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☆ China growth target: Beijing wants to upgrade the economy. Why are investors so skeptical?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese leaders have pledged to achieve an ambitious growth rate this year, while reshaping its economic model to focus on technology innovation. On Tuesday, Premier Li Qiang announced that economic growth target of around 5% for 2024, which he said “will not be easy” to hit, given that a Covid-battered 2022 had provided a lower base of growth for last year. “The level of support is likely too little to rocket the economy to its 5% growth target this year,” said Sarah Tan, an economist at Moody’s, referring to the measures announced by Li Tuesday. “China is walking a tightrope on the fiscal front between infrastructure stimulus and LGFV [local government financing vehicle] deleveraging,” said Goldman Sachs analysts on Wednesday. In order to achieve the ambitious 5% growth target, more specific stimulus is needed, such as increasing manufacturing investments, Liu said.

Persons: Li Qiang, “, ”, Sarah Tan, Li Tuesday, Goldman Sachs, Li, ” Nomura, Xi Jinping, Peiqian Liu, Liu, Pan Gongsheng Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, AFP, Getty, Goldman, Fidelity International, People’s Bank of China, Jefferies Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, ‘, Asia, —

☆ In post-Covid China, the masks are off, but Xi’s tight control is here to stay
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

2 official, who is charged with running its economy – and one more move for Xi to cement his control over the official narrative. China's Premier Li Qiang speaks during a press conference after the closing session of the National People's Congress in Beijing on March 13, 2023. He used his first and likely last press conference last year to highlight the prominence of the Communist Party over the state government. The axing of the premier’s press conference came alongside a shortening of the “two sessions” overall – first imposed during the pandemic to prevent the spread of Covid. Traffic slowed due to checkpoints on surrounding streets, with security officials even stopping and checking IDs of some cyclists riding on a major throughfare along the square.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, ”, Liu Dongshu, Jinping, Li Qiang, Greg Baker, Premier Li Keqiang, Xi protégé Li Qiang, Li, “, ” Li, Liu, ” Changhao Wei, Paul Tsai, presser, Tatan Organizations: Beijing CNN, of, National People’s Congress, City University of Hong, National People's Congress, Premier, Communist Party, Paul Tsai China Center of Yale Law School, National People's, AP, Communist Locations: Beijing, Communist, China, City University of Hong Kong, AFP, Hong Kong, Tiananmen

☆ Analysis-As China's Xi Summons 'New Productive Forces', Old Questions Linger for Economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

By James Pomfret, Kevin Yao and Ellen ZhangHONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) - Facing its deepest economic challenges in years, China's leadership has tasked ministries and local governments with implementing a new mantra from President Xi Jinping: unleash "new productive forces". Beijing hopes the “new productive forces” campaign will strengthen China at a time when geopolitical pressures including steps by the United States to “decouple” or “de-risk” have curtailed access to foreign technology. "To support innovation, we should give people more freedom to think and talk, because many innovations result from the collision of ideas. The new mantra was also taken up by China's state planning agency, the National Development and Reform Commission. Its annual report on Tuesday pledged support for industries including satellite internet applications, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, and research into nuclear fusion.

Persons: James Pomfret, Kevin Yao, Ellen Zhang HONG, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Xi’s, Xi, Tianchen Xu, Li, Steve Tsang, Ellen Zhang, Nick Macfie Organizations: Communist Party, Party, Reuters, Economist Intelligence Unit, SOAS China Institute, National Development, Reform Commission Locations: Ellen Zhang HONG KONG, BEIJING, China, China’s, Beijing, United States, London, Pearl

☆ ‘Two sessions’: China’s key political gathering gets underway as leaders try to repair broken economic confidence
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Xi is under the spotlight as economic pain has sparked growing frustration within China. Xi has also overseen a political shakeup in his own ranks, further marring the start of the new term. Those challenges may not pose a threat to Xi, who is China’s most powerful and authoritative leader in decades. But the two sessions provide an important platform for China’s notoriously opaque government to broadcast its strategy for economic, social and foreign policies and announce key indicators including China’s economic growth target, its budget deficit limit and military spending for the coming year. Analysts widely expect Li to reveal a relatively ambitious growth target of “around 5%,” showing that policymakers are still focused on economic growth, even as challenges pile up.

