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.
40episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
(Preview) CEWC and Bleak Economic Data; Naval Exercises Around Taiwan; New Reporting on Chip Controls; Trump’s Standing Invitation to Xi
Dec 18, 202400:14:25Summary readyGet all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with a few updates on the Central Economic Work Conference, economic headwinds facing the PRC economy, including weaker-than-expected retail data, mixed data from the real estate market, and concerns from an economist assessing the conditions on the ground. From there: Reactions to last week's PLA exercises around Taiwan, divergent reactions from policymakers in Taipei and Washington, and a new report on the process behind the Biden Administration's latest round of updates to the semiconductor export controls. At the end: President-elect Trump on his relationship with Xi Jinping, TikTok takes its case to the Supreme Court, and the NBA (sort of) announces plans for a series of preseason games in Macau. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube China Consumer Slowdown Shows Urgent Need to Encourage Spending — Bloomberg Prices Won’t Stop Falling in China, and Beijing Is Grasping for Solutions — Wall Street Journal China's 2024 property sales on course to reach just half the peak — Nikkei A top Chinese economist just said what many people suspected: China's official GDP numbers may not be accurate — Business Insider Big Chinese naval exercise leaves Taiwan and US struggling for response — Financial Times How U.S. Firms Battled a Government Crackdown to Keep Tech Sales to China — New York Times An Interview with Gregory Allen About the State of China Chip Export Controls — Stratechery Interview President-elect Donald Trump delivers remarks — CNBC YouTube TikTok Asks Supreme Court to Block Law Banning Its U.S. Operations — New York Times New trade hawk on the block — Politico Real Estate: Bret Baier Home Listed for a Record $32 Million — The Georgetowner NBA to return to China with multiyear deal in Macau — Reuters
Summary(Preview) ‘Moderately Loose’ and Cautiously Stimulating; Nvidia Under Investigation; Broadening Export Bans; A TikTok Verdict and a Trump Prayer
Dec 11, 202400:12:14Summary readyGet all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with the latest messaging from Beijing on efforts to stimulate the economy in 2025 and beyond. Topics include: Politburo language that echoes 2008, muted reactions from the mainland markets, why the ultimate policy decisions may not be made until the PRC has more clarity on Trump's intentions, and more. From there: Nvidia finds itself at the center of an antitrust probe, while the PRC restrictions on critical minerals are broader than initially thought, and drone components are now also being restricted from export to the US and Europe. At the end: Reviewing last Friday's verdict from the DC Circuit in TikTok v. Garland, and charting the next steps for TikTok and the Trump administration as January 19th approaches and TikTok faces a ban in the United States. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube December Politburo meeting ahead of the Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) — Sinocism Politburo meeting and CEWC; Nvidia antitrust investigation; Trump and China; TikTok's narrowin path in US — Sinocism China’s Politburo revives crisis-era language in pledge to bolster economy — SCMP China loosens monetary policy stance for first time in 14 years — Financial Times Nvidia Probed in China Over Possible Antimonopoly Violations — Wall Street Journal Nvidia Is Now Too Powerful for Beijing to Constrain — New York Times China’s Critical Minerals Embargo Is Even Tougher Than Expected — New York Times Geopollutical Warfare — Doomberg China Tightens Its Hold on Minerals Needed to Make Computer Chips — New York Times China Is Cutting Off Drone Supplies Critical to Ukraine War Effort — Bloomberg Unidentified Drones Light Up New Jersey’s Skies, Baffling Residents — New York Times TIKTOK INC. AND BYTEDANCE LTD. V. MERRICK B. GARLAND — DC Circuit Incoming national security adviser says Trump is 'ready to take big swings and do big things’ — Fox Business Rep. Mike Waltz calls out the Biden campaign's TikTok account: 'They should be ashamed' — Fox News Inside the Strange, Strained Courtship of Donald Trump and Mega-Donor Jeff Yass — Vanity Fair Big Republican Donor Jeff Yass Owned Shares in Trump Media Merger Partner — New York Times TikTok Hires Francisco And Mooppan For High Court Fight — Law360
SummaryFinal Updates to the Biden Chip Controls; Peak Tough on China?; PLA and CEWC Speculation; More Trump Questions than Answers in Beijing
Dec 4, 202401:05:41Summary readyGet all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism On today’s show Andrew and Bill return from the holiday break with reactions to the latest round updates to the US export controls on semiconductors. Topics include: Why some think the updates are weaker than they should’ve been, takeaways from the past two years of chip controls, TikTok’s new hopes, and whether the U.S. has now passed the peak of tough-on-China policies. From there: The suspension of Admiral Miao Hua, member of the Central Military Commission and director of the Political Work Department of the PLA, reports (and denials) that Defense Minister Dong Jun is under investigation, and thoughts on the way into the CEWC after November comes and goes without a public announcement of a Politburo meeting. At the end: Trump threatens 100% tariffs over a BRICS currency that does not yet exist, Beijing continues to guess at Trump’s objectives with tariff policy, the latest on the US telecommunications hack, and good news for unfairly maligned grandmothers in the PRC. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube No mention of November Politburo meeting; US updates chip controls; Xi on the BRI; Lai in Hawaii; Miao Hua; US-China prisoner swap — Sinocism CEWC; Reactions to chip controls; Studying Xi Thought on Culture — Sinocism Commerce Strengthens Export Controls to Restrict China’s Capability to Produce Advanced Semiconductors for Military Applications — Bureau of Industry and Security Biden tightens tech controls on China as clock ticks down — Washington Post Biden’s Final Export Control Salvo Misfires — China Talk The True Impact of Allied Export Controls on the U.S. and Chinese Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Industries — CSIS How TikTok’s Trump Whisperer Changed Minds in Washington — Wall Street Journal High-ranking military official in China suspended and placed under investigation — AP China’s defence minister placed under investigation for corruption — Financial Times China probes top officer discipline ‘violations’ — Financial Times China's Top Leaders to Meet to Discuss Stimulus Plans, Economic Targets for 2025 — Bloomberg Trump threatens 100% tariff on Brics nations if they try to replace dollar — BBC Faced with Trump’s Tariff Outburst, Beijing is Looking For a Way In — Wall Street Journal Emerging Details of Chinese Hack Leave U.S. Officials Increasingly Concerned — New York Times China Tells Drama Creators: No More Evil Grandmothers — Sixth Tone
Summary(Preview) The Final Biden-Xi Meeting; PRC Messaging to the World; Mass Attacks and the Party Response; Trump Transition Updates
Nov 20, 202400:12:26Summary readyGet all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism On today's show Andrew and Bill begin by parsing the PRC readout from this weekend's meeting between XI Jinping and President Joe Biden, including the four red lines communicated by the PRC to the US, PRC language surrounding enhanced security ties between the US and pacific allies, and a farewell to the San Francisco vision. From there: Xi Jinping's message to APEC and the charm offensive planned for a Trump administration, China's calculus amid global climate initiatives, and extended thoughts on the recent mass casualties events around China and likely party responses. At the end: An update on the Trump transition, Howard Lutnick is picked to run the Commerce Department, and Apple and Google's calculus with respect to the TikTok law. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Xi-Biden meeting; Xi at APEC and the G-20; PRC armed drones to Russia?; COP29; Another mass killing; Xi on population trends — Sinocism Xi in Peru; Xinhua reporters find shoddy HSR construction; FT on Goldman's expensive China adventure — Sinocism President Xi Jinping Meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in Lima — MoFA Full Text of Chinese president's written speech at APEC CEO Summit — Xinhua US-China relations will depend on which Trump shows up — Financial Times China’s Overcapacity Can Help the World — Project Syndicate Chinese imports damage ‘dignity’ of Italian tomato, says Mutti chief — Wall Street Journal Mass Attacks in China Prompt Censorship, Clampdown on Mourning — Wall Street Journal The Sentinel State — Minxin Pei China rushes to connect with potential Trump officials — Financial Times Video SUV plowed into people outside Yong’an Primary School — X: @Byron_Wan Doctor Strangelove - Doomsday Machine — YouTube
