Viking Bohman
@vikingbohman.bsky.social
I keep track of China’s sanctions, export controls and other tools of economic statecraft | PhD Candidate @FletcherSchool | Associate @kinacentrum
https://kinacentrum.se/en/medarbetare/viking-bohman/
https://kinacentrum.se/en/medarbetare/viking-bohman/
Reposted by Viking Bohman
Old habits die hard? PRC travel warnings underline arguments Viking, Audrye and I make in @twqgw.bsky.social recently: tinyurl.com/twq25
Also align with new @nbr.org piece on how PRC sanctions neighbours: tinyurl.com/nbr10
Despite shiny "new economic weapons", old tools and logics remain relevant.
Also align with new @nbr.org piece on how PRC sanctions neighbours: tinyurl.com/nbr10
Despite shiny "new economic weapons", old tools and logics remain relevant.
November 15, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Old habits die hard? PRC travel warnings underline arguments Viking, Audrye and I make in @twqgw.bsky.social recently: tinyurl.com/twq25
Also align with new @nbr.org piece on how PRC sanctions neighbours: tinyurl.com/nbr10
Despite shiny "new economic weapons", old tools and logics remain relevant.
Also align with new @nbr.org piece on how PRC sanctions neighbours: tinyurl.com/nbr10
Despite shiny "new economic weapons", old tools and logics remain relevant.
Reposted by Viking Bohman
In his new piece comparing U.S. and Chinese economic strategy, Fareed Zakaria references research from Fletcher PhD student @vikingbohman.bsky.social. @washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Opinion | Trump now plays by China’s rules
The U.S. wins through openness and innovation, not tariffs and centralized planning.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:53 PM
In his new piece comparing U.S. and Chinese economic strategy, Fareed Zakaria references research from Fletcher PhD student @vikingbohman.bsky.social. @washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Reposted by Viking Bohman
China does not always rely on charm offensives to shape the behavior of its Borderlands neighbors but has also regularly used economic coercion. Read Audrye Wong, @vikingbohman.bsky.social and @victoraferguson.bsky.social's new study.
strategicspace.nbr.org/pressure-on-...
strategicspace.nbr.org/pressure-on-...
Pressure on the Periphery: China’s Economic Coercion in the Borderlands - Mapping China's Strategic Space
Over the past two decades, economic sanctions have emerged as a central instrument in the foreign policy toolkit of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). As the most valuable export destination for ma...
strategicspace.nbr.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:39 PM
China does not always rely on charm offensives to shape the behavior of its Borderlands neighbors but has also regularly used economic coercion. Read Audrye Wong, @vikingbohman.bsky.social and @victoraferguson.bsky.social's new study.
strategicspace.nbr.org/pressure-on-...
strategicspace.nbr.org/pressure-on-...
Reposted by Viking Bohman
China’s rare earth export controls have gone global. Can it enforce them? – SCMP: ‘China does not yet have a comparable compliance architecture underpinning its export control regime’
China’s rare earth export controls have gone global. Can it enforce them?
As economies look to diversify rare earth supplies in wake of China’s broad export controls, analysts say measures will be hard to implement.
www.scmp.com
October 19, 2025 at 4:19 PM
China’s rare earth export controls have gone global. Can it enforce them? – SCMP: ‘China does not yet have a comparable compliance architecture underpinning its export control regime’
Reposted by Viking Bohman
Pleased to contribute to the latest @eastasiaforum.bsky.social Quarterly on the rise of economic security cooperation in Asia. The piece draws on work @vikingbohman.bsky.social @limdarrenj.bsky.social and I have been collaborating on for a while. More to come soon.
eastasiaforum.org/2025/10/04/s...
eastasiaforum.org/2025/10/04/s...
October 4, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Pleased to contribute to the latest @eastasiaforum.bsky.social Quarterly on the rise of economic security cooperation in Asia. The piece draws on work @vikingbohman.bsky.social @limdarrenj.bsky.social and I have been collaborating on for a while. More to come soon.
eastasiaforum.org/2025/10/04/s...
eastasiaforum.org/2025/10/04/s...
