3rd, U.S. forces carried out a coordinated operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, followed by their rendition to the United States to face drug trafficking charges. The operation unfolded quickly, with minimal kinetic escalation, but has raised far-reaching questions about international law, hemispheric security, and the Trump administration's willingness to use force in the Western Hemisphere. Just before the raid, China's Special Envoy for Latin America, Qiu Xiaoqi, had met with Maduro in Caracas. Commentary linking Trump's action to China has ranged widely—claims about spheres of influence, arguments this was all about oil or rare earths, and pronouncements about what this means for Taiwan. Eric helps us think through China's actual stake in Venezuela, how deeply Beijing understands Latin America, what this episode does and does not change about China's role in the region and the global South more broadly, China's immediate reaction and concrete exposure on the ground, how it manages political risk when partner regimes collapse, and what Chinese military planners may be studying as they assess how this operation unfolded.5:18 – How Beijing is reading this episode: official messaging versus elite thinking 7:40 – The Taiwan comparisons on Chinese social media and why they don't work 11:09 – How deep is China's actual expertise on Latin America? 14:56 – Comparing U.S. and Chinese benches of Latin America expertise 18:02 – Are we back to spheres of influence? Why that framing doesn't work 20:09 – Where is China most exposed in Venezuela: oil, loans, personnel? 23:41 – The resource-for-infrastructure model and why it failed 28:27 – The political assets: China as defender of sovereignty and multilateralism 36:25 – Will this push left-leaning governments closer to Beijing? 40:07 – The "China impotence" narrative and what doing something would actually mean 46:26 – What Chinese military planners are actually studying 51:46 – The Qiu Xiaoqi meeting: strategic failure or intelligence delivery? 58:40 – What actually changes and what doesn't: looking aheadPaying it forward: Alonso Illueca, nonresident fellow for Latin America and the Caribbean at the China Global South ProjectRecommendations: Eric: "China's Long Economic War" by Zongyuan Zoe Liu (Foreign Affairs)Kaiser: The Venetian Heretic by Christian CameronSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

THE AWAKENING OF CHINA'S ECONOMY Colleague Anne Stevenson-Yang, Wild Ride. Returning to China in 1994, the author witnessed a transformation from the destitute, Maoist uniformity of 1985 to a budding export economy. In the earlier era, workers slept on desks and lacked basic goods, but Deng Xiaoping's realization that the state needed hard currency prompted reforms. Deng established Special Economic Zones like Shenzhen to generate foreign capital while attempting to isolate the population from foreign influence, marking the start of China's export boom. NUMBER 5 194R SHANGHAI

SHOW 12-2-2026 THE SHOW BEGIJS WITH DOUBTS ABOUT AI --  a useful invetion that can match the excitement of the first decades of Photography. November 1955 NADAR'S BALLOON AND THE BIRTH OF PHOTOGRAPHY Colleague Anika Burgess, Flashes of Brilliance. In 1863, the photographer Nadar undertook a perilous ascent in a giant balloon to fund experiments for heavier-than-air flight, illustrating the adventurous spirit required of early photographers. This era began with Daguerre's 1839 introduction of the daguerreotype, a process involving highly dangerous chemicals like mercury and iodine to create unique, mirror-like images on copper plates. Pioneers risked their lives using explosive materials to capture reality with unprecedented clarity and permanence. NUMBER 1 PHOTOGRAPHING THE MOON AND SEA Colleague Anika Burgess, Flashes of Brilliance. Early photography expanded scientific understanding, allowing humanity to visualize the inaccessible. James Nasmyth produced realistic images of the moon by photographing plaster models based on telescope observations, aiming to prove its volcanic nature. Simultaneously, Louis Boutan spent a decade perfecting underwater photography, capturing divers in hard-hat helmets. These efforts demonstrated that photography could be a tool for scientific analysis and discovery, revealing details of the natural world previously hidden from the human eye. NUMBER 2 SOCIAL JUSTICE AND NATURE CONSERVATION Colleague Anika Burgess, Flashes of Brilliance. Photography became a powerful agent for social and environmental change. Jacob Riis utilized dangerous flash powder to document the squalid conditions of Manhattan tenements, exposing poverty to the public in How the Other Half Lives. While his methods raised consent issues, they illuminated grim realities. Conversely, Carleton Watkins hauled massive equipment into the wilderness to photograph Yosemite; his majestic images influenced legislation signed by Lincoln to protect the land, proving photography's political impact. NUMBER 3 X-RAYS, SURVEILLANCE, AND MOTION Colleague Anika Burgess, Flashes of Brilliance. The