Biden’s State of the Union; Escalating Rhetoric in Congress; Holes in Hardliner Balloon Theory; What Xi Thinks about Competition

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a few reactions to Joe Biden’s comments about China in Tuesday’s State of the Union address. From there: several days of outsized reaction around Washington, mounting calls for even stronger American responses to China’s ambitions, and stress-testing the theory that last week’s balloon mess was initiated by rogue PLA agents hoping to sabotage diplomatic talks. At the end: A question about Xi’s conflicting priorities, a close reading of Xi’s comments on “Chinese-style modernization”; travel policies for PRC nationals, a simpler explanation for the state visit to Russia, and another note on extraterrestrial exploration.

To email the show: [email protected]

Balloon blowup; PRC-Russia; Hong Kong trial; Real estate -- Sinocism

Xi and Biden articulate views on systems competition; Balloon mess; AI bubble -- Sinocism

Xi schools new central committee members and officials on modernization; Two establishes; Balloon fallout; Tibet rail plans -- Sinocism

C…