Sharp China Podcast

This episode of Sharp China is outside the paywall. Show Notes: On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with a look at tensions between the PRC and the EU ahead of the EU-China summit later this month. Topics include: Reports concerning Wang Yi's comments to EU counterparts conveying Beijing's perspective on the Ukraine war, the PRC Foreign Ministry implores the EU to "rebalance its mindset" rather than rebalancing trade, and the rare earths leverage that looms as Europe mulls its next moves. From there: Stepped up party efforts to combat overcapacity and "disorderly competition," the decades-long challenge of stimulating consumption, and extended thoughts on the spate of rumors surrounding Xi's grip on power and what can and can't be gleaned from observed behavior the past few months. At the end: A bit of TikTok news, and a welcome to the NBA for Yang Hansen. You can listen to the podcast in the Substack app: Or click here [https://sinocism.com/i/167998702/to-add-the-sharp-china-feed-to-your-preferred-podcast-player] for instructions to add the podcast to your preferred player. To subscribe to Sinocism, click here [https://sinocism.com/subscribe]. To subscribe to Stratechery Plus, click here [https://stratechery.com/stratechery-plus/]. And if you enjoy this podcast please share it far and wide: Related Readings: More on June Politburo meeting; Stabilizing employment; Trump's threat to bomb Beijing; EU's mindset needs "rebalancing"; TikTok -- Sinocism [https://sinocism.com/p/more-on-june-politburo-meeting-stabilizing] Xi's Shanxi tour; VDL's tough on China speech; Rare earths; Kindergarten mass lead poisoning; "London Framework" -- Sinocism [https://sinocism.com/p/xis-shanxi-tour-vdls-tough-on-china] Exclusive | China tells EU it does not want to see Russia lose its war in Ukraine: sources -- SCMP [https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3316875/china-tells-eu-it-cannot-afford-russian-loss-ukraine-war-sources-say] China Rebukes EU Chief After Demand for Greater Trade Access -- Bloomberg [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-09/china-rebukes-eu-chief-after-demand-for-greater-trade-access?sref=5KSwFgaY] France Urges Tariff Barriers to Stop China From Killing Industry -- Bloomberg [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-05/france-urges-tariff-barriers-to-stop-china-from-killing-industry?sref=5KSwFgaY] Germany summons China’s ambassador after a plane is lasered over Red Sea -- AP [https://apnews.com/article/germany-china-red-sea-laser-c0f7e743dd1446b262b3afbcefd7966d] China’s top leadership takes aim at ‘disorderly low-price competition’ -- SCMP [https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3316616/chinas-top-leadership-takes-aim-disorderly-low-price-competition?module=top_story&pgtype=homepage] Calls grow for China's household sector to be bigger economic driver -- Reuters [https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/calls-grow-chinas-household-sector-be-bigger-economic-driver-2025-07-07/] Deeply Understand and Comprehensively Rectify "Involutionary" Competition -- Qiushi - Translation [https://vivid-green-408.notion.site/Deeply-Understand-and-Comprehensively-Rectify-Involutionary-Competition-22384ece41d780eba37fd487df2ad84d] China’s producer prices fall 3.6% in June, biggest drop in nearly two years as deflation deepens -- CNBC [https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/09/china-producer-prices-fall-june-biggest-drop-nearly-two-years-deepening-price-war-cpi-ppi-nbs.html] Is Chinese President Xi Jinping on his way out? -- NY Post [https://nypost.com/2025/06/28/opinion/is-chinese-pres-xi-jinping-on-his-way-out/] ‘Containing Xi’, or refining party rule? -- Observing China [https://www.observingchina.org.uk/p/containing-xi-or-refining-party-rule?r=loty&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true] Is Xi's Grip Holding? -- China Media Project [https://chinamediaproject.org/2025/06/26/is-xis-grip-holding/] Visualizing Power in China's Press - China Media Project [https://chinamediaproject.org/2025/07/10/visualizing-power-in-chinas-press/] Exclusive: TikTok prepares US app with its own algorithm and user data -- Reuters [https://www.reuters.com/world/china/tiktok-prepares-us-app-with-its-own-algorithm-user-data-2025-07-09/#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%2C%20July%209%20] NBA Draft surprise: China center Yang Hansen picked at No. 16, dealt to Blazers -- The Athletic [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6452189/2025/06/25/nba-draft-surprise-blazers-grizzlies-yang-hansen/] To add the Sharp China feed to your preferred podcast player: Click on the "listen on" button and you will see a dropdown with several options. Make sure you are logged into your account when you do it so you get the correct private RSS feed for subscribers. If you have not logged in for a while you can enter your email and then we will send you a login link. The “email link” in the pulldown shown above will send you an email that also makes it easy to set it up in your preferred podcast app on your phone. If you use the Substack app [https://substack.com/app] it has a built- in podcast player. Thanks for listening. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sinocism.com/subscribe [https://sinocism.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com [https://sinocism.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7] Show Notes: On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with PRC perspectives on the past two weeks of attacks on Iran. Topics include: dispelling notions that U.S. involvement was welcomed by the PRC, why regional stability in the Middle East is stressed in every PRC statement, and how Iran and other PRC partners may view China's inaction over the last few we…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com [https://sinocism.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7] Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill take stock of the US-China trade framework in the wake of last week’s negotiations in London. Topics include: US escalations that brought the PRC side back to the table, PRC rare earth leverage that forced a compromise but no additional export control concessions, and variables to watch as trade tensions continue. From there: A survey of the various implications for the PRC as Israel attacks Iran and Wang Yi condemns the violations of Iran’s sovereignty. At the end: The FT reports on struggles in the PRC auto industry, the politics of factory closures, another compelling data point undermining Xi rumors, and a Wall Street Journal story about new chip workarounds for PRC firms.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit sinocism.com [https://sinocism.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7] Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a call between President Trump and Xi, two days of meetings between the U.S. and China in London, and an apparent effort from both sides to de-escalate. Topics include: retracing steps of the past few weeks, clarity for the U.S. and others on the PRC’s leverage over rare earths, the possibility of the U.S. easing tech export controls, and the lack of trust on both sides in the wake of the past few months. From there: the U.S. has concerns about a Chinese embassy in the UK, the New York Times surfaces a purported FSB document outlining various counterespionage anxieties related to the PRC, and Xi’s daughter joins a dinner with Lukashenko. At the end: People’s Daily publishes an interview with Ren Zhengfei, Xi continues his attempts to curb excess among party members, and Victory Wembanyama visits the Shaolin Monastery.

This episode of Sharp China is outside the paywall. Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a series of escalatory policies from the U.S. and talk of a call between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump later this week. Topics include: The rare earth frustration on the American side, the PRC’s use of leverage, the potential downsides for the PRC as the rest of the world grapples with shortages, and the maddening failures of the West to prepare for exactly this scenario. At the end: An update on TikTok, the death of Xu Qiliang and continued mystery at the top of the PLA, a week of rumors swirling around Xi, and two notes on the EV sector. You can listen to the podcast in the Substack app: Or click here [https://sinocism.com/i/165274972/to-add-the-sharp-china-feed-to-your-preferred-podcast-player] for instructions to add the podcast to your preferred player. To subscribe to Sinocism, click here [https://sinocism.com/subscribe]. To subscribe to Stratechery Plus, click here [https://stratechery.com/stratechery-plus/]. And if you enjoy this podcast please share it far and wide: Related Readings: Xi meets Lukashenko; Xi-Trump call soon?; Rare earths; Bill O'Reilly and China — Sinocism [https://sinocism.com/p/xi-meets-lukashenko-xi-trump-call] Xi rumors; US-China tensions; Rare earths; Xu Qiliang — Sinocism [https://sinocism.com/p/xi-rumors-us-china-tensions-rare] US-China Messaging in Singapore; New Quality Productive Forces; Putin and a Natural Gas Impasse; 35 Years After Tiananmen Square — Sharp China (2024) [https://sharpchina.fm/member/episode/us-china-messaging-in-singapore-new-quality-productive-forces-putin-and-a-natural-gas-impasse-35-years-after-tiananmen-square] US curbs chip design software, chemicals, other shipments to China -- Reuters [https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-tells-us-chip-designers-stop-selling-china-ft-reports-2025-05-28/] U.S. Pauses Exports of Airplane and Semiconductor Technology to China — N.Y. Times [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/28/business/economy/jet-engine-chip-software-exports-to-china.html] ‘The president is obsessed’: Trump fixates on Xi call amid faltering trade talks — Politico [https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/03/trump-xi-call-trade-talks-00381858] China’s New Trade Negotiator Is Ready to Play Hardball — WSJ [https://www.wsj.com/world/china/trade-negotiator-he-lifeng-hardball-1f27e4c3?mod=e2tw] Watching China in Europe—June 2025 — Noah Barkin [https://email.gmfus.org/rv/ff00eb09274317790f53ef401742928de8ad926b] China increases scrutiny over rare earth magnets with new tracking system — Reuters [https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-increases-scrutiny-over-rare-earth-magnets-with-new-tracking-system-2025-06-04/] U.S. Dependence on China for Rare Earth Magnets Is Causing Shortages — NYT [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/business/china-rare-earths-united-states-supplies.html?smid=tw-share] Trump poised to extend TikTok ban deadline – for third time – as US, China meet for trade talks: source— NY Post [https://nypost.com/2025/06/03/business/trump-poised-to-extend-tiktok-ban-deadline-for-third-time-as-us-china-meet-for-trade-talks-source/] Former senior Chinese military official Xu Qiliang passes away — Xinhua [https://english.news.cn/20250602/e1e4632005e4419d9473c55d1f490e76/c.html] Confronting China — Bill O'Reilly [https://www.billoreilly.com/b/Confronting-China/787286064425335417.html] New price wars among China carmakers mask hidden dangers, Beijing warns -- SCMP [https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3312852/full-gunpowder-new-price-wars-among-china-carmakers-mask-hidden-dangers-beijing-warns] China car dealers urge automakers to stop dumping inventory on them -- Reuters [https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/china-car-dealers-urge-automakers-stop-dumping-inventory-them-2025-06-03/] To add the Sharp China feed to your preferred podcast player: Click on the "listen on" button and you will see a dropdown with several options. Make sure you are logged into your account when you do it so you get the correct private RSS feed for subscribers. If you have not logged in for a while you can enter your email and then we will send you a login link. The “email link” in the pulldown shown above will send you an email that also makes it easy to set it up in your preferred podcast app on your phone. If you use the Substack app [https://substack.com/app] it has a built- in podcast player. Thanks for listening. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sinocism.com/subscribe [https://sinocism.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]