discovery of X-rays in 1895 sparked a "new photography" craze, though the radiation caused severe injuries to early practitioners and subjects. Photography also entered the realm of surveillance; British authorities used hidden cameras to photograph suffragettes, while doctors documented asylum patients without consent. Finally, Eadweard Muybridge's experiments captured horses in motion, settling debates about locomotion and laying the technical groundwork for the future development of motion pictures. NUMBER 4 THE AWAKENING OF CHINA'S ECONOMY Colleague Anne Stevenson-Yang, Wild Ride. Returning to China in 1994, the author witnessed a transformation from the destitute, Maoist uniformity of 1985 to a budding export economy. In the earlier era, workers slept on desks and lacked basic goods, but Deng Xiaoping's realization that the state needed hard currency prompted reforms. Deng established Special Economic Zones like Shenzhen to generate foreign capital while attempting to isolate the population from foreign influence, marking the start of China's export boom. NUMBER 5 RED CAPITALISTS AND SMUGGLERS Colleague Anne Stevenson-Yang, Wild Ride. Following the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, China reopened to investment in 1992, giving rise to "red capitalists"—often the children of party officials who traded political access for equity. As the central government lost control over local corruption and smuggling rings, it launched "Golden Projects" to digitize and centralize authority over customs and taxes. To avert a banking collapse in 1998, the state created asset management companies to absorb bad loans, effectively rolling over massive debt. NUMBER 6 GHOST CITIES AND THE STIMULUS TRAP Colleague Anne Stevenson-Yang, Wild Ride. China's growth model shifted toward massive infrastructure spending, resulting in "ghost cities" and replica Western towns built to inflate GDP rather than house people. This "Potemkin culture" peaked during the 2008 Olympics, where facades were painted to impress foreigners. To counter the global financial crisis, Beijing flooded the economy with loans, fueling a real estate bubble that consumed more cement in three years than the US did in a century, creating unsustainable debt. NUMBER 7 STAGNATION UNDER SURVEILLANCE Colleague Anne Stevenson-Yang, Wild Ride. The severe lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic shattered consumer confidence, leaving citizens insecure and unwilling to spend, which stalled economic recovery. Local governments, cut off from credit and burdened by debt, struggle to provide basic services. Faced with economic stagnation, Xi Jinping has rejected market liberalization in favor of increased surveillance and control, prioritizing regime security over resolving the structural debt crisis or restoring the dynamism of previous decades. NUMBER 8 FAMINE AND FLIGHT TO FREEDOM Colleague Mark Clifford, The Troublemaker. Jimmy Lai was born into a wealthy family that lost everything to the Communist revolution, forcing his father to flee to Hong Kong while his mother endured labor camps. Left behind, Lai survived as a child laborer during a devastating famine where he was perpetually hungry. A chance encounter with a traveler who gave him a chocolate bar inspired him to escape to Hong Kong, the "land of chocolate," stowing away on a boat at age twelve. NUMBER 9 THE FACTORY GUY Colleague Mark Clifford, The Troublemaker. By 1975, Jimmy Lai had risen from a child laborer to a factory owner, purchasing a bankrupt garment facility using stock market profits. Despite being a primary school dropout who learned English from a dictionary, Lai succeeded through relentless work and charm. He capitalized on the boom in American retail sourcing, winning orders from Kmart by producing samples overnight and eventually building Comitex into a leading sweater manufacturer, embodying the Hong Kong dream. NUMBER 10 CONSCIENCE AND CONVERSION Colleague Mark Clifford, The Troublemaker. The 1989 Tiananmen Squaremassacre radicalized Lai, who transitioned from textiles to media, founding Next magazine and Apple Daily to champion democracy. Realizing the brutality of the Chinese Communist Party, he used his wealth to support the student movement and expose regime corruption. As the 1997 handover approached, Lai converted to Catholicism, influenced by his wife and pro-democracy peers, seeking spiritual protection and a moral anchor against the coming political storm. NUMBER 11 PRISON AND LAWFARE Colleague Mark Clifford, The Troublemaker. Following the 2020 National Security Law, authorities raided Apple Daily, froze its assets, and arrested Lai, forcing the newspaper to close. Despite having the means to flee, Lai chose to stay and face imprisonment as a testament to his principles. Now held in solitary confinement, he is subjected to "lawfare"—sham legal proceedings designed to silence him—while he spends his time sketching religious images, remaining a symbol of resistance against Beijing's tyranny. NUMBER 12 FOUNDING OPENAI Colleague Keach Hagey, The Optimist. In 