Sharing an Op-Ed I co-authored with Elina Ribakova for @thewirechina.bsky.social on #Putin-#Xi Summit. Russia, cut off from European energy markets and drained by the Ukraine war, is desperate to secure the Power of Siberia II gas pipeline as a financial lifeline www.thewirechina.com/2026/05/21/t...

Op-Ed: The geometry of power between Xi and Putin has never been more lopsided. @aligarciaherrero.bsky.social and @eribakova.bsky.social write on what Putin's proposal for a Russia-China gas pipeline reveals about the bilateral relationship:

Each week we bring you news and analysis on the biggest China-focused stories — now for less, for a limited time only. We’re giving you a special discount for full access to our award-winning journalism. Register for our free newsletter to get the discount: buff.ly/63YCJA9

When President Trump visited Beijing last week he brought along some of the biggest names in the U.S. corporate world. By contrast, the Chinese side left some of the country’s most prominent business leaders off the invite list. Get the big picture:

"Many of these North Koreans, encountering Christianity for the first time, were struck by how similar it was to what I call Kimilsungism, the religion they were raised in." Read our Q&A with Jonathan Cheng: buff.ly/XvZ1pT0

Op-Ed: "Even the United States and Europe together cannot match China’s industrial scale: India is the only way the math begins to work." Mike Kuiken and Leland Miller write on the obstacles to more robust U.S.-India defense cooperation for this week’s issue of The Wire China:

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Some of the biggest winners in China's AI industry are companies unknown to most consumers. @rachelcheung.bsky.social breaks down the Chinese hardware companies riding the AI fever to new heights for this week’s issue of The Wire China:

This week’s cover story: what happened to TP-Link's American dream? Noah Berman reports on U.S. government scrutiny of the Shenzhen-founded, California-headquartered router company:

What is the newly-established Board of Trade between the U.S. and China? Last week, we published an analysis of what the framework would accomplish — and the tricky details still unaddressed.

Each week we bring you news and analysis on the biggest China-focused stories that you won’t find anywhere else — now for less, for a limited time only. Register for our free newsletter to get the discount: buff.ly/63YCJA9

🎧 TP-Link is having a tough year. The California-based, Shenzhen-founded internet router company can’t seem to shake skepticism that moving to the United States means it is no longer Chinese. Listen to our latest podcast episode: pod.link/1873741567

China’s decision to ignore recent U.S. sanctions on its oil industry shows its willingness to use a legal toolkit compiled since 2020. Get the big picture on how and why Beijing applies sanctions:

📊 Chart of the Week: China's EV export boom With so many battery-powered vehicles already on China's streets, domestic sales are slowing. Chinese carmakers have little choice but to export. Here's where they're selling:

With Donald Trump now in Beijing for a much-awaited summit with Xi Jinping, we’re giving you a special discount to elevate your subscription with full access to our rich, award-winning journalism. Register for our free newsletter to get the discount: buff.ly/63YCJA9

Meta's AI smart glasses lead the industry...but one Chinese company has its sights set on overtaking the top spot. Rokid raised $4 million on U.S. crowdfunding platform Kickstarter last year, a fresh $28 million in the first three months of 2026, and may soon be listing publicly:

"The story that Washington seemed to be repeating to itself was that people in China don’t care about [AI] safety. I went there, and found that they did care about safety..." Read our Q&A with Sebastian Mallaby on why the U.S. and China need to talk about AI safety: buff.ly/17uSZOR

Op-Ed: "Managed trade may seem simple — political leaders decide which products can be traded — but it can create the same kinds of disputes between nations and devilishly difficult political tradeoffs as free-trade deals." Bob Davis writes on what the 'Board of Trade' means:

This week’s cover story: China’s fraught relationship with Japan and maritime disputes with the Philippines are uniting the two nations — alongside Taiwan. @heguisen.bsky.social analyzes the new landscape of geopolitical alignment in Asia.

When President Donald Trump travels to China next week for his summit with Xi Jinping, the thinnest ranks of full-time foreign correspondents in decades will be there to greet them. Eliot Chen reports on the dwindling number of U.S. foreign correspondents in China:

The Wire China’s @rachelcheung.bsky.social has been named a finalist in two categories of this year’s Society of Publishers in Asia awards: Young Journalist of the Year and Excellence in Arts and Culture Reporting 🎉 Read all of her nominated reporting for free: buff.ly/CNkaESo

🎧There are fewer U.S. journalists working in China now than at any point since the two countries normalized relations in the 1970s. Catch our latest podcast episode on the decline of foreign correspondents in China: pod.link/1873741567

The U.S. has given up trying to change China’s economy. Instead, the U.S. accepts the system as it is, and will from now on look to cut trade deals within the new framework.