Excited to see our database mentioned in @economist.com today alongside comments by Rebecca Arcesati and @mmaggiori.bsky.social
The China Sanctions Monitor, developed with @victoraferguson.bsky.social and Audrye Wong, tracks more than 200 cases of China’s economic sanctions from 2010 to today ...
The China Sanctions Monitor, developed with @victoraferguson.bsky.social and Audrye Wong, tracks more than 200 cases of China’s economic sanctions from 2010 to today ...
August 13, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Excited to see our database mentioned in @economist.com today alongside comments by Rebecca Arcesati and @mmaggiori.bsky.social
The China Sanctions Monitor, developed with @victoraferguson.bsky.social and Audrye Wong, tracks more than 200 cases of China’s economic sanctions from 2010 to today ...
The China Sanctions Monitor, developed with @victoraferguson.bsky.social and Audrye Wong, tracks more than 200 cases of China’s economic sanctions from 2010 to today ...
Judging from the US–China joint statement after talks in Stockholm, and clarifications from China’s Ministry of Commerce, Beijing is again showing no sign of committing to roll back the export controls it has tightened on critical raw materials during the trade war.
August 12, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Judging from the US–China joint statement after talks in Stockholm, and clarifications from China’s Ministry of Commerce, Beijing is again showing no sign of committing to roll back the export controls it has tightened on critical raw materials during the trade war.
Reposted by Viking Bohman
“China’s government spending has pivoted toward social welfare to a degree unseen for at least a generation” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
China’s Social Spending Hits Highest Level in Nearly Two Decades
China’s government spending has pivoted toward social welfare to a degree unseen for at least a generation, as it runs a record budget deficit with a focus on boosting consumption to cushion the blow ...
www.bloomberg.com
August 4, 2025 at 9:16 PM
“China’s government spending has pivoted toward social welfare to a degree unseen for at least a generation” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
New in @thewirechina.bsky.social: Audrye Wong, @victoraferguson.bsky.social and I on how China’s export controls mirror Western frameworks but keep strategic flexibility through vague legal wording
www.thewirechina.com/2025/07/13/c...
www.thewirechina.com/2025/07/13/c...
China’s Elastic Export Controls - The Wire China
Beijing’s economic coercion is getting smarter.
www.thewirechina.com
July 14, 2025 at 2:32 PM
New in @thewirechina.bsky.social: Audrye Wong, @victoraferguson.bsky.social and I on how China’s export controls mirror Western frameworks but keep strategic flexibility through vague legal wording
www.thewirechina.com/2025/07/13/c...
www.thewirechina.com/2025/07/13/c...
Reposted by Viking Bohman
NEW: Some bonkers numbers in China's May customs data.
Detailed figures came out Fri when I was off, so took a deep dive today
First big picture EU stuff:
China's EU exports up 12%
China's EU imports down 2.37%
There is a 22% increase in the EU's China deficit in May alone
Detailed figures came out Fri when I was off, so took a deep dive today
First big picture EU stuff:
China's EU exports up 12%
China's EU imports down 2.37%
There is a 22% increase in the EU's China deficit in May alone
June 23, 2025 at 4:16 PM
NEW: Some bonkers numbers in China's May customs data.
Detailed figures came out Fri when I was off, so took a deep dive today
First big picture EU stuff:
China's EU exports up 12%
China's EU imports down 2.37%
There is a 22% increase in the EU's China deficit in May alone
Detailed figures came out Fri when I was off, so took a deep dive today
First big picture EU stuff:
China's EU exports up 12%
China's EU imports down 2.37%
There is a 22% increase in the EU's China deficit in May alone
China’s sanctions strategy is evolving fast.
In a new study, we map 200+ PRC economic restrictions from 2010–2025—the first database to capture the full range of sanctions, from informal state-backed boycotts to formal measures like export controls. /w @victoraferguson.bsky.social, Audrye Wong /1
In a new study, we map 200+ PRC economic restrictions from 2010–2025—the first database to capture the full range of sanctions, from informal state-backed boycotts to formal measures like export controls. /w @victoraferguson.bsky.social, Audrye Wong /1
June 20, 2025 at 2:04 AM
China’s sanctions strategy is evolving fast.
