Good evening. As U.S. Trade Representative under Donald Trump, Robert Lighthizer launched a trade war with China and challenged decades of mainstream economic thought. What has Katherine Tai, Biden’s USTR, done since? Our cover story this week looks at the much quieter, but just as critical, shift she is responsible for. Elsewhere, we have infographics on TikTok’s U.S. rupture; an interview with Steve Tsang on how Xi Jinping thinks; a reported piece on the Chinese EV price war going global; and a detailed look at Qin Hui, the Chinese billionaire who pleaded guilty to federal charges of making illegal donations to the mayor of New York. If you’re not already a paid subscriber to The Wire, please sign up here.
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The Czars Aligned
When Joe Biden took office, many of his supporters thought the first order of business would be unwinding Donald Trump’s trade war with China. But his trade czar, Katherine Tai, has been largely MIA, a stark contrast to her predecessor, the fiery and ubiquitous Robert Lighthizer. So what has Tai been up to? As Brent Crane reports, she’s been quietly continuing America’s withdrawal from the free trade era.
The Big Picture: The Tale of TikTok
TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance may soon face a stark choice in the United States — divest the wildly popular app or see it disappear from its biggest market. This week’s infographics by Aaron Mc Nicholas trace TikTok’s path to mass popularity in the United States and identifies some of the key senators who will decide the app’s fate in the coming weeks.
A Q&A with Steve Tsang
Steve Tsang is the Director of the China Institute at SOAS University of London. He is the co-author of a new book with Olivia Cheung titled The Political Thought of Xi Jinping, which offers a lucid analysis of China’s official political doctrine since 2017. In this week’s Q&A with Eliot Chen, he talks about why it’s important to understand the Chinese leader’s political beliefs and where they come from — as well as their shortcomings.
Steve Tsang
Illustration by Kate Copeland
The Chinese EV Price War Goes Global
BYD’s cheapest car, a compact called Seagull, now costs as little as 69,800 yuan — just under $10,000. Along with its Chinese peers, it is threatening to shake up overseas markets partly because of its ability to offer vehicles to suit a variety of car buyers. Rachel Cheung reports.
Crimes of Passion
The Chinese billionaire who pled guilty this week to illegally funneling money to New York politicians has a colorful business history in China, owning a notorious Beijing nightclub and amassing a media empire — all while stacking up a long list of legal troubles. Katrina Northrop reports.
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