Tobita Chow
@tobitac.bsky.social
US-China, climate, politics, imperialism and world economy
Chicagoland | immigrant | he/him
Chicagoland | immigrant | he/him
US labor unions should get ahead of this and secure labor neutrality agreements from prospective Chinese firms. In the early 2010s BYD made such an agreement for its electric bus factory in Lancaster, CA, which was subsequently unionized www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Ford CEO, Trump Officials Discussed China-US Carmaking Ventures
Ford Motor Co.’s top executive spoke to senior Trump administration officials about a potential framework in which Chinese automakers could build cars in America while offering some protection for dom...
www.bloomberg.com
February 16, 2026 at 5:14 AM
US labor unions should get ahead of this and secure labor neutrality agreements from prospective Chinese firms. In the early 2010s BYD made such an agreement for its electric bus factory in Lancaster, CA, which was subsequently unionized www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
'Within the Washington policy community, including key officials under the Biden administration, there’s a “race to the bomb” logic vis-à-vis China... But Beijing doesn’t seem focused on AGI.' www.high-capacity.com/p/does-china...
Does China care about AGI?
Chinese tech leaders and researchers talk openly about AGI. But Chinese policymakers don't seem focused on the "race to AGI" like in the US.
www.high-capacity.com
February 16, 2026 at 4:48 AM
'Within the Washington policy community, including key officials under the Biden administration, there’s a “race to the bomb” logic vis-à-vis China... But Beijing doesn’t seem focused on AGI.' www.high-capacity.com/p/does-china...
Excellent
In this episode of @thedigradio.bsky.social, Host Dan Denvir speaks with Minneapolis organizers about the impact of the Jan. 23, 2026, work stoppage amidst the continued ICE occupation of Minnesota.
inthesetimes.com/article/the-...
inthesetimes.com/article/the-...
February 16, 2026 at 4:33 AM
Excellent
Reposted by Tobita Chow
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
February 15, 2026 at 2:47 PM
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
Reposted by Tobita Chow
More than 140 Asian immigrants were arrested during the first few weeks of Operation Midway Blitz. Powerful reporting from @estheryjkang.bsky.social
www.wbez.org/immigration/...
www.wbez.org/immigration/...
Chicago-area Asians were arrested in Midway Blitz. They kept quiet about it, for a while.
Stigma and a false sense of security have kept families from speaking publicly about immigration enforcement. The daughter of a deported man says "staying silent ... hurts you more than anything."
www.wbez.org
February 9, 2026 at 4:02 PM
More than 140 Asian immigrants were arrested during the first few weeks of Operation Midway Blitz. Powerful reporting from @estheryjkang.bsky.social
www.wbez.org/immigration/...
www.wbez.org/immigration/...
Reposted by Tobita Chow
What they've done to the HK labor movement is so incredibly sad, it pains me every time I think about it
✊As Lee Cheuk‑yan faces trial in Hong Kong for peacefully defending human rights, the Council of Global Unions is calling for his immediate & unconditional release.
Trade unionists are not criminals. Human rights defenders must not be silenced😶
📢 #FreeLeeCheukYan
👉 buff.ly/R74IWO8
Trade unionists are not criminals. Human rights defenders must not be silenced😶
📢 #FreeLeeCheukYan
👉 buff.ly/R74IWO8
February 14, 2026 at 2:39 AM
What they've done to the HK labor movement is so incredibly sad, it pains me every time I think about it
Reposted by Tobita Chow
With the future of nuclear arms control so bleak, I wanted to repost a brief comment from last year.
Nuclear deterrence is not automatic. In the Cold War it was organized through elaborate bureaucracy, in the neoliberal period through market mechanisms.
All of that is now gone!
Nuclear deterrence is not automatic. In the Cold War it was organized through elaborate bureaucracy, in the neoliberal period through market mechanisms.
All of that is now gone!
February 13, 2026 at 4:34 PM
With the future of nuclear arms control so bleak, I wanted to repost a brief comment from last year.
Nuclear deterrence is not automatic. In the Cold War it was organized through elaborate bureaucracy, in the neoliberal period through market mechanisms.
All of that is now gone!
Nuclear deterrence is not automatic. In the Cold War it was organized through elaborate bureaucracy, in the neoliberal period through market mechanisms.
All of that is now gone!
Helpful overview of how the US and other global north countries are undermining multilateral institutions and/or weaponizing them for great power conflict. Ends with a fair and concise assessment of the alternative approach to sustaining and reshaping multilateralism led by China
New piece for @phenomenalworld.bsky.social, written with @jacktaggart.bsky.social and @tomchodor.bsky.social! It's an attempt at grasping the dismantling of multilateral global governance, in light of intensifying geopolitical rivalries, resurgent state capitalism, and hegemonic crisis. Link below:
February 14, 2026 at 1:32 AM
Helpful overview of how the US and other global north countries are undermining multilateral institutions and/or weaponizing them for great power conflict. Ends with a fair and concise assessment of the alternative approach to sustaining and reshaping multilateralism led by China
Reposted by Tobita Chow
As a direct result of the obscene actions of Russell Vought and Elon Musk in destroying USAID, we can expect “at least 9.4 million additional deaths by 2030, if the current funding trend continues.