Persons: —, Xi Jinping, Xi, ”, Chen Gang, Li Qiang, It’s, Xuezhi Guo, Guo, Wang Yi, Qin Gang, Li Shangfu, Li, Qin, Pedro Pardo, Neil Thomas, Premier Li, Asia Society’s Thomas, “ Organizations: Beijing CNN —, Communist, National University of Singapore’s East Asian Institute, Getty, of, National People’s, Guilford College, Observers, Washington, Asia Society, Center for Locations: China, Beijing, Chongqing, AFP, Taiwan, China's, Henan, Center for China, Asia

☆ The dangerous parallels between Putin’s ambitions in Ukraine and Xi’s claims on Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Will Ripley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

What is happening is to a certain extent, an element of a civil war,” Putin claimed. The island remained a Japanese colony for half a century until the end of World War II, when it came under the control of China’s ruling Nationalist government. Today Xi is expanding China’s military at a pace the world hasn’t seen in a century – since before World War Two. Long-time China analyst Steve Tsang, author of “If China Attacks Taiwan,” once told me that Xi’s military build-up is, by comparison, larger than Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan combined. Many here in Taiwan fear it’s only a matter of time before Xi, like Putin, puts his words into action.

Persons: Taiwan CNN —, Kolas Yotaka, Tucker, Vladimir Putin, “ Putin, Xi, ”, Putin, Xi Jinping, ” Yotaka, –, Jens Stoltenberg, “, ” Stoltenberg, it’s, ” China’s, Russia –, Carlson, ” Putin, Critics, Chiang Kai, shek, ” Xi, He’s, Tsai Ing, Steve Tsang Organizations: Taiwan CNN, Taiwan Presidential, Taiwan –, NATO, Munich Security, Communist Party, Russia, Observers, Nationalist, Communists, Taiwan’s National Chengchi, Democratic Progressive Party, Taipei, Xi, Navy, Global China, Atlantic Council, Taiwan Relations Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Ukraine, Beijing, China, Russia, Soviet, Ukrainian, Soviet Union, Japan, Republic of China, Taiwan Strait, United States, Hong Kong, Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, Washington

☆ Two giant pandas are moving to a California zoo in a rare loan from China
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Taylor Romine | Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —China is sending two giant pandas to the San Diego Zoo – the first time it has granted new panda loans to the United States in two decades. His comments came shortly after the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC sent its three pandas back to China – marking the end of more than 50 years of Chinese pandas being housed at the zoo. The National Zoo was the first US zoo to showcase pandas, and the end of its program had left Zoo Atlanta as the only other US zoo to feature pandas. San Diego Zoo returned its last two pandas to China in 2019, after its loan agreement ended. According to Xinhua, discussions are ongoing for “a new round of cooperation” with the National Zoo and a zoo in Austria.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, Xi, Joe Biden Organizations: CNN, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington , DC, Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Xinhua, Washington, Smithsonian, National Zoo, World Wildlife Fund Locations: China, United States, Washington ,, San, Europe, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Qatar, Xinhua, Austria

☆ Major companies in China are setting up their own volunteer armies
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese companies are doing something rarely seen since the 1970s: setting up their own volunteer armies. According to China’s Military Service Law, male militia members should be 18 to 35 years old. It was latest in a slew of militias established by major Chinese companies in the past year. After 1949, when the party took control of mainland China, the units were eventually embedded into governments, schools and companies. This can, in the long run, save the PLA resources by delegating some duties to militia forces to care for,” Heath said.