In a new study, we map 200+ PRC economic restrictions from 2010–2025—the first database to capture the full range of sanctions, from informal state-backed boycotts to formal measures like export controls. /w @victoraferguson.bsky.social, Audrye Wong /1
In a new study, we map 200+ PRC economic restrictions from 2010–2025—the first database to capture the full range of sanctions, from informal state-backed boycotts to formal measures like export controls. /w @victoraferguson.bsky.social, Audrye Wong /1
Reposted by Viking Bohman
Exclusive: US-China trade truce leaves military-use rare earth issue unresolved, sources say – Reuters: ‘Beijing has not committed to grant export clearance for some specialized rare-earth magnets that U.S. military suppliers need for fighter jets and missile systems, the people said.’
Exclusive: US-China trade truce leaves military-use rare earth issue unresolved, sources say
Beijing has not committed to grant export clearance for some specialized rare-earth magnets that U.S. military suppliers need for fighter jets and missile systems, the sources said.
www.reuters.com
June 15, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Exclusive: US-China trade truce leaves military-use rare earth issue unresolved, sources say – Reuters: ‘Beijing has not committed to grant export clearance for some specialized rare-earth magnets that U.S. military suppliers need for fighter jets and missile systems, the people said.’
Reposted by Viking Bohman
Bloomberg: #China Forced to Keep Unprofitable Firms Alive to Save Jobs & Avoid Unrest
Saddled with the most loss-making industrial companies since 2001, Xi is trying to avoid mass layoffs. Protests rose 41% in the 4th Q from same period in 2023 www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Saddled with the most loss-making industrial companies since 2001, Xi is trying to avoid mass layoffs. Protests rose 41% in the 4th Q from same period in 2023 www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
June 13, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Bloomberg: #China Forced to Keep Unprofitable Firms Alive to Save Jobs & Avoid Unrest
Saddled with the most loss-making industrial companies since 2001, Xi is trying to avoid mass layoffs. Protests rose 41% in the 4th Q from same period in 2023 www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Saddled with the most loss-making industrial companies since 2001, Xi is trying to avoid mass layoffs. Protests rose 41% in the 4th Q from same period in 2023 www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Reposted by Viking Bohman
Dan and I have substantially revised our paper after engaging with colleagues. It has been a particularly tough paper for me to think through and digest the why, how, and what of WTO collective action in response to the United States' trade actions. @ssrn.bsky.social papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
June 6, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Dan and I have substantially revised our paper after engaging with colleagues. It has been a particularly tough paper for me to think through and digest the why, how, and what of WTO collective action in response to the United States' trade actions. @ssrn.bsky.social papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Viking Bohman
1/A government that is willing to do this is the same government that would nationalize a company. It is the same mentality of state-market relations. This is not an issue of Universities need to stand up. The whole free market system needs to stand up.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
Shock at Harvard After Government Says International Students Must Go
www.nytimes.com
May 23, 2025 at 12:07 PM
1/A government that is willing to do this is the same government that would nationalize a company. It is the same mentality of state-market relations. This is not an issue of Universities need to stand up. The whole free market system needs to stand up.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/u...
Reposted by Viking Bohman
One thing worth pointing out:
Trump is doing his best to hand the Europeans to Beijing on a plate.
That China is unwilling to give even an inch in negotiations with Brussels, even as it puts on the charm with European capitals, tells you all you need to know on how it views Europe.
Trump is doing his best to hand the Europeans to Beijing on a plate.
That China is unwilling to give even an inch in negotiations with Brussels, even as it puts on the charm with European capitals, tells you all you need to know on how it views Europe.
NEW: EU threatens to walk away from trade showdown with China over lack of progress
Further evidence that even as Trump doubles down on his hostility towards EU, prospects of detente with China appear remote
With my great colleague on the spot in Beijing, Laura Zhou
www.scmp.com/news/china/d...
Further evidence that even as Trump doubles down on his hostility towards EU, prospects of detente with China appear remote
With my great colleague on the spot in Beijing, Laura Zhou
www.scmp.com/news/china/d...
EU threatens to walk away from trade showdown with China over lack of progress
The bloc’s ambassador Jorge Toledo said he was ‘afraid we are not going to hold’ key talks paving the way for a leaders’ summit.
www.scmp.com
May 23, 2025 at 1:53 PM
One thing worth pointing out:
Trump is doing his best to hand the Europeans to Beijing on a plate.
