Listen now | On today's show Andrew and Bill reunite after the holiday break and begin with the continued reopening process around China. Topics include: the tragedy of the past several weeks, calls for more transparency from the CCP, dubious testing requirements for Chinese travelers, the government reportedly pressing pause on some of its chip investments, and why it may take a few months before reopening yields any meaningful shift in economic data. Then: Xi's New Year's address and reactions to a spate of articles related to his standing in China. At the end: Formula 1 may be returning to China, Qin Gang goes from the Washington Wizards to the Central Committee, and TikTok's future is murkier than ever after some news that was not-quite-buried before the Christmas holiday.
We are used to parsing PRC policy direction by counting the instances of popular words. How many times do Bill and Andrew use the word ‘tragic’ to explain the policy outcome here? No other word for it.
The First Month of Reopening; Xi's Credibility; Qin Gang and US-China Relations; TikTok Forfeits the Benefit of the Doubt
We are used to parsing PRC policy direction by counting the instances of popular words. How many times do Bill and Andrew use the word ‘tragic’ to explain the policy outcome here? No other word for it.