The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

China Decode: "Why the N.B.A. is Betting Big on China"

Date: October 14, 2025
Hosts: Alice Han and James King (Vox Media Podcast Network)

Episode Overview

This China Decode episode dives into three major stories shaping China's role on the global stage:

• The escalating U.S.–China tensions over rare earth mineral export restrictions and the implications for global trade and geopolitics.
• The NBA’s high-profile return to China, exploring what this means for sport, business, and U.S.–China cultural exchange.
• A world-first medical breakthrough: Chinese surgeons performing a pig-to-human liver transplant, signaling China's rapid advances in biotechnology.

The discussion blends deep economic and political analysis with insights into tech, culture, and the emerging biotech sector.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Rare Earth Export Restrictions Heighten U.S.–China Trade Tensions

(01:31–16:28)

• Rare Earths as “Choke Point” in Superpower Rivalry

  • China processes ~90% of global rare earths; new controls are a major escalation in the trade and tech war with the U.S.
  • U.S. threatened severe economic retaliation following China’s announcement of stricter export controls.

• Policy Details & Market Impact

  • As of December 1, all rare earths exported from China are subject to license approvals—a move modeled closely after U.S. export control frameworks.
  • Even minuscule amounts of Chinese rare earth content in tech products trigger these controls.
  • The export controls shocked Washington and global markets, but both sides quickly tried to de-escalate.

• Political & Strategic Implications

  • Trump administration’s initial aggressive stance, followed by volatile messaging.
  • China’s short- and long-term leverage: disrupting the U.S. military–industrial supply chain, responding to U.S. port fee increases, and potentially pushing for U.S. concessions on Taiwan and semiconductor policy.

• Supply Chain & Global Industry Risks

  • China’s wider dominance: 80% of solar panels, 70% of wind equipment, half of cellular modules, and a major share of semiconductor production.
  • By 2030, China may produce 45% of global manufactured goods, giving it enormous leverage in future trade disputes.

Notable Quotes

• “If you are looking for one choke point...it would probably have to be at this stage anyway, rare earths. It really is that important.”
  — James King, 02:28

• “China is trying to mimic again what the U.S. is doing in this kind of long dance of a divorce... Ultimately, they’ve realized decoupling is a settlement that they cannot afford.”
  — Alice Han, 13:13

• "China has shown itself now to be willing to weaponize its supply chain."
  — James King, 14:10

Segment Timestamps

• 01:31 — Setting the scene: U.S.–China rivalry, rare earths as the critical battleground.
• 03:47 — Why China imposed the restrictions; policy details and reasons for timing.
• 09:01 — Possible outcomes for the trade dispute and diplomatic tactics.
• 14:10 — Long-term implications of China’s growing supply chain dominance.

2. The NBA Returns to China: Business, Culture, and Politics

(16:28–23:06)

• Significance of the NBA’s Return

  • First NBA games in China since the politically charged 2019 fallout (over Houston Rockets' “Stand with Hong Kong” tweet).
  • Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns played pre-season games; greeted with huge excitement, signifying China’s deep-rooted basketball passion.

• Business Impact

  • NBA lost ~$300 million during the six-year rift.
  • Enormous Chinese audience: Over 490 million viewers for NBA games in China (2018–2019).

• Cultural Commentary

  • Basketball has overtaken soccer as China’s top sport by media rights value ($316M).
  • Renewed government emphasis on "sport tourism" and consumption in the service sector.

Notable Quotes

• “I remember once I was in the foothills of the Himalayas at a Tibetan Lamaist monastery and I saw monks in their saffron robes...and then there was a basketball hoop.”
  — James King, 18:46

• "Basketball has overtaken football or soccer as the top sport by media rights value... That's pretty significant."
  — Alice Han, 21:34

Segment Timestamps

• 16:28 — The NBA’s “long overdue reunion” with China: economic and cultural significance.
• 21:34 — Government’s strategy to stimulate consumption and the rise of basketball over other sports.

3. China’s Biotech Breakthrough: Pig-to-Human Liver Transplant

(23:46–32:28)

• Medical First: Xenotransplantation Milestone

  • Chinese surgeons transplant a genetically modified pig liver into a human; patient survived 171 days (a global record).
  • Points to China’s rapid progress and willingness to test biotech frontiers, sometimes pushing ethical boundaries.

• Gene Editing & Chinese Scientific Prowess

  • Success attributed to editing pig livers to replace certain genes with human equivalents, for lower rejection risk.
  • Context: Includes reference to China’s notorious “designer baby” gene-editing case (2019).

• Economic & Regulatory Analysis

  • Biotech is the best-performing sector on Chinese markets in 2025.
  • China’s regulatory approach is relatively laissez-faire, facilitating faster clinical trials and lower costs than in the West.
  • Strong government backing; biotech is a pillar in industrial policy (Made in China 2025, Five-Year Plan).
  • Expected surge in global licensing and FDA approvals for drugs originating in China.

Notable Quotes

• “I think the liver is good if we can get enough human genes into the pig.”
  — Dr. Beicheng Sun, quoted by James King, 25:43

• “We’re very much living in this Frankenstein dystopian future in China because ultimately regulation is a lot less hands-on when it comes to these ethical concerns.”
  — Alice Han, 29:56

• “Global licensing of Chinese biotech products is up over 700% in the past five years.”
  — James King, 30:50

• “Revenue from drugs originating in China could jump to $34 billion by 2030, and $220 billion by 2040.”
  — Alice Han, citing Morgan Stanley, 32:28

Segment Timestamps

• 23:46 — Breaking the news: pig-to-human liver transplant.
• 24:53 — Gene editing, medical ethics, and previous Chinese advances in genetics.
• 28:28 — Economic outlook: the rise of biotech in China.
• 32:28 — Projected global impact; deepening U.S.–China biotech ties.

Memorable Moments & Final Thoughts

• James King’s vivid story about monks playing basketball in the Himalayas (18:46) underscores the omnipresence of the sport in China.
• Alice Han’s observation about government-led consumer and sports policy shows the underlying economics of the NBA thaw (21:34).
• Both hosts agree: decoupling between the U.S. and China is all but impossible—especially evident in supply chains and cutting-edge industries like biotech.

Summary Table: Segment Highlights

| Segment | Timeframe | Key Points | |-------------------------|--------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Rare Earths & Trade War | 01:31–16:28 | Export controls, political leverage, supply chain weaponization, strategic implications | | NBA in China | 16:28–23:06 | Return of NBA games, economic and cultural impact, basketball’s rise | | Biotech Milestone | 23:46–32:28 | Pig-to-human liver transplant, gene editing, China’s biotech dominance and predictions |

For listeners seeking to understand the fast-changing, interlinked dynamics of U.S.–China relations, this episode offers sharp insight into the economic, political, and cultural forces reshaping the world—one rare earth shipment, basketball game, and medical breakthrough at a time.