Summary(Preview) Stabilization Measures and Export Questions; Taiwan Considers US Arms Purchase; TSMC Halts Advanced Chip Sales to China; Trump Tea Leaves and Cabinet Picks
Nov 13, 202400:15:55Summary readyGet all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with Friday's announcement from the NPC standing committee and more incremental stabilization measures from PRC leadership. Topics include: Foreign investors (again) hoping for more, "deepening reforms" and domestic consumption, the trade surplus with the US exceeds the trillion dollar threshold, and why attempts to build an alliance with the EU are unlikely to succeed. From there: Taiwan considers a big arms purchase as Trump prepares to take office, the Philippines aims to buy intermediate range missile launchers, and TSMC halts the sale of advanced chips to China. At the end: Trump's early cabinet picks, another report on Trump's plans for TikTok, the "reverse Nixon" dream, and Elon Musk's mother is a brand ambassador in the PRC. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Fiscal stabilization package; Trade surplus; Philippines-PRC tensions; TSMC; Waltz to be National Security Advisor — Sinocism China’s Stimulus Policies Now Put Emphasis on Consumption, Expert Says — Caixin Exclusive - China presses Europe for anti-U.S. alliance on trade — Reuters (2018) Ukraine war: EU’s next top envoy says China must pay ‘higher cost’ for backing Russia — SCMP Taiwan considers big US defence purchases as overture to Donald Trump — Financial Times Philippines aims to buy US missile launcher in move likely to anger China — Financial Times TSMC to close door on producing advanced AI chips for China from Monday — Financial Times Exclusive: US ordered TSMC to halt shipments to China of chips used in AI applications — Reuters Donald Trump’s cabinet picks signal tougher stance on China — Financial Times A Trump adviser on how the international economic system should change — The Economist Beijing’s Worst Nightmare After Trump’s Win: a ‘Reverse Nixon’ — Wall Street Journal Trump expected to try to halt TikTok ban, allies say — Washington Post Maye Musk, the mother of Elon Musk, is now the global brand ambassador of AISE baobao — X: @Byron_Wan Reverse ferret — Wikipedia
SummaryQuestions and Expectations for Trump 2.0; Looming Trade Tensions and PRC Responses; Volatility and Intermediaries; TikTok’s Last Hope?
Nov 8, 202401:04:44Summary readyGet all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism On today’s show Andrew and Bill talk through a second Donald Trump presidency and what it might mean for US-China relations. Topics include: a note of congratulations from Xi Jinping Thursday morning, memories of the first Trump presidency, the calculus from both sides as tariffs loom, a larger toolkit of responses to trade policy for the PRC, potential intermediaries between Trump's administration and PRC leadership, and the strategic challenges and opportunities that China sees in a Trump administration. At the end: TikTok’s fate and whether Trump will save the app’s future in the United States, additional details on the Salt Typhoon telecommunications hack, and thoughts on the Biden administration's approach to the PRC, and the challenges facing any U.S. administration. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Trump 2.0 and the PRC — Sinocism Xi congratulates Trump; Social work and stability; "Stimulus" rumors; October exports surge; TikTok; Hack of US telecoms — Sinocism China congratulates Trump, says it respects America's choice — Reuters China Learns How to Get Trump’s Ear: Through Jared Kushner — New York Times (2017) Donald Trump’s trade remedies reflect America’s troubled reality — Financial Times Markets Are Underpricing the Possibility of a U.S.-China Economic War — Foreign Policy Chinese officials struggle to build ties with Donald Trump’s campaign — Financial Times Americans Who Want to Do Business in China Need to Meet This Man — Wall Street Journal What Trump's win means for Ukraine, Middle East and China — BBC Americans, your calls and texts can be monitored by Chinese spies — Washington Post Chinese hackers gained access to huge trove of Americans’ cell records — Politico China Hack Enabled Vast Spying on U.S. Officials, Likely Ensnaring Thousands of Contacts — Wall Street Journal Trudeau government bans TikTok from operating in Canada — but Canadians can still use it — CBC TikTok Sees Trump Victory As App’s Best Hope — The Information Spotlight: Xi-Trump meeting helps achieve much friendlier tone in China-U.S. ties: experts — Xinhua
