Our guest today is economist Noah Smith, who made time for an in-person interview during his recent trip to Taiwan. He runs the Noahpinion substack and is the author of an upcoming book on the revival of the Japanese economy.
We discuss…
The goals of Silicon Valley's pro-Trump constituency, from deregulation, to tariffs, to China policy,
Whether Elon is standing up for Taiwan behind closed doors,
Whether Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Poland need their own nuclear weapons,
How Taiwan could bargain for independence with China’s leaders post-Xi,
National health insurance as a potential solution to China’s aggregate demand problem,
A Georgist perspective on China’s real estate problem,
Why China’s demographic issues are overstated,
Recommendations for Taiwan’s economic development.
To hear more of Noah's musings, check out Econ 102, a podcast by Turpentine.
Outtro music: Wifey by Dizzy Dizzo 蔡詩芸 (Youtube Link)
Cover art: 清 冷枚 梧桐双兔图
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