The hottest US-China Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top World Politics Topics

Da Wei: China does not want America’s job

Pekingnology • 52 implied HN points • 27 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. China does not want or intend to replace the United States as the global leader and prefers to work within and improve existing multilateral institutions rather than fill any "vacuum" alone.
  2. Direct meetings between national leaders are especially important now and can open chances to stabilise the China–U.S. relationship, but lasting stability also requires institutional arrangements and China’s sustained economic and technological strength.
  3. The world is becoming more fragmented and multipolar, so China should expand its "circle of friends", pursue multilateralism, rebalance bilateral ties, and take greater responsibility in global governance without seeking hegemony.

Yao Yang on three shifts he saw in the U.S. and in China-U.S. relations

Pekingnology • 67 implied HN points • 24 Mar 26
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. Fewer Chinese students are coming to the U.S., which is squeezing public university budgets because stricter visa/work policies and better job prospects at home make U.S. study less attractive.
  2. American attitudes and strategy on China are shifting: a new generation of scholars and changing political camps are more sober and interest-driven, favoring selective, pragmatic policy over older emotional or broadly expansionist approaches.
  3. True decoupling is limited because the U.S. and China remain economically complementary, while capital-driven narratives (like AI hype) and fast-changing policy create public anxiety and leave think tanks lagging behind events.

Why Is Everyone So Nice to Eileen Gu?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1558 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture US-China
  1. She’s one of the world’s best freestyle skiers and among the highest‑paid athletes, winning multiple Olympic medals and earning huge sponsorship money.
  2. Born and raised in San Francisco to an American father and a Chinese mother, she switched from the U.S. team to compete for China in 2019 and has since represented China at major events.
  3. Despite the potential for controversy over her country switch, she faces little mainstream criticism and is broadly celebrated, with most negative commentary coming from a few right‑wing voices.

Xi’s Military Meltdown

ChinaTalk • 1571 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. Xi has moved from purging enemies to purging close military allies, removing a whole generation of PLA leaders and tightening his personal control over the armed forces.
  2. The leadership used dramatic public accusations — including claims of leaking nuclear secrets and corruption — as a tool to disgrace, justify, and deter purges beyond ordinary anti-corruption steps.
  3. The shake-up leaves the Central Military Commission hollow, hurts morale and succession planning, and raises questions about military readiness and how Xi will staff and trust a younger cohort of commanders.

Our Year in Review

ChinaTalk • 607 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. A small, independent media project carved out an underserved niche covering US–China tech and AI, growing rapidly to about 65k subscribers and large podcast audiences.
  2. They prioritize timely, substantive podcasts and newsletters over long, funder-driven reports. Relying on unrestricted funding preserves editorial independence but limits resources for hiring and scaling the team.
  3. Coverage centers on tech and AI, export controls and chips, defense and elite politics and history. The project also curates big-picture lists and predictions to shape debate about US–China relations.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Party Time! Jon Czin on US-China 2025 and 2026

ChinaTalk • 326 implied HN points • 27 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. The apparent calm in US-China relations is a deliberate lull: China has prepared responses and is using measured escalations like rare-earth export controls to gain leverage, especially timed around the US midterms.
  2. US policy is inconsistent and personality-driven: frequent personnel churn and a president who acts as his own China desk produce seesaws between confrontation and mollification, leaving allies undercut and pushing a sector-by-sector "whack-a-mole" approach instead of a coherent strategy.
  3. The real stakes are long-term and allied: flashy moves in places like Venezuela or Iran won't change Beijing's calculus, so the US needs to double down on alliances (especially Japan) and strategy, because continued risky gambles that have worked so far could eventually backfire.

Diao Daming: the costs of studying China at a distance

Pekingnology • 139 implied HN points • 16 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. China studies is drifting away from language skills, fieldwork, and primary sources, so much research is disconnected from the lived experience and context inside China.
  2. Many younger researchers approach China with vigilance and a competition mindset instead of curiosity, which biases questions and pushes attention-grabbing policy claims over balanced understanding.
  3. There is an unhealthy methodological imbalance—heavy reliance on quantitative models, overly narrow specialties, or vague grand-policy talk without historical and cultural grounding—leading to shallow analysis that can worsen mutual distrust.