2016, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and Ilya Sutskever founded OpenAI as a nonprofit research lab to develop safe artificial general intelligence (AGI). Backed by investors like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, the organization aimed to be a counterweight to Google's DeepMind, which was driven by profit. The team relied on massive computing power provided by GPUs—originally designed for video games—to train neural networks, recruiting top talent like Sutskever to lead their scientific efforts. NUMBER 13 THE ROOTS OF AMBITION Colleague Keach Hagey, The Optimist. Sam Altman grew up in St. Louis, the son of an idealistic developer and a driven dermatologist mother who instilled ambition and resilience in her children. Altmanattended the progressive John Burroughs School, where his intellect and charisma flourished, allowing him to connect with people on any topic. Though he was a tech enthusiast, his ability to charm others defined him early on, foreshadowing his future as a master persuader in Silicon Valley. NUMBER 14 SILICON VALLEY KINGMAKER Colleague Keach Hagey, The Optimist. At Stanford, Altman co-founded Loopt, a location-sharing app that won him a meeting with Steve Jobs and a spot in the App Store launch. While Loopt was not a commercial success, the experience taught Altman that his true talent lay in investing and spotting future trends rather than coding. He eventually succeeded Paul Graham as president of Y Combinator, becoming a powerful figure in Silicon Valley who could convince skeptics like Peter Thiel to back his visions. NUMBER 15 THE BLIP AND THE FUTURE Colleague Keach Hagey, The Optimist. The viral success of ChatGPT shifted OpenAI's focus from safety to commercialization, despite early internal warnings about the existential risks of AGI. Tensions over safety and Altman's management style led to a "blip" where the nonprofit board fired him, only for him to be quickly reinstated due to employee loyalty. Elon Musk, having lost a power struggle for control of the organization, severed ties, leaving Altman to lead the race toward AGI. NUMBER 16

In this holiday special, The World takes you to China. We visit Shenzhen, which has become the most thriving megacity in the world — without the air pollution, overcrowding and failing infrastructure that often accompany rapid expansion. Also, an unpacking of the latest diplomatic spat between China and Japan over Taiwan. And, a peek at the future of transportation innovation from the Automotive World China Exhibition, complete with electric cars and self-driving sanitation vehicles. Plus, the story of a mother who traveled with her adopted daughter to China in search of answers about her past. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This week on Sinica, recorded at Yale University, I speak with Michael Brenes and Van Jackson, coauthors of The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy. Their argument is that framing the U.S.-China relationship as geopolitical rivalry has become more than just a foreign policy orientation — it's a domestic political project that reshapes budgets, norms, and coalitions in ways that actively harm American democracy and the American people. Rivalry narrows political possibility, makes dissent suspect, encourages neo-McCarthyism (the China Initiative, profiling of Chinese Americans), produces anti-AAPI hate, and redirects public investment away from social welfare and into defense spending through what they call "national security Keynesianism."Mike is interim director of the Brady Johnson Program in Grand Strategy at Yale, while Van is a senior lecturer in international relations at Victoria University of Wellington and host of the Un-Diplomatic Podcast. We discuss the genesis of their collaboration during the Biden administration, how they navigate China as a puzzle for the American left, canonical misrememberings of the Cold War that distort current China policy, the security dilemma feedback loop between Washington and Beijing, why defense-heavy stimulus is terrible at job creation, how rivalry politics weakens democracy, recent polling showing a shift toward engagement, and their vision for a "geopolitics of peace" anchored in Sino-U.S. détente 2.0.5:47 – The genesis of the book: recognizing Biden's Cold War liberalism 11:26 – How they approached writing together from different disciplinary homes 13:20 – Navigating China as a puzzle for the American left21:39 – How great power competition hardened from analytical framework into ideology 28:15 – Mike on two canonical misrememberings of the Cold War 33:18 – Van on the security dilemma and the nuclear feedback loop 39:55 – National security Keynesianism: why defense spending is bad at job creation 44:38 – How rivalry politics weakens democracy and securitizes dissent 48:09 – Building durable coalitions for restraint-oriented statecraft 51:27 – Has the post-COVID moral panic actually abated? 53:27 – The master narrative we need: a geopolitics of peace 55:29 – Associative balancing: achieving equilibrium through accommodation, not armsRecommendations:Van: The Long Twentieth Century by Giovanni Arrighi Mike: The World of the Cold War: 1945-1991 by Vladislav Zubok Kaiser: Pluribus (Apple TV series by Vince Gilligan)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

