Ok, boomer. For this week's Economist, I wrote about China's rare test of a submarine-launched ballistic missile over the Pacific. As China becomes bolder at displaying its nuclear capabilities, could a test of an air-launched ballistic missile be next? www.economist.com/china/2026/0...

Has China obtained the world's most important machine? No way, says it Dutch maker. For this week's Economist, I explored the US Commerce Secretary's claim that China might have got its hands on one of the machines that make the world's most advanced AI chips www.economist.com/china/2026/0...

Has China obtained the world’s most important machine?

Its Dutch manufacturer is fighting to rebut American claims

economist.com

For this week's Economist, I spoke to Cheng Li-wun, leader of Taiwan's opposition KMT party, about her US visit. She tells me that if Taiwan doesn't declare independence and China still wants to invade then "we will fight. We definitely will fight back." www.economist.com/asia/2026/06...

Taiwan’s opposition leader faced a tough crowd in America

Many still have doubts about her outreach to Xi Jinping

economist.com

Has China quietly endorsed a nuclear North Korea? In this week's Drum Tower podcast, @tongzhao.bsky.social of Carnegie China and Noah Sneider, our East Asia bureau chief, join me to unpack Xi Jinping's recent trip to Pyongyang www.economist.com/podcasts/202...

Why has China gone quiet on North Korea’s nukes?

Our weekly podcast on China. This week, what Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korea reveals about his strategic priorities––and Russia’s influence on regional security

economist.com

Don't mention the nukes: how Xi Jinping learned to live with the North Korean bomb. For this week's Economist, our East Asia buro chief Noah Sneider & I explore why Xi is visiting Pyongyang but not renewing pressure on Kim Jong Un to halt his atomic weapons program www.economist.com/china/2026/0...

China and Russia are competing for influence over North Korea

So nukes are off the agenda as Xi Jinping heads to Pyongyang

economist.com

In this week's Drum Tower podcast, our US editor John Prideaux and I discuss Trump's visit to Beijing and his comments afterwards on arms sales to Taiwan. I also interview Wu Xinbo, a top Chinese expert on China-US ties, who was at Trump's state banquet. www.economist.com/podcasts/202...

What did Trump and Xi agree on?

Our weekly podcast on China. This week, was the American president’s visit to Beijing more ceremony than substance?

economist.com

Is Donald Trump selling out Taiwan? My piece for this week's Economist on Trump's controversial comments about arms sales to Taiwan after his Beijing summit. "I may do it. I may not do it," he said in one interview. "It’s a very good negotiating chip for us." www.economist.com/asia/2026/05...

Is Donald Trump selling out Taiwan?

He suggests he is bargaining with China over weapons sales to the island

economist.com

Is Donald Trump selling out Taiwan? My piece for this week's Economist on Trump's controversial comments about arms sales to Taiwan after his Beijing summit. "I may do it. I may not do it," he said in one interview. "It’s a very good negotiating chip for us." www.economist.com/asia/2026/05...

Is Donald Trump selling out Taiwan?

He suggests he is bargaining with China over weapons sales to the island

economist.com

A tale of two summits. My (updated) take on Trump's visit to Beijing. China has confirmed plans for Xi to visit the U.S. and for a joint "trade council" and "investment council". Otherwise, the two sides appear to be reading from rather different scripts. www.economist.com/china/2026/0...

What did Trump and Xi actually achieve?

Divergent accounts suggest little progress on trade, Taiwan, Iran and AI

economist.com

Could this be China's second most powerful man? For this week's Economist, I wrote about Cai Qi, who as chief of staff to Xi Jinping handles his security, schedule and so much more. With thanks to Wu Guoguang, @neilthomas123.bsky.social & Jon Czin @brookings.edu www.economist.com/china/2026/0...

Cai Qi may be China’s second-most powerful man

Xi Jinping’s chief of staff handles his security, schedule and more

economist.com

Could this be China's second most powerful man? For this week's Economist, I wrote about Cai Qi, who as chief of staff to Xi Jinping handles his security, schedule and so much more. With thanks to Wu Guoguang, @neilthomas123.bsky.social & Jon Czin @brookings.edu www.economist.com/china/2026/0...

Cai Qi may be China’s second-most powerful man

Xi Jinping’s chief of staff handles his security, schedule and more

economist.com

For this week's Drum Tower podcast, from The Economist, co-host Sarah Wu and I head to a night market in Taipei to ask what people make of a visit to China by the Kuomintang's new leader, Cheng Li-wun. www.economist.com/podcasts/202...

China’s offer to win over Taiwan

Our weekly podcast on China. This week, we visit a Taiwanese night market to canvas opinion on Cheng Li-wun’s visit to Beijing

economist.com

Why is Taiwan's opposition leader meeting Xi Jinping? In this week's Economist, I unpack what Cheng Li-wun, the new Kuomintang leader, hopes to get from her visit to China and why the trip is controversial at home and in the U.S. www.economist.com/china/2026/0...

In this week's episode of The Economist's Drum Tower podcast, our defense editor Shashank Joshi @shashj.bsky.social joins to me to talk about Taiwan's drive to to build "China-free" drones for itself and other countries worried about over-reliance on Chinese tech www.economist.com/podcasts/202...

In the latest Drum Tower podcast, I'm joined by former co-host @dsorennie.bsky.social to ask if Germany's big bet on China is turning into a costly mistake. We also reminisce about the VW Santana and hear from Johannes Volkmann, German MP & grandson of Helmut Kohl. www.economist.com/podcasts/202...

