New Legislation
LAST WEEK: Jul 25 - Jul 31
H.Res.1260 | sponsored by Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND)
A resolution of inquiry requesting the President, and directing the Secretary of Energy, to transmit to the House of Representatives certain information relating to plans to draw down and sell petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and plans to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, especially pertaining to products under the ownership, control, or influence of the Chinese Communist Party, before Federal elections in November 2022.
H.Res.1285 | sponsored by Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE)
A resolution requesting the President to transmit certain information to the House of Representatives relating to a waiver of intellectual property commitments under the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and restricting the People's Republic of China's access to patents or other intellectual property related to COVID–19 vaccines, diagnostics, or therapeutics.
H.Res.1288 | sponsored by Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN)
A resolution of inquiry directing the Secretary of Labor to provide to the House of Representatives certain documents in the Secretary's possession relating to Unemployment Insurance fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention to programs flowing to criminal syndicates and fraudsters in foreign countries, including, but not limited to, China and Russia.
H.R.8488 | sponsored by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
A bill to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from sending petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China.
H.R.8544 | sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
A bill to impose sanctions with respect to the transfer of arms and related materiel by the People's Republic of China to the Russian Federation or the evasion or circumvention of United States sanctions or multilateral sanctions by the People's Republic of China with respect to the Russian Federation.
S.4620 | sponsored by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)
A bill to amend the Countering Russian Influence in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017 to impose sanctions with respect to the shipment or transshipment of petroleum products or liquefied natural gas products from the Russian Federation to the Peoples' Republic of China.
S.4652 | sponsored by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
A bill to authorize a defense lend or lease program with the Government of Taiwan. House companion bill H.R.8631 introduced by Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA).
S.4662 | sponsored by Sen. Christopher Coons (D-DE)
Making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023, including China-related programs.
S.Res.727 | sponsored by Sen. Todd Young (R-IN)
A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States should negotiate strong, inclusive, and forward-looking rules on digital trade and the digital economy with like-minded countries (as opposed to China) as part of its broader trade and economic strategy. House companion resolution H.Res.1294 introduced by Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA).
THIS WEEK: Jul 30 - Aug 05
Congressional Calendar
The Senate is in session. The House is in a district work period.
Committee Meetings
Aug 4 @ 10:30 am | Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Aug 3 @ 2:30 pm | Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Aug 3 @ 9:30 am | U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission
MORE CONGRESSIONAL ACTIONS
Jul 28 | CNBC
The bill includes more than $52 billion for U.S. companies producing computer chips, as well as billions more in tax credits to encourage investment in chip manufacturing. It also provides tens of billions of dollars to fund scientific research, and to spur the innovation and development of other U.S. technologies. More
Jul 26 | Bloomberg
Senator Rubio introduced a bill last week along with fellow Republicans Rick Scott, also of Florida, and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota that would impose penalties on any entity insuring or registering tankers shipping oil or liquefied natural gas to China from Russia, according to Rubio's office. More
Aug 01 | Reuters
In a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo dated July 28, Senator Schumer and a half-dozen other senators from both parties described the "growing threat" posed by Chinese semiconductor manufacturers like YMTC to national security and U.S. chip companies. More
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Biden Administration
Jul 28 | NYT
In their first direct conversation in four months, Mr. Xi sharply warned the United States against intervening in the conflict with Taiwan while Mr. Biden sought to reassure his counterpart. The two leaders could meet in person at upcoming international events in November. More
Jul 27 | WSJ
Speaking in New Delhi, USAID chief Samantha Power contrasted India's and China's approach to Sri Lanka's economic crisis, and called on Beijing to transparently join other nations in debt restructuring talks for troubled economies. More
Jul 29 | AP
Blinken will begin a five-nation tour of the two continents this week, starting in Cambodia where he will attend a Southeast Asian regional security forum at which both the Chinese and Russian foreign ministers are also expected to attend. Blinken will then visit the Philippines, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. More
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Geopolitics
Aug 01 | FA
Beijing has concluded that regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine, its own external environment has become more dangerous. Moving forward, China's foreign policy will increasingly be defined by a more bellicose assertion of its interests and the exploration of new pathways to global power that circumvent chokepoints controlled by the West. More
Jul 29 | WSJ
