Sharp China: Trump, Takaichi and a Game of Telephone; Japan Jawboning Continues; An Internet Governance Study Session; China Making Trade 'Impossible'

This episode of Sharp China is outside the paywall. Show Notes: On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with the call between Trump and Xi last week, a subsequent call between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and the PRC’s ongoing tensions with Japan. Topics include: Conflicting reports surrounding both calls last week, PRC rhetoric that continues to escalate, contested history surrounding Okinawa, and PRC behavior that may be clarifying for the rest of the world. From there: Various points of emphasis at the Politburo study session on strengthening internet governance, DeepSeek’s new AI model, and a recent Crowdstrike investigation that appears to highlight the risks of building on Chinese models. At the end: More bad news in the real estate sector as Vanke’s struggles make international news, waiting for the Central Economic Work Conference later this month, an FT op-ed makes Europe’s trade problems clear while solutions remain elusive, and a note from a NASA employee adds context to a previous discussion on space rescues.You can listen to the podcast in the app:Or click here for instructions to add the podcast to your preferred player. To subscribe to Sinocism, click here.To subscribe to Stratechery, click here.And if you enjoy this podcast please share it far and wide:Related Readings:Hong Kong fire; Politburo study session on strengthening Internet governance; Japan-China; Cloud loophole for advanced AI chips; Xu Qinxian -- SinocismWho initiated the Trump-Xi call?; PRC-Japan; Loosening loan standards; CrowdStrike questions DeepSeek coding security -- SinocismTrump, After Call With China’s Xi, Told Tokyo to Lower the Volume on Taiwan -- WSJJapan Denies Report That Trump Asked PM Not to Provoke China -- BloombergChina, Evoking World War II, Urges Europe to Take Its Side Against Japan -- N.Y.T.The PRC’s Diplomatic Offensive Against Japan Over Taiwan -- Global TaiwanChina’s AI is built for control — and it’s going global -- Red PacketCrowdStrike Research: Security Flaws in DeepSeek-Generated Code Linked to Political Triggers -- CrowdstrikeChina Tells Stats Providers to Halt Home Sales Data Publication -- BloombergChina Vanke Jolts Bondholders Again With Plan for One-Year Delay -- BloombergBeijing orders China’s banks to lend to debt-burdened state-owned entities -- China Banking NewsChina is making trade impossible -- FTChina’s growing trade surplus: why exports are surging as imports stall -- European Central BankThree Futures -- Watching China in EuropeWeeks from homecoming, Boeing Starliner astronauts want to set the record straight -- CNNTo add the Sharp China feed to your preferred podcast player:Click on the “listen on” button and you will see a dropdown with several options. Make sure you are logged into your account when you do it so you get the correct private RSS feed for subscribers. If you have not logged in for a while you can enter your email and then we will send you a login link.The “email link” in the pulldown shown above will send you an email that also makes it easy to set it up in your preferred podcast app on your phone.If you use the Substack app it has a built- in podcast player.Thanks for listening. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sinocism.com/subscribe