Zhu Rongji: A Reformer Who Centralized More Power in the Chinese State
The former Chinese premier’s willingness to communicate made him popular with foreign leaders, but his reforms mainly helped to strengthen Beijing’s control.
The Great Premier
What I’m reading (and remembering) in the wake of Zhu Rongji’s passing.
Lily Qi on Choosing to be an American
The Maryland state lawmaker talks about living through the Cultural Revolution, running for public office as a Chinese-American, and U.S. complacency.
Jupiter’s Descent
California-based Jupiter Systems sold high-tech wall screens to U.S. military and government clients. On June 14, The Wire China revealed how Jupiter was sold to...
Alex Wang on What China Gets Right — and Wrong — on the Environment
The academic talks about whether China’s experience shows there can be such a thing as ‘good environmental authoritarianism’, and what the U.S. could learn from...
From “Hide and Bide” to “Loud and Proud”
Not content to run the world’s second most powerful country for a decade, Xi Jinping set about changing everything everywhere all at once. In an...
Geremie Barmé on the ‘Other China’
The historian and sinologist talks about his life studying China and what he calls Xi Jinping’s ‘Empire of Tedium’.
Can China Keep Its AI Open?
An emphasis on open-weight AI models has suited both China’s AI industry and Beijing to date, but limits may now be necessary.
China’s New Technology Trap
The U.S.’s main rival is not only moving ahead in several advanced industries, it is taking steps to keep more of its tech at home.
The United States and China Are Leaving a Dangerous Vacuum in Global Leadership
The reluctance of the world’s two foremost powers to uphold the international order risks a repetition of past traumas.
The Return of the Taiwan Tiger
Taiwan’s “tiger” economy is back and burning bright. Driven by U.S. demand for Taiwan tech products, the island’s economy grew almost 15 percent in the...
Benn Steil on Why the Global Order is Falling Apart
The economist talks about how the U.S. and China are together reshaping world trade and why the ideas of a discredited German theorist from the...