This is your Beijing Bytes: US-China Tech War Updates podcast.

Listeners, this is Ting on Beijing Bytes, and wow, what a two weeks! The US-China tech war has been everything but boring — think sanctions flip-flops, hackers doing somersaults through telecom hardware, and backroom deals worthy of a cyberpunk drama.

Let’s talk hackiness first, because no tech war update is complete without some state-sponsored shenanigans. The Chinese group best known as Salt Typhoon has gone full throttle, targeting “edge” devices at major telecoms like Comcast, South Africa’s MTN Group, and South Korea’s LG Uplus since February. Their specialty? Slipping into routers and switches on the edge, then using that foothold to try and worm into the core systems. Security researchers at Recorded Future say these attacks are usually about cyber-espionage — sniffing around for sensitive information or communications networks, sometimes even chasing juicy political targets. US officials have called out Salt Typhoon before, especially for their 2024 campaign targeting then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s communications. As always, attribution is a diplomatic minefield; China’s embassy spox Liu Pengyu basically threw down the “prove it!” card and called for “responsible characterization” of hacks.

Not to be outdone, multiple China-aligned groups like UNK_FistBump and UNK_SparkyCarp — fantastic names, by the way — dialed up attacks on Taiwan’s heavyweight chipmakers and industry analysts in what Proofpoint analysts call an ongoing espionage blitz. Their endgame? Probably stealing semiconductor secrets as China hustles to beef up domestic chip self-sufficiency, especially with all those US export controls in the mix.

Speaking of export controls: buckle up for policy whiplash. Just months ago, the Trump team had the US and China in a tariff dogfight — think 145% slams on almost everything. China hit back with crazy counter-tariffs, then both sides cooled it after intense Geneva and London negotiations, and miracles of miracles: real de-escalation. China’s Ministry of Commerce soft-pedaled their rhetoric, and Trump’s crew eased up on some of the most precious tech exports — notably letting NVIDIA resume shipping those long-coveted H20 AI chips to China. Even EDA software got a green light, meaning Chinese chip designers like SMIC have finally scrounged some essential tools back. Why? Rumor has it Trump is eyeing a “grand tech bargain,” using chips as leverage for things like rare earth mineral access and fentanyl cooperation.

But don’t mistake this for a full lovefest. Trump and US hawks still want home-field advantage on global AI infrastructure. Meanwhile, China’s regulators are doubling down on AI content labeling and rolling out digital IDs that put them squarely in the driver’s seat for data oversight — a move that’s both about party control and spooking foreign investors. Any switchback in trade or policy could send ripples through both countries’ tech sectors, with companies like NVIDIA, AMD, and their investors watching closely. The real wild card? China’s homegrown AI breakouts like DeepSeek, which have US tech giants sweating bullets over cheap, yet powerful, open-source models.

Where does it go next? Experts say keep your eyes peeled for more tit-for-tat negotiations: think grand gestures at summits, surprise rule changes for rare earths, and oh yes — waves of cyber probing beneath the surface. If economic stability keeps winning out, we might actually see a “tech detente.” But nobody’s putting away the ransomware just yet.

Thanks as always for tuning in to Beijing Bytes — hit subscribe to stay ahead of every hack and handshake. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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