The Biden administration has created an arc of strategic cooperation that now stretches from Western to Eastern Eurasia, as a defensive oceanic “Rimland” against China and Russia. Will it be effective? More
Trade & Commerce
Jul 31 | Bloomberg
China's net foreign exchange settlement, which measures onshore conversion of foreign currencies into yuan, stood at $85.2 billion for the first half of the year, extending gains over the past two years. Cross-border receipts and payments also recorded a surplus of $83.4 billion. More
Jul 27 | USTR
According to the U.S. readout, ministers at the recent IPEF meeting "had positive and constructive discussions and reaffirmed their collective goal to pursue a high-standard and inclusive economic framework through ongoing and intensified engagements." More
Military & Maritime
Aug 01 | Times of Israel
In a statement, Biden reiterated that his administration is ready to “expeditiously negotiate” a replacement to New START, the treaty capping intercontinental nuclear forces in the United States and Russia, which is set to expire in 2026. More
Jul 29 | BBC
The BBC overviews China's defense spending and its recent advances in military technologies. More
Jul 28 | SCMP
Beijing has urged Seoul to uphold its previous president's commitment to refrain from installing more US-made anti-ballistic missile systems after South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin appeared to back away from the policy last week. More
Jul 27 | SCMP
Speaking at a public event, U.S. administration officials said there is "a clear and upwards trend" in Chinese provocations against South China Sea claimants. Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said in the event's keynote address that the Pentagon was working to declassify its record of occurrences so the public could judge. More
Higher Education
Aug 01 | SCMP
Only 2,481 American citizens went to China for studies in the 2019-2020 academic year, a 78.7 per cent drop from the previous year, marking a 10-year low. More
Jul 31 | The Hill
To succeed in the high-tech arms race, the U.S. must both increase homegrown talent and attract the world's best and brightest talent to our higher education institutions. The country's antiquated immigration system coupled with onerous requirements to study or work here are hindering these efforts. More
Tech Competition
Aug 01 | FT
China's “precarious” debt trajectory and its slowing population growth mean it could be eclipsed by India as the world's most important buyer of minerals in a decade. That could have wider implications for the Chinese economy but also the world's mineral and resources companies that rely on demand from Beijing for their own growth. More
Jul 29 | Bloomberg
A Chinese government entity responsible for public relations attempted to open a stealth account on TikTok targeting Western audiences with propaganda. The attempt, which met with push-back from TikTok executives, highlights the internal tensions within the fast-growing social media app. More
Jul 29 | Reuters
The two long-time allies agreed to establish a new joint research center for next-generation semiconductors during the newly formed economic "two-plus-two" ministerial meeting in Washington. More
Climate & Energy
Jul 30 | SCMP
Energy crisis sparked by Russia's war on Ukraine has left many Western nations planning a return to nuclear power. China has forged ahead as Western reactors languished, and can now sell cutting-edge technology at a low price, one research said. More
Jul 29 | SCMP
Southeast Asia has become one of the major offshoring destinations for Chinese solar companies since 2011, when the United States and Europe instigated anti-dumping and anti-subsidy probes against China, leading to hefty tariffs on solar imports from the country. More
Jul 29 | NYT
The $369 billion climate and tax package Democrats in the Senate proposed this week could have far-reaching effects on the kinds of cars that Americans drive, where those cars are made and how the country produces its energy. The legislation also aims to break China's hold on battery supply chains. More
Inside China
Jul 29 | WSJ
With Chinese growth slowing rapidly, the biggest surprise from last week's meeting of the Communist Party's top policy-making body was what didn't happen: No new fiscal stimulus; no relenting from the Covid-19 lockdowns; and no letup in a regulatory campaign targeting the property market. More
Jul 27 | Bloomberg
Beijing is welcoming back direct inbound passenger flights from overseas for the first time in more than two years as China eases parts of what is still the toughest pandemic border regime in the world. More
Human Rights
Jul 28 | WSJ
The committee raised concerns that the law, which was imposed on the city in June 2020, had led to an excessive number of trade unions and student unions relocating or ceasing operations as well as the arrest of more than 200 people, including 12 children. More
Jul 26 | Office of the Governor of Nebraska
Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts explains his decision to declare July 2022 as "Victims of Communism Month," with a focus on human rights abuses in China. More
Jul 26 | China File
Last month, the U.S. began enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Experts discuss the ultimate goal of such a law, and how its efficacy might be measured. More
Covid-19
Jul 27 | CNN
The leadership change comes amid a restructuring that has seen the China CDC moved from its position directly under the monolithic centrally controlled National Health Commission and placed within a new nominally streamlined bureau, borne of pandemic-era calls for reform. More
Jul 26 | AP
The research, published online Tuesday by the journal Science, shows that the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market was likely the origin of the disease that has now killed nearly 6.4 million people around the world. Scientists conclude that the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, likely spilled from animals into people two separate times. More
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