China shock 2.0: why Germany is worried

Our weekly podcast on China. This week, could Germany’s big bet on China turn into a costly mistake?

economist.com

The Economist is looking for a China Researcher/News Assistant in Taiwan. This is a great opportunity for a Mandarin-speaking journalist seeking to hone their skills with one of the best China teams in the business. Details are in the link. www.telummedia.com/jobs/view/ta...

China Researcher / News Assistant

The Economist is looking for a Researcher / News Assistant in Taipei. The successful candidate will work with our correspondents in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China and across the world, as we cover ...

telummedia.com

Can China lead the world on climate action? In a 6-part special report in this week's Economist, Gabriel Crossley and I explore how China became the world's green energy superpower and why it has reached a tipping point in its approach to climate change www.economist.com/special-repo...

A time that has come | Nov 8th 2025 | The Economist

A time that has come. Special reports from The Economist. You've seen the news, now discover the story.

economist.com

Deal or no deal? In this week's Drum Tower podcast from The Economist, Sarah Wu and I discuss last week's Xi-Trump meeting and whether their 1-year trade war truce can hold. We're joined by Jon Czin, former CIA China analyst and NSC China director. www.economist.com/podcasts/202...

Deal or no deal: can the Trump-Xi truce hold?

Our weekly podcast on China. This week, the trade weapons are holstered, but neither side has left the battlefield

economist.com

What is Taiwan's Plan B? In the latest issue of the Economist, I looked into how Taiwan is hedging for the risk that America abandons it. Rubio says U.S. policy towards the island won't change for a trade deal. The question is whether Donald Trump feels the same way www.economist.com/asia/2025/10...

What is Taiwan’s plan B?

It is starting to hedge against the risk that America abandons it

economist.com

Throuple trouble. On the latest Drum Tower podcast, Sarah Wu and I examine why China's unhappy with Russia's closening ties to North Korea — and what Beijing is doing about it. @tpbeijing.bsky.social joins to talk about his recent trip to the North Korean border. www.economist.com/podcasts/202...

Three’s a crowd: China’s efforts to woo North Korea away from Russia

Our weekly podcast on China. This week: why China is trying to mend fences with its most troublesome neighbour, and what might happen if it fails

economist.com

The toxic cycle of China-America trade talks continues. For the latest issue of The Economist, I dug into how channels of communication have changed since Trump 1.0, why they're now malfunctioning so badly, and why it's so hard to find a reliable go-between. www.economist.com/china/2025/1...

Why America and China can’t escape their toxic cycle of trade talks

The sides lack seasoned interlocutors and it shows

economist.com

In this week's Drum Tower podcast, my co-host Sarah Wu takes a ride in a flying car and chats with me about China's "low-altitude economy". Could Chinese skies soon be buzzing with aerial taxis and delivery drones? www.economist.com/podcasts/202...

For this week's Economist, @tpbeijing.bsky.social and I explore China's relations with North Korea. We found that China is boosting economic ties again. But not because it's ok with North Korean nukes. It seems worried about Russia's growing sway over Kim Jong Un www.economist.com/china/2025/0...

Why Xi Jinping now accepts Kim Jong Un at the grown-ups’ table

China is grudgingly mending ties with North Korea

economist.com

I'm thrilled to be back in Taiwan, where I'll be based for the next few years as The Economist's Chief China Correspondent and co-host of the Drum Tower podcast. I'll be jointly leading our China coverage from here, focusing on foreign policy, military affairs, Taiwan and Chinese influence abroad.

Just as India's showdown with Pakistan was spiralling out of control, it seems to be coming to a halt. After 4 days of fighting and some Pakistani nuclear signalling, they've agreed to a ceasefire. Will it hold? My story from Delhi with Cyril Almeida in Islamabad www.economist.com/asia/2025/05...

A nerve-wracking ceasefire holds between India and Pakistan—for now

Tensions will simmer even as they step back from full-blown war

economist.com

This India-Pakistan crisis looks unlike previous ones. With fighting at its worst since 1999, both are now hitting military targets in big cities far beyond Kashmir. They're using drones and other high-end weapons. And now the nuclear signalling has begun. My story www.economist.com/asia/2025/05...

This India-Pakistan showdown is dangerously different

New weapons, new tactics, new risks

economist.com

How a plan to sell two ports on the Panama Canal dragged Hong Kong's richest man into the US-China rivalry. On this week's Drum Tower podcast from The Economist, I join my colleague, Emma Irving, to explore why and how Xi Jinping might block the $23bn deal www.economist.com/podcasts/202...

The billionaire caught in the crossfire between America and China

Our weekly podcast on China. This week, what the fate of the Panama ports deal means for Chinese business and global maritime trade

economist.com

Can India and Pakistan control a new cycle of escalation? Our take in this week's Economist on the biggest Indian aerial attack on its neighbour in more than 50 years. By @shashj.bsky.social in London, Cyril Almeida in Islamabad and me in Delhi. www.economist.com/asia/2025/05...

Can India and Pakistan control a new cycle of escalation?

India’s missile strike was the largest aerial attack on Pakistan in 50 years

economist.com

Are India and Pakistan heading for war? For this week's Economist, Cyril Almeida and I looked at India's options for military strikes and Pakistan's likely response. The short version: this standoff could be more perilous than the last major one, in 2019 www.economist.com/asia/2025/05...

India and Pakistan are bracing for a military clash

This one could be riskier than their last major crisis in 2019

economist.com

How will India respond to last week's Kashmir attack? For The Economist, I look at India's options for military strikes on Pakistan. Modi faces public pressure to go further than a 2019 airstrike. But some advisers want a calibrated response to avoid escalation. www.economist.com/asia/2025/04...

Tensions soar as India weighs how to hit Pakistan

After the Kashmir attack, military action is possible but comes with huge risks

economist.com