2:18:40 – Frank in New Jersey, plus the Other Side. Topics include: New Year’s Eve Eve, cleaning up the studio, Shindig! Magazine, Phish at MSG, Dream Wheel, Gulliver’s Gate, economics, Weird October Dreamer, Video Loaf, December, Groovy Walking Rover, 209, 1423, Tokyo video, Chongqing Night Walk, Shenzhen video, Buckaroo Banzai review, Onsug Radio Shuffle Mode segment, lost […]

2:18:40 – Frank in New Jersey, plus the Other Side. Topics include: New Year’s Eve Eve, cleaning up the studio, Shindig! Magazine, Phish at MSG, Dream Wheel, Gulliver’s Gate, economics, Weird October Dreamer, Video Loaf, December, Groovy Walking Rover, 209, 1423, Tokyo video, Chongqing Night Walk, Shenzhen video, Buckaroo Banzai review, Onsug Radio Shuffle Mode segment, lost […]

Happy holidays from Sinica! This week, I speak with Paul Triolo, Senior Vice President for China and Technology Policy Lead at DGA Albright Stonebridge Group and nonresident honorary senior fellow on technology at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis. On December 8th, Donald Trump announced via Truth Social that he would approve Nvidia H200 sales to vetted Chinese customers — a decision that immediately sparked fierce debate. Paul and I unpack why this decision was made, why it's provoked such strong reactions, and what it tells us about the future of technology export controls on China. We discuss the evolution of U.S. chip controls from the Entity List expansions under Trump's first term through the October 2022 rules and the Sullivan Doctrine, the role of David Sacks and Jensen Huang in advocating for this policy shift, whether Chinese firms will actually want to buy H200s given their heterogeneous hardware stacks and Beijing's autarky ambitions, what the Reuters report about China cracking ASML's EUV lithography code tells us about the choke point strategy, and whether selective engagement actually strengthens Taiwan's Silicon Shield or undermines it. This conversation is essential listening for understanding the strategic, technical, and political dimensions of the semiconductor competition.6:44 – What the H200 decision actually changes in the real world 9:23 – The evolution of U.S. chip controls: from Entity Lists to the Sullivan Doctrine 18:28 – How Jensen Huang and David Sacks convinced Trump 25:21 – The good-faith case for why export control advocates see H200 approval as a strategic mistake 32:12 – What H200s practically enable: training, inference, or stabilizing existing clusters 38:49 – Will Chinese companies actually buy H200s? The heterogeneous hardware reality 46:06 – The strategic contradiction: exporting 5nm GPUs while freezing tool controls at 16/14nm 51:01 – The Reuters EUV report and what it reveals about choke point technologies 58:43 – How Taiwan fits into this: does selective engagement strengthen the Silicon Shield? 1:07:26 – Looking ahead: broader rethinking of export controls or patchwork exceptions? 1:12:49 – What would have to be true in 2-3 years for critics to have been right about H200?Paying it forward: Poe Zhao and his Substack Hello China TechRecommendations: Paul: Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, Amerca's Great Power Propheti by Ed Luce; Hyperdimensional Substack by Dean Ball Kaiser: Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green; The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green; So Very Small by Thomas LevensonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A city's values are revealed not in its slogans, but in its leftovers. Thrown away, food waste is invisible—an inconvenient truth discarded. Redistributed with care, it becomes a mirror, reflecting a society's commitment to dignity, responsibility, and shared life. While food banks globally patch fragile safety nets, places like Shenzhen are reimagining the model entirely, shifting food aid from a stark last resort to a dignified, normalized feature of urban living. On the show: Niu Honglin, Steve & Xingyu

Shenzhen scientists develop EUV lithography prototype, the FTC probes Instacart’s AI pricing tool, and Apple is modifying its iOS app store policies in Japan. MP3 Please SUBSCRIBE HERE for free or get DTNS Live ad-free. A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible. If you enjoy what you seeContinue reading "Gemini 3 Flash Replaces 2.5 as Default in Google’s AI Tools – DTH"

