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The Wire China
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Covering China like no one else.

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In an interview with Andrew Peaple, Chang speaks about her life outside China since leaving the country in 1970; her other works including an unflattering biography of Mao Zedong; and why she doesn’t visit China any more.
Jung Chang on What Happened Next For the Wild Swans - The Wire China
The author talks about her family’s struggles in Mao’s China, and why she dare not return to the country of her birth under Xi Jinping.
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November 26, 2025 at 1:01 PM
The tables have turned. Western governments are now contemplating extracting industry-leading know-how from Chinese investment in order to help modernize their domestic manufacturing.
Reverse Deng? For Professionals Only - The Wire China
Countries contemplating letting Chinese firms invest in areas like EVs should seek to emulate China’s strategy in full.
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November 25, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Ten days after taking office last month, Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi shook hands with Xi Jinping. Less than three weeks later, relations between China and Japan have spiralled downwards into a crisis that could threaten the significant economic ties between the two Asian powerhouses.
How Japan’s Rift with China Threatens Its Economy - The Wire China
This week, Noah Berman looks at how China is deploying its economic arsenal to punish Japan for its prime minister’s comments on Taiwan.
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November 25, 2025 at 1:01 PM
In Washington DC, China’s premier robotics company is a growing cause for consternation on either side of the aisle. But outside the Beltway, Unitree’s products are more popular than ever. Noah Berman reports.
While Politicians Fret, Unitree is Selling Robots Across America - The Wire China
Police departments and universities are among the growing number of U.S. customers for the market-leading Chinese robot maker, Unitree.
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November 24, 2025 at 5:02 PM
In an excerpt from their new book about allegedly expansive Chinese efforts to steal a wide range of secrets critical to American national security, former DIA officials David R. Shedd and Andrew Badger examine China’s recent advancements in the development of hypersonic weapons.
Hard Lessons in Hypersonics - The Wire China
In January, the arrest of a Chinese national in the Philippines led to the unravelling of an alleged espionage operation coordinated from Beijing. In an excerpt from their upcoming book, The Great…
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November 24, 2025 at 1:00 PM
The U.S. and its allies need to adapt better to China’s growing influence over the institutions that govern the global economic order, argues Kevin P. Gallagher in this week’s op-ed.
The China Lever - The Wire China
The U.S. and its allies need to adapt better to China’s growing influence over the institutions that govern the global economic order.
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November 18, 2025 at 8:30 PM
In this week's Q&A with @rachelcheung.bsky.social, scholar Ning Leng explains how Chinese government officials tap companies to provide political services.
Ning Leng on the Political Costs of Doing Business in China - The Wire China
Scholar Ning Leng explains how Chinese government officials tap companies to provide political services.
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November 18, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Following the recent trade truce, the U.S. and China are in a rush to find ways to ease the economic hold they have over each other. @eliotchen.bsky.social reports.
The Chokepoint Race - The Wire China
Following the recent trade truce, the U.S. and China are in a rush to find ways to ease the economic hold they have over each other.
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November 18, 2025 at 11:30 AM
The U.S. is reluctant to allow China access to Nvidia's most advanced chip — and China may not want it anyway. Noah Berman takes stock of Nvidia's Blackwell in this week's Big Picture.
Why Nvidia's Blackwell Chip is So Important - The Wire China
The U.S. is reluctant to allow China access to Nvidia's most advanced chip — the Blackwell — and China may not want it anyway.
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November 17, 2025 at 11:30 PM
If Xi Jinping orders the People’s Liberation Army to take Taiwan by force, can the island turn itself into a porcupine and muster wholesale “societal resistance” from its 23 million people? Brent Crane reports from Taipei.
Fight of the Century - The Wire China
If Xi Jinping orders China's People’s Liberation Army to take Taiwan by force, can the island turn itself into a porcupine and muster wholesale “societal resistance” from its 23 million people? Brent…
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November 17, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Over a million Chinese university students now study abroad. But they are rarely listened to when debates arise about their position, argues Yanran Yao in this week's op-ed.
The Debate Around Chinese Students in Western Colleges Is Missing a Key Voice - The Wire China
Over a million Chinese university students now study abroad. But they are rarely listened to when debates arise about their position.
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November 14, 2025 at 11:00 AM
In a Q&A with Noah Berman, minerals security expert @gracebaskaran.bsky.social argues that early U.S. efforts to dent China’s rare earth dominance are paying off — but warns the road ahead is long.
Gracelin Baskaran on the Rare Earths Showdown - The Wire China
Minerals security expert Gracelin Baskaran argues that early U.S. efforts to dent China’s rare earth dominance are paying off — but warns the road ahead is long.
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November 13, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Five years post-pandemic, the largest airlines in China are still struggling, reports Noah Berman.
China's Top Airlines Face Profit Crunch - The Wire China
Five years post-pandemic, the largest airlines in China are still struggling. Noah Berman reports.
