Administration
Jan 23 | Bloomberg
The Biden administration has confronted China's government with evidence that suggests some Chinese state-owned companies may be providing non-lethal military and economic assistance for Russia's war effort in Ukraine, as it tries to ascertain if Beijing is aware of those activities. More
Jan 23 | Reuters
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's three-country trip to Africa aims to show the continent the United States is a true partner, one here for the long-haul. African officials have broadly welcomed the United States' renewed engagement. But the timing, two years into Biden's four-year term, is viewed by many as "late and somewhat half-hearted." More
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Taiwan
Jan 20 | AP
Taiwan has learned important lessons from Ukraine's war that would help it deter any attack by China or defend itself if invaded, Taiwan's top envoy to the U.S. said. Among the lessons: Do more to prepare military reservists, as well as civilians, for the kind of all-of-society fight that Ukrainians are waging against Russia. More
Jan 20 | VOA
In a Lunar New Year reception attended by top CCP leaders, President Xi issued a veiled warning to the United States, stressing that China will be engaged in "serious struggles" against separatism and interference in its relations with Taiwan. More
118th Congress
Jan 24 | SCMP
The U.S. Defense Department is in the ‘early stages’ of planning for McCarthy’s visit to Taiwan, expecting it to take place this spring. Beijing is likely to understand that McCarthy’s opposition party status differentiates the situation from Nancy Pelosi’s visit last year, analysts say. More
Jan 24 | Roll Call
Mike Gallagher (R-WI), the head of the newly created House select committee centered on strategic competition with China, says his committee will occupy two lanes: owning niche topics – such as banning social media app TikTok – and shining a spotlight on discussions and work already being championed in the House, such as the importance of enhancing "hard power west of the international dateline." More
Jan 22 | CNN
House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Michael McCaul (R-TX) seeks to tamp down speculation that the new GOP majority will be less likely to fund aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia: "If Ukraine falls, Chairman Xi in China's going to invade Taiwan," McCaul said. More
Geopolitics
Jan 23 | NYT
In the Solomon Islands, China has opened a large embassy, started construction on a stadium complex, and signed secretive deals with the government on security, aviation, telecommunications and more. Curiosity about China's big spending and lending has given way to concern and a simmering anger among Solomon Islanders. "There's no proper consultation with the people," one tribal chief said. "No one is happy about it." More
Jan 20 | WSJ
Many of China's Belt and Road infrastructure projects are plagued with construction flaws, including a giant hydropower plant in Ecuador, adding more costs to a program criticized for leading countries deeper into debt. Some projects have also been called mismatches for countries' infrastructure needs or damaging to the environment. More
Jan 19 | Nikkei Asia
Afghanistan's Taliban-led administration is pursuing new economic ties with China in an effort to end its isolation from the rest of the world, starting by inking a 25-year oil extraction contract with the Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas company (CAPEIC). CAPEIC is expected to invest $150 million in the country in the first year of the contract and $540 million over three years. More
Military & Maritime
Jan 23 | WSJ
The war in Ukraine has exposed widespread problems in the American armaments industry that may hobble the U.S. military's ability to fight a protracted war against China. While the U.S.'s infusion of arms is credited with helping the Ukrainian forces blunt the Russian invasion, as American weapons inventories fall to a low level, defense companies aren't equipped to replenish them rapidly. More
Jan 19 | AP
Russia and China will conduct naval drills in the Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa next month, in another indication of their strengthening relationships with Africa's most developed country amid the war in Ukraine and global financial uncertainty. More
Tech & National Security
Jan 21 | NBR
In emerging and foundational technologies, the United States cannot take on China on its own. The Biden administration should continue to work closely with allies like Taiwan to encourage them to adopt complementary export controls within their own domestic jurisdictions aimed at limiting China's ability to develop and produce semiconductors. CSET's Emily Weinstein. More
Jan 20 | E&E News
The State Department pledged in an MOU to help build an EV battery supply chain in Congo and Zambia. This move counters China's control over production of EV batteries at a time of widespread concerns over global shortages of key minerals and labor abuses in African mines. More
Jan 20 | Bloomberg
The Netherlands and Japan, home to key suppliers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, are close to joining a Biden administration-led effort to restrict exports of the technology to China and hobble its push into the chips industry. The Dutch and Japanese export controls may be agreed to and finalized as soon as the end of January. More