Persons: Xi, ”, Neil Thomas, Nuo Nuo, Huang Zhiqiang, Qilai Shen, Liu Jie, Mao Zedong, Mao, Timothy Heath, homebuyers, Heath, ” Heath, Willy Lam, Sam Yeh, ” Lam, China’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, People’s Armed Forces Departments, America’s National Guard, Communist, Asia Society, Center for, Communist Party, China Labour Bulletin, Foxconn, Yili, Armed Forces Department, China’s Military Service Law, People’s Liberation Army, PLA, government’s Communist Party, Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Bloomberg, Getty, Shanghai Municipal Investment Group, Construction Investment, Development, Defense Ministry, People’s Armed Police, Armed, Rand Corporation, Jamestown Foundation, Party, Taiwan Locations: China, Hong Kong, Center for China, Beijing, Zhengzhou, Henan, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, Yili, Shanghai, Mengniu, Nantong city, Jiangsu, Huizhou city, Guangdong, Wuhan, Hubei province, People’s Republic, United States, Taiwan, Fangchenggang City, Guangxi, ”, PLA, Taiwan's, AFP

☆ Fear and Ambition Propel Xi’s Nuclear Acceleration
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nineteen days after taking power as China’s leader, Xi Jinping convened the generals overseeing the country’s nuclear missiles and issued a blunt demand. Publicly, Mr. Xi’s remarks on nuclear matters have been sparse and formulaic. But his comments behind closed doors, revealed in the speech, show that anxiety and ambition have driven his transformative buildup of China’s nuclear weapons arsenal in the past decade. From those early days, Mr. Xi signaled that a robust nuclear force was needed to mark China’s ascent as a great power. He also reflected fears that China’s relatively modest nuclear weaponry could be vulnerable against the United States — the “powerful enemy” — with its ring of Asian allies.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Xi’s Organizations: Second Artillery Corps, The New York Times, Publicly, United Locations: China, United States

☆ Wray’s stunning warning points to a new age of US vulnerability
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“The CCP’s dangerous actions, China’s multi-pronged assault on our national and economic security, make it the defining threat of our generation,” Wray said. Xi promised Biden China wouldn’t interfere in the 2024 presidential election at that meeting, CNN reported exclusively this week. The high-level diplomatic contacts continued last week when national security adviser Jake Sullivan met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bangkok. “This is the cyberspace equivalent of placing bombs on American bridges, water treatment facilities and power plants,” he said. “If you have a cyberattack on that sort of technology, it could affect all signals at once,” Geddes said.

Persons: Christopher Wray, Rick Geddes, ”, Wray, Xi, ” Wray, Joe Biden, Biden, Biden China wouldn’t, Jake Sullivan, Wang Yi, Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, Mike Gallagher of, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Paul Nakasone, Gallagher, Geddes, ” Geddes Organizations: CNN, Cornell, Chinese Communist Party, Communist Party, CCP, South China, –, Capitol, Republican, Democrat, US Cyber Command, “ Locations: Washington, Beijing, United States, China, Taiwan, South, Xi Jinping’s China, California, Biden China, Bangkok, Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Illinois

☆ China ousts top rocket scientist from key political body in widening military purge
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has expelled a leading rocket scientist from its top political advisory body, the latest sign of a widening purge in the Chinese military’s missile force and aerospace contractors. Wang, 54, until recently led the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a prestigious state-run institute known as the birthplace of China’s aerospace industry. Wang spent his nearly three-decades-long career designing rockets at the CALT, a subsidiary of the main contractor of the Chinese space program, the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. In December, three aerospace executives, including the chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation – were stripped of their roles in the CPPCC. In July, the Rocket Force abruptly replaced its two leaders, the commander and the political commissar, with no explanation.

Persons: Wang Xiaojun, Wang, Xi Jinping, Xi, ” Wang, Qian Xuesen Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Political Consultative, Xinhua, China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, China Aerospace Science, Technology Corporation, People’s Liberation Army, Rocket Force, Communist Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, “, Hunan

☆ The Red Sea crisis tests China’s global ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

China’s responseThe Houthi rebels in Yemen started firing missiles and drones at ships in the Red Sea in mid-November, in what they say is an act of solidarity with Palestinians. Chinese officials repeatedly stressed that the Red Sea crisis is a “spillover” from the conflict in Gaza, citing an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as the top priority. Beijing’s reluctance to wade into the Red Sea crisis reflects these geopolitical calculations. The Chinese government readout of the meeting between Wang and Sullivan did not mention the Red Sea. Egypt is losing millions of dollars per day from the reduced traffic at the Suez Canal at the northern end of the Red Sea.

