CSIS Chinese Business & Economics

What does the future hold for U.S.-China technological competition? In a major new CSIS report, our experts argue that the key is technological dexterity—the ability to build strengths across different technology types, where advantages in one domain compound advantages in others. Explore our comparative analyses of technology and innovation ecosystems of the United States, China, and U.S. allies in 'TechEdge'. Read the full report here: csis.org/analysis/tech-…

What did the Trump-Xi summit achieve? Listen to @KennedyCSIS, Amb. Edgard Kagan, and Dr. Bonny Lin share their takeaways as Trump heads back from Beijing on a new episode of State of Play. Listen here: youtube.com/live/QXWxztXJj…

My interview on @FoxNews sharing analysis from the opening hours of President Trump's state visit to China. youtu.be/jSsjxa0D8IU?si… via @YouTube

“China comes into this meeting far more confident than in 2017, when it feared even a small rise in U.S. tariffs. In the last year, Xi has been able to push back and neutralize much of Trump’s actions,” said @KennedyCSIS. Read here: cnbc.com/2026/05/14/tru…

Enjoyed being on @wbur @hereandnow with @tongscott to discuss the current ceasefire in US-China relations, what might be achieved during the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, & what won't be achieved. wbur.org/hereandnow/202….

"I don't think that [economic competition] is going to be worked out in this summit and may never be fully addressed, because the U.S. and China are now competing for the exact same part of the economic pie. They're both at the high end." Listen to @KennedyCSIS on Marketplace: marketplace.org/story/2026/05/…

@KennedyCSIS spoke with @BBC news about what to expect from Trump's visit to China - what the priorities are for each side and how the the six week delay may have shaped the agenda.

In my interview with the @BBC, I explain how the 6-week delay in the Trump-Xi summit is likely to affect what they discuss and the deliverables.

JUST OUT - my Trump-Xi summit preview. Bottom line: despite domestic problems such as a slowly growing economy, Chinese confidence is high, due to combo of major tech advances, success in pushing back against US tariffs & export controls, and a reset in ties with many Western govts. csis.org/analysis/confi…

OUT NOW: Ahead of the Trump-Xi summit this week, @KennedyCSIS looks back at what’s changed since Trump’s first and last visit in 2017 and explains why China is more confident in its ability to manage relations with the U.S.. Watch here: youtu.be/Ja_pJ2_Iz14

OUT NOW: When President Trump arrives in Beijing this week he will be met with a city and a country that has changed remarkably in the eight-and-a-half years since he last visited. @KennedyCSIS breaks down why China's leadership is confident going in to the summit. Read here: csis.org/analysis/confi…

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez made his fourth consecutive visit to China last month, making him the most frequent China traveler of any major Western leader since COVID. In a new Trustee China blog post, Antonio Tintoré Vicent writes about Spain's approach to China, and what it means for the EU’s pursuit of strategic autonomy. Read here: csis.org/blogs/trustee-…

American companies operating in China are increasingly pessimistic about their prospects. To learn why revisit this episode of China Field Notes, where Scott Kennedy speaks with Han Shen Lin, China Managing Director for the Asia Group and Associate Professor of Practice in Finance at NYU Shanghai. Listen here: csis.org/podcasts/china…

As Trump heads to Beijing May 14, revisit @KennedyCSIS report on what an illiberal turn could mean for a potential deal. This shift may make a China deal more likely. But the open question is whether a stabilized U.S.-China relationship under those terms is something worth celebrating. Read here: csis.org/analysis/unite…

Worth revisiting: @KennedyCSIS and @Mazzocco_Ilaria on why the line between "private" and "state-owned" in China is blurrier than U.S. policy debates often assume — and why that argues for case-by-case review of Chinese firms, not one-size-fits-all measures. Read here: bigdatachina.csis.org/can-chinese-fi…

Striking chart worth resurfacing: in 2014, "lack of ability" and "lack of effort" topped the list of why Chinese respondents thought people were poor. By 2023, "unequal opportunity" and "unfair economic system" had taken their place. Revisit our Big Data China feature: bigdatachina.csis.org/is-it-me-or-th…

BYD's sales fell for an eighth straight month in April, but overseas sales of passenger vehicles and pickup trucks was up 35%. Learn about how Chinese EVs from companies like BYD are reshaping emerging economies. Read more here:csis.org/analysis/globa…

Since 2018, battery projects have helped drive a record wave of industrial spending that has seeded new manufacturing clusters across the South and Midwest. Learn more about the state of the U.S. battery industry in a new report from our colleagues @CSISEnergy: csis.org/analysis/new-p…

"In contrast to pharma, EVs, and other successes, China’s efforts at making its own commercial aircraft should be counted so far as a failure. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) finally delivered its first narrow-body airliner, the C919, in late 2022, but it has been slow to ramp up production." Read more about China's innovation triumphs and struggles here: csis.org/analysis/china…

Learn more about the complexities of civil society in an authoritarian context and the unintended consequences of governance reforms under Xi Jinping by revisiting our China Field Notes podcast with Jessica Teets of Middlebury College. Listen here: csis.org/podcasts/china…