Podcast
Sharp China with Bill Bishop
Hosted by Andrew Sharp and Sinocism’s Bill Bishop · EN
Understanding China and how China impacts the world. Hosted by Andrew Sharp and Bill Bishop.
36episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
(Preview) Party Building and Xi’s Dominance; Memory Chips and ASML Accusations; Germany’s Puzzling Push for Plaza Accords
5d ago00:14:12Summary readyOn today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building and further signs that one year after from a summer of rumors and one year out from the 21st Party Congress, Xi’s power remains entrenched as ever. Then: MOFCOM and the Ministry of Finance announced restrictions on several dozen US firms, the global memory chip shortage is an opportunity for CXMT and YMTC, what to make of the U.S. government’s scrutiny of ASML, and Elon Musk’s alarm over the West’s China vulnerabilities. At the end: Takeaways from the EU Council meeting on China, Germany’s push for PRC currency revaluation, structural forces that yield EU inertia, and emails on Chinese soccer, space warfare, and the Jim Cramer of weather. Get all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Li Qiang inspects Dalian; Response to US expansion of China military companies list; Contaminated diapers; No “Plaza Accord” to help the EU; Invest in China — Sinocism Introduction to the Main Entries in Volumes One and Two of the Selected Works of Xi Jinping on Party Building — Sinocism Translation Xi Jinping’s Thought on Party Building and the Four Major Changes in CCP Governance — China Thought Express China Tightens Rare-Earth Grip on U.S. Firms, Threatening Trade Clash — New York Times Why the Memory Crunch Is Almost Impossible to Solve — Wall Street Journal Loosening Export Controls on China’s Memory Chip Makers — Jimmy Goodrich Memory Chips and China, Microsoft and Chinese Models — Stratechery US senators increase pressure on Apple over possible Chinese chipmaker deal — Financial Times US Tells ASML It’s Concerned China May Have Top Chip Tool — Bloomberg Netherlands to join US-led Pax Silica AI initiative despite ASML dispute — Reuters Germany backs EU’s tough China line with call for ‘Plaza Accord’ talks on yuan — SCMP The world does not need a new ‘Plaza Accord’: Global Times editorial — Global Times Europe’s Final Warning — Sharp Text Germany is wavering on China (again) — Watching China in Europe Why China is so bad at football — The Economist
SummaryXi Goes to North Korea; Inspecting Xinjiang; A $295 Billion AI Buildout; The Pentagon Alleges PLA Links for Alibaba and Others
3w ago00:14:45Summary readyOn today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with takeaways from Xi’s visit to North Korea this week, including the conspicuous silence on North Korea’s nuclearization, Kim Jong Un’s assistance to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Beijing as Kim’s top priority, U.S.-Japan dialogue on regional nuclear threats, and an email about the PRC as a communist country. From there: CPPCC Chairman Wang Huning leads an inspection tour of Xinjiang ahead of the July 1st implementation of the national ethnic unity law, plus thoughts on Xinjiang’s strategic importance generally and why Beijing sees its recent efforts as successful. At the end: China preps for an AI infrastructure buildout, the Pentagon alleges that Alibaba, Baidu and BYD are linked to the PLA, the Busan truce is being tested by both sides, and two Knicks stars wish students good luck on the GaoKao. Get all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Xi concludes his visit to North Korea; Wang Huning inspects Xinjiang; Nationwide AI compute network buildout; Chip controls; Rare earths — Sinocism Xi in North Korea; Li Qiang on future industries; Cai Qi now Party School President; MSS on AI “transfer stations”; Updates to US “Chinese Military Companies” list — Sinocism Joint Statement on the June 2026 U.S.-Japan Extended Deterrence Dialogue — U.S. State Department Ethnic Unity Law Codifies ‘Chinese’ Identity — Jamestown China Preps $295 Billion Plan to Fund Nationwide AI Buildout — Bloomberg Pentagon Accuses Alibaba, Baidu of Aiding China’s Military — Bloomberg US business group says some critical minerals are ‘nearly unobtainable’ from China — Reuters Jalen Brunson Wishes Chinese Students Good Luck on the GaoKao — X Sinocism Live: Understanding China’s Exam-centric Education System — Sinocism
Summary(Preview) Xi Goes to North Korea; Inspecting Xinjiang; A $295 Billion AI Buildout; The Pentagon Alleges PLA Links for Alibaba and Others