Persons: Houthi, “, ”, Mordechai Chaziza, Xi Jinping, Israel, ” Chaziza, Wang Yi, Jake Sullivan, Iran ”, we’re, Wang, Sullivan, Ebrahim Raisi, Yan Yan, OOCL, Kuehne + Nagel, Jonathan Fulton, “ can’t, ” Fulton, William Figueroa, Xi Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Ashkelon Academic College, Beijing, Iran, People’s Liberation Army Navy, Britain, United Nations Security Council, Global, Western, Chinese Foreign, White House, Reuters, Chinese Foreign Ministry, China, Shanghai Shipping Exchange, Atlantic Council, University of Groningen, Xi’s Global Security Initiative, GSI, Hamas Locations: Hong Kong, Red, Israel, Ashkelon, United States, China, Europe, Yemen, Gulf, Aden, Djibouti, Beijing, Gaza, Bangkok, Iran, Tehran, Africa, Switzerland, Francisco, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Egypt, Suez, Sea, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands

☆ Exclusive: Xi promised Biden China wouldn’t interfere in 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In a meeting this past weekend in Bangkok with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan again brought up the topic. Wang offered Sullivan the same assurance Xi had given Biden months prior — that Beijing would not meddle in the American election this fall, the source said. The White House National Security Council declined to comment on whether election interference came up in the Biden-Xi and Sullivan-Wang meetings. CNN has reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment. Last week, a senior National Security Agency official told reporters that the agency had not yet seen signs of any notable new foreign influence operations aimed at the 2024 election.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Xi, Biden, Wang Yi, Jake Sullivan, Wang, Sullivan, Hillary Clinton’s, ”, “, Chris Krebs, ” Krebs, Brendan Smialowski, Antony Blinken, CNN’s Natasha Bertrand Organizations: CNN, Chinese Foreign, Democratic National Committee, FBI, Justice Department, White House National Security, Biden, Chinese Foreign Ministry, Microsoft, of, National Security Agency, US, Infrastructure Security, Economic Cooperation, APEC, Getty Locations: China, California, Bangkok, Beijing, Taiwan, Russia, Iran, Asia, Woodside , California, AFP, Washington, Chinese

☆ Who is Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s new leader and why does China dislike him?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

On Saturday, Lai, 64, the current vice president from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won a widely watched election to become Taiwan’s next president. Confetti flies over crowds as Lai Ching-te speaks to supporters at a rally at the DPP's headquarters on January 13, 2024 in Taipei, Taiwan. It was 1994, less than a decade after the DPP first emerged from Taiwan’s democracy movement against the authoritarian rule of the Kuomintang (KMT). Louise Delmotte/AP‘Chill out’In the lead-up to the election, China made no secret of its desire to prevent a Lai victory. Hours after Lai declared victory, China dismissed the outcome of Taiwan’s elections, saying the DPP “does not represent mainstream public opinion” on the island.

Persons: CNN — Lai Ching, Lai, Taiwan’s, “, ” Lai, we’re, ”, Xi Jinping, ” “, –, Tsai Ing, Lai Ching, Annice Lyn, I’ve, Louise Delmotte, Hou Yu, Beijing’s, Tsai, Xi, Beijing, Hsiao Bi, Hsiao, ” Lai Ching, Ann Wang, ’ Lai, ” Yang Wei Organizations: CNN, Communist Party, Democratic Progressive Party, “, DPP, Kuomintang, KMT, Communist, ih, National Taiwan University, Reuters, Taiwan People’s Party, Taiwan Affairs Office Locations: Taiwan, China, Taiwan Strait, Beijing, Tainan, Taipei, United States, ”

