The question “Is America still number one?” increasingly produces a more complicated answer than it did a generation ago. A growing share of Americans no longer equate national power with national superiority. They recognize that the United States remains extraordinarily powerful while also acknowledging that other countries outperform it in… Read More »Is the U.S. Still Number One?
The fundamental difference between the U.S. and Chinese approaches to personal data is not whether data is collected—it is who controls it, why it is collected, and how much power individuals have to resist its use. The United States: Commercial Surveillance In the United States, enormous quantities of personal information… Read More »Data as Power: Two Systems, Two Forms of Surveillance
China accounted for the largest share of global GDP in 2025 when adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP).The U.S. share of global output peaked at 29.7% during World War II. At its 19th-century peak, the British Empire contributed nearly one-quarter of global GDP. Over the last 200 years, economic leadership… Read More »China’s Return: A Long Historical View of Human Progress
Comparing income levels in the United States and China is far more complicated than converting yuan into dollars. The two countries use different statistical concepts, have radically different cost structures, and measure income for different policy purposes. A meaningful comparison therefore requires looking beyond nominal income to disposable income, purchasing… Read More »Comparing Income and Living Standards in the United States and China
Two Systems, One Century: The Governance Gap Between America and China The defining distinction between the United States and China runs deeper than the familiar labels—capitalist democracy versus authoritarian socialism. What truly separates these two powers is how each conceives the relationship between the individual, the state, and the collective—and… Read More »Two Systems, One Century: The Governance Gap Between America and China
The Open-Source Shock: How China’s AI Strategy—and CXMT’s IPO—Are Rewriting the Economics of American Technological Power by Joel Wong The blockbuster initial public offering of ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) on Shanghai’s STAR Market should be understood as more than another semiconductor financing event. Raising nearly 58 billion yuan (about US$8 billion), it demonstrated… Read More »China’s AI Strategy Is Rewriting the Economics of American Technological Power
The United States proudly celebrates itself as a nation of immigrants, founded not on blood or ancestry but on the ideals of liberty, constitutional government, and equal citizenship. Yet throughout much of its history, a competing vision has existed alongside that ideal: the belief that “real Americans” are defined not… Read More »The Construction of the Perpetual Foreigner: How American Law Defined Who Belonged
American companies—ranging from early-stage Silicon Valley startups to major enterprises like DoorDash, Airbnb, and Siemens—are increasingly integrating Chinese AI models into their core architectures. While top-tier U.S. proprietary models (like OpenAI’s GPT series or Anthropic’s Claude) still lead in raw frontier benchmarks, Chinese models have captured massive enterprise market share… Read More »Why US companies use Chinese AI!
China has adopted a sophisticated regulatory approach designed to allow large corporations to compete vigorously while protecting smaller players like local restaurants and delivery services from being crushed. This strategy relies on a combination of new laws, sector-specific standards, and shifting policy philosophy. Tackling “Involution” and Protecting Small Businesses The… Read More »Competition and Coexistence: How China Balances Big Tech and Small Business
During recent military escalations in the Middle East, intelligence and defense analysts have documented a major shift in Iran’s tactical doctrine. Tehran has systematically transitioned its drone, cruise missile, and ballistic missile guidance systems away from US-controlled GPS toward China’s BeiDou-3 (BDS-3) navigation satellite system. This integration of Chinese “eyes”… Read More »How Beidu has helped Iran!