Desmond Shum
@DesmondShum
Author of Red Roulette. Ex China real estate developer, ex CPPCC member, ex CFA, ex Beijinger … Current Hong Konger, current dad, current home chef, current…
The Cult of the Bedside Whisperers “Bedside Whisperer” — or as the Chinese internet mockingly calls it, “聽床師” (literally, the bedside listener) — is the perfect title for those self-styled China watchers who act like they’re crouched under Xi Jinping’s mattress, eavesdropping…
Four Hours with Xu Chenggang: On Power, Memory, and the CCP Of the hundreds of books I’ve read on modern Chinese history, Institutional Genes: China’s Institutions and Totalitarianism by Xu Chenggang @ChenggangXu2024 stands out as one of the most incisive and important. Drawing…
China’s Century of Demographic Reversal A 2025 population forecast by Tsinghua University and the Southwest University of Finance and Economics outlines a long-term demographic headwinds for China. Here are the four key takeaways: songxichen.com/Uploads/Files/… 1. China’s Population…
Two Kinds of China Experts—and Why the Difference Matters Before I posted my last piece on China specialists, my wife told me to hold off—I might ruffle some feathers. Ruffle feathers? After Red Roulette, I’ve already ruffled the CCP’s. Who else should I be worried about? 😇…
From Insider to Observer: What I See in the China Field Since publishing my memoir and joining X four years ago, I’ve followed the “China” space closely. What I’ve seen: instant experts, outdated frameworks, and a closed circle of analysts reinforcing one another. The field…
Excellent commentary by Andrew Small @ajwsmall on the upcoming EU–China summit. Xi’s China consistently overplays its hand—one reason why China finds itself increasingly isolated in the West today. gmfus.org/news/just-show…
From Insider to Observer: What I See in the China Field Since publishing my memoir and joining X four years ago, I’ve followed the “China” space closely. What I’ve seen: instant experts, outdated frameworks, and a closed circle of analysts reinforcing one another. The field…
Who Is Singapore Really Speaking For? Just watched Singapore’s foreign minister at Aspen. Polished as always. But let’s be honest—Singapore consistently presents itself as a neutral voice for Asia. It’s not. Here’s why that framing is misleading and why Singapore speaks only for…
Receivables Roulette: Foreign Bankers and the Chinese Blame Game An American banker specializing in international trade finance has reportedly been barred from leaving China by government authorities. wsj.com/world/china/we… I’ve seen this play before in my previous life.…
Maoist Echoes in Xi’s China: The Politics Behind a Word The People’s Daily wants to revive “同志” (comrade) as a mainstream title. It’s not just nostalgia. In CCP China, even a greeting signals ideological control, moral reprogramming, and anti-capitalist intent. Here’s what it…
I’ve Seen This Movie Before: From Matsushita to Tesla I can’t help but reminisce in response to what Lingling Wei has written in the Wall Street Journal about Tesla on its way out of China. I have personally witnessed this playbook replayed again and again over the past three…
For decades, American companies saw China as the ultimate prize. But fundamentally, they appear to have misunderstood the transaction. They thought they were hiring a contractor; Beijing knew it was running an apprenticeship. wsjchina.cmail20.com/t/d-e-surjhdy-…
A Thread of My Chineseness The writing underneath came with plenty of help from ChatGPT—my English isn’t that good 😊. But it fully captures what I felt after watching this video—a glimpse into China before CCP took full control. Too bad the video is only in Chinese…
Britain’s Ace Up the Sleeve—Left Unplayed Purely from a poker perspective—no morality here—the Labour government doesn’t seem to realize the strength of the hand they’re holding. With the U.S. locked into a hardline stance on China, and the EU drifting closer to Washington due…
Not surprising really: the British govt lives under the delusion that China is central to the U.K. growth agenda, and that it can turn a blind eye to its own evidence of. China’s interference and espionage
From Overcapacity to Overmatch: China’s Civilian Factories as Tools of War China’s manufacturing strength is increasingly revealing itself not just as an economic asset, but as a cornerstone of national defense. In mid-2025, Russian state media claimed that China could produce…
Revolutionary Rhetorics, Ruthless Realities: The CCP’s Long Tradition of Internal Struggle After spending decades closely observing—and often directly engaging with—Chinese Communist Party officials and bureaucrats, I’ve come to believe that outside analysts routinely…