118th Congress
Jan 29 | The Wire
Mike Gallagher, chair of the new Select Committee on China, talks about preventing Taiwan's future from becoming Ukraine's present, developing a framework for selective decoupling, and reminding people that the United States is the good guy. More
Jan 25 | WSJ
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is renewing a push to intensify oversight of foreign purchases of U.S. farmland. Legislation introduced in the House and Senate this week would add the agriculture secretary to a federal oversight panel and make clear that its goal includes protecting the U.S. agricultural supply chain from foreign interference. More
Taiwan
Jan 30 | The Hill
In urging "certain individuals in the U.S." to abide by the "one China" principle, China is calling on House Speaker McCarthy not to visit Taiwan. More
Jan 28 | Focus Taiwan
Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) has vowed to push forward with a measure to resume formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan and end the "one China" policy. Tiffany said he remains optimistic due to a greater awareness in Congress regarding Taiwan's sovereignty, resulting in part from Pelosi's August 2022 visit. More
Jan 26 | Nikkei Asia
Wang Huning, who was recently promoted within the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, has been tasked with creating the groundwork for Taiwan unification. Wang will write a new theoretical unification strategy, which could become a yardstick with which to measure progress and to decide if a military operation is necessary. More
Geopolitics
Jan 31 | SCMP
Russia's foreign ministry said Xi's visit would be a “main event” on the countries' bilateral agenda, although Beijing is yet to confirm the trip. The two leaders last met face-to-face in September. More
Jan 27 | WashPost
The Marshall Islands is enjoying playing its stronger hand in negotiations over a deal with the U.S. amidst escalating competition between the U.S. and China for geopolitical influence in the region. The Biden administration has agreed to pledge $700 million in financial support in exchange for significant control over Marshallese foreign policy and a long-term land lease for a military base. More
Jan 26 | The Hill
Questioning representatives from the Biden administration, senators from both sides of the aisle said sanctions against Chinese companies aiding in Russia's invasion of Ukraine do not go far enough, arguing that China is hiding behind affiliated companies in its support of Russia and cannot be allowed to act with impunity. More
Military & Maritime
Jan 27 | WashPost
U.S. Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan warned troops that China could be at war with the United States two years from now, asserting a shorter timeline before potential conflict than other senior U.S. defense officials. Gen. Minihan cited the 2024 presidential elections in Taiwan and the U.S. as part of his rationale. More
Jan 26 | WSJ
The first new Marine base since 1952, Camp Blaz is expected to house 5,000 Marines and be a hub for training in the Western Pacific. The new base will put armed forces closer to the front lines of potential conflict in the region and reduce U.S. reliance on keeping large numbers of troops in Japan. More
Influence & Espionage
Jan 28 | FT
Japanese companies are increasingly hiring risk executives and enhancing their intelligence gathering efforts, as investors call for disclosures on their response and readiness for contingencies such as increased tensions between the U.S. and China over Taiwan. More
Jan 27 | SCMP
Google says a China-linked influence network spread more than 50,000 spam and political messages on its platforms in 2022. While most of the content was innocuous and failed to draw viewers, the network has been experimenting with new tactics for spreading pro-China political narratives. More
Jan 26 | BBC
Ji Chaoqun has been jailed for eight years after being convicted for acting as an agent of a foreign government. He was found guilty of supplying information to the Jiangsu Province Ministry of State Security about eight scientists and engineers for possible recruitment. More
Tech & National Security
Jan 30 | AP
China's government criticized U.S. controls on tech exports as a trade violation after Japan and the Netherlands agreed to join Washington in limiting Beijing's access to materials to make advanced processor chips they say can be used in weapons. More
Jan 30 | Reuters
Shou Zi Chew will appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23, in what would be the first appearance of a TikTok CEO before a congressional panel. More
Jan 29 | WSJ
