The Trivium China Podcast

Data has become one of the most important inputs in the modern economy, especially as access to high-quality information increasingly shapes the global race to develop artificial intelligence.
But while US policymakers tend to view data primarily through a national security lens, Beijing is pursuing a much broader strategy aimed at unlocking data’s economic value.
On this week’s Trivium China Podcast, host Andrew Polk is joined by Trivium’s Head of Tech Policy Research Kendra Schaefer to explore why China has formally designated data as a “factor of production” – and how that idea is reshaping the country’s technology and economic policies.
The two discuss:
Why low-cost Chinese open-source AI models are increasingly attractive to Western companies
How restricting access to those models could undermine US competitiveness
What Beijing means when it describes data as the economy’s fifth factor of production
China’s efforts to make data easier to find, price, trade, and use as collateral
Why Beijing views data security rules as necessary guardrails for a functioning data market
How China’s approach could strengthen its AI ecosystem by increasing the supply of high-quality data
Andrew and Kendra also examine the absence of a coherent, pro-growth US data strategy – and why Washington’s overwhelming focus on security risks may be leaving significant economic gains on the table.
Overall, the discussion reveals that China’s seemingly disparate data policies are part of a much larger project: building the infrastructure needed to turn data into a more productive and widely traded economic asset.

China’s economy has lost momentum after a surprisingly strong start to the year.
But while many analysts are asking why Beijing isn’t doing more to stimulate growth, this week’s Trivium China Podcast explores a different question: why are policymakers deliberately choosing not to?
Pod host Andrew Polk is joined by Trivium’s Head of Markets Research Dinny McMahon to examine why Beijing may be quietly embarking on its first genuine economy-wide deleveraging effort in years, and what that could mean for China’s growth model.
The two discuss:
Why recent weakness in investment, consumption, and the property sector won’t trigger a major stimulus package
Whether Beijing’s annual fiscal "stimulus" has become more theater than meaningful economic support
How slowing credit growth could signal a deliberate shift in macroeconomic strategy
Why strong exports and rising inflation may have created a rare opportunity to reduce leverage
Why policymakers appear to be prioritizing future borrowing capacity over stronger short-term growth
Andrew and Dinny also explore what slower credit growth means for businesses and investors and how Beijing's evolving priorities could complicate trade negotiations with Europe and other major trade partners.

China’s economy started 2026 with surprising momentum – but the latest monthly macro data underscores that many of the country’s underlying challenges remain firmly in place.
On this week’s Trivium China Podcast, host Andrew Polk is joined by Trivium’s Lead Macro Analyst Joe Peissel to unpack the latest economic data and what it reveals about the increasingly uneven nature of China’s growth story.
The two discuss:
Why China’s economy is increasingly operating on “two tracks”
The continued boom in AI, semiconductors, clean energy, and export-oriented manufacturing
Why much of the rest of the manufacturing sector is struggling
The first year-on-year decline in retail sales since the pandemic
What collapsing auto sales reveal about the limits of Beijing’s trade-in subsidy program
Why consumer confidence continues to deteriorate despite policy support
Andrew and Joe also examine the growing constraints on policymakers as fiscal pressures mount across the country.
Overall, the discussion reveals an economy that remains remarkably strong in a handful of strategic industries – but increasingly fragile everywhere else.

It’s been a busy few weeks for Chinese diplomacy, with Xi Jinping making a rare trip to North Korea while tensions between Beijing and Brussels continue to climb over trade, industrial policy, and the future of Europe’s manufacturing base.
On this week’s Trivium China Podcast, host Andrew Polk is joined by Trivium’s Head of Geopolitical Research Joe Mazur and Head of Clean Energy and EV Research Cosimo Ries to unpack these two critically important developments in China’s external relations.
First, Andrew and Joe break down Xi’s first trip to North Korea in nearly seven years and what it reveals about Beijing’s priorities amid shifting regional dynamics.
The two discuss:
Why Xi chose North Korea for his first foreign trip of 2026
China’s complicated relationship with its only formal treaty ally
How North Korea’s growing ties with Russia are reshaping Beijing’s calculations
What practical outcomes may emerge from the visit
Then, in the second half of the pod, Andrew, Joe, and Cosimo turn to Europe, where concerns about Chinese industrial competition are fueling calls for tougher trade and investment measures.
The conversation covers:
Whether “China Shock 2.0” is the right way to think about Europe’s challenges
Growing tensions between the EU and China over trade imbalances and industrial policy
Why clean energy, EVs, and advanced manufacturing sit at the center of the dispute
How Chinese companies are responding through localization and investment in Europe
Whether Europe and China are headed toward a full-blown trade war – or a prolonged period of managed friction
As always, the guys cover a lot of ground, so sit back and enjoy!

China’s local governments have spent the past four years grappling with the fallout from the property market collapse. Land sales have dried up, fiscal pressures remain intense, and officials across the country are still searching for sustainable new sources of revenue.
On this week’s Trivium China Podcast, host Andrew Polk is joined by Trivium’s Head of Markets Research Dinny McMahon to discuss one of the most important – and least understood – developments in China’s fiscal landscape: asset revitalization.
The two unpack how local governments are increasingly turning underutilized state-owned assets into new revenue streams, and why the strategy may become a key pillar of Beijing’s broader effort to stabilize local finances.
Their conversation covers:
Why local governments remain under severe fiscal pressure after the collapse of the property market
What “asset revitalization” actually means in practice
How provinces are monetizing everything from mining rights and industrial land to transport hubs and public facilities
How several local governments are already generating meaningful new revenue from the strategy
The role asset revitalization could play in easing local government austerity and supporting domestic demand
The risks of self-dealing, hidden leverage, and unsustainable one-off transactions
Whether asset revitalization can become a durable solution to China’s local government debt and revenue challenges
While asset revitalization is unlikely to solve China’s fiscal problems on its own, Andrew and Dinny argue it may be emerging as one of the most important pieces of the local government finance puzzle – and a development investors and China watchers should be following closely.