3w ago00:14:45Summary readyOn today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with takeaways from Xi’s visit to North Korea this week, including the conspicuous silence on North Korea’s nuclearization, Kim Jong Un’s assistance to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Beijing as Kim’s top priority, U.S.-Japan dialogue on regional nuclear threats, and an email about the PRC as a communist country. From there: CPPCC Chairman Wang Huning leads an inspection tour of Xinjiang ahead of the July 1st implementation of the national ethnic unity law, plus thoughts on Xinjiang’s strategic importance generally and why Beijing sees its recent efforts as successful. At the end: China preps for an AI infrastructure buildout, the Pentagon alleges that Alibaba, Baidu and BYD are linked to the PLA, the Busan truce is being tested by both sides, and two Knicks stars wish students good luck on the GaoKao. Get all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Xi concludes his visit to North Korea; Wang Huning inspects Xinjiang; Nationwide AI compute network buildout; Chip controls; Rare earths — Sinocism Xi in North Korea; Li Qiang on future industries; Cai Qi now Party School President; MSS on AI “transfer stations”; Updates to US “Chinese Military Companies” list — Sinocism Joint Statement on the June 2026 U.S.-Japan Extended Deterrence Dialogue — U.S. State Department Ethnic Unity Law Codifies ‘Chinese’ Identity — Jamestown China Preps $295 Billion Plan to Fund Nationwide AI Buildout — Bloomberg Pentagon Accuses Alibaba, Baidu of Aiding China’s Military — Bloomberg US business group says some critical minerals are ‘nearly unobtainable’ from China — Reuters Jalen Brunson Wishes Chinese Students Good Luck on the GaoKao — X Sinocism Live: Understanding China’s Exam-centric Education System — Sinocism
SummarySeizing The Commanding Heights; Decoding Shangri-La Dialogue; Europe Moots Trade Policy; The PRC Expels a New York Times Journalist
4w ago01:10:53Summary readyOn today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with Xi Jinping’s call to seize the commanding heights of science, technology, and industry across six industries of the future, as well as the State Council’s move to release a 34-article law that will implicate domestic firms, foreign businesses and potentially foreign governments, as well as PRC financial institutions and individual investors. From there: Reactions to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s remarks at the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue, why an absence of Taiwan mentions in his main speech is not necessarily seen in Beijing as a shift in policy, and questions regarding U.S. partnerships elsewhere in the region. At the end: The looming trade tensions between Europe and China, the expulsion of New York Times journalist Vivian Wang, the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacres, and Steph Curry’s new endorsement deal with Li-Ning. Get all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube New regulations on outbound investment; Qiushi on future industries; Chip export control dysfunction; Shangri-La Dialogue; EU-China — Sinocism Agricultural and rural modernization; Socialist political economy; UK-PRC; PRC media in Africa — Sinocism China Tightens Rules on Outbound Investment in Fight for Global Tech Edge — Wall Street Journal State Council Regulations on Outbound Investment — Sinocism Translation China Expands Outbound Investment Rules to Cover Individuals — Bloomberg Pete Hegseth says US-China ties are ‘better than in years’ — Financial Times Hegseth’s Message to Asian Partners: Do More to Get More — New York Times Japan’s defence minister Koizumi rejects China accusations of ‘new militarism’ — Financial Times Brussels fires starting gun on tougher China trade policy, as Beijing vows retaliation — SCMP Watching China in Europe - June 2026 — Noah Barkin After China Orders a Times Reporter to Leave the Country, the U.S. Reciprocates — New York Times Tiananmen Tonight Trailer — Tiananmen Tonight Vandals break into Tiananmen crackdown museum in US, founder says — Hong Kong Free Press
Summary(Preview) Social Mobility and Hukou Reform; US Halts Taiwan Arms Sales?; Ongoing Pressure on Japan; An American Xinhua Journalist Arrested
