China slices salami in the Pacific

Busy navy, high-yield farming, Alibaba boost, Xi-Putin phone call, and more

This is The China Week, a succinct roundup of what you need to know to stay informed about the world’s other superpower. Each newsletter summarizes the most important stories of the previous seven days, with analysis or comment where suitable. The newsletter is free for the next few weeks—subscribe here if this was forwarded to you.

I’ll also link to noteworthy China stories and podcasts that are not newsy, including articles I worked on or edited. This week’s pieces are:

• An article on ChinaFile by Grace Marion: In Taiwan, a Growing Cohort of ‘Preppers’ Readies Itself for an Uncertain Future;

• The first episode of my new podcast series, Rhyming Chaos: How to commit a self-coup, in the U.S. and in China, with Geremie Barmé.

—Jeremy Goldkorn