☆ CNN took an 11-day cruise through some of the most-contested waters on Earth. Here’s what we learned
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

China claims almost all of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. In daylight hours in the South China Sea, from Ottawa’s flight deck or outdoor bridge wings, Chinese warships are often visible to the naked eye. Aviator Gregory Cole/Canadian Armed Forces PhotoOn October 29, things take a potentially dangerous turn, one that could have cost lives and ratcheted up tensions in the South China Sea to new levels. Radar operators scan their instruments in a Canadian antisubmarine warfare helicopter over the East China Sea. Hammerhead targets drones await their fate on the deck of the frigate HMCS Ottawa in the South China Sea.

Persons: Sam Patchell, Jacob Broderick ,, Ben Hughes, Gregory Cole, he’s, “, King Neptune, Xi Jinping, Brad Lendon, Rafael Peralta, Collin Koh, ” Patchell, Patchell, Aviator Gregory Cole, ”, haven’t, Xi, Rob Millen, they’d, Long, Peralta, It’s, Qinetiq, Noble, That’s, Cmdr, Sean Milley, Christine Hurov, Wally Shirra, it’s, Wally Schirra, Loverboy’s, Australia’s, doesn’t, We’ll Organizations: HMCS, HMCS Ottawa CNN, Royal Canadian Navy, Canada, United, Naval Warfare Officers, Canadian Armed Forces, US Navy, Ottawa, CNN, Canada’s Defense Ministry, Chinese Communist Party, Coast Guard, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, People’s Liberation Army Navy, PLA Navy, United Nations, Ottawa's, Cyclone, Canadian, Royal Canadian Air Force, Chinese Defense Ministry, Pentagon, troika, Peralta, Brisbane, CNN Radio, New, New Zealand Navy’s, Cmdr, HMNZS Aotearoa, Australian, Southern Hemisphere, One Locations: HMCS Ottawa, Taiwan, Ottawa, China, United States, Canadian, South China, Gaza, Ukraine, East, Washington, Singapore, Beijing, Spratly, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Chinese, South, East China, CNN Beijing, Canada, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, Australian, Brisbane, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Okinawa, replenishments, Aotearoa, American, Ottawa’s

☆ Kissinger Left the State Department a Half Century Ago. But He Never Left His Old Job.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( David E. Sanger | More About David E. Sanger | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

When Henry Kissinger turned 100 this year, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken toasted him at one birthday celebration in New York, and the C.I.A. Mr. Kissinger spoke with Mr. Blinken regularly, including as recently as last month, Mr. Blinken said. The Kissinger conversations with secretaries of state and presidents were not only about navigating the downward spiral in relations with Beijing. But the reason his advice was sought out goes to the depth of his experience: When Mr. Kissinger died on Wednesday, Mr. Blinken was headed to Israel in an effort to win a longer pause in a bloody conflict. Mr. Kissinger had flown the same path, in November 1973, exactly 50 years ago, during his famous shuttle diplomacy.

Persons: Henry Kissinger, Antony J, Blinken, William J, Burns, Kissinger, Condoleezza Rice, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Mike Pompeo, Xi Jinping, ”, ‘ Kissinger, ’, Xi, Richard M, Mr, Biden, Nicholas Burns, Eric Schmidt Organizations: Mr, United, U.S . Embassy, Google Locations: New York, Washington, China, United States, Xi’s, San Francisco, Beijing, Russia, Israel

☆ China’s Xi Jinping visits financial hub Shanghai as Chinese economy sputters
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Chinese leader Xi Jinping has visited Shanghai for the first time in three years, as his government steps up efforts to prop up the country’s economy and financial markets. The visit, his first since 2020, comes as business confidence wanes in China and foreign companies pull out of the country. “General Secretary Xi Jinping’s visit to Shanghai sends important signals at a critical moment,” an editorial by Xinhua said Thursday. “Shanghai must be a vanguard of the country’s reform and opening up and a pioneer in its tech innovation and development,” Xi was quoted as saying by Xinhua. Earlier this month, Xi visited the United States for the first time in more than six years, where he met with President Joe Biden to amend ties between the two countries.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Lifeng, Cai Qi, Xi Jinping’s, ” Xi, Joe Biden Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Shanghai Futures Exchange, Xinhua News Agency, PMI, Xinhua, “ Finance Locations: Hong Kong, Shanghai, China, Beijing, United States