About 2.5 million of those deaths are projected to be children under the age of 5.”
About 2.5 million of those deaths are projected to be children under the age of 5.”
One year on from dismantling of USAID, study projects that global aid cuts could lead to 9.4 million deaths by 2030 | CNN
It’s been one year since the Trump administration dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID), with aid cuts leading to the closure of HIV clinics in South Africa, the termination o...
www.cnn.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM
As a direct result of the obscene actions of Russell Vought and Elon Musk in destroying USAID, we can expect “at least 9.4 million additional deaths by 2030, if the current funding trend continues.
About 2.5 million of those deaths are projected to be children under the age of 5.”
About 2.5 million of those deaths are projected to be children under the age of 5.”
Reposted by Tobita Chow
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
February 13, 2026 at 7:41 PM
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
Reposted by Tobita Chow
“They were hellbent on not allowing anybody to help him until he was dead,” she said. “I was right there, and they — all of them — made the decision to deny me access to give him the best possible chance of survival.”
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: “I was literally begging the agent who was holding me back to let me do CPR,” she told The Intercept.
The Woman Alex Pretti Was Killed Trying to Defend Is an EMT. Federal Agents Stopped Her From Giving First Aid.
One of the women Alex Pretti was killed trying to defend is an EMT. Federal agents stopped her from giving him first aid.
interc.pt
February 13, 2026 at 7:14 PM
“They were hellbent on not allowing anybody to help him until he was dead,” she said. “I was right there, and they — all of them — made the decision to deny me access to give him the best possible chance of survival.”
There are sections of the Iranian and Venezuelan diasporas who oppose US imperialism against their countries of origin but many of them end up alienated from US antiwar activism because it is dominated by organizations that reflexively defend the governments of Officially Bad Countries
@mpaarlberg.bsky.social's new piece in @us.theconversation.com:
"...Diaspora activists may advocate positions that resonate with Western audiences but find little support among those living under authoritarian rule"
theconversation.com/exiled-irani...
"...Diaspora activists may advocate positions that resonate with Western audiences but find little support among those living under authoritarian rule"
theconversation.com/exiled-irani...
Exiled Iranians and Venezuelans may well support regime change – but diasporas don’t always reflect the politics back home
Diasporas are often treated by media and policymakers as monolithic blocs, but the reality is more complicated.
theconversation.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:51 PM
There are sections of the Iranian and Venezuelan diasporas who oppose US imperialism against their countries of origin but many of them end up alienated from US antiwar activism because it is dominated by organizations that reflexively defend the governments of Officially Bad Countries
Reposted by Tobita Chow
Current state of things: One Fox News host casually declares that Epstein’s money comes from “Jewish billionaires” and a “Jewish banking family,” another responds that he was a “sex rabbi.” www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/jes...
February 13, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Current state of things: One Fox News host casually declares that Epstein’s money comes from “Jewish billionaires” and a “Jewish banking family,” another responds that he was a “sex rabbi.” www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/jes...
Reposted by Tobita Chow
This is a phenomenal explainer by @rajakorman.bsky.social of the obstacles for China to globalize the yuan, and what would need to change for it to do so. Highly recommend.
What must happen for the world to stack RMB
For dollar wannabe renminbi, liability currency status > reserve currency status
www.ft.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM
This is a phenomenal explainer by @rajakorman.bsky.social of the obstacles for China to globalize the yuan, and what would need to change for it to do so. Highly recommend.
Reposted by Tobita Chow
I'm sorry but if you are a public commentator and your line in 2024 was like "pro-worker Republicans like Josh Hawley and JD Vance are building an interesting new labor-friendly lane for the second Trump administration" you are both dumb and dangerous and should retire
February 12, 2026 at 8:49 PM
I'm sorry but if you are a public commentator and your line in 2024 was like "pro-worker Republicans like Josh Hawley and JD Vance are building an interesting new labor-friendly lane for the second Trump administration" you are both dumb and dangerous and should retire
Reposted by Tobita Chow
According to multiple NYT sources, it wasn’t even military personnel at Fort Bliss that fired an anti-drone laser at alleged cartel drones. It was CBP who used the weapon on loan from DoD against a child’s party balloon they mistook for a drone. The Pentagon gave CBP an anti-aircraft weapon.
