Seeking the next DeepSeek: What China’s generative AI registration data can tell us about China’s AI competitiveness

    Download data set (.xlsx) In the early months of 2025, Chinese AI startup DeepSeek caught global observers off guard by releasing a highly advanced large language model (LLM) that matched top-tier Western offerings in both performance and scale. DeepSeek’s sudden and unexpected rise has highlighted a lack of clear understanding of China's generative AI innovation landscape among investors, policymakers, and

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    China’s 2025 economic plan

    It’s already March, and yet this is my first weekly wrap of the year. Being honest, I’ve tried to dip my toe back in several times – but with things moving so quickly, it’s often felt too daunting to write a step-back piece on any given week of China-related developments. But key moves on the domestic macro-policy and trade war

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    Trivium’s Policy Influence Index: The top 20 advisors shaping Chinese economic strategy

    Trivium’s Policy Influence Index (PII) continuously tracks over 700 policy advisors, evaluating their relative influence on China’s macroeconomic and financial policy discourse. We regularly update the index as advisors rise in prominence or see their influence diminish. This latest edition of the PII features the 20 advisors we currently rank as the most influential. You can find an explanation of

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    China showcases its export control regime with new critical minerals curbs

    Chinese authorities are ramping up their use of export controls to hit back economically at the US – and they’re just getting started. The latest: On Monday, the Biden administration unveiled new updates to its export controls on sales of semiconductors and semiconductor equipment to China. The rules – released by the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) –

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    The weekly recap: China’s strategy for navigating US trade war 2.0

    China’s leadership is showing remarkable creativity when it comes to its evolving approach to an all-but-certain second-round trade war with the US. In case you’ve been living off-grid: The incoming Trump administration is poised to ratchet up tariffs on a range of countries – starting with China. The only real questions seem to be: How high will the tariffs be? While Trump has

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    The weekly recap: Chinese leaders’ slow shift toward boosting consumption

    I’m starting to sense that a major macro-policy shift is underway in Beijing – but, as with all such adjustments, it will take a while to fully play out. At least, that’s my take after having had a few days to digest the latest fiscal support package announced by the legislature (NPCSC) on Friday. The shift: Central officials seem to

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