☆ China mourns Kissinger — ‘a most valued old friend’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“Farewell, old friend of the Chinese people,” said a top comment with thousands of likes. In July 1971, Kissinger became the first high-ranking US official to visit Communist China. Long after Kissinger left office, Beijing had regarded the well-connected diplomat as a potential helping hand in navigating the increasingly hawkish views towards China in Washington. State broadcaster CCTV called him a “living fossil” who witnessed the development of US-China relations. The tectonic shift in US-China relations that was formalized some eight years later opened the door for extensive economic engagement starting from the early 1980s.

Persons: Henry Kissinger, ”, Wang Wenbin, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Wang, “, Kissinger, Washington –, Richard Nixon’s, Scott Kennedy, Washington . Long, Xie Feng, centenarian, ” Xie, – Kissinger, Biden, Xi, John Kerry, Janet Yellen, Wang Yi, Nixon, Alfred Wu, Lee, ’, Wu, “ Kissinger, ” Wu, Zhou Enlai, Kennedy, China …, ” Kennedy Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China’s Foreign, Center for Strategic, International Studies, CCTV, Xinhua, Foreign, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public, National University of Singapore, Flying Tigers, CSIS Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, Weibo, United States, Washington, Communist China, “ China, American, selfTaiwan, Japan, Soviet Union, Moscow

☆ Fact Check: Altered image of Biden turning his back on Xi in California
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Footage from Reuters and other news outlets of U.S. President Joe Biden welcoming Chinese leader Xi Jinping in California does not show Biden turning his back on Xi, despite an image circulating online. A post (archived) on social media said: “President Xi is patiently waiting for President Biden to turn around his body” and “To respect old people is a virtue in China.” The accompanying image shows Biden facing toward his right, with his hand out, while Xi is on Biden’s left. Reuters footage of the same scene does not show Biden turning his back on Xi at any point during the exchange, however. Biden’s posture, facial expressions and hand placement in the altered image also match the 19-second timestamp where he reaches out to shake Xi’s hand, but with the image flopped so that Biden is facing away from Xi. Biden did not turn his back on Xi while welcoming him at the Filoli estate in California, according to footage of the scene from multiple news outlets.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Biden, Xi, Biden’s, Xi’s, Read Organizations: Reuters, Economic Cooperation, Facebook, MSNBC, ABC, Thomson Locations: U.S, California, Woodside , California, San Francisco, Asia, China

☆ Opinion: Bad behavior test isn’t just about George Santos
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Michael Ryan | Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

What they do results from neurons firing in assorted regions of the brain, the product of an array of causes they can’t control. Every now and then someone bursts out crying — a member of his family has been killed, or his house destroyed. • Join us on Twitter and FacebookThere was no visible sign of progress on the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Writing before the summit, Frida Ghitis noted, “Biden may want Xi to help bring down the temperature on the world’s ongoing wars and help prevent new ones from igniting. “Today’s miseries of flying derive from this choice to deregulate airlines and unleash them into the Hunger Games of ordinary incentives.

