Good evening. Last month — for the first time ever — more than half of all cars that were sold in China were either electric or plug-in hybrids. In the U.S., by contrast, about 18 percent of new cars sold are electric or hybrid. When it comes to renewable energy technologies like EVs, solar and wind, China is way ahead of the U.S., but our cover story this week examines the possibility of the U.S. not just catching up, but potentially leapfrogging China when it comes to the next generation of clean technologies.
Elsewhere, we have another of our epic infographics mapping who’s who in the rare earth industry; an interview with David Zweig on the academic chill between the U.S. and China; a reported piece on China’s chip consolidation; and an op-ed on why China must reign in its local governments. Plus, in case you missed it, Eliot Chen hunted down all the videos, photos and news clips to document vice presidential candidate Tim Walz’s China chops. If you’re not already a paid subscriber to The Wire, please sign up here.
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The Green Leap
From solar panels to electric vehicles, China dominates several of the technologies needed for the green energy transition. But can the U.S. find a way to leapfrog China and win the next generation of clean tech? Brent Crane reports.
The Big Picture: Who’s Who in the Rare Earth Industry
This week’s graphic, using data sourced from WireScreen, presents a list of the key companies at each step of the rare earth industry — from mining and extraction to end use and recycling — with a special focus on China’s footprint.
A Q&A with David Zweig
David Zweig is a social scientist and emeritus professor of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. His new book, The War for Chinese Talent in America: the Politics of Technology and Knowledge in Sino-U.S. Relations, explains the origins of the current conflict between China and the U.S. over the knowledge imbued within China-born academics and researchers who have chosen to settle in America. In this week’s Q&A with Andrew Peaple, he talks about the fallout from the Trump administration’s China Initiative and how the U.S. should approach academic links with its strategic rival.
David Zweig
Illustration by Kate Copeland
China’s Chip Consolidation
Beijing is weeding out bad actors in the semiconductor industry and concentrating its resources on well-established firms. Rachel Cheung reports.
China Must Rein in Local Governments
The decentralization of decision-making was essential to China’s economic boom in its early years, argues Huang Yiping in this week’s op-ed, but further economic reform will require the central government to reassert control.
Walz’s China Chops
To make sense of Walz’s China experience and how he might influence a potential Harris administration, The Wire reviewed Walz’s past interviews, speeches and voting record, and spoke to those familiar with him.
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