Very well put and far more succinctly done. Thx.

Now that requires a long answer. For now, as with most things, it’s a combination of the two. For now, the primary issue - at least as I see it - was a serious degradation with in the Party when Xi came to power. It was a free for all (rampant corruption) and risked delegitimizing the Party. Power needed to be recentralized and that’s been an ongoing process for the past decade. Were people caught up by being on “the wrong side”? Yes. But, again for me, that’s a second order effect.

So there’s this ….. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/12/09/china-executes-banker-for-taking-116-million-bribes/

China Morning Missive First there was the announcement that President Trump would be permitting Nvidia to sell H200 chips to China. Then came the news of China’s trade surplus clocked in at $1.0trillion over the first 11 months of the year. The reaction out of the Beltway to these two developments was apoplectic. Just wait for the reactions once the ASML restrictions are lifted. That’s what China really wants, and it’ll happen sooner than most observers expect. To the reactions, it is all very understandable, but I would point out that these are just two outcomes reflective of a fundamental shift in global power. It isn’t that this is a new trend either. All that is slowly underway is a realization among the Washington powerbrokers that this is no longer just a philosophical debate. For a decade there was analysis by “Senior Fellows” and lengthy diatribes throughout Foreign Affairs magazine and elsewhere. China was said to be an existential threat to the American way. I agreed. A constructure form of engagement, beginning with a harsh acceptance of the threat posed, was required. And yet, nothing was done, beyond talking and op-eds to wax poetically on the geopolitical threat. Now here we are and America now finds itself well past the point of no return. All that these two events highlighted above indicate is a direction of travel. There will be more public consternation and, unfortunately, greater externalizing of the issue. Rather than seeing the world as it is and sifting energies towards hyper competition, China will be labeled an enemy of the State and with that will come far greater aggressive tendencies. Finally, and just as a quick update, the current TikTok “ban/divest” deferment expires next Tuesday, December 16th. This will have been the fourth such deferment and the entire affair is coming up on a full year since the Supreme Court ruling. No matter the political posturing by the Trump team, the TikTok divestiture remains outstanding. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-china-hawks-say-trump-approved-nvidia-chip-sales-china-will-supercharge-its-2025-12-09/

What’s shaking Jack?

Oh. You have to push back otherwise the Chinese will run over you at every turn. The needle which needs to be threaded is doing so without being a complete dick about it. Where the line is drawn is what you seek to find. It’s something l’ve personally come to truly enjoy and the Chinese are now surprised at just how well I can maneuver. A constant dance.

Correct. The level of entitlement among those US workers even surprised me. Combine that with the reams of regulation required to be addressed and TSMC is a canary in a coal mine. What foreign company would want to deal with any of those obstacles and, as a result, lose money in the process.

Well, let me start by saying I’m not the most objective observer in asking such questions. China, for myself, is great and I encourage everyone to travel here to see the place for themselves. An extended stay, like for an MBA, would be a great option. If they aren’t all that well versed with China would suggest Shanghai as the location. A very good East-West combination.

Not entirely sure what you mean What are you looking for exactly?

It’s been a complete train wreck and first became known as to me back in the summer. I knew the entire TSMC experiment was doomed the moment a class action lawsuit was filed. https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/semiconductors/chipmaking-giant-tsmc-hit-with-class-action-lawsuit-in-the-u-s-for-bias-racism-and-unsafe-conditions-over-30-plaintiffs-have-accused-the-company-of-illegal-practices-at-arizona-fab