May 2800:15:35Summary readyOn today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with the news that Beijing moved to further ease hukou restrictions, including why this is a welcome change for millions of Chinese citizens, as well as a look at questions and challenges as the reforms are implemented. Then: A report that Chinese AI talent has been restricted from leaving China, while Beijing continues its efforts to control capital outflow and offshore investments. From there: Indications that the US has indeed paused its second tranche of arms sales to Taiwan, and more details on a US-China board of investment. Then: PRC-Japan updates, including reports of Takaichi recriminations from Xi in his meeting with Trump, heavy rare earth shipments restricted for the past four months, the cards Japan has yet to play, and Mao’s strategic stalemate as a stage of protracted war, not an endgame. At the end: An American journalist for Xinhua and other state outlets is arrested and accused of acting as an unregistered agent of the CCP. Get all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Wang Yi at the UN; American Xinhua “journalist” arrested; Keeping AI talent at home; Recalculating carbon intensity; Another WMP blowup — Sinocism Xi meets Pakistan PM and Serbian President; Coal mine explosion; Delinking basic public services from hukou; Crackdown on overseas trading; AI — Sinocism China removes hukou hurdle for migrant workers in social insurance shake-up — SCMP China Expands Travel Curbs to Top AI Talent at Private Firms — Bloomberg DeepSeek, a National Treasure in China, is Now Being Closely Guarded — The Information China Traders Hit Exit After Offshore Trading Curbs — Bloomberg Iran war, China thaw complicate U.S. support for Taiwan — Washington Post US warns Japan of severe delays in Tomahawk deliveries due to Iran war — Financial Times Pentagon official’s Beijing visit in doubt over $14bn US arms package for Taiwan — Financial Times Xi Jinping railed against Japan’s ‘remilitarisation’ at Donald Trump summit — Financial Times China squeezes Japan over rare earths in repeat of 2010 showdown — Reuters Affidavit in Support of Criminal Complaint — Politico “I would make the world’s worst spy ever” — Too Simple, Sometimes Naive
Summary(Preview) Constructing US-China Stability; Trump’s Taiwan Comments and More Summit Takeaways; Putin in China
May 2100:12:03Summary readyOn today’s show Andrew and Bill parse the messaging from both sides of last week’s US-China summit in Beijing. Topics include: What the PRC means by “a constructive relationship of strategic stability,” why the US side adopted the framing as well, a relative absence of tangible deliverables, and why “a calculated stalling tactic from both sides designed to manage risk” may be a more accurate rendering of the status quo. From there: Trump’s various comments on Taiwan spark concern and questions, plus notes on Rubio, Ratner, an indictment of Chinese shipping magnates, and an Iran ceasefire Xi calls “imperative.” At the end: Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing, questions for the EU, and more bad news for Nvidia in China. Get all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube US-China summit outcomes; Constructive relationship of strategic stability; Taiwan; Putin to Beijing; Li and Ding on AI — Sinocism Putin arrives in Beijing; US indicts PRC container firms and executives; Developing Party members; Tracking foreigners — Sinocism Two Readouts, One Deal — Sinocism Chart CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Raul Castro’s grandson in Havana, US and Cuban officials say — AP Rubio, Once a China Hawk, Strikes Softer Tone to Align With Trump — New York Times U.S. probing whether Chinese companies cut production of shipping containers before COVID pandemic — CBS News Xi Warns Against Resuming Iran Attacks After Meeting Putin in Beijing — Bloomberg Chaos erupts behind the scenes of Trump’s China trip — including trampled White House aide — New York Post Joint Declaration of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the Emergence of a Multipolar World and International Relations of a New Type — Telegram Xi Jinping told Donald Trump that Putin might ‘regret’ invasion of Ukraine — Financial Times China banned Nvidia’s gaming chip during Jensen Huang’s visit — Financial Times
Summary10 Questions and Modest Expectations With Trump in China to Meet Xi Jinping
