Blog
I believe the most important thing Americans must do is to secure their economic well-being in an increasingly challenging, complex world. What I have written about all these years is the process of creating wealth, not for any one individual, but for the United States as a whole. Ever since I was a young correspondent witnessing the emergence of China after the country opened in 1979, I’ve believed we have to get more serious about creating wealth. I retain faith in the resiliency of the U.S. economy and the enterprise of American people. If Americans have the right strategies, we can once again create widespread wealth. Come with me on this journey.
The Salt Typhoon Failure
March 20, 2025
The American government and private sector have essentially failed to respond to China’s Salt Typhoon penetration of U.S. telecommunications systems, including those of AT&T and Verizon. They used Cisco routers to get inside. One key problem is that the private sector does not want to spend billions of dollars on building systems that are truly […]
President Trump, ever hear of the Smoot-Hawley tariffs?
March 5, 2025
This is the kind of downward spiral you may be triggering.. Can you spell d-e-p-r-e-s-s-i-o-n? From Wikipedia: The Tariff Act of 1930 (codified at 19 U.S.C. ch. 4), commonly known as the Smoot–Hawley Tariff or Hawley–Smoot Tariff,[1] was a law that implemented protectionist trade policies in the United States. Sponsored by Senator Reed Smoot and Representative Willis C. Hawley, it was signed by President Herbert Hoover on June 17, 1930. […]
Tom Friedman and the New York Times editorial page continue to day dream when it comes to China
December 26, 2024
When I was Beijing bureau chief for United Press International in the early 1980s, we press hacks used to joke about visitors making their first trips to China, spending perhaps two weeks in the country. They could write entire books, they were so confident of their knowledge. But if a visitor spent two months in […]
Why America Can’t Get The Chinese Out of our Communications Networks
December 18, 2024
As this New York Times front page article attests, U.S. officials believe the Chinese cyber attack groups, Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon, are still in American telecommunications networks. The author of the article, David Sanger, calls it “the most significant assault on American critical infrastructure in the digital age.” He adds: “Officials have said they do […]
The New York Times editorial page runs another silly opinion piece about China
December 13, 2024
The editorial department, as opposed to the news department, today prints a very long guest essay by Jameel Jaffer and Genevieve Lakier, who both have legal backgrounds in Chicago. It is entitled, “The Supreme Court Must Intervene in the TikTok Case.” These two are complete unknowns to most people involved in China watching, myself included. […]