February 12, 2026 at 3:28 AM
According to multiple NYT sources, it wasn’t even military personnel at Fort Bliss that fired an anti-drone laser at alleged cartel drones. It was CBP who used the weapon on loan from DoD against a child’s party balloon they mistook for a drone. The Pentagon gave CBP an anti-aircraft weapon.
"A century earlier, it was precisely this layer of second-generation immigrant youth that led the era’s mass strikes and unionization efforts during the Great Depression."
It is a recurring pattern that immigrants form the vanguard of struggle for the whole working class
jacobin.com/2026/02/immi...
It is a recurring pattern that immigrants form the vanguard of struggle for the whole working class
jacobin.com/2026/02/immi...
The Blueprint for a Nationwide Immigrant Strike
The 2006 “Day Without an Immigrant” mobilized millions and killed a draconian anti-immigrant bill. With ICE waging war on immigrant communities, the playbook for a mass strike already exists — we just...
jacobin.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:49 PM
"A century earlier, it was precisely this layer of second-generation immigrant youth that led the era’s mass strikes and unionization efforts during the Great Depression."
It is a recurring pattern that immigrants form the vanguard of struggle for the whole working class
jacobin.com/2026/02/immi...
It is a recurring pattern that immigrants form the vanguard of struggle for the whole working class
jacobin.com/2026/02/immi...
Reposted by Tobita Chow
NEW – Analysis: China’s CO2 emissions have now been ‘flat or falling’ for 21 months | @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social @creacleanair.bsky.social
Read here: buff.ly/wC1nbXO
Read here: buff.ly/wC1nbXO
February 12, 2026 at 12:01 AM
NEW – Analysis: China’s CO2 emissions have now been ‘flat or falling’ for 21 months | @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social @creacleanair.bsky.social
Read here: buff.ly/wC1nbXO
Read here: buff.ly/wC1nbXO
'Governments outside the US would need extreme amnesia to feel confident betting their economic security on Congress or any US administration continuing to send money abroad after America’s immediate needs had been met — or refraining from using stockpiles for political leverage.'
Trade Secrets today. Building a critical minerals network ex-China: good idea. But if you think the Trump admin will public-spiritedly run a rules-based international rare earths coalition, I’ve got prospecting rights for deposits of Imaginium in the mineral-rich territory of Delusionia to sell you.
The US cannot be trusted to lead a critical minerals coalition
[FREE TO READ] A worthy goal of creating rare earths independence from China needs a more reliable anchor
as.ft.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:11 PM
'Governments outside the US would need extreme amnesia to feel confident betting their economic security on Congress or any US administration continuing to send money abroad after America’s immediate needs had been met — or refraining from using stockpiles for political leverage.'
Reposted by Tobita Chow
More than 400 people, including hundreds of citizens, were “sorted” at gun point into racial and ethnic groups by 200 ICE agents who fired flash-bang grenades into cars with people inside, pointed guns at children & demanded their zip tied parents not comfort them. apple.news/Ausdx6kWtT0e...
Idaho families sue over immigration raid that swept up hundreds, including U.S. citizens — NBC News
About 400 people, including children and U.S. citizens, were detained for four hours while they were denied food and water in the raid, according to the lawsuit.
apple.news
February 12, 2026 at 1:35 AM
More than 400 people, including hundreds of citizens, were “sorted” at gun point into racial and ethnic groups by 200 ICE agents who fired flash-bang grenades into cars with people inside, pointed guns at children & demanded their zip tied parents not comfort them. apple.news/Ausdx6kWtT0e...
Reposted by Tobita Chow
Biden administration: We’re going to engage in some ridiculous balloon shoot down shenanigans.
Trump 2.0: Hold my beer.
Trump 2.0: Hold my beer.
February 12, 2026 at 1:27 AM
Biden administration: We’re going to engage in some ridiculous balloon shoot down shenanigans.
Trump 2.0: Hold my beer.
Trump 2.0: Hold my beer.
Reposted by Tobita Chow
I'm just a historian here noting that the US has a long history of playing up supposed incursions to justify the invasion of Mexico...
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
FAA reopens El Paso airport hours after saying it was grounding flights for 10 days
A White House official told NBC News that Mexican cartel drones had breached American airspace, and the Defense Department had disabled them.
www.nbcnews.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:25 PM
I'm just a historian here noting that the US has a long history of playing up supposed incursions to justify the invasion of Mexico...
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Reposted by Tobita Chow
This is a huge deal. After years of leading in fundraising, Dem small donors are (rightly) pissed off at the spam texts and emails, as well as at congressional leadership. Meanwhile, GOP billionaire money is hitting record levels. Perfect storm.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
February 11, 2026 at 5:54 PM
This is a huge deal. After years of leading in fundraising, Dem small donors are (rightly) pissed off at the spam texts and emails, as well as at congressional leadership. Meanwhile, GOP billionaire money is hitting record levels. Perfect storm.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...