Tobin Harshaw, Columnist

China Wins in the Clouds But Loses on Earth

Despite Beijing’s strength in AI and aerial weaponry, it’s starting to lag behind the US in rare earths and real estate.

May 25, 2025 at 12:00 PM UTC

By Tobin Harshaw

Tobin Harshaw is a Bloomberg Opinion senior editor and columnist on national security and military affairs. Previously, he was deputy editor at the op-ed page of the New York Times and the newspaper’s letters editor.

Innovation taking flight.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

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Last week, I wrote about trade sanctions. I wasn’t blathering about the massive tariffs that President Donald Trump insists will level the playing field (they won’t), boost the economy (nope) and bring back good manufacturing jobs to American workers (unlikely, especially if he keeps threatening the nation’s largest employer).