Jan 18 | Bloomberg
Republican lawmaker Michael McCaul asked the Commerce Department for documents linked to the enforcement of export controls on sensitive technologies, amid concerns that the Biden administration isn't doing enough to restrict China's access to advanced semiconductors. More
Business & Investment
Jan 22 | FT
Top U.S. investment management firms, such as Capital Group, JPMorgan Asset Management, T Rowe Price and BlackRock, are going on a hiring spree in Europe as harsh anti-Covid measures and rising geopolitical tensions have pushed them to redouble their search for growth outside China. More
Jan 19 | NYT
Weary of crackdowns and lockdowns, Chinese businesspeople are moving out of China and taking their wealth with them. Many have found a new home in Singapore. More
Trade & Commerce
Jan 24 | Nikkei Asia
The Biden Administration hopes to quickly make progress in creating shared rules for the region this year, particularly in the digital sector, and to regain the initiative in the U.S.-China contest for economic leadership in Asia, as part of its U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. More
Jan 18 | WSJ
USTR Katherine Tai said the world needs to shift to a new trading system that aims to promote inclusiveness, resilience and sustainability. "We can't just be pursuing the lowest cost and the maximum cost efficiency," she said. Rather, the new system requires participants to pay premiums in exchange for "an insurance policy to make sure that when we run into problems...we have systems that can help us bounce back." More
Economics
Jan 22 | WSJ
China's economic reopening will raise demand for commodities and could ease supply-chain bottlenecks, in turn boosting prices and complicating matters for the Federal Reserve and other central banks that have been raising interest rates to fight inflation by slowing economic growth. More
Inside China
Jan 20 | Sixth Tone
This summer, Jiangxi province suffered a record-breaking drought and high temperatures that resulted in severe losses for farmers. Experts warn that with global warming already underway, extreme events like these are likely to become a new normal. More
Jan 20 | Nikkei Asia
Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng is reportedly set to become vice president after being left out of the Communist Party's top decision-making body last fall, suggesting that President Xi is not using the role as a steppingstone for a potential future leader. Han is expected to be named to the post at the National People's Congress opening March 5, replacing Wang Qishan. More
Jan 20 | FT
The best explanation for the falling birth rate in China is the simplest: like women the world over, Chinese women are no longer so willing to birth and bring up children. In order to correct low fertility and foster high-quality growth, the Chinese government needs to invest in children and address critical women's issues, including workplace discrimination. More
Jan 18 | Bloomberg
China plans to launch a government-backed app called "Strong Nation Transport" to integrate a variety of transportation services. The app will target government and state enterprise employees, bringing dozens of mobility providers from car-sharing services and freight forwarders to railway operators under a single online umbrella. More
Covid-19
Jan 22 | FT
Drug shortfalls that hit hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai last month as Covid cases surged are expanding into rural areas as bureaucratic inefficiency, pricing disputes with pharmaceutical companies and overspending on testing capacity have resulted in a shortage of resources. More
Jan 21 | Reuters
The possibility of a big COVID-19 rebound in China over the next two or three months is remote as 80% of people have been infected, a prominent government scientist said. More
Jan 20 | Reuters
The World Health Organization's immunization director praised China for making quick progress on vaccinating older people with COVID-19 shots and boosters since lifting anti-virus controls last month. More
Xinjiang
Jan 23 | Foreign Affairs
The infrastructure of control that made southern Xinjiang look like a war zone a few years ago – intrusive policing, military patrols, checkpoints – is less visible now. But that is because digital surveillance systems based on mobile phones, facial recognition, biometric databases, QR codes, and other tools that identify and geolocate the population have proved just as effective at monitoring and controlling local residents. Despite the ongoing abuses, the world has paid little attention to the atrocities in Xinjiang over the last few years. More
Anti-Asian Racism
Jan 20 | Roll Call
The newly established bipartisan House select committee tasked with studying strategic challenges coming from the Chinese government has aroused concerns in the Asian American community that lawmakers may wind up fueling anti-Chinese bigotry and broader anti-Asian discrimination in the United States. More
Jan 22 | LA Times
Among rising violence and incidents of bias against Asian Americans, the killings in Monterey Park on Saturday have sent shock waves and questions through the Asian community. More
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