China - International Studies of Strategic and Geopolitics

Shift in US-China Relations: A New Approach to Dialogue

6Oct

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Geopolitics and International Security, Study Office

Shift in US-China Relations: A New Approach to Dialogue

By José Carlos Palma* In a notable shift in the Biden administration's approach towards U.S.-China relations, the United States has initiated a series of dialogues and high-level engagements with Beijing, marking a departure from its earlier stance that conversations would only take place if they led to "tangible outcomes." This change in strategy aims to mend a strained relationship between the two global superpowers, which had deteriorated earlier this year when the United States shot down a Chinese spy balloon. It has the potential to culminate in a highly anticipated meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November, their first face-to-face encounter in a year. The primary objective of this new approach is to establish channels of communication and...

Is China Losing Patience with Russia’s War?

24Feb

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Asia

Is China Losing Patience with Russia’s War?

By NOAH ROTHMAN * China’s supposed peace overture is likely a product of its unease with how its junior partner in Eurasia has prosecuted the conflict. All Our Opinion in Your Inbox NR Daily is delivered right to you every afternoon. No charge. SUBSCRIBE For months, political observers have been confronted with growing evidence that the formerly durable consensus in the West around the need to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s war of territorial expansion is eroding. This developing trend has been met with both trepidation and jubilance, depending on the observer’s political affinities. The risks associated with drawing a potentially fallacious straight-line projection into the future notwithstanding, the trend is real, and no one can afford to ignore it....

China sanctions Lockheed Martin, Raytheon for Taiwan sales

16Feb

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Asia

China sanctions Lockheed Martin, Raytheon for Taiwan sales

China has imposed trade and investment sanctions on Lockheed Martin and a unit of Raytheon for supplying weapons to Taiwan, stepping up efforts to isolate the island democracy claimed by the ruling Communist Party as part of its territory. Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies' Raytheon Missiles and Defence are barred from importing goods into China or making new investments in the country, the Ministry of Commerce announced on Thursday. It said they were added to the "unreliable entity" list of companies whose activities are restricted because they might endanger national sovereignty, security or development interests. It wasn't clear what impact the penalties might have. The United States bars most sales of weapons-related technology to China, but some mili...

How Chinese Development Loans ‘Captured’ Angola

10Feb

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Africa

How Chinese Development Loans ‘Captured’ Angola

By Douglas Burton * For years The Republic of Angola has been called Africa’s “richest poor country,” chock full of oil and diamonds, but wasted by 40 years of proxy wars and looted by native kleptocrats. After a bloody civil war ended in 2002, the government looked for international investors, and in two years bankers from the Chinese regime arrived in Luanda with the message, “We’re from Beijing, and we’re here to help.” Yet, nearly 20 years of Chinese state-backed projects later, Angola is on the hook for $21 billion owed to China despite the fact that Angola has negative growth, and more than 50 percent of its population is desperately poor. That’s the case presented by a panel of subject experts assessing Angola’s predicament at the Hudson Institute in Washington on Feb. 7. ...

Blinken’s China trip postponed after spy balloon detected over nuclear sites in Montana

3Feb

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Americas

Blinken’s China trip postponed after spy balloon detected over nuclear sites in Montana

The Biden administration has decided to postpone Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s upcoming trip to Beijing after detecting a Chinese surveillance balloon that was lingering at high altitude over sensitive nuclear sites in Montana, according two officials. Blinken was set to have meetings in Beijing early next week in the first such visit by a top U.S. diplomat in five years. But the presence of the balloon — which the Pentagon decided not to shoot down — led officials to decide that going now would send the wrong signal, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing internal deliberations. White House and State Department officials didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. China took unusually conciliatory steps to smooth over ...