Sucio Talks to Chef Kevin Finch!!A Salt Lake City native with a Michelin-starred resume that spans New York @betony, Bangkok, Shenzhen @ensue, San Francisco @ateliercrenn , and beyond, Kevin brings a global culinary perspective rooted in discipline, curiosity, and intention. With each chapter of his career, he's depended on his reverence for seasonality and place — from the burst of a summer tomato in his aunt's garden to sourcing unfamiliar ingredients halfway across the world. These experiences have shaped a thoughtful, produce-forward style of cooking that honors technique while welcoming constant evolution.Arthur is Kevin's first restaurant — a space where precise technique, thoughtful sourcing, and a deep sense of place quietly lead the way. Relaxed yet refined, it's built to feel both timeless and playful — a place to return to, again and again. #chef #cheflife #chefpodcast #chefs #cooks #michelin #NYC #greenpointbrooklyn #greenpoint #brooklyn

This week on Sinica, I speak with Mark Sidel, the Doyle Bascom Professor of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a senior fellow at the International Center for Not for Profit Law. Mark has written extensively on law and philanthropy in China and across Asia, including widely cited analyses of how the Chinese security state came to play a central role in managing foreign civil society organizations. Since the Law on the Management of Domestic Activities of Overseas NGOs took effect on January 1, 2017, China has introduced a remarkably comprehensive, vertically integrated system of oversight for foreign NGOs, foundations, and nonprofits.We discuss how this system combines securitization and political risk management with selective accommodation of service provision and technical expertise, Mark's typology of organizational responses (survivors, hibernators, regionalizers, work-arounders, and leavers), the requirement that foreign NGOs secure professional supervisory units, the impact on China's domestic nonprofit ecosystem, and what this tells us about the party-state's long-term vision for controlled engagement with the outside world.4:43 – The landscape of non-state organizations before the 2016 law 7:06 – What changed: color revolutions, Arab Spring, and domestic anxieties 9:08 – Public security intellectuals and their influence on the law 11:51 – How registration and temporary activity filing systems work in practice 13:48 – Why the Ministry of Public Security, not Civil Affairs, was put in charge 19:31 – The professional supervisory unit requirement and dependency relationships22:48 – How the state shifted foreign NGO work away from advocacy without banning it26:17 – Mark's typology: survivors, hibernators, regionalizers, work-arounders, and leavers 35:19 – What correlates with success for those who have survived 40:41 – Impact on China's domestic nonprofit ecosystem and professional intermediaries 45:54 – What makes China's system distinctive compared to India, Egypt, Russia, and Vietnam 50:19 – The Article 53 problem and university partnerships 55:32 – Advice for mid-sized foundations or NGOs considering work in China todayPaying it Forward: Neysun Mahboubi and the Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China RelationsRecommendations:Mark: Everyday Democracy: Civil Society, Youth, and the Struggle Against Authoritarian Culture in China by Anthony SpiresKaiser: The music of Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, The Dregs, Steve Morse Band)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A digital world in relentless movement—from artificial intelligence to ubiquitous computing—has been captured and reinvented as a monoculture by Silicon Valley "big tech" and venture capital firms. Yet very little is discussed in the public sphere about existing alternatives. Based on long-term field research across San Francisco, Tokyo, and Shenzhen, Common Circuits: Hacking Alternative Technological Futures (Stanford UP, 2025) explores a transnational network of hacker spaces that stand as potent, but often invisible, alternatives to the dominant technology industry. In what ways have hackers challenged corporate projects of digital development? How do hacker collectives prefigure more just technological futures through community projects? Luis Felipe R. Murillo responds to these urgent questions with an analysis of the hard challenges of collaborative, autonomous community-making through technical objects conceived by hackers as convivial, shared technologies. Through rich explorations of hacker space histories and biographical sketches of hackers who participate in them, Murillo describes the social and technical conditions that allowed for the creation of community projects such as anonymity and privacy networks to counter mass surveillance; community-made monitoring devices to measure radioactive contamination; and small-scale open hardware fabrication for the purposes of technological autonomy. Murillo shows how hacker collectives point us toward brighter technological futures—a renewal of the "digital commons"—where computing projects are constantly being repurposed for the common good. Mentioned in this episode: "Political Software: Mapping Digital Worlds from Below" Project Website here Luis Felipe R. Murillo is Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Faculty Fellow at the Notre Dame Technology Ethics Center at the University of Notre Dame. His work is dedicated to the study of computing from an anthropological perspective. Liliana Gil is Assistant Professor of Comparative