Damien Ma

Damien Ma

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Director at Paulson Institute; MacroPolo co‑creator; frequent China economy/markets insights

Energy Trilemma Remains Unsolved and Overlooked
SocialApr 20, 2026

Energy Trilemma Remains Unsolved and Overlooked

The energy trilemma is evergreen - we still can't solve it; some won't even recognize there is a trilemma. https://t.co/grC0cpV08V

By Damien Ma
Prioritizing Green, Cheap Energy Solves the Trilemma
SocialApr 14, 2026

Prioritizing Green, Cheap Energy Solves the Trilemma

This solves the energy trilemma by de-prioritizing secure and prioritizing achieving green and cheap energy transition. My version of the trilemma: https://t.co/YtnAs4vI0F

By Damien Ma
Firms Still Depend on Chinese Suppliers Despite Relocation
SocialApr 14, 2026

Firms Still Depend on Chinese Suppliers Despite Relocation

Ha, the real insight buried in a big provocative headline take The geography of assembly has changed but have the firms themselves changed or actually deepened reliance on Chinese suppliers? I've been asking this question for like 3 years: do we...

By Damien Ma
China and US Face Back-to-Back Election Sensitivities
SocialApr 11, 2026

China and US Face Back-to-Back Election Sensitivities

"Looking at broader macro-political dynamics, China has effectively started its “campaign season” as Xi eyes a fourth term beginning in 2027, followed by another US presidential election cycle in 2028. These overlapping timelines mean that both countries will, in relatively...

By Damien Ma
China Aims to Peak Coal Amid Political Hurdles
SocialApr 9, 2026

China Aims to Peak Coal Amid Political Hurdles

Amid all that's going on in energy markets, is China still trying to peak coal or is coal going to boom again? I believe it's the former and for real this time. But progress toward the peak isn't linear because...

By Damien Ma
China’s Energy Security Hinges on Surplus Coal, Not Oil
SocialApr 9, 2026

China’s Energy Security Hinges on Surplus Coal, Not Oil

China's energy security doesn't run through Hormuz but through tons of slack coal capacity at home. Yet Beijing's real goal for energy security is to peak coal and electrify everything. Put another way, China's energy security will be manufactured, literally. My...

By Damien Ma
Countries Prioritize Clean Transition over Chinese EV Origins
SocialApr 8, 2026

Countries Prioritize Clean Transition over Chinese EV Origins

Every time there's chart on here showing some mid sized or small country with a hockey stick curve of EV or e-bus adoption -- and there will be more -- it is almost always because they care more about the...

By Damien Ma
Chinese AI Cuts China Emissions, Boosts US, Japan
SocialApr 8, 2026

Chinese AI Cuts China Emissions, Boosts US, Japan

China's CAS released an LLM for carbon emissions accounting. The model apparently reduces China's contributions to emissions but increases US and Japan's. Is it open source, has anyone looked at it to see how it differs? Wrapping this in increasing...

By Damien Ma
US‑China Year Delayed, Focus Shifts to May
SocialApr 8, 2026

US‑China Year Delayed, Focus Shifts to May

Did a lengthy interview with @AmChamSh Insight magazine on what was supposed to be the "Year of US-China". But, ya know, events interjected in this topsy turvy world. Still, I'm sure we will be turning our attention to this come...

By Damien Ma
China's Excess Capacity Fuels Cheap Electrification in the Global South
SocialApr 6, 2026

China's Excess Capacity Fuels Cheap Electrification in the Global South

An interesting question to ponder is whether Chinese overcapacity is essentially indirectly subsidizing the electrification of the "global south". It's similar to countries buying oil on the cheap, typically to stockpile. At the moment, oil is of course not cheap....

By Damien Ma
China's Solar Aid Fuels Cuba's Renewable Push
SocialApr 6, 2026

China's Solar Aid Fuels Cuba's Renewable Push

"Beijing supplied 1 gigawatt of photovoltaic panels to the communist island last year and has promised more support as Cuba seeks to generate 15 per cent of its power from renewables in 2026, according to its new economic and social...

By Damien Ma
Electrification Hinges on Choosing Quality EV over Cheap Chinese
SocialApr 6, 2026

Electrification Hinges on Choosing Quality EV over Cheap Chinese

A lot of BYDs in Singapore. The speed and cost of electrification, at the moment, depends a lot on a very simple variable: whether you care more that it is a quality and affordable EV or care more that it...

By Damien Ma
Space Launches Are Now Routine, a Quiet Triumph
SocialApr 4, 2026

Space Launches Are Now Routine, a Quiet Triumph

Amid everything that's going on, it's worthwhile to sit back a bit and marvel at the fact that launching rockets into space doesn't inspire the same kind of awe that it did 50.years ago. And that's precisely the point, it is...

By Damien Ma
Commodified LLMs Shift Value From Model to Product
SocialMar 30, 2026

Commodified LLMs Shift Value From Model to Product

It's not so much that China made LLMs cheap. It's that commodification makes the model layer basically uninteresting. All about the product layer now.

By Damien Ma