Joe Biden landed in the Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah to a tepid welcome from the Saudi crown prince whose country he once pledged to make a “pariah” on the world stage. While Saudi Arabia announced it would open its airspace to flights from Israel, making Biden the first US president to fly directly from Tel Aviv to the kingdom, expectations of further gains during his visit remained low. The US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told journalists onboard Air Force One not to expect any bilateral announcements in…
Month: July 2022
China’s Xi Jinping makes rare visit to Xinjiang
China’s president, Xi Jinping, has paid his first visit to Xinjiang in eight years, as western nations continue to accuse Beijing of genocide against the region’s mostly Muslim Uyghur population. State media reported on Friday that the visit from Tuesday to Thursday included stops at a university and a trade zone in the regional capital, Urumqi. A photo from the official Xinhua news agency showed a maskless Xi surrounded by smiling and clapping residents, many of them apparently Uyghurs wearing traditional costumes and Muslim prayer caps. It comes after a…
China Maritime Report No. 22: Logistics Support for a Cross-Strait Invasion: The View from Beijing
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) believes that logistics support is one of the key determinants of a successful large-scale invasion of Taiwan. Logistics support includes transport, materiel and oil supply, medical care, search and rescue, logistics infrastructure protection, and maintenance of war materiel reserves. Despite the recognized importance of logistics support, it is likely the PLA does not currently possess the requisite logistics capabilities to successfully support a large-scale amphibious landing on Taiwan and a possible protracted conflict involving the United States and allies. Key deficits include a lack of…
China says relationship with Australia ready to ‘set sail again’ amid hopes coal import ban will be scrapped
Australia’s relationship with China can “set sail again”, the Chinese government says, as it reportedly considers scrapping a ban on Australian coal exports. China put trade sanctions on Australian coal – and a range of other exports – in 2020. Last week, Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, met with her Chinese counterpart, describing the meeting as a “first step” towards resetting the antagonistic relationship. The Australian trade minister, Don Farrell, has suggested a compromise on trade disputes might be possible. Bloomberg has reported that Chinese bureaucrats are set to…
Chinese Feminists Caught Between a Rock and the Party
Advertisement As the overturning of Roe v. Wade sparks outrage in the United States, on the other side of the world, feminism has become one of the most provocative topics in Chinese social discourse. Multiple tragedies in 2022 – from the chained woman in Xuzhou who suffered human trafficking and rape to young women in Tangshan being violently assaulted, and rumored killed, by thugs who sexually harassed them – trended as hot topics on Chinese social media. However, these discussions inevitably spiraled into gender conflicts. Behind the nasty words and…
Shanghai declares third rare extreme heat warning of summer
China’s most populous city, Shanghai, has issued its highest alert for extreme heat for the third time this summer as sweltering temperatures repeatedly tested records this week. The commercial and industrial hub of 25 million people declared a red alert on Thursday, warning of expected temperatures of at least 40C (104F) in the next 24 hours. Temperatures soared as high as 40.6 C in the afternoon but fell short of Wednesday’s 40.9 C, which matched a 2017 record. Extreme heat conditions have also taken hold in parts of Europe. Firefighters…
A violent response to protests in China’s Henan province
Though he lives in Beijing, Guo Jiang deposited 1m yuan ($150,000) in a tiny bank in Henan province, nearly 700km away, earlier this year. It seemed a good idea at the time. The bank promised higher interest rates than its competitors. He found it using a service provided by Baidu, a reputable online-search giant. Since bank deposits are guaranteed, there appeared to be little to worry about. But Mr Guo has spent the past few months trying to recover his money. Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on…
How “civilised” are China’s model cities?
Any number of things might bring a city down. For Tangshan it was the brutal assault on several women last month. For Guangzhou it was the destruction of ancient banyan trees. When a company in Changchun produced dud vaccines, the city suffered, too. All three were thrown off the government’s list of “civilised” cities in recent years. Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. Your browser does not support the <audio> element. Listen to this story Save time by listening to our audio articles as…
Across Party Lines, Taiwan Mourns Abe Shinzo
Advertisement Given Abe Shinzo’s strong record of support for Taiwan, it may not be surprising to note the many public expressions of grief for Abe that have taken place in Taiwan since the former prime minister’s assassination last week. Abe’s recent support for Taiwan included calls for the United States to formally commit itself to the defense of Taiwan. Such comments predictably alarmed Beijing, especially as Abe was also calling for the U.S. to station nuclear arms in Japan as security against China. Likewise, Abe played a key role in…
US-China accounting war: SEC chief casts doubt that a deal can avert delisting of New York-listed Chinese stocks
US Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler cast doubt on the possibility of a deal being reached with China on access to Chinese companies’ audit reports. “I’m not particularly confident — it’s really up to our counterparties,” Gensler said Wednesday during a media conference call, adding that “good-faith” negotiations continue “but there is a risk here.” US and Chinese officials have been negotiating for more than two years to ensure staff from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board can access the audit papers of Chinese companies traded in the…