Readings and Current Events
US-China Relations
US-China strategic competition unchecked is headed for disaster (East Asia Forum)
The world’s two largest powers are on a collision course. Strategic competition between the United States and China is ratcheting up, driven by both countries’ nationalism and psychologies of exceptionalism and righteousness which make it difficult to show weakness or back down in the face of perceived affronts to their dignity or interests.
Great Power Competition and Internal Politics in Asia, Then and Now (Lawfare)
As the U.S.-China rivalry increases, worries abound that a new Cold War will develop. For Asia, this concern is particularly ominous, as the Cold War there contributed to numerous bloody internal conflicts. Paul Staniland of the University of Chicago examines this period to draw lessons for how the region may respond to U.S.-China tension and how policymakers should consider the interplay between internal crises and foreign policy goals.
U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry Rekindles Contact With China at COP27 (Wall Street Journal)
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said on Tuesday that he spoke with his Chinese counterpart during the COP27 United Nations climate conference, rekindling contact between countries that are pivotal in the global effort to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
“We need to be talking to each other because we’re the two biggest economies in the world and the two biggest emitters,” Mr. Kerry told The Wall Street Journal at a live event at the Egyptian seaside resort where the 27th U.N. climate gathering is taking place.
China's security increasingly unstable, uncertain - China's Xi (Reuters)
China will comprehensively strengthen its military training and preparation for any war, state broadcaster CCTV quoted China's President Xi Jinping as saying on Tuesday.
China's security has been increasingly unstable and uncertain, Xi was quoted as saying.
Carnegie China Global Dialogue: U.S.-China Relations After the Midterms (Carnegie Endowment)
Amid the war in Ukraine, the Biden administration has maintained focus on China and enjoyed robust bipartisan support for pursuing a tough approach to Beijing. Recent U.S. export controls on semiconductors and related chip manufacturing equipment have raised the stakes of U.S.-China competition, and many in China now feel as though the United States is seeking to slow China's rise. Beijing, for its part, is not backing down from U.S. pressure. Unprecedented military drills around Taiwan after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei roiled bilateral ties. How might the U.S. midterm elections impact Biden’s China policy? Will Beijing amend its approach toward Washington after the 20th Party Congress?
China Economy
To rebalance its economy, China must do more than regulate the market – it must reform the state (South China Morning Post)
After China’s 20th party congress, there was a global sell-off of Chinese stocks from Hong Kong to New York. Among the most affected were Chinese internet platform companies, the subject of regulatory crackdowns in recent years. A common perception among foreign investors is that China’s economy may take a back seat to ideology and stability in the coming years.
EU-China Relations
Exclusive: China cancelled EU leader's video address at opening of major trade expo
Chinese authorities behind a major trade expo in Shanghai pulled an opening ceremony address by the European Council president that was set to criticise Russia's "illegal war" in Ukraine and call for reduced EU trade dependency on China, diplomats said.
The pre-recorded video by Charles Michel was meant to be one of several from world leaders and heads of international organisations, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the opening of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) on Friday, three European diplomats told Reuters.
US-China Technology Competition
Exclusive: Nvidia offers new advanced chip for China that meets U.S. export controls (Reuters)
U.S. chip maker Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) is offering a new advanced chip in China that meets recent export control rules aimed at keeping cutting-edge technology out of China's hands, the company confirmed on Monday.
Nvidia responded to Reuters' reporting that Chinese computer sellers are advertising products with the new chip.
The chip, called the A800, represents the first reported effort by a U.S. semiconductor company to create advanced processors for China that follow new U.S. trade rules. Nvidia has said the export limitations could cost it hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.
Apple Built Its Empire With China. Now Its Foundation Is Showing Cracks. (New York Times)
Every September, Apple unveils its latest phones at its futuristic Silicon Valley campus. A few weeks later, tens of millions of its newest handsets, assembled by legions of seasonal workers hired by its suppliers, are shipped from Chinese factories to customers around the world.
The annual release of Apple’s iPhones usually runs like clockwork, a prime example of how the U.S. tech giant has become the most profitable company of the globalization era by seamlessly navigating the world’s two largest economies.
Photo by Zach Heiberg on Unsplash