"That Xi and Trump have agreed to four meetings this year is a change, and it demonstrates the value Beijing sees in the leader-to-leader meetings to control the volatility." Revisit our Q&A on the upcoming Trump-Xi meet with Sarah Beran: buff.ly/hovWF5Z

Chen Tianshi, Lin Dahua, Wang Haifeng...you should know these names if you want to keep up with China’s AI industry. The Wire China team profiles the leading experts, policymakers, and academics who are shaping the future of AI:

Subscribe to The Wire China for coverage of China’s economic rise and its influence on global business, finance, trade, labor and the environment:

Get the big picture on why U.S. supply chains with connections to Xinjiang and the Chinese military are heavily regulated — just not for pharmaceuticals.

Op-Ed: In the global AI race, "Americans should not confuse being first with being safe." S. Alex Yang and Angela Huyue Zhang analyze what advanced AI tools means in an interconnected world:

🎧️ Reporter Eliot Chen returns to the podcast with editor Andrew Peaple to discuss how executives from U.S. server manufacturer Super Micro allegedly smuggled AI chips to China:

Networks of Chinese satellites can track objects as small as a car from orbit, raising new concerns for military secrecy. Get the big picture on China's satellite imaging industry this week with The Wire China:

"A lot of Chinese people are treated very badly in DRC...What China has done better than the West is to absorb these risks and look at them as a cost of doing business." Andrew Peaple interviews Nicolas Niarchos on the global impact of the rare earths race: buff.ly/hkYKBmp

Trump has introduced few restrictions on Beijing since resuming office last January. Noah Berman reports on the growing divide on China policy between the president, lawmakers, and the U.S. public:

This week's cover story: How did the co-founder of a U.S. company allegedly smuggle billions of dollars of AI chips to China? @eliotchen.bsky.social reports: www.thewirechina.com/2026/04/26/i...

🎧 Another day, another AI chip smuggling ring busted by the U.S. government. But this one is different: for the first time, executives have been charged with selling chips to Chinese buyers. @eliotchen.bsky.social and @andypeaps.bsky.social discuss the latest on our podcast: pod.link/1873741567

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Op-Ed: The U.S. needs to take more seriously the extensive data collection by China-made smart TVs, gaming systems, and more. Peter Mattis writes for this week's issue of The Wire China:

This week’s cover story: Grady McGregor analyzes how China’s cryptocurrency entrepreneurs continue to drive a leverage craze that has wired new systemic risks into the global financial system:

“If deciding to have the war [to defend Taiwan] would mean economic mutually assured destruction, maybe we’re actually deterring ourselves.” Paddy Stephens interviews Eyck Freymann on defending Taiwan. Read more: buff.ly/sYCURiv

With war in Iran sending gas prices soaring, Chinese EV makers had a very good first quarter. But even as global demand for EVs grows, countries are wary of replacing oil dependency with a China dependency. Step back and look at the big picture this week with The Wire China:

A top AI conference banned dozens of Chinese entities — then walked it back. @rachelcheung.bsky.social breaks down the latest breakdown in U.S.-China science collaboration for this week’s issue of The Wire China:

In the high-stakes world of cryptocurrency, traders are writing big checks with borrowed funds — a risky investment trend known as leveraging. It all started in China. Get the scoop on our latest episode of The Wire China Podcast: pod.link/1873741567/e...

Chinese electric vehicles will soon be cruising on Canadian roads from Vancouver to Halifax. 🚗 In our latest podcast episode, reporters @eliotchen.bsky.social and Savannah Billman discuss Canada's monumental shift to open its market to Chinese cars:

"In the UK at this time, the so-called ‘money men’ seem to have outmaneuvered those responsible for issues closer to security and sovereignty." Read our Q&A with @methorley.bsky.social on the UK-China "golden era:" buff.ly/364ywAI

Canada's divergence with its southern neighbor on its policy towards Chinese EVs continues to widen. @eliotchen.bsky.social writes this week on how one Chinese EV maker planning a Canada debut has ties to a sanctioned surveillance firm:

Op-Ed: "Despite China's techno-industrial triumphs, the economic maladies Xi warned of five years ago have only become more entrenched." Yanmei Xie writes on how Xi Jinping steered China into economic traps he himself foresaw:

Orbán is out in Hungary. Will closer ties with China be too? Revisit our coverage of the deep Hungary-China relationship, which brought with it Chinese investment dollars — and controversy.

This week's cover story: While every war is different, countries generally cannot mobilize for war in secret. In an essay adapted from his new book, Defending Taiwan, Eyck Freymann looks at how the U.S. and its allies can try to prevent Xi from pulling the trigger over Taiwan:

"It was a life changing experience: the incident, the detention, the repatriation. I was on the cover of every newspaper in the United States and the free world." — Nick Mellos, the flight engineer. We revisit the 2001 Hainan spy plane crisis through the eyes of eyewitnesses: buff.ly/upEYVjl

🎧 While Canada's restrictions on Chinese EVs may have disappeared, the security risks have not. In our latest podcast episode, @eliotchen.bsky.social and Savannah Billman discuss the U.S.-Canada divergence and one car company's connection to a sanctioned entity. pod.link/1873741567

Africa, with vast unmet demand and few trade barriers, has become a more compelling market for a Chinese industry being squeezed out of the U.S. and Europe. Noah Berman analyzes China's booming solar exports to the African continent for this week’s issue of The Wire China: