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☆ China’s Xi and Russia’s Putin Meet for Second Day: Key Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Skilled Workers Shortage Threatens Biden’s Plans For U.S. ChipmakingChipmaker Micron will have to overcome a massive shortage of skilled workers in order to open its planned semiconductor-manufacturing campus in the suburbs of Syracuse, N.Y. WSJ reporter Joseph De Avila joins host Zoe Thomas to discuss how the company is dealing with the shortage and what it says about the Biden administration's goal of increasing chipmaking in the U.S. Photo: KAI PFAFFENBACH/REUTERS

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Putin touts China's peace plan after talks with Xi; Russian mercenaries say Kyiv is preparing counterattack
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Holly Ellyatt Amanda Macias | Holly Ellyatt | Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It's the second day of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Moscow on Tuesday. Xi and his host, Russian President Vladimir Putin, reportedly held talks for at least four hours on Monday, with more discussions scheduled Tuesday. The two leaders are focusing talks on deepening their strategic cooperation as well as on the war in Ukraine. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is on his way to Ukraine for summit talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Kishida's trip makes him the second Asian leader to visit Ukraine since Russia invaded, after Indonesian President Joko Widodo went there last June.

☆ Russia and China are being driven together as the chasm with the West deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

"It's basically about certain strategic interests, that are very close to both Beijing and Moscow at this point," she added. "For both Russia and China, the main interest is to weaken the U.S.-led international order, that's their primary goal, long term and short term." The Ukraine factorFor both China and Russia, the war in Ukraine is both a challenge to that U.S.-led world order and a way to undermine it, analysts note. China has held back from openly supporting Russia's war in Ukraine but it has also refused to condemn the invasion. This fear, she said, could sway China when it considers whether to offer Putin help in Ukraine.

☆ China doesn't want Russia to 'go down in flames' in Ukraine because they need Putin to 'foil' US power, White House official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

China doesn't want Russia to "go down in flames" in Ukraine, a White House official told MSNBC. John Kirby said China needs Putin to help "push back" against US leadership and power. Xi visited Putin this week in Moscow, with both parties praising each other as a "dear friend." They would like to see this war end, too," John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications for the National Security Council in the White House, told MSNBC. Russian media said Xi and Putin warmly praised each other as a "dear friend," Reuters said.

☆ Nothing comes for free: What China hopes to gain in return for helping Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping leave after a reception in honor of the Chinese leader's visit to Moscow, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 21, 2023. Unofficially, however, analysts say the presidents are also likely to discuss ways for China to assist Russia without it risking being hit with Western sanctions itself. For many close watchers of Russia and China's deepening relationship over the past decade, the big question then is this: What could China want in return for helping Moscow? China was diversifying its energy sources and turning to Russia, Bachulska noted, as well as looking to its neighbor for raw materials. "But still, in overall bigger-picture terms, China has an upper hand economically and if China supports Russia in a more substantial way this will continue even more," she added.

☆ Xi promotes China as peacemaker on first trip to Russia since Ukraine invasion
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Jennifer Jett | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

In this grab taken from video, China's President Xi Jinping, left, speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, Monday, March 20, 2023. Russia, China and the U.S. are not members of the court. "I am pleased to once again set foot on the soil of our friendly neighbor Russia," Xi said in a statement after arriving in Moscow on Monday for the three-day state visit. Xi said his Russia trip was intended to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries in a world faced with "damaging acts of hegemony, domination and bullying." The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not confirmed reports that Xi may hold a virtual meeting with Zelenskyy after his trip to Moscow.

Putin, who came to power on the last day of 1999 when Boris Yeltsin resigned, is the longest-serving Kremlin leader since Josef Stalin. "I know Russia will hold a presidential election," Xi told Putin in Mandarin. As Xi's words were translated into Russian, Putin looked Xi in the eye and smiled briefly. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov swiftly pointed out that Xi had not specifically said Putin would participate in next year's election but added that the Kremlin shared Xi's confidence in Russians' support for Putin. Xi called Putin his "dear friend", and Putin used the same term to his guest.

☆ Factbox: Russia's tighter energy ties with China since Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In February 2022, China also agreed to buy up to 10 bcm of gas annually by around 2026 via a pipeline from Russia's far east island of Sakhalin. Russia's gas exports to China are still a small fraction of the record 177 bcm it delivered to Europe in 2018-19. Since the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022, volumes to Europe have shrunk, reaching about 62 bcm in 2022. - China's seaborne imports of Russian oil are set to hit a record in March as Chinese refiners take advantage of cheap prices as domestic fuel demand rebounds. - China has largely ignored the sanctions imposed by Western nations on seaborne Russian crude since Dec. 5.

☆ Ukraine war: Russia tightens ties with China as West offers $16 bln lifeline to Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

A joint statement included familiar accusations against the West - that the United States was undermining global stability and NATO barging into the Asia-Pacific region. Putin praised Xi for a peace plan for Ukraine that he proposed last month and blamed Kyiv and the West for rejecting it. But Xi, who was due to depart Moscow on Wednesday, barely mentioned the conflict, saying that China had an "impartial position" on it. The money would help shore up Ukraine, which has suffered extensive damage to its infrastructure and economy during Russia's year-long invasion. [1/16] Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping leave after a reception in honor of the Chinese leader's visit to Moscow, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 21, 2023.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: China's Xi visits Moscow as alliance with Russia grows; Putin's trip to ruined Mariupol angers Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin with Chinese President Xi Jinping while visiting the Moscow Zoo in Russia on June 5, 2019. Xi is now on a three-day state visit to Russia. All eyes are on Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Russia that begins on Monday. In articles released in Russian and Chinese media ahead of the visit, Xi and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin praised their countries' alliance, which has grown over the last decade. The trip angered Kyiv, with one official saying Putin had come to visit the "ruins" of Mariupol, showing no remorse for Russia's bombardment of the city early in the war.

☆ On eve of Xi visit, Putin welcomes Chinese role in Ukraine crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

March 19 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed China's willingness to play a "constructive role" in solving the Ukraine crisis, in an article released on Sunday, the eve of a visit by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. In what the Kremlin said was an article written for a Chinese newspaper, Putin called Xi his "good old friend" and said Russia had high hopes for his visit, the Chinese leader's first to Russia since Putin launched his "special military operation" last year. We welcome China's willingness to play a constructive role in resolving the crisis," Putin said. Xi and Putin signed a "no limits" partnership agreement weeks before the invasion last year. China has publicly remained neutral in the Ukraine conflict, while criticising Western sanctions against Russia and reaffirming its close ties with Moscow.

☆ Chinese leader Xi Jinping is heading to Russia to meet Vladimir Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit Russia next week to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. This marks the first time that Xi will be traveling to Russia since the start of the Ukraine war. Xi's visit would mark the first time China's leader will visit Russia since Moscow launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022. Xi and Putin will discuss "deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation" between their nations, the Kremlin said in a Friday statement. Ahead of the announcement, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang called his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, on Thursday evening.

According to CNBC analysis of state media reports, 7.7 million people took the civil service exam in the 2023 application round, vying for more than 200,000 government jobs at the national and provincial level. Qilai Shen | Corbis Historical | Getty ImagesA record number of people in China took the civil service exam this year, as unemployment among young people soared. According to CNBC analysis of state media reports, 7.7 million people took the civil service exam in the 2023 application round, vying for more than 200,000 government jobs at the national and provincial level. China's National Civil Service Administration could not be reached for comment despite multiple attempts by CNBC. However, Xi and other senior leaders did not need to take the civil service exam to gain their current roles.

☆ SVB failure offers lesson for China - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG, March 15 (Reuters) - The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) will not impact China's financial system but offers an important lesson for the country's banking industry, the official Securities Times said in an editorial on Wednesday. An SVB-style bank failure is unlikely to happen in China but the incident would have "important implications for the development of China's small- and medium-sized lenders, and the stability of China's financial system," the editorial said. In addition, China has been closing regulatory loopholes, the editorial said. In the latest move, China said last week it would set up a new national financial regulatory body consolidating oversight of the industry. "Although the SVB incident won't have material impact on China's finiancial markets, China's financial industry still needs to earnestly learn from this lesson, and always prioritise risk prevention and control," the newspaper said.