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November 13, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Some of the hottest Silicon Valley startups are taking to the likes of Alibaba’s Qwen for a shortcut, reports @rachelcheung.bsky.social.
Cheap and Open Source, Chinese AI Models Are Taking Off - The Wire China
Some of the hottest Silicon Valley startups are taking to Chinese AI models, like Alibaba’s Qwen, for a shortcut.
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November 13, 2025 at 5:00 PM
At Singapore’s TOKEN 2049 conference, the Trump family and stablecoins stole the spotlight while China stayed on the sidelines. Can the Chinese Communist Party afford to ignore the crypto world that Chinese entrepreneurs have done so much to help build? Grady McGregor reports.
China’s Crypto Conundrum - The Wire China
At Singapore’s TOKEN 2049 conference, the Trump family and stablecoins stole the spotlight while China stayed on the sidelines. Can the Chinese Communist Party afford to ignore the crypto world that…
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November 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM
By attending a big investment summit in Hong Kong, Western financiers are showing what really drives them, argues Mark L. Clifford in this week’s op-ed. They are willing to ignore the territory’s repression and jailing of pro-democracy activists in order to secure short-term profits.
Wall Street Risks Shorting Freedom in Hong Kong - The Wire China
Western financiers are willing to chase short-term profits even if it means funding a repressive regime that has made no secret of its animosity toward the West.
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November 5, 2025 at 11:02 AM
U.S. officials say the Cambodia-based Prince Group ran an illicit global financial network. The Wire China's Noah Berman follows it to Chongqing, California and Texas.
Prince Group’s China and U.S. Connections - The Wire China
U.S. officials say the Cambodia-based Prince Group ran an illicit global financial network. The Wire China follows it to Chongqing, California and Texas.
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November 4, 2025 at 3:02 PM
In this week's Q&A with @andypeaps.bsky.social, academic @proflind.bsky.social talks about the way #China has confounded expectations that its system of government would serve only to stifle technological development.
Jennifer Lind on How China Mixes Autocracy and Innovation - The Wire China
The academic talks about the way China has confounded expectations that its system of government would serve only to stifle technological development.
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November 4, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Academic @lauratmurphy.bsky.social told @thewirechina.bsky.social that the state of college funding is pressuring institutions to pit scholarly freedom against access to the market for Chinese students.
Laura Murphy on How China Forced Her University to Halt Her Xinjiang Research - The Wire China
The academic says the state of college funding is pressuring institutions to pit scholarly freedom against access to the market for Chinese students.
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November 3, 2025 at 10:15 PM
President Donald Trump wants Apple to reduce, or better yet eliminate, its China manufacturing footprint. In this week’s Big Picture, put together using WireScreen data, Noah Berman outlines just how difficult that would be.
Who Are Apple’s Suppliers in China? - The Wire China
Apple, the world’s biggest hardware company, depends on these firms to make everything from iPhones to Macbooks.
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November 3, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Agriculture has traditionally been a fruitful area for China-U.S. cooperation, dating back to the two countries’ resumption of diplomatic relations in the 1970s. Now it is just another area marked by Sino-American distrust, as Brent Crane reports in this week's cover story.
A Bitter Harvest - The Wire China
Agriculture has traditionally been a fruitful area for China-U.S. cooperation, dating back to the two countries’ resumption of diplomatic relations in the 1970s. Now it is just another area marked by…
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November 3, 2025 at 11:00 AM
The Shanghai Composite Index recently reached the 4,000 level for the first time in a decade.

Check out this timely piece from @rachelcheung.bsky.social for more on China's IPO recovery:
Chinese Companies Are Looking to List Again: Profits Not Required - The Wire China
After a long lull, IPOs are on the up in mainland China — at least for firms aligned with the government’s economic priorities.
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October 28, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Beijing thinks its economic strategy can help it meet problems like a declining population and high debt. Right now, the plan isn’t working, argues Dinny McMahon in this week's op-ed.
China's Growth Model is Dead: Long Live the New Model - The Wire China
China thinks its new growth model can help it meet problems like a declining population and high debt. Right now, the plan isn’t working.
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October 28, 2025 at 2:05 PM
In this week's Q&A with @evanpeng.bsky.social, Biden State Department official Melanie Hart discusses how to fight back when Beijing puts on the economic screws, and whether the Trump tariffs will have their desired effect.
Melanie Hart on Countering Chinese Coercion - The Wire China
The Biden State Department official discusses how to fight back when Beijing puts on the economic screws, and whether the Trump tariffs will have their desired effect.
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October 28, 2025 at 10:02 AM
For China reporters, it is one of the most boring stories to cover in one of the world’s most exciting countries — Beijing’s economic growth figures. But what is interesting is which industries Xi leaned on to reach the target and which ones it was happy to let stagnate.
China’s Two-Speed Economy - The Wire China
China’s latest data shows a stark contrast in performance between sectors favored by Xi Jinping and the rest of the economy.
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October 27, 2025 at 6:02 PM