By Quinn Ennis, Yale University 2026 1990 Institute Prize Winner Annual UC San Diego 21th Century China Center China Focus Essay Contest Abstract The Lithium Triangle of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile holds the majority of known lithium reserves in the world. Though Chinese and U.S. firms have spent billions of dollars to secure their individual lithium extraction networks, this money has flowed into a governance vacuum. There is no binding multilateral standard that governs t

By Patrick Luczak, UC San Diego and Abraham Wu, UC San Diego 2026 Jimmy Carter Center Prize Winner Annual China Focus Essay Contest of the 21th Century China Center, UC San Diego Abstract Most of digital life feels instant and wireless. Messages move, video calls connect, and AI answers arrive in seconds. But much of that traffic still depends on physical submarine cables running across the ocean floor. Submarine cables are easy to ignore because they work so well. As U.S.-Ch

By Hanyue Zhang, Syracuse University 2026 1990 Institute Runner Up Prize Winner Annual 21th Century China Center at UC San Diego China Focus Essay Contest Abstract U.S. technology sanctions and semiconductor export controls are often presented as a successful coalition-building strategy aimed at constraining China’s technological advancement. This essay argues that they also impose an “alliance tax” on America’s partners, forcing middle powers to absorb economic, industrial,

By Yaqi Li, Nanyang Technological University 2026 1990 Institute Runner Up Prize Winner Annual 21th Century China Center at UC San Diego China Focus Essay Contest Abstract Under the second Trump administration, the United States has shifted decisively from AI governance to deregulation. Yet over the same period, U.S.–China cooperation on AI governance research did not collapse; it intensified. This essay distinguishes between policy cooperation, which has broken down, and res