Summary(Preview) Myriad Holes in US Chip Controls; New Reports on TSMC and Huawei; The Latest "Stimulus" News; Mixed Signals on Private Tutoring
Oct 30, 202400:09:50Summary readyGet all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with an excellent report from Semi Analysis, and the state of the U.S. export controls on semiconductors and chipmaking equipment. Topics include: New reports of TSMC sales to Huawei-linked firms, the Commerce Department's oversight of chip controls, the various loopholes being routinely exploited by SMIC, Huawei and related entities, and enforcement questions for future administrations. From there: The NPC Standing Committee meeting is set for next week, the latest reports on what might be announced, and questions concerning the timing of the meeting, which will coincide with the US election. At the end: The PRC's crackdown on the private tutoring industry might be lifting, and reports that Chinese hackers targeted data from both Presidential campaigns. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Xi schools cadres; More stimulus talk; EU tariffs on PRC EVs go into effect; TSMC cuts of two customers over Huawei concerns — Sinocism NPCSC meeting; Politburo meeting on discipline; Politburo studies "building strong cultural nation; Huawei sanctions evasion; Pro-natal measures; Phone hacking — Sinocism Fab Whack-A-Mole: Chinese Companies are Evading U.S. Sanctions — SemiAnalysis TSMC suspended shipments to China firm after chip found on Huawei processor, sources say — Reuters TSMC cuts off at least two chip clients over potential Huawei links — Nikkei TSMC Chips Ended Up in Devices Made by China’s Huawei Despite U.S. Controls — New York Times Exclusive: China considers over $1.4 trillion in extra debt over next few years — Reuters China's private tutoring firms emerge from the shadows after crackdown — Reuters Chinese Hackers Are Said to Have Targeted Phones Used by Trump and Vance — New York Times
Summary(Preview) Questions for BRICS and the NPC; PRC Nuclear Arsenal and Ambitions; Taiwan's Energy Security; Heightened Scrutiny on TSMC and the Biden Admin
Oct 23, 202400:12:05Summary readyGet all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with Xi Jinping's visit to the16th BRICS Summit and Russia's rumored effort to build a platform for international payments that would be immune to Western sanctions. From there: The Power of Siberia-2 pipeline that may or may not materialize, waiting for news on the next meeting of the NPC standing committee, and one theory on how the US election could impact the timing of the next fiscal announcement. Then: Xi's visit to a PLA Rocket Force brigade in Anhui, the rhetoric Xi uses surrounding the PLA and its readiness, and thoughts on the continued buildout of the PRC nuclear arsenal. At the end: A note on Taiwan's energy security, clarity on the names of the National Zoo’s new pandas, and a flurry of reports and questions surrounding Huawei, TSMC and the Commerce Department's oversight of export controls on chipmaking equipment. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Xi meets Putin; No announcement of NPC SC meeting; Rui Chenggang; Huawei and TSMC; Huawei's updated OS; VW exec deported — Sinocism Xi in Anhui, inspects nuclear missile brigade; Q3 GDP and rate cuts; BRICS; Export controls — Sinocism Xi Jinping to Attend the 16th BRICS Summit in Russia — MoFA At BRICS summit, Russia to push to end dollar dominance — Reuters Plan D — Doomberg China Moves to Support Markets After Data Showing Economy Slowed — Bloomberg Covering China’s National People’s Congress and its Standing Committee — NPC Observer Xi calls on Anhui to write its own chapter of Chinese modernization — Xinhua Adapting US strategy to account for China’s transformation into a peer nuclear power — The Atlantic Council Huawei Technologies’ Latest AI Chips Were Produced by TSMC — Bloomberg TSMC says it alerted US to potential violation of China AI chip controls — Financial Times U.S. Probes TSMC’s Dealings With Huawei — The Information Secretive Chip Startup May Help Huawei Circumvent US Sanctions — Bloomberg (2022) D.C.’s new pandas are named what, now? — Washington Post TSMC Cuts Off Client After Discovering Chips Diverted to Huawei — Bloomberg
Summary(Preview) Operation Joint Sword 2024B; The Latest on the "Stimulus"; US Presidential Election Follow-Up; Two Pandas Fly to D.C.
