
Geopolitical analyst and aspiring 担担面馆老板. Former Shanghailander, now based in Washington, DC. In @Slate, @Forbes, @Diplomat_APAC, @qz, @abcnews
Washington DC
Joined December 2015
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Daniel Rechtschaffen retweeted
This is a really funny Xi video, which I've never seen before. I just added subtitles in English to it 👇
He explains the art of giving gifts to foreign leaders. The South Korea anecdote is particularly hilarious: he explains that when China had to find a gift for President Park Geun-hye, they went through her autobiography, where she wrote that if she’d ever had a first love (she was unmarried), he would be Zhao Zilong, a legendary general from the Three Kingdoms. So they had Fan Zeng, one of China’s most famous painters, paint her crush 😂
Xi can’t resist adding that Zhao Zilong happens to come from Zhengding, the county he ran in the 1980s, which makes him "very proud too."
Xi’s actual point is that good diplomacy is personal and that you need to do deep research on the people you’re dealing with: reading their biographies, knowing their taste, their history, etc. It signals respect and, as he puts it, is "a very, very effective way of reaching people’s hearts."
Daniel Rechtschaffen retweeted
What I like about the Chinese Air Force One is that they didn't even bother to take off the Star Alliance logo.
So I have to assume my United card still gives me miles if I buy some youtiao on that plane
scmp.com/news/china/diplomac…
Is the USMCA evolving from a free trade agreement into an instrument of economic statecraft? My latest @WarOnTheRocks article examines how Washington is using the review to advance supply chain resilience, investment screening, and other economic security priorities across NorAm.
Washington now has a standing veto it can use every six years, plus a yearly pressure campaign it just switched on. Deficits explain neither of those. warontherocks.com/is-washing…
Daniel Rechtschaffen retweeted
China’s Humanoid Robot Playbook Is Becoming a Regulatory State Project
...beneath the headlines, Beijing is constructing something potentially more important than any single company robot model: a comprehensive governance, standards, testing, and lifecycle management framework for embodied intelligence.
Daniel Rechtschaffen retweeted
特写镜头:
习近平和川普交谈时,王毅一直背身与助理谈话。一旁的蔡奇多次提醒王毅,但王毅很久后才转身。
蔡奇面露不满小声嘟囔,王毅则像小学生一样低下头。
My WOTR piece argues that Trump's visit won't change the negative US-China trajectory. On the contrary, another US-China rupture is likely before the end of Trump’s term and will escalate beyond tariffs to include weaponizing supply chains and other tools of economic statecraft.
Big expectations surround a possible Trump trip to China. The reality may be far less transformative. warontherocks.com/2026/03/tr…
Data shows how US increased its GPU cluster performance following the October 2022 AI semiconductor controls. Was about tied with China in 2022, now at 75% vs China's 14%.
epoch.ai/data-insights/ai-su…
Couple hundred people protesting union rights outside @USDOL in #WashingtonDC right now. Lots of signs decrying #Musk: "stop the billionaire takeover", "hands off our data", "nobody elected Musk". – at Washington, DC
The #Resistance is finally showing signs of life. – at Washington, DC
One positive aspect of Trump's return to office is that I'll finally be able to dust off my favorite headline of all time: "A Trump-Xi-turvy situation" (that's copyrighted FYI) – at Washington, DC
Daniel Rechtschaffen retweeted
Missed this Vox piece last week - many big errors in just one graf
1. Taiwan's status has not always been ambiguous
2. Taiwan modernized under Japanese colonialism before KMT arrival
3. KMT seized Taiwan in 1945
4. ROC was established in China in 1912
vox.com/world-politi...
Daniel Rechtschaffen retweeted
Chinese immigrants to the US, increasingly well-educated and affluent, are living their best lives here, free to read what they want, do what they want, and say what they want. They're bringing some of China's avant garde culture here, writes @61LiuYi in this brilliant article.
Daniel Rechtschaffen retweeted
some really stark findings in here
I'm immensely proud to share that my new report on semiconductor equipment export controls is out! It's full of new and previously non-public data that I think gives helpful insight.
Please help spread the word!
csis.org/analysis/true-impac…
Daniel Rechtschaffen retweeted
Ideological opponent of China, Javier Milei, President of Argentina, describes to The Economist his delight at discovering that the Chinese are fabulous trade partners for a large agricultural exporter like Argentina: “They are fabulous. I mean, I swear to you, they do not ask for anything. Nothing. They want to trade calmly. And you know what? We have economies that are complementary. Therefore, the well-being of Argentines requires that I deepen commercial ties with China. Why? Because they are complementary economies.”
Daniel Rechtschaffen retweeted
Miao Hua being purged is a much bigger deal than Dong Jun
Miao is on Xi’s Central Military Commission, unlike Dong
Miao also worked in Fujian when Xi was a local leader there, suggesting that Xi is concerned enough about PLA corruption to take down people he may know well
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Daniel Rechtschaffen retweeted
I hate Halloween in DC. What do you mean you’re the ghost of Chevron deference?
Daniel Rechtschaffen retweeted
Hear from Control Risks Senior Analyst @Daniel Rechtschaffen in Washington, DC and subscribe to our US Elections Monitor for more analysis of key developments and their business implications, straight to your inbox: controlrisks.com/campaigns/u…


