Russia’s ‘Killer’ Swarm Drone Project: Russian, Chinese Agencies ‘Partner’ To Attack Ukraine’s Military Infra – British Media Claims

3Feb

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Military Technology, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Privacy

Russia’s ‘Killer’ Swarm Drone Project: Russian, Chinese Agencies ‘Partner’ To Attack Ukraine’s Military Infra – British Media Claims

By Ashish Dangwal In a covert arms agreement with Chinese spies, Russia’s infamous Wagner Group mercenaries are reportedly developing “swarm drones” to target Ukrainian armed forces. The explosive-tipped drones from China would reportedly be used in large numbers against Ukraine. These drones would be capable of wreaking havoc on military targets. The British media claimed that secret discussions between Chinese cyber experts, the Wagner Group, and spies from both nations have taken place as part of Moscow’s killer swarm project. The developments contrast Beijing’s claims that it is not engaged in the Ukraine war, morphing into a West-versus-East confrontation. Over 2,500 DJI Mavic2 drones were shipped from Beijing to Moscow as part of a secret agreement with Russia’s infamous W...

Sony, Fortune 500 companies move production out of China

2Feb

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Asian Economics, Economics

Sony, Fortune 500 companies move production out of China

Due to political pressure and the need for supply chain diversification, more companies are moving production out of China and into other countries. Apple reportedly plans to move some of its production from China to India and Vietnam. Canon moved production away from China last year; Dell has announced it’s phasing out China-made computer chips by 2024, and dozens of other Fortune 500 companies are following suit. Now it’s being reported Sony Group has transferred more than 92% of its camera production from China to Thailand. According to Nikkei (soft paywall), a respected Japanese financial publication, Sony plans only to manufacture cameras sold in China in China. Cameras sold in Europe, Japan, and the United States will be made in Thailand. According to Nikkei, this decision wa...

Big Ideas From Recent Trends in China’s Data Governance

24Jan

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Data Governance

Big Ideas From Recent Trends in China’s Data Governance

A look at the direction of China’s data governance – and, by extension, the future of its digital economy. By Nanda Min Htin Data will define China. Ever since the State Council enshrined data as a factor of production alongside land, labor, capital, and technology in 2020, the importance of regulating digital information has only continued to grow. Three big ideas have emerged in recent years: First, how China intends to leverage data to drive its economy. Second, the nuances behind increasingly intense data protection enforcement and an accountability blind spot in favor of public bodies, including questions over the Cyberspace Administration of China’s mandate. Finally, the potential influence Chinese data governance ideals have on foreign governments that have become increasingly r...

How Vietnam Can Balance Against China, on Land and at Sea

23Jan

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Asia

How Vietnam Can Balance Against China, on Land and at Sea

By Khang Vu * Vietnam’s proximity to China and lack of strategic depth limit its options in forming security partnerships with other great powers. Vietnam hosted its first international defense expo last week, in a move to diversify its weapons suppliers away from Russia. In addition to the technical aspect of weapons, the expo was also an opportunity for partners such as the United States or India to foster a closer defense relationship with Hanoi, and to signal to China that Vietnam is serious about modernizing and diversifying its armed forces. So where does this expo fit into Vietnam’s general security strategy? While the country prioritizes maintaining good relations with China to avoid unnecessary conflicts, it is looking for options that can help minimize the negative impact of...

Technology remains key to geopolitical success

14Jan

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Technology and Innovation

Technology remains key to geopolitical success

BY BRAD GLOSSERMAN * The quest to master the development of new technologies has been a defining characteristic of modern Japan. Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s 1853 visit demonstrated the necessity of technological superiority to secure the nation’s defense; the naval officer’s “invitation” to open to the outside world was issued by the guns and cannons with which his fleet was armed. It was a compelling request. Recognition of Japan’s backwardness prompted the Meiji Restoration and frantic efforts to catch up. Among the goals of the Iwakura Mission to the United States and Europe between 1871 and 1873 was a study of national industrial structures and the technologies that they produced. While the link between technology and national defense was clear when Perry’s fleet sailed into ...