Scoring the AI Race, a Year after the DeepSeek Shock

From energy and data centers to chips and applications, how China measures up against the U.S.

Liberated or Losing? How the U.S. is Faring in Its Trade Struggle with China

The Wire takes stock of the U.S.-China trade picture and the effort to shift global manufacturing back to America a year on from Liberation Day.

Q & A

Sarah Beran on What to Expect from a Trump-Xi Meeting

The longtime diplomat says the U.S. president’s approach to China during his second term could offer Beijing opportunities.

News and Analysis

Chinese EVs Go From Rejects to Most Wanted in North America

Competition is brewing between the U.S. and its neighbors to attract China’s automaking giants.

Opinion

China, Japan and the Gift of Coercion

Beijing’s attempt to punish Japan over Taiwan is a major strategic blunder that is likely to backfire.

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The Wire China Podcast
Covering China like no one else.

Now on podcast platforms everywhere, The Wire China hits the airwaves to take you behind the scenes of the stories we cover each week. We are dedicated to understanding and explaining one of the biggest stories of our time: China’s economic rise and its influence on the world.

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The Critical Raw Materials Gap

European democracies, threatened by Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine and Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland, are embarking on historic changes in their defense posture. But China’s grip on the supply of tungsten, gallium and other...

Intel's Surprising Savior

The new leader of America’s chip champion is a prolific and longtime investor in China’s semiconductor industry.

Cheap and Open Source, Chinese AI Models Are Taking Off

Some of the hottest Silicon Valley startups are taking to the likes of Alibaba’s Qwen for a shortcut.

Is it Safe to Visit China? A Former Detainee’s Warning

From exit bans to arbitrary arrests, vague laws, unsubstantiated charges, grueling prison sentences, and secret executions — the risks keep growing.

Kei Koizumi on the U.S.-China AI Competition

A senior Biden-era science and technology official talks about Trump’s AI chip exports to China and what’s at stake for U.S. tech leadership.

Bridge or Border: Why Scientific Securitization Won't Make Nations Safe

Forcing scientists to choose between the U.S. and China will reduce the world’s ability to withstand shared threats.

The Magnet Makers

A start-up in North Carolina wants to break China’s grip on rare earth magnets.

Has Trump Shelved The Uyghur Forced Labor Law?

Enforcement of the bipartisan law appeared to be slowing prior to a recent change in Customs methodology.

How China Gets Caught Between Iran and the U.S.

China remains a big importer of Iranian oil, but its other commercial interests in the country have shifted and narrowed in recent years.

China’s Best-Laid Plans Hit Reality

The turmoil in the Middle East has already put Beijing’s forecasts for 2026 in doubt, while the latest Five Year Plan offers no fresh thinking on the country’s top challenges.

Eswar Prasad on the Doom Loop that Threatens the World

The economist sets out why he is so concerned about current trends in global economics and politics, and what the solutions might be.

China’s Climate Focus is Shifting from Carbon Cuts to Green Tech Dominance

Beijing’s next Five-Year Plan will make climate diplomacy look more like trade diplomacy.

China in Latin America: Speak Softly and Spend Freely

Can Donald Trump’s corollary to James Monroe and Teddy Roosevelt’s Latin American policies counter China’s more patient and better-funded approach across the region?

Could Chinese AI Videos Kill The Hollywood Star?

The recent furore over a fake video with a Brad Pitt-Tom Cruise fight highlights the challenges U.S. film studios could face enforcing their legal rights in China.

Why China’s Nuclear Ambitions are Worrying the World

Beijing has rapidly expanded its stockpile of nuclear weapons in recent years, while resisting making commitments to transparency.

China’s Involution Trap: Profitless Growth Cannot Last

Letting zombie companies fail will be painful, but is essential for building a healthier economy.

The Wire China

Scoring the AI Race, a Year after the DeepSeek Shock

Liberated or Losing? How the U.S. is Faring in Its Trade Struggle with China

Sarah Beran on What to Expect from a Trump-Xi Meeting

Chinese EVs Go From Rejects to Most Wanted in North America

China, Japan and the Gift of Coercion

LISTEN NOW

The Wire China Podcast
Covering China like no one else.

Keeping The Party Going

Human Literature

A Chinese Intellectual in Oxford

Liang Hong on Youth Depression in China

How Communism Won China

Chinese Comedy with Jesse Appell

The Totalitarian Gene

Writing from the Margins

Did Peng Zhen Rebel Against Mao?

Sir Edmund Backhouse: Decadent Imagination

The Critical Raw Materials Gap

Intel's Surprising Savior

Cheap and Open Source, Chinese AI Models Are Taking Off

Is it Safe to Visit China? A Former Detainee’s Warning

Kei Koizumi on the U.S.-China AI Competition

Bridge or Border: Why Scientific Securitization Won't Make Nations Safe

The Magnet Makers

Has Trump Shelved The Uyghur Forced Labor Law?

How China Gets Caught Between Iran and the U.S.

China’s Best-Laid Plans Hit Reality

Eswar Prasad on the Doom Loop that Threatens the World

China’s Climate Focus is Shifting from Carbon Cuts to Green Tech Dominance

China in Latin America: Speak Softly and Spend Freely

Could Chinese AI Videos Kill The Hollywood Star?

Why China’s Nuclear Ambitions are Worrying the World

China’s Involution Trap: Profitless Growth Cannot Last

The Wire China PodcastCovering China like no one else.

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The Wire China Podcast
Covering China like no one else.