That China is unwilling to give even an inch in negotiations with Brussels, even as it puts on the charm with European capitals, tells you all you need to know on how it views Europe.
Trump is doing his best to hand the Europeans to Beijing on a plate.
That China is unwilling to give even an inch in negotiations with Brussels, even as it puts on the charm with European capitals, tells you all you need to know on how it views Europe.
Reposted by Viking Bohman
Yicai: "Seventy-five percent of the Chinese foreign trade enterprises interviewed by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade intend to expand into emerging markets to compensate for shrinking exports to the United States."
www.yicaiglobal.com/news/75-of-c...
www.yicaiglobal.com/news/75-of-c...
75% of Chinese Exporters Eye Emerging Market Expansion to Offset US Tariffs, Trade Body Finds
www.yicaiglobal.com
April 29, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Yicai: "Seventy-five percent of the Chinese foreign trade enterprises interviewed by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade intend to expand into emerging markets to compensate for shrinking exports to the United States."
www.yicaiglobal.com/news/75-of-c...
www.yicaiglobal.com/news/75-of-c...
Reposted by Viking Bohman
Thanks for the opportunity and the many useful questions and comments!
@uisweden.bsky.social had the pleasure to host @stephenwalt.bsky.social at a packed research seminar on his new book. Also celebrating the inauguration of our new building in central Stockholm. Looking forward to seeing the book in print, Steve!
April 29, 2025 at 5:14 AM
Thanks for the opportunity and the many useful questions and comments!
Reposted by Viking Bohman
The Chinese government has warned South Korean companies of retributions for exporting any product containing its critical metals to US military contractors.
www.kedglobal.com/economy/news...
www.kedglobal.com/economy/news...
China bans export of Korean goods containing its rare earth metals to US - KED Global
The Chinese government has warned South Korean companies of retributions for exporting any product containing its critical metals to US military contractors, a
www.kedglobal.com
April 23, 2025 at 5:37 AM
The Chinese government has warned South Korean companies of retributions for exporting any product containing its critical metals to US military contractors.
www.kedglobal.com/economy/news...
www.kedglobal.com/economy/news...
Had fun speaking with students at Taiwan National University about what makes research 'policy-relevant' -- it gave me a reason to revisit this article which I think holds up quite well www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
April 21, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Had fun speaking with students at Taiwan National University about what makes research 'policy-relevant' -- it gave me a reason to revisit this article which I think holds up quite well www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Reposted by Viking Bohman
I would interpret the US tariff exemptions primarily as an attempt to mitigate the impact on electronics and consumers more than as a signal of a US-China deal. The exempted categories cover about 22% of US imports from China. content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd...
April 12, 2025 at 2:49 PM
I would interpret the US tariff exemptions primarily as an attempt to mitigate the impact on electronics and consumers more than as a signal of a US-China deal. The exempted categories cover about 22% of US imports from China. content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd...
These exempted product categories seem pretty significant. The fact that Trump couldn’t pretend to fully follow through on his tariff threats for more than a few days without caving to lobbying from US firms doesn’t exactly signal strength to Beijing
on.ft.com/4lkutXo
on.ft.com/4lkutXo
Trump exempts smartphones from ‘reciprocal’ tariffs after market rout
Dispensation is first sign of softening of levies against China and provides a big boost for Apple
on.ft.com
April 13, 2025 at 3:54 AM
These exempted product categories seem pretty significant. The fact that Trump couldn’t pretend to fully follow through on his tariff threats for more than a few days without caving to lobbying from US firms doesn’t exactly signal strength to Beijing
on.ft.com/4lkutXo
on.ft.com/4lkutXo
Reposted by Viking Bohman
Some big exemptions to Trump's reciprocal tariffs here, notably on consumer goods like smartphones, laptops, earphones etc. Big win for US tech, esp Apple. www.ft.com/content/3eb4...
Trump excludes smartphones from reciprocal tariffs after market rout
Exemption is first sign of softening of levies against China and provides a huge boost for Apple
www.ft.com
April 12, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Some big exemptions to Trump's reciprocal tariffs here, notably on consumer goods like smartphones, laptops, earphones etc. Big win for US tech, esp Apple. www.ft.com/content/3eb4...