Studies (STS) at The Ohio State University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Lisa Lin is the founder of Pack Horizon, a Shenzhen-based packaging studio and factory. She helps beauty, wellness, and lifestyle brands create custom, sustainable packaging—from design to production—bridging creative ideas with precise manufacturing.Contact Lisa Lin:If anyone listening is working on a new product launch or wants to explore eco-friendly packaging options… feel free to check out our website: www.pack-horizon.com :) You can also find me on LinkedIn, where I share behind-the-scenes stories and insights from our journey.LinkedIn:www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-lin-510692163Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/lisa013coral/TikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@lisa.horizon?_t=ZS-8zC8b5Qc3Of&_r=1Dr. Kimberley LinertSpeaker, Author, Broadcaster, Mentor, Trainer, Behavioral OptometristEvent Planners- I am available to speak at your event. Here is my media kit: https://brucemerrinscelebrityspeakers.com/portfolio/dr-kimberley-linert/To book Dr. Linert on your podcast, television show, conference, corporate training or as an expert guest please email her at incrediblelifepodcast@gmail.com or Contact Bruce Merrin at Bruce Merrin's Celebrity Speakers at merrinpr@gmail.com702.256.9199Host of the Podcast Series: Incredible Life Creator PodcastAvailable on...Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/incredible-life-creator-with-dr-kimberley-linert/id1472641267Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6DZE3EoHfhgcmSkxY1CvKf?si=ebe71549e7474663 and on 9 other podcast platformsAuthor of Book: "Visualizing Happiness in Every Area of Your Life"Get on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cmTOMwWebsite: https://linktr.ee/DrKimberleyLinertThe Great Discovery eLearning platform: https://thegreatdiscovery.com/kimberleyl

Another week and another Angry Planet about the horrifying systems that rule our lives.Is there a depressive theme running through the work right now? Possibly. I promise we'll soon replace it with rage.This week on the show we have Sven Beckert to talk about his new book Capitalism: A Global History. Beckert is a professor of history at Harvard and his tome is an attempt to capture the entire history of an economic system in one book. It's a doorstop, but it's also readable and clear-eyed. Some come with me on a journey that runs through the plantations of South Carolina to the tech markets of Shenzhen.Cotton as an entry point to the history of capitalismThe economic big bangIndustrial Revolution as mutation“It's still being born.”Human data is oil to be frackedThe Quaker Oats metaphor“The market is God.”Ascribing morality to economicsWhen Gary Hart ushered in Neoliberalism“Capitalism is a series of regime changes.”Moments of great change offer opportunitiesCapitalism: A Global HistoryThe Old Order Is Dead. Do Not Resuscitate.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Sinica, I'm delighted to have Iza Ding as guest host. Iza is a professor of political science at Northwestern University and a good friend whose work on Chinese governance I greatly admire. She's joined by Deborah Seligsohn, who has been a favorite guest on this show many times. Deb is an associate professor of political science at Villanova University and was previously a science and environmental counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. This episode was recorded in three parts: the first two in Belém, Brazil during COP30 (the 30th UN Climate Change Conference), and the final segment after the conference concluded. Iza and Deb discuss China's role at the climate summit, the real story behind the famous 2007 U.S. Embassy air quality monitor in Beijing (spoiler: it wasn't China's "Silent Spring moment"), Brazil's management of the conference, why China leads on technology but not on negotiation, and what the outcomes of COP30 mean for the future of global climate cooperation. This is an insider's view of how climate diplomacy actually works, complete with unexpected fire evacuations and glut-shaming of The New York Times.3:43 – Deb's impressions of COP30 and Brazil's inclusive approach 9:21 – China's presence at COP30: technology leadership without negotiation leadership 15:34 – Xie Zhenhua's absence and the U.S.-China dynamic at previous COPs 24:46 – Inside the negotiation rooms: language, politeness, and obstruction 33:06 – BYD's presence in Brazil and Chinese EV expansion 40:54 – The real story of the 2007 U.S. Embassy air quality monitor in Beijing 45:00 – Fire evacuation at COP30 and UN territorial sovereignty 1:22:06 – What actually drove China's air pollution control: the 2003 power plant standards 1:41:27 – The dramatic final plenary and the Mutirão decision 1:55:17 – China's NDC 3.0: under-promise and over-deliver strategySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Some of the auto industry's biggest innovators gathered in Shenzhen earlier this year for the Automotive World China Exhibition. From electric cars to self-driving sanitation vehicles, the event made it clear that the future of transportation is already here — and China is leading the way. Also, Somalis in the country's capital say they're discouraged by what they heard recently from the president of the United States. And, under Pope Leo's direction, the Vatican has joined seven other countries in being fully powered by solar energy. Plus, a rare floral phenomenon is unfolding in Rio de Janeiro. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

