(Preview) Party Building and Xi’s Dominance; Memory Chips and ASML Accusations; Germany’s Puzzling Push for Plaza Accords

**Andrew Sharp** (0:04)
Hello, and welcome to Sharp China. I'm Andrew Sharp, and you are listening to a free preview of today's episode.
Hello, and welcome back to another episode of Sharp China. I'm Andrew Sharp, and on the other line, Bill Bishop. Bill, how are you doing?

**Bill Bishop** (0:21)
I'm doing well, Andrew. I missed you last week. I know we had some scheduling issues. Sorry everyone, we missed an episode last week, but it's good to be back.

**Andrew Sharp** (0:27)
It is good to be back. Are you going to be watching the NBA draft on Tuesday night here?

**Bill Bishop** (0:33)
No.

**Andrew Sharp** (0:34)
Okay.

**Bill Bishop** (0:36)
I mean, who are the Wizards going to screw up about?

**Andrew Sharp** (0:39)
I like that you almost called them the Bullets for a minute there. Hopefully, they can change the name and rebrand somewhere along the way. They are choosing between AJ DeBansa and Darren Peterson, a guard from Kansas and a forward from BYU.
By the time people listen to this, they are recording this Tuesday afternoon, they will have chosen between the two. I want them to take Darren Peterson from Kansas, which virtually guarantees they will take AJ DeBansa.

**Bill Bishop** (1:08)
And then maybe they'll trade for a 42, 41-year-old LeBron.

**Andrew Sharp** (1:11)
Oh, my God. I mean, don't get me started. They handed out a horrible contract to Trey Young, their new starting point guard, on Monday. So this morning, I was on DC radio with the Junkies excoriating the Wizards for their terrible decision making. And they haven't even made the first pick yet. So all part of the fun with DC Sports.

**Bill Bishop** (1:32)
And sorry, this is not Sharp Wizards. So we will get back to China.

**Andrew Sharp** (1:37)
No, I mean, look, if it were Sharp Wizards, it would be far more depressing.

**Bill Bishop** (1:42)
So let's focus on China. It will be a very short podcast. All right.

**Andrew Sharp** (1:46)
Well, to begin today, I am going to read from your Monday newsletter. The best piece I have read so far, you wrote, on the new strain of She Thought, announced last week, is Xi Jinping's thought on party building and the four major changes in CCP governance by China Thought Express. This time a year ago, you write, the rumor mill was churning about alleged challenges to Xi. A year on, the rollout of Xi thought on party building should be seen as a sign of his dominance and that we have fully entered the personnel planning period for next year's 21st Party Congress. And so the context for that is that National Conference on Party Building was held last week, June 15th, and there was a shift in language from the General Secretary's important thought on party building to Xi Jinping's thought on party building.
What else was notable to you from the party building summit?

**Bill Bishop** (2:44)
No, I mean, I think what's just notable is how it has now become one of the sub bodies of Xi thought along with Xi thought on law, the economy, diplomacy, ecological civilization, and the military.
And the timing, of course, is interesting, just because, you know, Tsai Chi, his consigliere, the standing committee member, a long time sort of, you know, close aid, took over the party school, sort of a strange personnel move in the sense that he should have been running it a long time ago. But we don't know why it took so long. But, you know, that, and then this rolls out, and of course, Tsai Chi sort of oversees this conference on Xi thought on party building last week. We really are in the, you know, gearing up for the 21st Party Congress, likely next fall, fall of 2027

**Andrew Sharp** (3:34)
And as we gear up, this just further codifies Xi's primacy to everything that's going to be happening.

**Bill Bishop** (3:39)
It's Xi's party. You know, there's a study campaign underway. Today, we learned that, and I guarantee you, it will be a best seller. It will probably sell more than the regime change book about Trump that came out today. It's called the Get Ready.
It's called the Volumes 1 and 2 of Selected Works of Xi Jinping Go Party Building, just announced today.

**Andrew Sharp** (3:59)
There you go. Coming to the top of the best seller list in Beijing, I'm sure.

**Bill Bishop** (4:06)
The one thing is also what will be interesting, is as we get towards the 21st Party Congress, and everyone's going to be looking out, of course, you look at personnel, you look at other people who have arisen to the Standing Committee of the Politburo, they look like they could be potential successors to Xi. We don't know at this point.