China's top nuclear-weapons research institute has bought sophisticated Intel- and Nvidia-made computer chips at least a dozen times in the past 2½ years despite its placement on a U.S. export blacklist in 1997. Widely available on the open market, the chips were acquired from resellers in China. More
Jan 27 | Axios
With a new law that bars TikTok from government employees' work devices kicking in soon, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) wants details on how it will be enforced. On Friday, he wrote to the OMB, the agency responsible for carrying out the law, to push its development of standards. More
Business & Investment
Jan 30 | Homeland Security Today
Senators Peters (D-MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Hawley (R-MO) are calling on the GAO to examine the national security risks posed by private consulting companies that concurrently contract with the U.S. government and the Chinese government or Chinese state-run enterprises. More
Jan 29 | Nikkei Asia
Sony Group has transferred production of cameras sold in Japanese, U.S. and European markets from China to Thailand, part of growing efforts by manufacturers to protect supply chains by reducing their Chinese dependence. More
Jan 26 | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) are voicing concerns about the influence of the CCP on companies investing in the United States. Both have, however, stopped short of supporting Virginia Gov. Youngkin's sudden decision to pull the state out of competition for a $3.5 billion EV project in partnership with a Chinese company. More
Jan 26 | SCMP
The Chinese foreign ministry's office in Hong Kong accused U.S. Consul General Gregory May of “intentionally smearing the business environment of Hong Kong" after May stated that "[U.S.] companies should be aware that the risks faced in mainland China are now increasingly present here in Hong Kong.” More
Jan 25 | Bloomberg
Overseas shipments of cars made in China have tripled since 2020 to reach more than 2.5 million last year. The country is poised to surpass Germany, the U.S., and South Korea to become the No. 2 exporter of passenger vehicles. China's increasing competitiveness in this sector could reshape the global auto industry and spark new tensions with trading partners and rivals. More
Trade & Commerce
Jan 30 | WSJ
Trade between China and Russia boomed last year, providing a lifeline to Russia's economy and showing the limits of Western sanctions. While Moscow boosted imports of technologies critical to its war in Ukraine, China's increased purchases of Russian oil more than offset the declines from major Western trading partners. More
Jan 27 | Asia Nikkei
Rising commodity prices and Beijing's push to promote imports from Africa increased trade by 11% to $282 billion in 2022, dwarfing two-way commerce between the United States and the continent. Africa mainly exported natural resources to China, such as crude oil, copper, cobalt, and iron ore, while its Chinese imports were frequently finished goods, like machinery, electronics, and textiles. More
Jan 27 | Reuters
China and the United States exchanged sharp criticism at a recent WTO meeting, with Beijing calling Washington a "unilateral bully" and the United States accusing Beijing of illegal retaliatory measures. The exchange occurred shortly after the U.S. lodged an appeal against a series of WTO rulings involving China which found that U.S. metal tariffs breached global rules. More
Climate & Energy
Jan 30 | Scientific American
That is nearly four times the amount of U.S. investments, which totaled $141 billion. The European Union was second to China with $180 billion in clean energy investments. China also dominated in low-carbon manufacturing, accounting for more than 90% of the $79 billion invested in that sector last year. More
Jan 26 | Reuters
A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House introduced a resolution to repeal President Biden's suspension of import tariffs on solar panels from four Southeast Asian nations. The move is aimed at propping up domestic solar manufacturers, which have struggled to compete with cheap panels made overseas — often by Chinese companies. More
Inside China
Jan 31 | NYT
Although the true toll of Covid deaths in China is hard to delineate, the worst seems to have passed, and the government is eager to shift attention to economic recovery. Restoring growth could help repair Xi's image, bruised after three years of stringent “zero Covid” policies. More
Jan 24 | FT
Xi will confirm a new batch of appointments to critical government roles in March, marking the completion of his consolidation of power as he embarks on the unprecedented third term as leader. The appointments will signal the emergence of a new set of factions among Xi loyalists, which will compete for control and influence — and ultimately succession. More
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