He speaks English. She speaks Mandarin. The secret to their happy marriage: Microsoft Translator. 💝 link:

The Economist: “China once stole foreign ideas. Now it wants to protect its own…Lax protection of trademarks and patents has become a growing problem for the many Chinese companies that have emerged as IP powerhouses in their own right.” https://t.co/WSwSgX05q5

Ford's top executive spoke to Trump administration officials about a potential roadmap for Chinese automakers to build cars in America by partnering with US car companies

Love the magnificent calligraphy of Su Shi’s “Settling Wind Waves” at Hangzhou station, reminding all passengers to travel with enlighten spirit:“Bamboo cane and straw sandals free me from the horse, why fear, life is just a walk in misty rain under my old raincoat.”

Interesting chart from Gavekal: the largest category of European imports from China are intermediate goods, so more cheap imports should actually cut costs of production. Today's Chartbook Top Links has more:

@TheStalwart This is happening in all sports/outdoor stuff. Chinese companies producing increasingly high quality stuff at incredibly good price points. You can see it with stuff like tents, hiking equipment cycling electronics, shoes, but it's coming for absolutely everything.

I was never fully comfortable with the electro-state vs petro-state idea. Here is Saudi Arabia in the global top 5 for battery storage. Tons of solar too. Hint: China.

An announcement: My first book, KOREAN MESSIAH, will be published by Alfred A. Knopf on April 14. It’s the product of a decade wrestling with a question: How did North Korea come to be this way? More at my LinkedIn: https://t.co/WSjFdm7jqY

‘China’s gaokao factories and America’s college-industrial complex are not accidents. They are the logical outcome of a global system that has mistaken education for investment and human life for capital.’ My essay in the London Review of Books:

Yes, Chinese EVs are impressive. But I think there’s too much fear-mongering around their impact on parts of the auto industry. I’m tempted to write an update to this:

Since I mention it often, here are a few young mainland Chinese historians I really like. Of course I've only read a tiny fraction of what's out there, so this is skewed to my interests (generally economic/social history and late imperial)

"This is the Chinese century" started as a meme, but it speaks to something tangible: a crumbling international order and a profound shift in collective psychology. @WIRED's new China issue explores "23 Ways You're Already Living in the Chinese Century," covering everything from

I found this essay by the South Korean philosopher, Alex Taek-Kwang Lee, on past and present European philosophical engagements with China and its rise to be very stimulating. “The Repetition of China.” @MIC_Journal

Science and Civilization in China: Roughly ~17,000 pages across 27 books in 7 volumes. If stacked ~4 ft in height, ~90 lbs. Took ~20–25 primary contributors, published between the 1950s and up to 2015. Total market cost to buy them all rn (used) ~$3k.

Yongzheng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty was a total cosplay master! While still a prince fighting for the throne, he played the low-key card to perfection. On the surface, he appeared obsessed with rural landscapes, devoted to Buddhism & Daoism, and passionate about farming —

“Winter Fruits” by Yu Chengyou

Xiao Zhuang, one of China’s pioneering female photojournalists, passed away in the eastern city of Nanjing on Jan. 4, 2026, at the age of 93, leaving behind a vast array of visual archives that quietly narrate the nation’s development and transformation. Read more:

Chaser: European aviation evaluators test China’s C919 in Shanghai. Comac wants Western safety certification - a crucial step to global adoption and competing with Boeing and Airbus Will not please those in EU who see aviation as a potential chokepoint https://t.co/iFYuxU523K

Shot: Macron's courting of Xi paying off: In just two days at the end of December, 5 Chinese companies announced deals to purchase a combined 148 Airbus A320 family jets, all narrow-body aircraft - could be worth $20bn+

A Year of the Horse doll stitched with a downturned mouth has gone viral, turning a production flaw into a sought-after novelty in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, Jan. 11, 2026. VCG