But an international war crimes prosecution could deepen Moscow's diplomatic isolation and make it difficult for those accused to travel abroad. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, saying its attacks are all intended to reduce Kyiv's ability to fight. Kyiv says thousands of deported Ukrainian children are being adopted into Russian families, housed in Russian camps and orphanages, given Russian passports and brought up to reject Ukrainian nationality. Asked if the ICC charges against the Russian officials could include genocide, the source said: "It looks that way." U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One that Ukraine had not confirmed a call between Xi and Zelenskiy.

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 leaders' summit in Bali, Indonesia, November 14, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueSAN DIEGO, March 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday after unveiling details of a major submarine deal with Britain and Australia aimed at countering China that he expected to speak to Chinese leader Xi Jinping soon, but declined to say when. Asked at a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in San Diego if he was worried that China would see the AUKUS submarine deal as aggression, Biden replied "no." Asked if he would speak to Xi soon, Biden said "yes," but to another question as to whether he would tell journalists when they would talk, he replied "no." "Competition requires dialogue and diplomacy," Sullivan told a small group of reporters last week in reference to China while discussing AUKUS.

China's four new vice premiers:Ding Xuexiang, 60, is the first-ranked vice premier who also sits in the ruling Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, China's top echelon of power. Wang Zhigang, 65, remains minister of science and technology. Huai Jinpeng, 60, remains minister of educationPan Yue, 62, remains head of the National Ethnic Affairs CommissionWang Xiaohong, 65, remains minister of public securityChen Yixin, 63, remains minister of state security. Considered a Xi ally, he had worked with Xi when the latter was party chief of Zhejiang province from 2002-2007. Tang Dengjie, 63, remains minister of civil affairsHe Rong, 60, remains minister of justiceWang Xiaoping, 59, remains minister of human resources and social securityWang Guanghua, 59, remains minister of natural resourcesHuang Runqiu, 59, remains minister of ecology and environmentNi Hong, 60, remains minister of housing and urban-rural developmentLi Xiaopeng, 63, remains minister of transportLi Guoying, 63, remains minister of water resourcesTang Renjian, 60, remains minister of agriculture and rural affairsHu Heping, 60, remains minister of culture and tourismMa Xiaowei, 63, remains head of the National Health CommissionPei Jinjia, 59, remains minister of veterans affairsWang Xiangxi, 60, remains minister of emergency managementHou Kai, 60, remains auditor-general of the National Audit OfficeReporting by Yew Lun Tian, Ziyi Tang, additional reporting by Albee Zhang; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China's energy transition sees 'staggering' progress on renewables — and a coal power boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

'A hot, still summer evening is the worry'The International Energy Agency said earlier this month that, while still rising, global carbon emissions may at least be reaching a plateau. Energy-related carbon emissions added less than 1% in 2022 to a new high of more than 36.8 billion tons. Comparatively, global emissions from energy gained by 6% in 2021. "Getting China's emissions to peak has an indispensable role in peaking and declining global emissions — and the success of the overall global effort," said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at CREA. In 2020, China's Xi announced plans for the world's second-largest economy to strive for peak carbon emissions in 2030 and for carbon neutrality by 2060.watch now

☆ Turkey's powerhouse drone industry is on the verge of another milestone: a stealthy unmanned fighter jet for its new aircraft carrier
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Turkey's Navy plans to make Kızılelma the primary aircraft on its first aircraft carrier. On January 23, the company announced that the Kızılelma, its newest and potentially most promising product, had successfully conducted its second flight test. The test is another step forward for what may become the company's crown jewel and the high point of Turkey's burgeoning drone industry. The KızılelmaThe Kizilelma drone during its first flight test, in Istanbul on December 14. The Kizilelma during its first flight test on December 14.

