On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with follow-up thoughts on the purges at the top of the PLA, including reactions to a New York Times piece on Xi’s “paranoia,” answers that have yet to materialize, He Weidong suicide rumors, and various theories on what any of this might signal. From there: Keir Starmer’s trip to Beijing, caution before drawing too many conclusions from the recent steps from Canada and the U.K., and a flurry of stories about Xi’s ambitions for the RMB as a global reserve currency. At the end: Parsing the readouts from a surprise Trump-Xi call Wednesday, why Taiwan arms sales may have been at issue, the U.S. gets serious about critical minerals, Panama deals a blow to China, and Nvidia’s H200 adventures head to the State Department.

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Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism

To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm

@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube

@Stratechery Channel — YouTube

Uruguay President in China; Document No. 1; Development of future industries; Building a financial power; Fighting deflation; Zhang Youxia; 2026 GDP — Sinocism

Xi meets Starmer; Services consumption work plan; Soccer corruption; Nvidia and China — Sinocism

Ruptures in China’s Leadership Could Be Due to Paranoia and Power Plays — New York Times

China’s Xi, Now Alone Atop His Military, Is the Sole Voice in Tackling Taiwan — Wall Street Journal

The Unsettling Implications of Xi’s Military Purge — Foreign Affairs

Xi the Destroyer — Foreign Affairs

The Scorpion and the Frogs — Sharp Text

LIVE with Bill Bishop: The world order is shifting — and China is moving fast to shape it. — Sinocism

Been spendin’ most their lives livin’ in the free trade paradise — China Articles

Follow the Path of Financial Development with Chinese Characteristics and Build a Strong Financial Nation — Quishi

Trump, Xi Hold Call as China Warns on Taiwan Arms Sales — Bloomberg

Taiwan launches firepower hub with US as Beijing steps up military pressure — SCMP

Trump to Launch $12 Billion Critical Mineral Stockpile to Blunt Reliance on China — Bloomberg

China Loses a Foothold in Panama — WSJ

China Warns Panama of ‘Heavy Price’ on Court Ruling on Ports — Bloomberg

Nvidia AI chip sales to China stalled by US security review — FT