Persons: Robert M, Sapolsky, ”, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Douglas Heye, Tim Burchett, Kevin McCarthy, elbowing, McCarthy, Heye, Burchett, tortuously, Mike Johnson, Johnson, George Santos, “, ” Drew Sheneman, Julian Zelizer, Santos, ” “ Santos, Trump, ” Zelizer, John Avlon, Clay Jones, Nikki Haley’s, Nikki Haley's, Nikki Haley, Haley, she’d, Cupp, Hussein Ibish, ” “, Israel —, Abbas —, Fatma, Khan Younis, there’s, —, Jessica Rosenberg, Joe Biden, ” Biden, Rosenberg, “ Biden, “ Aviva Klompas, speechwriting, Laden, Osama bin Laden, Peter Bergen ,, bin, bin Laden, ’, Walt Handelsman, Joan Steinau Lester, Xi Dana Summers, Biden, Xi Jinping, Frida Ghitis, Xi, ” Peter Bergen, Juvenal, Stephen I, Vladeck, they’ll, Stephen Brobeck, ” Trump’s, Donald Trump, Dean Obeidallah, “ I’m, Barack Obama, Peter Bergen, Megan Fox, Mike Coppola, Megan Fox isn’t, Patricia Grisafi, Tupac Shakur, Billy Corgan, Alicia Keys, Mary Lambert, Florence Welch, Halsey, Lana del Rey, Bob Dylan, Grisafi, Ganesh Sitaraman, Sitaraman, ” Don’t, Fareed Zakaria, Jill Filipovic, Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift Judi Ketteler, Noah Berlatsky, Nicolas, Elizabeth Debicki, Diana, Daniel Escale, Holly Thomas, Princess Diana, irresistibly, ” Thomas, Prince Charles ’, Camilla Parker, Bowles, Mohamed Al, Dodi, Spencer, Diana cavorting Organizations: CNN, Teamsters, House Republican, “ Tennessee Republican, Democrats, George Santos of New, Content Agency Santos, Long Island Republicans, GOP, Guinness, World Records, Democrat, CNN Former UN, New Hampshire, Trump, Fox News, West Bank, Gulf States Institute, Fatah, Palestinian Authority, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, “ Aviva, United Nations, Guardian, Agency, Biden, San Francisco Wednesday, China, Twitter, Consumer Federation of America, Democratic, Fox, “, Hunger Games, Liberty ’, Netflix Locations: George Santos of, George Santos of New York, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New, Israel, Gaza, Washington, Gaza City, Minneapolis, Iran, United States, America, al Qaeda, San, Ukraine, China, Mexico, Kansas City , Missouri, New Hampshire, Nazi Germany, Ohio, Al

As the most powerful Chinese leader in generations, Xi Jinping rarely bothers to glad-hand or to try charming a crowd. His public appearances in China are carefully crafted, with fawning cadres and adoring fans positioned around him. So when Mr. Xi landed in San Francisco this week to meet with President Biden, to try to stabilize a relationship with the United States that has been spiraling downward, it provided a rare opportunity to see the Chinese leader up close and, at times, less filtered than usual. Earlier, the Chinese leader had compared presidential limousines with Mr. Biden as they met on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. And he thanked Mr. Biden for reminding him that his wife, Peng Liyuan, a famous Chinese soprano and folk singer, has a birthday on Monday, as does Mr. Biden.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, Biden, Mr, Peng Liyuan Organizations: Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Locations: China, San Francisco, United States, Iowa, Hebei

☆ Car Talk and Birthday Wishes Punctuate Biden’s ‘Trust but Verify’ Diplomacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Katie Rogers | More About Katie Rogers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“You know what they call that car?” Mr. Biden asked Mr. Xi. Mr. Biden wished Mr. Xi’s wife a happy birthday. Mr. Xi replied with embarrassment that he had forgotten her birthday was approaching because he had been working so much. At another point, Mr. Biden brandished a picture of a younger Mr. Xi standing on the Golden Gate Bridge. Mr. Biden eventually pierced the “Kumbaya” moment by telling reporters after the carefully coordinated summit that he still considered the Chinese leader a dictator.

