China automates while America hesitates. I have a piece in the NYT today arguing that America's strategy to compete with China in manufacturing is fundamentally misconceived — and that we're heading toward a reckoning we're not prepared for. 1/

nytimes.com/2026/02/24/opi… The consensus in Washington is that China cheats, so we need tariffs and subsidies to level the playing field. There's some truth to that. But it badly misses the deeper challenge. 2/

1/12 This Foreign Affairs piece by Dan Wang and Arthur Kroeber argues the US misunderstands why China succeeds in tech and manufacturing. The problem isn't that China "cheats" - it's built deep infrastructure enabling rapid innovation. I agree.

buff.ly/ZpA3DSo 2/12 China's real advantage is systematic investment in manufacturing know-how. Millions of workers and engineers have learned to make complex products efficiently and improve them continuously through hands-on experience.

New research reveals China's transformation from technology imitator to innovation leader in clean energy. China now dominates not just manufacturing, but the fundamental research and patents that will define our energy future. 1/12

nytimes.com/interactive/20… The patent data is striking: China filed more than twice as many high-quality clean energy patents as the US in 2022. These are international filings across multiple countries—indicating serious technological breakthroughs worth protecting globally. 2/12

China is the world’s largest C02 emitter and we can’t solve the climate crisis without China. But while it has become the largest market for renewables, it also invests in coal plants at an alarming rate. I’ve written a short piece to explain this. 1/

oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/o… The key to making sense of China’s climate & energy policies is to realize that it’s not a monolithic state. Different government agencies and different levels of government have very different interests. 2/