Brent Crane - The Wire China

Articles

Software and Tear

Microsoft has a substantial and long-standing footprint in China, succeeding where many of its tech peers did not. But now the company, which is a leading contractor for the U.S. government, has found itself in the middle of China's increased cyber subterfuge. After a string...

James Zimmerman on the Hostage Crisis that Changed China

The lawyer and author talks about the attack on a train in the 1920s which created an international incident, the rise of the Communist Party and the conditions for foreign media in China today.

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 behemoth is now the rare U.S. company that...

A Tale of Two Financial Hubs

For the Chinese upper-class and many businesses, Singapore is increasingly filling a role that Hong Kong used to play. In fact, the changes in both cities have led to a general sense that Singapore is the new Hong Kong. But not everyone is so bearish on...

The Semiconductor Madman

When Zhao Weiguo was named CEO of Tsinghua Unigroup, he was just the kind of hard-charging and daring businessman needed to rescue the state-backed company. But with China's big chip ambitions now stalling — and Zhao now in jail — the path forward for one...

Joseph Torigian on Making Sense of Chinese Politics

The academic talks about the changing understanding of Leninist regimes; common misperceptions of the post-Mao era; and what the collapse of the Soviet Union means for China today.

Hal Brands On Navigating America’s “Danger Zone” With China

The scholar talks about his new book; why China's best days are behind it, both strategically and economically; how that could lead to China lashing out; and why he fears U.S. strategy isn't coming together quickly enough.

Insuring Engagement

At age 97, Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, the former CEO of AIG, has advocated for deeper U.S. engagement with China for longer than perhaps any living American businessman. While his positioning as a private sector statesman seems out of touch given the current state of U.S.-China...

China’s Sea Change

The Chinese State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) is the world's largest shipbuilder, supplying everything from container ships to cruise ships to companies in the U.S., Taiwan and elsewhere. But CSSC also builds warships for China's navy, which is modernizing rapidly and just recently surpassed the U.S....

Hard Knocks

Last summer, when Beijing effectively banned private tutoring companies, an entire industry was wiped out in a single day. Yu Minhong, the CEO of New Oriental and a former model entrepreneur in China, saw his company's market value fall 90 percent. While Beijing blamed the...

Flagged For Security

Beijing-based Nuctech has swelled into one of the largest security screening manufacturers in the world, with their scanners servicing airports, embassies and ports in some 160 countries. Their tagline is, “Creating a safer world.” The question the U.S. government has been trying to raise for...

The China Bull

Beijing's recent regulatory actions have erased over $1 trillion of market value from Chinese equities — a disruption that hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio refers to as mere "wiggles" in an otherwise strong economy. Indeed, for Dalio, who has spent 40 years nurturing his Beijing...