Xin Guobin (辛国斌) - The Wire China

Xin Guobin, 59, is China’s vice minister of industry and information technology. He helps lead the division of the State Council that oversees the robotics industry. He previously directed the ministry’s industrial policy efforts and served as a provincial official in Qinghai…

…in western China.

Cover Story

Get Jimmy

The recent conviction of Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong’s most famous dissident, on alleged national security offenses was the end of a process set in motion years ago by the Chinese Communist Party. Lai, who could have sought safety in another country, chose to stay and fight.

News and Analysis

Hong Kong’s ‘Conscience’ Leaves the Stage
By Rachel Cheung

David Webb, who for years fought for fairer markets and better-run companies in Hong Kong, passed away on January 13, 2026. In tribute, we are resurfacing this article about his career, first published in May...

Q & A

Jane Perlez on the State of the U.S.-China Superpower Battle
By Andrew Peaple

The journalist talks about the latest series of her podcast Face Off where she covers topics ranging from China’s nuclear build-up to robots to Gen Z’s woes.

LISTEN NOW

Face-Off: U.S. vs. China returns for new season
An award-winning podcast about the world’s two superpowers, the two men in charge, and the vital issues that affect us all. Face-Off cuts through the noise for the real story, with essential historical context.

In this season, longtime foreign correspondent for The New York Times Jane Perlez and celebrated China historian Rana Mitter cover Xi at the negotiating table, Gen Z disillusionment, China’s military rise, Pacific tensions, tech advances, and soft power.

Hong Kong’s ‘Conscience’ Leaves the Stage By Rachel Cheung

Jane Perlez on the State of the U.S.-China Superpower Battle By Andrew Peaple

Face-Off: U.S. vs. China returns for new seasonAn award-winning podcast about the world’s two superpowers, the two men in charge, and the vital issues that affect us all. Face-Off cuts through the noise for the real story, with essential historical context.

The Wire China Archives

Hong Kong’s ‘Conscience’ Leaves the Stage
By Rachel Cheung

Jane Perlez on the State of the U.S.-China Superpower Battle
By Andrew Peaple

Face-Off: U.S. vs. China returns for new season
An award-winning podcast about the world’s two superpowers, the two men in charge, and the vital issues that affect us all. Face-Off cuts through the noise for the real story, with essential historical context.