The US-China Deal One Week Later: Why Short-Term Stability Is Likely, Costs and Benefits of Escalation, and More Adventures with Nvidia

Nov 5, 2025
1h 4m

Episode Description

On today's show Andrew and Bill break down the latest deal between the US and China, beginning with details from the White House over the weekend, why the PRC is likely happy with a tactical retreat and the new status quo, and why stability is likely at least through April. From there: Why the PRC was motivated to deal despite its goals of eliminating tariffs and export controls, clarity about American pain points, questions about Congress and what comes next, and the costs of China's strategy for the past month. At the end: Reporting on a doomed push from Nvidia to sell Blackwell chips to China, new subsidies for China's AI leaders, a potential Nexperia resolution, and questions the forthcoming fentanyl cooperation between the US and China.

Get all episodes of Sharp China, Sharp Tech, Stratechery Updates and Interviews, Greatest of All Talk, Asianometry and the Dithering Podcast as part of Stratechery Plus for $15/month or $150/year.

Bill Bishop is the author of Sinocism

To email the show: email@sharpchina.fm

@SharpTechPodcast Channel — YouTube

@Stratechery Channel — YouTube

Outcomes of Trump-Xi meeting; No deal yet for Nvidia chips; Gaokao — Sinocism

Xi at APEC; US-China deal; Rare earths; Nvidia thwarted by Trump officials; UK university censors over Xinjiang — Sinocism

Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Strikes Deal on Economic and Trade Relations with China — The White House

Rare-Earth Magnet Startups Seal $1.4 Billion Deal With Trump Administration — Wall Street Journal

Bringing Rare Earths Back — Commonplace

Trump Says China Knows ‘Consequences’ of an Attack on Taiwan — Bloomberg

President Donald Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping — The White House

Sinocism Live: Rush Doshi on the Trump-Xi meeting and US-China Relations — Sinocism

Trump Officials Torpedoed Nvidia’s Push to Export AI Chips to China — Wall Street Journal

Watch CNBC's full interview with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — CNBC

China offers tech giants cheap power to boost domestic AI chips — Financial Times

Auto giants rally as China says it will consider exemptions for Nexperia chip exports — CNBC

Trump Says Xi Will Help Fight Fentanyl. Will China Follow Through? — Wall Street Journal

See all episodes

Never lose your place, on any device

Create a free account to sync, back up, and get personal recommendations.