Hello everyone - I’ve just started something new at my my Substack publication: the Trade War subscriber chat.
This is a conversation space in the Substack app that is exclusively for my subscribers — kind of like a group chat or live hangout where we can discuss China’s economy, politics, policy, and players. I’ll occasionally post short prompts, thoughts, and updates that come my way, and you can jump into the discussion.
My first chat - posted yesterday - was a prediction that Xi Jinping would meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, that then asked for all of your thoughts. Here’s what I wrote:
“Hi there, on the million yuan China question: My money is on Blinken getting the Xi meeting. First, Beijing holds Washington in suspense then, when the sit down finally happens, gets to look beneficent, with the U.S. in the supplicant role where China’s top officials want it. What’s the downside?”
Well I’m pleased to say, this time I turned out prescient and the meeting happened. More importantly, we got some interesting thoughts on U.S.—China relations in response from you the subscribers.
Going forward expect more similar prompts that I hope will spark interesting discussions on China amongst all of us. Note: I have not yet decided out what proportion of chats will be available to all and which will be only for paid subscribers, but I promise there will be both.
To join our chat, you’ll need to download the Substack app, now available for both iOS and Android. Chats are sent via the app, not email, so turn on push notifications so you don’t miss conversation as it happens.
How to get started
Download the app by clicking this link or the button below. Substack Chat is now available on both iOS and Android.
Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.
That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.