China moves up the value chain, to advanced manufacturing and increasingly frontier technology. Why the U.S. still claims to favor free markets.
SWIFT Explained: Its Function and Real Significance in Global Finance SWIFT, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, plays a central role in the modern global financial system by enabling secure and standardized communication between banks and financial institutions. Its core function is to transmit payment instructions and other financial messages across borders with speed … Read more
I. The De Facto “G2” Economic Loop A. Mutual Benefit Through Asymmetric Global Roles For decades, the United States and China have functioned as a de facto “G2,” quietly orchestrating a global economic system that primarily serves their own interests. Their roles are complementary and asymmetric: the United States issues the world’s reserve currency, consumes … Read more
Unlike the U.S. defense industry’s evolution toward privatization, consolidation, and an emphasis on high-margin experimental systems, China has pursued a state-directed, integrated, and gradual modernization strategy. Beginning in the 1950s, China prioritized centralized coordination, built a comprehensive military-industrial foundation, and systematically adapted civilian technologies for military use. This long-term approach has enabled China to steadily … Read more
I. Trigger Event: The Tom Cotton–Shou Zi Chew Hearing 1. What Happened During a congressional hearing in February 2024, U.S. Senator Tom Cotton repeatedly pressed TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew with questions centered on Chew’s personal background rather than the company’s operations. Cotton fixated on Chew’s nationality, asking whether he had ever applied for Chinese … Read more
This study undertakes a critical examination of the logic behind the so-called “China global price revolution,” exploring how and why it has functioned, where it shows structural weaknesses, and under what conditions it might fail. By situating this analysis within a broader historical and economic context, the discussion considers how China’s impact on global prices … Read more
I. Reframing the “Great Divergence”: Not Race or Values, but Cost-Efficient Violence and Industrial Power 1. The Foundations of the Great Divergence: Power, Production, and Coercion The historical “Great Divergence” between the Global North and the Global South was not enabled by racial superiority, cultural refinement, or the intrinsic legitimacy of Western values. Rather, it … Read more
I. The Central Paradox of Global University Rankings Global university rankings are commonly presented as neutral, technical instruments designed to measure academic excellence. In reality, they operate as culturally and politically embedded systems, shaped by language dominance, commercial incentives, and historical power structures. Far from being objective scorecards, these rankings privilege particular academic traditions—most notably … Read more
1. A General Assessment of “We Warned About the First China Shock. The Next One Will Be Worse” The July 14, 2025 New York Times article, “We Warned About the First China Shock. The Next One Will Be Worse,” by David Autor and Gordon Hanson, presents a forceful intervention in the debate over U.S.–China economic … Read more
In Western discourse, “rebalancing” between China and the West is often framed as a neutral, technical adjustment—addressing trade imbalances, supply-chain resilience, or national security concerns. Yet this language obscures its political function. Rather than a dispassionate economic correction, rebalancing frequently operates as a tool of power, shaped by a global order historically structured around Western … Read more
In Africa, China often accomplishes projects that American and European companies struggle to execute—a reality rooted not in abstract national superiority, but in structural, historical, and institutional differences in engagement. Drawing on the experiences of Chinese engineers and firms on the ground, this dynamic is particularly evident in large-scale infrastructure and development, where China’s approach, … Read more