Op-Ed: China is already positioning itself to deploy robots at scale, in peace and in war. Sunny Cheung and Nathanael Cheng write for this week's issue of The Wire China:

Documents recently released by the U.S. Department of Justice reveal how associates of Jeffrey Epstein sought to help him and his business partners build ties in China. The Wire China maps the networks involved in the dealmaking: buff.ly/gZHYQik

Jeffrey Epstein and a network of associates aspired to do deals in China. The Wire China reviews email trails from the Epstein files:

🎧️ A Tale of Two Exports: Tom Mitchell and Noah Berman explore why China's arms exports decreased in 2024 — and why Chinese EVs still might make their way onto U.S. streets. Listen to The Wire China Podcast: pod.link/1873741567

Forget snow sports — China dominates at the lesser-known, but more consequential, olympics of biotech. Cultivation of scientific talent has been instrumental to the rise of China’s biotech industry. Read more:

Free to read: What's behind the rapid rise of Chinese AI models like Qwen? For one, they tend to be cheaper and open source, making them easier to adopt. Read more:

The world's biggest battery manufacturer is pushing the limits of battery tech and supplies carmakers around the world. Get the big picture on China's CATL:

Ali Wyne argues that President Trump has now broken any consensus on China there was among U.S. policymakers. buff.ly/GDWD6Xl

China is not doing enough to reverse its downward trend of marriages and births. "The strength of a chain is determined by its weakest link, and in China’s case, several links need strengthening," writes Yi Fuxian.

This week's cover story: A former Google software engineer who attempted to build a startup in China has been convicted of trade secrets theft and economic espionage. Eliot Chen reports from the trial of Ding Linwei:

Read our latest Q&A with prominent Chinese economist David Daokui Li: buff.ly/jH1Qmrx

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How close are we to seeing Chinese cars on American streets? Noah Berman analyzes their potential entry into the U.S. auto market:

"One problem is that the task of managing the [Sino-American] relationship has been left to personalized leadership and diplomacy." Stephen S. Roach analyzes distinctions in U.S. and Chinese exceptionalism in this week's issue of The Wire China:

Five years after the collapse of China's housing sector, just 10 companies made more than 100 billion yuan in sales compared to 41 in 2021. Step back and look at the big picture this week:

This week’s cover story: After a series of driving accidents, will support for robotaxis crash? Rachel Cheung analyzes what happens as robotaxis finally hit the road in China.

🎧 Hear @rachelcheung.bsky.social's analysis of China's robotaxi industry come to life on our new #podcast:

From the Archives: China's enormous combined wind, solar and coal bases demonstrate in full its economic strengths and weaknesses.

How can you make money as an AI company in China? Increasingly, the answer is the stock market. Noah Berman explores why 2026 has already been dominated by big AI and chip listings:

Op-Ed: Resilience is not the same as momentum, and China remains beset by imbalances that are constraining economic growth. Lee Jong-Wha writes for this weeks issue of The Wire China:

Despite scrutiny over its China ties, Quectel, the global market leader in Internet of Things modules, continues to grow. Step back and look at the big picture this week with The Wire China:

Gracelin Baskaran argues that early U.S. efforts to dent China’s rare earth dominance are paying off. Full Q&A: buff.ly/7rO0NF0

This week’s cover story: Can Europe break China’s grip on the supply of tungsten, gallium and other vital raw materials? Luke Patey analyzes the the challenges facing European nations looking to re-arm:

David Feith, a former official in both of Trump's presidential terms, discusses why Trump has become less hawkish on China, and his sudden departure from the administration last year.

European democracies, threatened by Putin’s war on Ukraine and Trump’s designs on Greenland, are ramping up defense spending. But China’s strong grip on critical minerals can bring Europe’s rearmament to a grinding halt. My latest for @thewirechina.bsky.social www.thewirechina.com/2026/01/25/t...

Just one of Xi Jinping’s six appointees to the CCP’s Central Military Commission is left standing. Revisit Eliot Chen’s cover from last year on the turmoil at the top of the People’s Liberation Army:

Op-Ed: Host countries need to be able to say who writes the code, who holds the keys, and who has the final say over smart energy systems. Francesca Ghiretti and Conlan Ellis write for this week's issue of The Wire China:

From the Archives: Russia and China’s shifting relations are helping to encourage a flood of Chinese companies into the Arctic.

"Chinese propaganda aims to create the impression that China could quickly and successfully invade Taiwan. This is psychological warfare." Brent Crane interviews J. Michael Cole on his latest book, "The Taiwan Tinderbox."

From the Archives: "The military in China is not a national military — it’s the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party."

BYD first transformed China's EV industry. Facing weakening domestic demand, there is no choice but to expand overseas. Get the big picture on BYD's global ambition:

This week’s cover story: In an excerpt from his new book, Nicolas Niarchos examines how China built its critical minerals supply chain across the Democratic Republic of Congo.

From the Archives: A father and son journey through the Chinese and American empires, from Xinjiang to Iraq.

In October, we reported that Canada

From the Archives: China’s economy isn’t generating enough well-paid jobs, putting prospective parents off from having children.

Total China-Iran trade nearly doubled from 2020 to 2022, and has consistently accounted for around 30 percent of Iran’s global trade since 2019. buff.ly/BPb2D0t

Beijing has been critical of Tehran’s recent strategic blunders, but sees Iran’s continuing existence as still vital to its interests. Revisit Yun Sun's op-ed on China-Iran ties:

NEW: Meta's tie-up with Manus is being touted as a win for Washington’s AI strategy, and a headache for Beijing. How did it happen?

It’s a good time to be a Chinese chip company, at least if you are looking to raise money on the stock markets. Semiconductor firms are taking advantage of relaxed rules, and official support for key technologies, to go public. Get the big picture: buff.ly/3cqGqbf

Fusion: A clean, unlimited energy for the future...for the country that can get there first. Eliot Chen evaluates where the U.S. and China stand on fusion development:

@vicshih.bsky.social: Despite Venezuela's short-term concessions to the U.S., China’s approach makes it a more credible long-term partner.

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 2025. www.thewirechina.com/2025/05/18/h...

"China and Russia are ganging up, the world is changing. But that doesn’t mean to say that the United States can’t prevail." Andrew Peaple interviews veteran journalist Jane Perlez on the state of the U.S.-China superpower battle.

"Why on earth does China have so much leverage, if trade-wise and investment-wise it’s not a winning game for the region? It’s because Western countries left." Revisit our Q&A with Alicia García-Herrero on China's shifting relationships in Latin America:

This week's cover story: Beijing wanted to get Jimmy Lai for years. They finally figured out how. Noah Berman tells the story of Hong Kong's most famous dissident:

Op-Ed: Exaggerating China's weaknesses or minimizing U.S. strengths both lead to distortion, writes Lizzi C. Lee. In reality, both countries face real constraints but also untapped room for adjustment heading into 2026:

The U.S. and China are racing to break the bottlenecks that keep their economies tied together. While China’s export control challenge is largely legal in nature, the question facing the U.S. is more industrial—specifically, whether it can break China’s lock over critical minerals.

Beijing's hope is that AI will power emerging industries such as autonomous vehicles and robotics, eventually producing more new jobs than the ones it replaces. @rachelcheung.bsky.social examines the hopes and anxieties behind China's AI transition:

The accused scam ringleader of Prince Group has been arrested in Cambodia and extradited to China. We tracked his financial network to Chongqing, California and Texas: www.thewirechina.com/2025/11/02/p...

Rep. Ro Khanna is the new top Democrat for the House Select Committee on China. Revisit our Q&A with him here: