Month: January 2022

Supply Chain Woes Prompt a New Push to Revive U.S. Factories

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Called near-shoring, the move to Mexico is paralleled in Europe with factories opening in Eastern Europe to serve Western European markets like France and Germany. “We’re starting to see it in Mexico as well as in the U.S.,” said Theresa Wagler, chief financial officer of Steel Dynamics, a steel maker based in Fort Wayne, Ind. “Many companies now prefer security of supply over cost.” Mr. Knizek of EY-Parthenon expects industries with complex and more expensive products to lead the resurgence, including automobiles, semiconductors, defense, aviation and pharmaceuticals. Anything that requires…

China Looks to Play More Active Role in Horn of Africa Conflicts

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Advertisement China is poised to take a more active role in the Horn of Africa’s security issues, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi announcing the creation of special envoy post for the region. Wang made his announcement from Kenya, the second stop on his three-country tour of Africa. His visits to Eritrea, Kenya, and Comoros is in keeping with China’s tradition of sending its foreign minister to visit Africa as his first trip of each new year. Although Wang did not specify any issues the new special envoy would be working…

MI6 chief thanks China for ‘free publicity’ after James Bond spoof

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The head of MI6 has thanked China’s state news agency for “free publicity” after it posted a James Bond spoof video in response to a statement he made last year that Beijing was the spy agency’s “single greatest priority”. Richard Moore, codenamed C, intervened after Xinhua released an extraordinary four-minute English-language video featuring a pair of supposed British spies, James Pond and an apparent Marvel universe recruit, Black Window. Xinhua said the video, entitled No Time to Die Laughing, was leaked footage of a secret meeting between the British spies…

Xi’an Is China’s Biggest Covid Challenge Since Wuhan

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Every two days at the University of Xi’an in China, cleaners dressed in white hazmat suits taped tight to their bodies disinfect the dormitory hallways. Zhang Shengzi, a 24-year-old student, said the smell is so pungent she has to wait some time after they’ve gone before she will open her door again. She can barely leave her room, let alone campus, and all her classes are online. Ms. Zhang’s university, like the rest of Xi’an, has been under a citywide lockdown since Dec. 22. It is the longest lockdown in…

Xi’an Residents Voice Frustration Amid Lockdown

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Advertisement Residents of the Chinese city of Xi’an are enduring a strict coronavirus lockdown, with business owners suffering yet more closures and some people complaining of difficulties finding food, despite assurances from authorities that they are able to provide necessities for the 13 million people largely confined to their homes. Stringent measures to stem outbreaks are common in China, which still maintains a policy of stamping out every COVID-19 case long after many other countries have opted to try to live with the virus. But the lockdown imposed December 23…

The Impact of Jan. 6 Is Still Rippling Throughout the World

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Up until Jan. 6, one might have seen these developments through the lens of ordinary American politics, with its disagreements on issues like trade, immigration and abortion. But the uprising marked the moment when a significant minority of Americans showed themselves willing to turn against American democracy itself and to use violence to achieve their ends. What has made Jan. 6 a particularly alarming stain (and strain) on U.S. democracy is the fact that the Republican Party, far from repudiating those who initiated and participated in the uprising, has sought…

As Beijing Takes Control, Chinese Tech Companies Lose Jobs and Hope

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The video platform that laid off Mr. Zhao, iQiyi, had an abysmal quarter, losing about $268 million. Its share prices fell by 85 percent from its high in 2021, reflecting investors’ concerns that the company, once aspiring to be China’s Netflix, will be short of shows that can attract more subscribers and advertisers. “The biggest problem for our industry is severe shortage of content supply,” iQiyi’s chief executive, Gong Yu, told analysts in November. He blamed, in part, censors’ slow approval. IQiyi did not respond to requests for comment. (Mr.…

China Is Targeting Lithuania. The EU Must Push Back.

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Advertisement China’s recent escalation of economic sanctions against Lithuania underscores the need for a coherent EU response. As Vilnius deepens ties with Taiwan, a direction entirely in line with EU policy, Beijing is aggressively pushing back by blocking all imports from Lithuania and threatening multinational corporations to fall into line or be excluded from the Chinese market. The EU’s response to such coercive measures targeting a member state is a test case for the normative power and aspiring global actor. Cracks first appeared between Vilnius and Beijing in May 2021,…

Desperation as China’s locked down cities pay price of zero-Covid strategy

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Strict lockdowns in the Chinese cities of Xi’an and Yuzhou are taking their toll on the population and healthcare systems, according to residents, with complaints of food shortages and dangerous delays in accessing medical care. Xi’an, a city of 13 million people, has been under a strict lockdown for nearly two weeks, while Yuzhou’s 1.2 million residents have been ordered to stay inside since Monday evening, after three asymptomatic cases were discovered. Public transport, the use of private motor vehicles, and operation of all shops and venues not supplying daily…