May 1301:02:02Summary readyOn today’s show Andrew and Bill talk through 360 degrees of President Trump’s trip to Beijing this week. Topics include: Jensen Huang hitching a ride in Alaska, general expectations for deliverables after limited leaks and hurried advance planning, Trump’s reception in Beijing, and the limits of “upper hand” analysis. From there: A coterie of billionaire CEOs make the trip with Trump, a US Chamber of Commerce/Rhodium Report report warning about the PRC’s industrial strategy, and Trump makes overtures about “opening” China. At the end: Questions on Taiwan arm sales and AI cooperation, the expected talks on Ezra Jin and Jimmy Lai, a trillion dollar investment report that went viral eight months later, Xi’s calculus before a 21st Party Congress, the Iran question looming over the week’s meetings, and big, fat hug speculation. Get all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Trump China visit; China’s Next Generation Industrial Policy; Standardizing and developing AI agents; No more deflation?; Ding Xuexiang visits Huawei — Sinocism Jensen Huang hitching a ride — Emily Goodin: @Emilylgoodin A weakened Trump arrives at Xi’s court — Financial Times Trump on Opening China — Truth Social: @realDonaldTrump Trump is taking more than a dozen U.S. executives to China. Jensen Huang isn’t one of them — CNBC China expanding its industrial dominance, warns US business group — Financial Times China’s Next-Generation Industrial Policy — Rhodium Donald Trump demands Xi Jinping ‘open’ China to US business — Financial Times Xi Is Poised to Press Trump on Arms Sales to Taiwan — New York Times U.S. and China Pursue Guardrails to Stop AI Rivalry From Spiraling Into Crisis — Wall Street Journal Families of two Americans jailed in China urge Trump to seek their release — Reuters Jimmy Lai is not forgotten as Trump goes to China — Washington Post US-China Relations Cannot Return to the Past, But Can Have a Better Future—On the Occasion of the China-US Heads of State Meeting—— - Guo Jiping — People’s Daily (Sinocism Translation) Is Trump About to Invite In the Biggest Predator in the World? — NYT Team Chyyyyyna — Lara Trump: @LaraLeaTrump
Summary(Preview) Beijing Kills Meta’s Manus Deal; April Politburo Takeaways; Foreign Forces Afflicting the Youth; US Countermeasures Mounting
Apr 3000:15:22Summary readyOn today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with the news that the Meta-Manus deal will likely be unwound in its entirety in the wake of a ruling from the NDRC on Monday. Topics include: The legal grounding cited by Beijing, reports that Manus failed to seek regulatory approval prior to its relocation and acquisition, Mark Zuckerberg as the photo negative of Tim Cook, Beijing’s signal to the AI ecosystem, and why fears of chilled innovation may be slightly overstated. Then: Takeaways from April’s Politburo assessing the economy after Q1, including a nod to the Iran war, no signs of stimulus, and why cracking down on involution is easier said than done. At the end: The MSS argues that foreign forces are driving the “lying flat” campaign, while the U.S. quietly applies pressure on a variety of fronts in advance of May’s meeting between President Trump and Xi Jinping. Get all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube April Politburo meeting; Manus mess; Hostile foreign forces encouraging “lying flat”; New US semiconductor restrictions? — Sinocism Managing new employment groups; NDRC wants Manus deal unwound; US-China AI discussion; Alleged MSS hacker extradited to US — Sinocism China blocks Meta’s $2bn purchase of AI group Manus — Financial Times Meta Is Preparing to Have to Undo Its Manus Acquisition After China Ban — WSJ Blocking of Meta’s AI startup buy raises risk for cross-border China tech deals — Reuters What is Meta’s China exposure? — Mobile Dev Memo China targets ‘zombies’ with regulatory headshots to kill off subsidised laggards — SCMP Foreign Organizations are Heavily Funding “Lying Flat Influencers” and Systematically Conducting “Lying Flat Brainwashing” — MSS (Sinocism Translation) China’s Age of Malaise — New Yorker Exclusive: US orders chip equipment companies to halt some shipments to China’s No. 2 chipmaker Hua Hong — Reuters Treasury Warns of Sanctions Risks Linked to China-Based Independent “Teapot” Oil Refineries — US Treasury Dept. Economic Fury Targets Global Network Fueling Iran’s Oil Trade and Shadow Fleet — US Treasury Dept. Exclusive: US orders chip equipment companies to halt some shipments to China’s No. 2 chipmaker Hua Hong — Reuters White House accuses China of ‘industrial-scale’ theft of AI technology — FT DeepSeek’s new AI model does not wow markets in fast-changing industry — Reuters