China produces nearly three-quarters of the world's electric cars, and no city embodies that dominance more than Shenzhen, home to industry giant BYD. Once known as “The World's Factory,” the city has transformed into a global hub of clean transportation and high-tech innovation. Also, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives in India to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And, Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank say their existence is being targeted as the face increasing attacks and violence by extremist Jewish settlers. Plus, Taiwan's new envoy to Finland stages a heavy metal concert as an attempt at diplomacy. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This week on Sinica, I speak with Zhong Na, a novelist and essayist whose new piece, "Murder House," appears in the inaugural issue of Equator — a striking new magazine devoted to longform writing that crosses borders, disciplines, and cultures. In January 2024, a young couple, both Tsinghua-educated Google engineers living in a $2.5 million Silicon Valley home, became the center of a tragedy that captivated Chinese social media far more than American outlets. Zhong Na explores how the case became a collective Rorschach test — a mirror held up to contemporary Chinese society, exposing cracks in the myths of meritocracy, the prestige of global tech firms, and shifting notions of gender, class, and the Chinese dream itself. We discuss the gendered reactions online, the dimming of America's appeal, the emotional costs of the immigrant success story, and the craft of writing about tragedy with compassion but without sentimentality.5:06 – How the story first reached Zhong Na, and the Luigi Mangione comparison 7:05 – Discovering she attended the same Chengdu high school as the alleged murderer Chen Liren 8:10 – The collaboration with Equator and Joan Didion's influence 10:30 – Education, class, and the cracks in China's meritocracy myth 16:01 – Tiger mothers vs. lying flat: two responses to a rigged system 19:12 – The pandemic and the dimming of the American dream 22:49 – Chinese men as perpetrators: immigrant stress and the loss of patriarchal privilege 25:56 – The gender war online: moral autopsy and victim-blaming 30:25 – The obsession with the ex-girlfriend and attraction to the accused 34:37 – The murder house, Chinese numerology, and the rise of Gen Z metaphysics 37:08 – Geopolitics, the China Initiative, and rethinking America as a destination 39:42 – Craft and moral compass: learning from Didion and Janet Malcolm 42:31 – Zhong Na's fiction: writing Chinese experiences without catering to Western expectationsPaying it forward: Gavin Jacobson and the editorial team at EquatorRecommendations: Zhong Na: Elsewhere by Yan Ge Kaiser: Made in Ethiopia, documentary by Xinyan Yu and Max Duncan (available on PBS)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández was convicted last year in a New York courtroom of flooding the US with tons of cocaine. This week, US President Donald Trump has pardoned him and he's walked out of prison a free man. Also, taking lessons from Shenzhen, China, a megacity that has largely sidestepped the air pollution, overcrowding and failing infrastructure that often accompany rapid expansion. And, leaders of Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda are slated to travel to Washington this week to sign a peace deal overseen by Trump. Plus, a photographer-couple documents people around the world who have been forced to leave their homes because of climate change. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

What if you could get a behind the scenes look at China's most innovative tech companies, factories and logistics hubs—seeing how they really run and asking the questions most Americans never get to ask?This week, you do. Matt Kirchner and Todd Wanek, CEO of Ashley Furniture, sit down to debrief the trip they took together to China. In a candid, off-the-cuff conversation, they trade questions and challenge each other's assumptions as they compare what they saw there with what's happening in U.S. business, policy, and education.After six days of nonstop plant tours and tech company visits, they debrief what they saw: an engineering-driven society, central planning at massive scale, open-source AI innovation, and humanoid robots that are improving in real time. They contrast that with U.S. politics, policy, education, and workforce development, and lay out the uncomfortable truths and huge opportunities for American manufacturing and technical education.

