Good evening. Qualcomm is in the crosshairs of not one, but two of the most contentious issues in the ongoing ‘tech war’ between the U.S. and China: semiconductors and telecoms. But the San Diego-based behemoth doesn’t seem to mind. As our cover story this week shows, Qualcomm seems uniquely positioned to navigate such a hostile environment. Elsewhere, we have infographics on Shunwei Capital, the Xiaomi-connected VC firm; an interview with Nigel Inkster on tech, Taiwan and intelligence; a reported piece on the renminbi’s new role busting sanctions; and an op-ed from Ryan Hass, Bonnie Glaser and Richard Bush on America’s Taiwan strategy. If you’re not already a paid subscriber to The Wire, please sign up here.
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Shaky Signal
Qualcomm got its big break by navigating the tense relationship between the U.S. and China, and it has felt the squeeze of geopolitics numerous times since — often coming out stronger than it was before. The telecom firm is now the rare U.S. company that is doubling down on China, begging the question of if it can maintain its good fortune. Brent Crane reports.
The Big Picture: Who is Shunwei Capital?
Shunwei Capital, which has $3 billion of funds under management, has helped fund the rise of companies like iQiYi, NIO, ByteDance, XPeng and CloudWalk. This week’s infographics by Ella Apostoaie look at the Beijing-based venture capital firm whose Xiaomi connections have helped skyrocket it to success.
A Q&A with Nigel Inkster
Nigel Inkster worked in the British intelligence services for over three decades before joining the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, where he is now a senior adviser. In this week’s Q&A with Shannon Van Sant, he talks about the technological competition between the U.S. and China; the future of Taiwan; and countering Chinese espionage.
Nigel Inkster
Illustration by Lauren Crow
The Renminbi’s New Role: Sanctions Busting
The Chinese currency remains far from supplanting the U.S. dollar in global trade, but its increasing usage abroad is helping China’s allies and friends get around U.S.-led economic measures. Grady McGregor reports.
Clearing America’s Mind on Taiwan
The casual warnings of war by America’s top elected and appointed officials has not lent confidence that the U.S. has a tight theory of the case for protecting America’s vital interests and those of its partners in Taiwan, argue Ryan Hass, Bonnie Glaser, and Richard Bush. The U.S. needs a deeper understanding of the sharpest stresses on Taiwan and the best tools for countering them.
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