Oct 16, 202400:15:02Summary readyGet all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with the news that the PRC has sent two pandas to the National Zoo in Washington D.C., as Qing Bao, a 3-year-old year-old female, and Bao Li, a 3-year-old male, begin a 30-day quarantine in the Panda House. Then: Takeaways from Monday's Operation Joint Sword 2024B around Taiwan, including the strategic value of these military exercises for the PRC, and the implications of normalizing this pattern of behavior. From there: Parsing the "stimulus" news over the last several days, including the strain on local governments, why reports suggest that Xi and the central government are taking action to help them, and heightened scrutiny on overseas investments. At the end: Following up on Bill's conversation about the 2024 US Election, a Financial Times report on PRC educators ordered to surrender their passport, and an emailer provides a look at the new quality productive forces in dentistry. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Guessing about new bond issuance; Panda stimulus for US-China relations; Space plans; Tax collectors — Sinocism More special bonds for fiscal stimulus?; Stock market surge; Water-filled submarine; MSS mad at New Zealand; Raising money by detaining private entrepreneurs — Sinocism Giant pandas have returned to D.C. Meet Bao Li and Qing Bao. — Washington Post China Counts Wild Pandas. Nobody Believes Its Tally — New York Times The Panda Factories — New York Times PRC Military Drills Near Taiwan — US Department of State China ends war games around Taiwan, but leaves door open to more — Reuters China throwing a ‘temper tantrum’ with Taiwan drills, key Democrat says — Semafor (May 2024) China flags more fiscal stimulus for economy, leaves out key details on size — Reuters Exclusive: China May Add 6 Trillion Yuan in Treasury Bonds to Buttress Economy — Caixin Chinese Banks Set to Cut Deposit Rates as Soon as This Week — Bloomberg Behind Xi Jinping’s Pivot on Broad China Stimulus — Wall Street Journal China’s real intent behind its stimulus inflection — Financial Times Wealth China Moves to Tax the Ultra-Rich for Overseas Investment Gains — Bloomberg Substack Election Dialogues: China and the US election — Sinocism China tells schoolteachers to hand in their passports — Financial Times
Summary(Preview) Questions for the Remainder of Biden’s Term; Huawei Gets Stronger; A Sierra Madre Resupply; Doping Controversy Continues
Jul 31, 2024Tap to summarizeGet all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year. Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a programming note for the next few weeks and various questions for the next few months of the Biden Administration. Topics include: A meeting between Secretary of State of Anthony Blinken and Wang Yi, more threats of escalating sanctions if the PRC supports Russian war efforts, what Kamala Harris China policies might look like, and whether the Commerce Department will take action on connected vehicles before November. From there: Rumors of Huawei’s demise were greatly exaggerated, and why sanctions may have focused PRC energy without achieving their intended goal. At the end: Quick reactions to Tuesday’s Politburo meeting, some very cautious optimism at Second Thomas Shoal, and surveying the PRC swimming controversy that came to light in April and continues to percolate this week in Paris. To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm @SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube @Stratechery Channel — YouTube Meloni in Beijing; Wang-Blinken meeting; Sierra Madre resupply; National Internet IDs; CSRC tasks for H2; TikTok — Sinocism Wang Yi Meets with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken — MofA Blinken and a Top Chinese Official in Talks on U.S.-China Tensions — New York Times EU’s Borrell Disputes China’s Take on Meeting About Middle East — Bloomberg The U.S. Wanted to Knock Down Huawei. It’s Only Getting Stronger. — Wall Street Journal July Politburo meeting to analyze the current economic situation and set out priorities for the second half of this year — Sinocism Philippines Performs First Sierra Madre Resupply Since Inking Deal with China — USNI News Warning signs blinking over swimmers’ anger at alleged Chinese doping scandal ahead of Olympics — CNN Moolenaar, Krishnamoorthi, Blackburn, Van Hollen Introduce the Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act — China Select Committee Chinese swimmers at Paris Olympics deny doping accusations as diplomatic row grows — NPR China, Citing Tainted Burgers, Cleared Swimmers in a New Doping Dispute — New York TImes Usain Bolt Ate 100 Chicken McNuggets a Day in Beijing and Somehow Won Three Gold Medals — Time Magazine Kamala Harris’s China Record Contrasts with Trump Focus on Trade — Wall Street Journal A Program for Progressive China Policy — Quincy Institute ASML, Tokyo Electron Shielded From US Chip Export Rules, For Now — Bloomberg Exclusive: New US rule on foreign chip equipment exports to China to exempt some allies — Reuters
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