This week on Sinica, I welcome back Finbarr Bermingham, the Brussels-based Europe correspondent for the South China Morning Post, about the Nexperia dispute — one of the most revealing episodes in the global contest over semiconductor supply chains. Nexperia, a Dutch-headquartered chipmaker owned by Shanghai-listed Wingtech, became the subject of extraordinary government intervention when the Netherlands invoked a Cold War-era emergency law to seize temporary control of the company and suspend its Chinese CEO. Finbarr's reporting, drawing on Dutch court documents and expert sources, has illuminated the tangled threads of this story: preexisting concerns about governance and technology transfer, mounting U.S. pressure on The Hague to remove Chinese management, and the timing of the Dutch action on the very day the U.S. rolled out its affiliate rule. We discuss China's retaliatory export controls on chips packaged at Nexperia's Dongguan facilities, the role of the Trump-Xi meeting in Busan in unlocking a temporary thaw, and what this case reveals about Europe's agonizing position between American pressure and Chinese integration in global production networks.4:34 – Why the "Europe cracks down on Chinese acquisition" framing was too simple 6:17 – The Dutch court's extraordinary tick-tock of events and U.S. lobbying 9:04 – The June pressure from Washington: divestment or the affiliate list 10:13 – Dutch fears of production know-how relocating to China 12:35 – The impossible position: damned if they did, damned if they didn't 14:46 – The obscure Cold War-era Goods Availability Act 17:11 – CEO Zhang Xuezheng and the question of who stopped cooperating first 19:26 – Was China's export control a state policy or a corporate move? 22:16 – Europe's de-risking framework and the lessons from Nexperia 25:39 – The fragmented European response: Germany, France, Hungary, and the Baltics 30:31 – Did Germany shape the response behind the scenes? 33:06 – The Trump-Xi meeting in Busan and the resolution of the crisis 37:01 – Will the Nexperia case deter future European interventions? 40:28 – Is Europe still an attractive market for Chinese investment? 41:59 – The Europe China Forum: unusually polite in a time of tenterhooksPaying it forward: Dewey Sim (SCMP diplomacy desk, Beijing); Coco Feng (SCMP technology, Guangdong); Khushboo Razdan (SCMP North America); Sense Hofstede (Chinese Bossen newsletter)Recommendations: Finbarr: Chokepoints by Edward Fishman; Underground Empire by Henry Farrell and Abe Newman; "What China Wants from Europe" by John Delury (Engelsberg Ideas) Kaiser: The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan and Milady (2023 French film adaptation)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 back Jeremy Goldkorn, co-founder of the show and my longtime co-host, to revisit the "vibe shift" we first discussed back in February. Seven months on, what we sensed then has fully borne out — there's been a measurable softening in American attitudes toward China, reflected not just in polling data but in media coverage, podcast discussions, and public discourse. We dig into what's driving this shift: the chaos of American politics making China look competent by comparison, the end of Wolf Warrior diplomacy, the gutting of China hawks in the Trump administration, Trump's own transactional G2 enthusiasm, and the generational divide in how younger Americans encounter China through TikTok rather than legacy media. We also discuss the limits of this shift, the dangers of overcorrection, and what it feels like to watch the fever break after years of panic and absolutism in U.S.-China discourse.5:29 – The [beep] show in America as the biggest factor 8:38 – China hawks deflated: from Pompeo to Navarro's pivot to India 11:21 – Ben Smith's piece on the end of a decade of China hawkism 13:30 – Eric Schmidt and Selina Xu's Atlantic piece on tech decoupling 17:17 – Long-form China podcasts: Dwarkesh Patel with Arthur Kroeber, Lex Fridman with Keyu Jin 19:35 – Jeremy's personal vibe shift: distance from The China Project and renewed perspective 23:33 – The world turning to predictability and stability 26:05 – The Chicago Council poll: dramatic shift away from containment 29:09 – The generational shift: TikTok, infrastructure porn, and Gen Z's globalized worldview 31:15 – The end of Wolf Warrior diplomacy and why it mattered 37:03 – Kaiser's "Great Reckoning" essay and why it didn't get the usual hate 39:00 – The destruction of Twitter and the vicious China discourse culture 41:10 – The pendulum swinging too far: China fanboys and new hubris 43:20 – How the vibe shift looks from inside China Paying it forward: Echo Tang (Berlin Independent Chinese Film Festival organizer) and Zhu Rikun (New York Chinese Independent Film Festival organizer)Recommendations: Jeremy: Ja No Man: Growing Up in Apartheid Era South Africa by Richard Poplak Kaiser: Rhyming Chaos podcast with Jeremy Goldkorn and Maria RepnikovaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.