Summary(Preview) Xi Wants the Strait of Hormuz Re-Opened; Cakes and An E-Commerce Crackdown; The Next Stage of Decoupling; The MATCH Act in Congress
Apr 2300:12:53Summary readyOn today’s show Andrew and Bill return to discuss the PRC’s posture amidst the ongoing war in Iran. Topics include: Xi’s call to re-open the Strait of Hormuz, an interdicted Iranian ship that may have been carrying missile precursors from China, Trump’s posture toward China three weeks before his summit in Beijing, and deals between the US and Indonesia and the US and the Philippines. Then: The SAMR fines several e-commerce giants over food safety concerns in the “ghost delivery” sector, plus thoughts on the ongoing struggle to combat involution. From there: New regulations in Beijing to crack down on foreign companies attempting to diversify supply chains, the USTR’s Jamieson Greer comments on US partners and a new rare earth strategy, and notes on tensions between the PRC and Japan. At the end: The MATCH Act in Congress and the continued scrutiny over semiconductor manufacturing equipment, an updated timeline for DeepSeek’s new model, and a Mandelson mess continues to unspool in the U.K. Get all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Xi wants Strait of Hormuz opened; NDRC head on security and development; Cake order leads to huge fines; Solar industry involution persists; Manus deal — Sinocism More foreign visitors meet Xi; Service sector boost; Countering improper foreign conduct; Youth unemployment; AI chip shortage; More pressure on AI “China-shedding” — Sinocism Oil prices jump after U.S. seizes Iranian vessel, imperiling ceasefire — Washington Post CNBC Transcript: President Donald Trump Speaks with CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Today — CNBC China’s exports slow as Middle East turmoil weighs on trade — Financial Times A Cake Order That Led to a Massive Fine — Tracking the “Ghost Delivery” Series of Cases一份蛋糕订单牵出巨额罚单——”幽灵外卖”系列案追踪 — Xinhua Translation China Officials, PDD Staff Get Into Fistfights During Audit — Bloomberg China Imposes New Rules to Block Foreign Companies From ‘Decoupling’ — New York Times Trump trade chief urges US allies to pay more for critical minerals — Financial Times Rules of Origin Set Up U.S.-China Clash in Asia — Wall Street Journal The Tech High Ground — Foreign Affairs China hawks rally behind House action on tougher export controls for AI chips — Inside AI Policy Micron pushes US Congress to crack down on chip tool sales to Chinese rivals, sources say — Reuters ‘Pure shock’: how ministers reacted to revelation of Mandelson vetting failure — The Guardian
Summary(Preview) A Ceasefire and Reports of PRC Pressure; Another Politburo Investigation; Mythos, DeepSeek, and a Token Crunch
Apr 900:13:00Summary readyOn today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with the tentative ceasefire in Iran and reports that the PRC applied pressure to the Iranians to defuse the tensions. Topics include: The lack of clarity on what the PRC actually did and why, China’s vote at the UN this week, why the PRC would like the war to end sooner rather than later, and relationships with other Gulf countries that may or may not change because of the war. From there: Ma Xingrui’s disappearance from public view is met with official confirmation of an investigation, Anthropic’s Mythos model clarifies the stakes of the AI race, DeepSeek news, a token crunch in China, and scenes from Victor Wembanyama’s visit to the Shaolin Temple last summer. Get all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Iran war; PLA rectification; Services Sector Conference; Mutating troll armies; AI token usage — Sinocism Iran war; Ma Xingrui; Industrial and Supply Chain Security; PLA political rectification; MSS warns about foreign dinner guests — Sinocism China Pressed Iran Toward Cease-fire, Iranian Officials Say — New York Times China and Russia Veto Security Council Resolution on Hormuz — Bloomberg China’s Veto in the UNSC — The China-MENA Newsletter How Trump Took the U.S. to War With Iran — New York Times Chinese firms market Iran war intelligence ‘exposing’ U.S. forces — Washington Post Anthropic’s New Model, The Mythos Wolf, Glasswing and Alignment — Stratechery Exclusive DeepSeek’s New AI Model Will Be a Victory for Huawei — The Information The Token Reckoning — Hello China Tech Spurs to Shaolin: Inside NBA Star Wemby’s Secret Temple Retreat — Sixth Tone
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