Persons: Mr, Biden, Xi, ’, Xi’s, “, ‘, Mao Ning, Biden’s, Donald J, Trump, —, Vladimir V, Putin, Kim Jong Organizations: Economic Cooperation, Mr, North Locations: United States, China, Asia, Washington, Russia, Helsinki, North Korean, Lago, Florida

Experts say new steps China has agreed to will eventually reduce the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl into the U.S., but that alone will not stem the overdose crisis killing Americans at a record rate. Synthetic opioids are now the biggest killers in the deadliest drug crisis the U.S. has ever seen. More than two-thirds of those deaths — more than 200 per day — involved fentanyl or similar synthetic drugs. It's in counterfeit pills and cocaine, in some cases causing overdoses in people who have no idea that they're using fentanyl. A growing number of places are allowing drug screening kits so users can find out if their drugs include fentanyl.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, ”, Adam Wandt, “, Wandt, Kevin Roy, ” Roy, Rahul Gupta, it’s, Donald Trump, It's, Xi, ” Biden, Xi’s, Wang Wenbin, they're, we’re, Regina LaBelle, Biden, Andres Manuel Lopez, LaBelle, Didi Tang Organizations: John Jay College of Criminal, of National Drug Control, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, San Francisco Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry, International Narcotics, U.S, Georgetown University’s O’Neill, Associated Locations: China, U.S, California, America, Mexico, U.S . China, San Francisco, United States

☆ American CEOs serve China’s Xi a too-rich dessert
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Lauren Silva Laughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Nov 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - America’s corporate chieftains were thrilled to see China’s President Xi Jinping at Wednesday’s gala dinner in San Francisco. So thrilled that they gave him a standing ovation, according to Reuters. He has defended China’s stance on Taiwan, equating the self-governing island’s relationship with the People’s Republic to Hawaii’s position vis-à-vis the United States. The standing ovation is just a new, cringeworthy way to follow the money. Xi received a standing ovation as he entered the room and before and after he took the stage, the report said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Kevin Lamarque, Xi, Tim Cook, Larry Fink, Steve Schwarzman, Ray Dalio, Bridgewater, Tesla, Elon Musk, Apple’s Cook, Ding Xuexiang, Howard Schultz, Biden, “, John Foley, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Reuters, Apple, Blackstone, ”, China, Xi, Thomson Locations: Filoli, Asia, Woodside , California, U.S, San Francisco, BlackRock, China, United States, Taiwan, Republic, Schwarzman, Beijing

☆ Biden and Xi’s warmer ties look flimsy: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The leaders of the largest economies resumed high-level communication following years of tension. In this Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists explain how Taiwan as well as anti-China rhetoric in the lead-up to next year’s US election could undo any goodwill. Subscribe to Breakingviews’ podcasts, Viewsroom and The Exchange. Editing by Oliver TaslicOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, China

☆ APEC Summit Biden Aims to Fortify Ties With Asian Nations at Summit in San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Katie Rogers | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

Image President Xi Jinping of China spoke to a crowd of U.S. business executives at a dinner in San Francisco on Wednesday evening. “There are hundreds and hundreds of activists —” Crowd: “Go home Xi Jinping!” “— who are coming together from all corners of this nation.” “We are really upset. 1 question for us is: Are we adversaries or partners?” Mr. Xi asked. Mr. Orlins said the Chinese had prepared three versions of a speech Mr. Xi could deliver that night. After Wednesday’s events with Mr. Biden, Mr. Xi picked the friendliest one.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Carlos Barria, Xi, —, Xi Jinping doesn’t, ”, ” “, Jinping, Josh Edelson, Xi —, Mr, Tim Cook, Larry Fink, BlackRock, Jerry Brown, Elon Musk, ” John L, Holden, Biden, Doug Mills, ” Michael Hart, Jim Wilson, Angus, Gina M, Raimondo, “, Ms, “ I’m, Stephen A, United States — Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, Deng, It’s, ” Mr, Orlins, “ They’re, Jeff Chiu, Biden’s Organizations: Visit, Credit, Agence France, Hyatt Regency, Apple, Boeing, Pfizer, Nike, FedEx, Elon, McLarty Associates, San Francisco . Credit, New York Times, U.S, American Chamber of Commerce, ., Mr, National Committee, United, China Relations, Associated, U.S ., China Business Council, Economic Cooperation, Consulate Locations: China, U.S, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Tibet, United States, California, Filoli, San Francisco ., ”, Iowa, Asia, Pacific

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