Wu Xinbo Says We Are Witnessing Yet Another Turning Point in China–U.S. Relations

Pekingnology • 113 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. The United States is undergoing a deep strategic recalibration: it is retrenching in some areas (notably Europe) while selectively expanding influence in the Western Hemisphere and the Indo‑Pacific, with a stronger focus on economic returns and reallocating resources.
  2. The 2025 tariff fight and China’s use of export controls exposed limits in Washington’s toolkit and showed China’s resilience and strategic leverage, nudging both sides toward a more pragmatic balance of competition and controlled cooperation.
  3. The long-term momentum toward cross‑Strait reunification is increasing, so the United States needs to rethink its Taiwan policy to avoid military confrontation and find ways to protect its interests as the situation evolves.

Hu Bo: China Can Afford Patience at Sea

Pekingnology • 75 implied HN points • 23 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. China now has the military and operational capacity to manage and control the East and South China Seas and can preserve the status quo if it remains resolute.
  2. Sovereignty disputes are complex and driven by strong maritime nationalism, so shelving disputes and exercising long-term strategic patience is the most practical approach.
  3. China should stay vigilant and respond firmly but calmly to provocations, avoiding alarmism while building maritime power as a sustained national effort involving government, experts, and citizens.

CCDI Communique; Xi Thought on the Party's self-revolution; Taiwan; US-China; Maldives

Sinocism • 373 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. The CCDI Plenum communique focuses on anti-corruption work, with a new emphasis on punishing collusion between government and business.
  2. There is mention of a new variant of Xi Jinping Thought on the Party's self-revolution in the communique.
  3. The communique highlights the importance of rectifying cross-border corruption issues.

JJM vs. Kishore Mahbubani

John’s Substack • 5 implied HN points • 15 Jan 26
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. John J. Mearsheimer and Kishore Mahbubani appeared together on Tom Switzer’s podcast "Switzerland" on December 21, 2025.
  2. They focused on the rise of China and debated how the United States should respond to that challenge.
  3. They also covered a range of other geopolitical issues, speaking as friends and intellectual rivals.

China Looms over Taiwan Election; US-China Military Talks Resume; Bush's Legs and Putin's Eggs; Brittleness in Putin's System; China and Russia in Africa

Natto Thoughts • 39 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. Taiwan's 2024 Presidential Election focuses on identity, China relations, and economic well-being, with China attempting to influence the outcome through information operations.
  2. US-China military talks resumed with tension over Taiwan remaining a core issue, indicating China's unwavering stance on Taiwan despite the talks.
  3. Putin's rule in Russia shows signs of fragility with declining support for the war in Ukraine, mysterious deaths, and corruption within law enforcement agencies, signaling potential instability.

Henry Huiyao Wang says "Momentum for peaceful reunification across Taiwan Strait is growing"

Pekingnology • 0 implied HN points • 17 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. Taiwan’s recent elections and shifting domestic politics have created a more pluralistic legislature and opposition leaders who favor dialogue and closer ties, opening space for cross‑strait engagement.
  2. International attention seems to be cooling as major powers avoid making Taiwan a central issue and scale back high‑profile support that could escalate tensions.
  3. Beijing is promoting peaceful reunification through practical integration measures like easier travel, economic and social links, and says external interference is the main obstacle.

Chinese Chess: Kevin Rudd on Xi and China

The Octavian Report • 0 implied HN points • 23 Dec 25
🌍 World Politics US-China
  1. Xi has tightly centralized power and put the Communist Party at the center of China’s long‑term strategy, using anti‑corruption and political control to marginalize rivals.
  2. Economic policy has rolled back market liberalization: state‑owned enterprises are being favored, private firms face constraints and investor confidence is weakening, while Beijing tries to shift toward consumption and high‑tech goals.
  3. China is more outwardly assertive—through Belt and Road, maritime moves, and global diplomacy—creating growing strategic competition with the U.S. and real risks of accidental conflict over Korea, the South China Sea, and Taiwan.