Sharp China with Bill Bishop

Andrew Sharp and Sinocism’s Bill Bishop

Sharp China with Bill Bishop

Andrew Sharp and Sinocism’s Bill Bishop

Understanding China and how China impacts the world. Hosted by Andrew Sharp and Bill Bishop.

2025/12/17

(Preview) Xi Jinping Thought on Domestic Demand; Political Economy vs. the Actual Economy; The Stories of the Year and Questions for 2026

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with takeaways from the Central Economic Work Conference, including the latest push to stimulate domestic demand, why consumption is intertwined with security, speculation surrounding Politburo member Ma Xingrui, and a...

2025/12/10

(Preview) Trump’s Plan to Sell Advanced Chips to China; U.S. Concessions Piling Up Amid a Push for ‘Stability’; Macron and the EU Conundrum

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with the news that the US is greenlighting the sale of Nvidia’s H200 chips to the PRC market. Topics include: Dubious claims in Trump’s Truth Social post announcing the news, searching for arguments in support of this ...

2025/12/03

Trump, Takaichi and a Game of Telephone; Japan Jawboning Continues; An Internet Governance Study Session; China Making Trade ‘Impossible’

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with the call between Trump and Xi last week, a subsequent call between Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and the PRC’s ongoing tensions with Japan. Topics include: Conflicting reports surrounding both ...

2025/11/19

(Preview) A Maximalist Response to Japan's PM; More Bad Real Estate News; Leaked Warnings on Alibaba; Hasan Piker Touring China

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a week of escalating rhetoric in response to Japanese Prime Minister Sane Takaichi’s comments about a Taiwan contingency. Topics include: Memories of Senkakku Islands tensions in 2012, why protests in the streets ...

2025/11/12

(Preview) US-China Follow-Through; New Xi Textbooks and a New Aircraft Carrier; A Wolf Warrior Greets Japan’s PM; More Setbacks for Nvidia

On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with the implementation of this month's deal between the US and China, including a variety of early indications that both sides intend to follow through with commitments made in South Korea, the PRC's clarification on ...

2025/11/05

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

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 le...

2025/10/29

(Preview) A Basic Consensus on Arrangements to Address US-China Concerns; The New Five-Year Plan Sounds Familiar; Nexperia as an Object Lesson

On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with the looming Trump-Xi meeting in Seoul, South Korea, and the "consensuses" agreed upon in Kuala Lampur this past weekend. Topics include: Treasury Scott Bessent's comments indicate that the recent rare earth export...

2025/10/22

(Preview) The Questions Swirling Around the Fourth Plenum; PLA Purges Made Official; The Latest on the Trade War and Nexperia

On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with questions surrounding the Fourth Plenum as it continues in Beijing this week. Topics include: The Party's messaging on past successes, a timeline for policy announcements in the days and weeks to come, steps the P...

2025/10/14

(Preview) Q&A on the Trade War: Rare Earths Anxiety, PRC Motivations, Mutual Risks, and the Capitulation or Escalation Era

On today’s show Andrew and Bill react to the PRC’s announcement of expanded export controls on rare earths and related manufacturing equipment. Topics include: Why countries around the world were immediately concerned, clarifications offered from the PRC t...

2025/10/08

(Preview) Official Secrets and a Royal Mess in the UK; Trillion Dollar Rumors in the Trade War; 300,000 Sim Cards in New York and New Jersey

On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with a mounting scandal in the UK after prosecutors dropped charges against two men accused of spying for China. Topics include: Fingers pointed and claims that PM Keir Starmer and his Labour appointees were unwilling ...

2025/10/01

AI Ready

TikTok in the Clear; Taiwan Questions and Soybean Angst; The K Visa Goes Live; Jensen Huang on China Hawks

On today’s Andrew and Bill begin with President Trump's executive order authorizing a proposal for a TikTok divestiture from ByteDance. Topics include: Why the proposed deal would be a win for ByteDance, China and the Trump administration, security concern...

2025/09/24

(Preview) A Trump-Xi Call and Meetings to Follow; TikTok Details Clear as Mud; Arcteryx and a Tibetan Fireworks Controversy

On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with last Friday's call between Trump and Xi. Topics include: Plans for a meeting in South Korea and a Trump visit to Beijing early next year, whether summits on the horizon will lead to a period of stabilization, and ...

2025/09/17

(Preview) A TikTok ‘Framework’ and Lots of Questions; Nvidia Uncertainty and Chip Countermeasures; The PRC Propaganda Strategy on US Platforms

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with the news of a “framework,” a consensus, and a possible deal to divest TikTok US from its parent company, ByteDance. Topics include: The many details yet to be resolved publicly, the unknown fate of the algorithm a...

2025/09/10

(Preview) Five Questions After the 9.3 Parade; A Flurry of US-China Updates; Sports Consumption and the NBA’s Return to China

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin by looking back at last week’s Victory Day parade. Topics include: The domestic messaging from the PRC, cold war imagery from a regime that denounces cold war thinking, questions about the EU perspective, the implicati...

2025/09/03

Xi Welcomes Putin and Modi at the SCO Summit; Perspective on the India and China Buzz; World War II and a 'Memory War'

On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with takeaways from the SCO Summit, including Xi's announcement of the Global Governance Initiative (GGI), outreach to the global south, and the PRC's warming relationship with India as Modi's first trip to China in se...

2025/08/28

(Preview) US-China Talks in DC; Trump Welcomes PRC Students; Cambricon Momentum and H20s on Ice; What Beijing is Doing in New York City

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with Li Chenggang in Washington for another round of meetings with American negotiators. Topics include: Outreach to soybean farmers and rumors of Boeing purchases, why the PRC may sense an opportunity for dealmaking, ...

2025/08/20

Two Weeks of Nvidia Angst; Stocks and Real Estate; Warming Relations with India?; Labubu and Soft Power Exports

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with a raft of news on Nvidia that came during the podcast’s vacation, including reports the company was summoned to meeting with the Cyberspace Administration of China, sources saying the same regulators have warned P...

2025/07/31

(Preview) July Politburo Meeting Takeaways and Trump’s Evolving Approach to China

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with July’s Politburo Meeting, including a date for the Fourth Plenum, more condemnations of “disorderly competition,” and signals that party leadership remains confident despite the tumultuous year. From there: The U....

2025/07/23

(Preview) Xi on Development and Three-Patting Cadres; PRC Venture Investing; Exit Ban Controversies; H20s and a New Trump Narrative; The Big Tariff

On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with comments from Xi Jinping and renewed emphasis on building more rational marketplaces across key sectors in tech and beyond. Topics include: The implication that not every province has to participate in new growth ...

2025/07/17

(Preview) Nvidia Can Sell H20 Chips to China Again; Trump Softening on China?; A Flurry of Xi Activity; Yang Hansen at NBA Summer League

On today's show Andrew and Bill begin with reports that Nvidia will soon be allowed to again sell its H20 chips in China. Topics include: A win-win deal for Nvidia and the PRC, whether this is the beginning of more rollbacks of existing chip controls as th...