REUTERS/Tingshu WangHONG KONG/BEIJING/SHANGHAI, March 3 (Reuters) - As unprecedented protests against China's zero-COVID policies escalated in November, Li Qiang, the man recently elevated to No.2 on the ruling Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee, seized the moment. Meanwhile, some local-level party workers and healthcare officials were grappling with growing challenges in implementing the zero-COVID policy. "From my perspective, it's not that we set out to relax the zero-COVID policy, it's more that we at the local level were simply not able to enforce the zero-COVID policy anymore," the official said. In mid-November, when Xi was still in Southeast Asia, he ordered Chinese authorities to "unswervingly" execute the zero-COVID policy, said two of the people, after which some cities retightened curbs. Xi's vacillating led to renewed debate on COVID policy among top leaders during mid to late November, one of these people and another person said.

☆ Xi's planned revival of Chinese financial watchdog exerts more party control
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Joe Cash | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING, March 1 (Reuters) - Plans by China's Communist Party to revive a high-level economic watchdog after two decades signal President Xi Jinping push to increase oversight of the financial sector, analysts say, part of a wider tightening of control by Xi and the party. "Through the CFWC, Xi and his allies could more rapidly roll out a reshuffle to replace the remaining legacy technocrats with people more loyal to them," he said. China's financial sector is overseen by the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, with the cabinet's Financial Stability and Development Committee at the top. Under the new proposed structure, the party would take on a direction-setting role for the economy and regulatory bodies. "But this could also lead to policies replacing some market forces, which may not be ideal for financial liberalisation", she said.

☆ Column: China widens renewable energy supply lead with wind power push
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

China added more wind generation capacity in the past two years than over the previous seven, and in 2022 generated 46% more wind power than all of Europe, the second largest wind generation market, according to data from think tank Ember. MAJOR MILESTONESWhile China has deployed record volumes of both solar and wind power capacity over the past decade, wind generation capacity has grown more steeply than solar capacity since 2020. For industrial scale electricity generation, wind power is often preferred over solar due to the ability for wind turbines to generate electricity around the clock, while solar power generation drops off as the sun sets. Beyond cementing China's place in the international green energy hierarchy, the climb in wind power capacity has helped redraw the energy mix across several key provinces. China’s wind power generation by key ProvinceIn addition, higher generation of renewable power has helped cap power costs for consumers just as the prices of coal and natural gas have pushed sharply higher on international markets.

☆ China's President Xi, poised for third term, urges 'intensive' state and party revamp
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Ryan Woo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping envisages "intensive" and "wide-ranging" re-organisation of state and Communist Party entities, with part of the plan to be presented to the annual meeting of parliament, state media said on Tuesday . At the October congress, the party made clear that reforms of institutions were needed, including reforms to the financial system, Xi said. The overall reform plan will be "targeted, intensive and wide-ranging, touching on deep-rooted interests", Xi was quoted as saying in a speech before the Central Committee. 'REJUVENATION'China's "rejuvenation" must be guided by Xi and the Central Committee as national governance is "modernised", the Central Committee said in a communique but it offered no details. China's development still faces triple pressures including a demand contraction, supply shocks and weakened expectations, the Central Committee said in its communique.

☆ China's Communist party cautious on economy, reiterates party's leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China's development still faces triple pressures including demand contraction, supply shock and weakened expectations, the Communist Party's Central Committee said in a communique after a major three-day gathering, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. China's "rejuvenation" must be guided by Xi and the Central Committee as national governance is being "modernised", the committee said in the communique but it offered no details. "It is necessary to fully, accurately and comprehensively implement a new development concept," the committee, the largest of the party's top decision-making bodies, said. More than 200 members of the Central Committee discussed a draft of reforms to party and state organisations that will be examined at an upcoming session of the National People's Congress, China's legislature. Xi is also widely expected to secure his third five-year term as president, after clinching a precedent-breaking third party leadership term in October last year.

☆ CIA Chief Says China Has Doubts About Its Ability to Invade Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Dustin Volz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The top CIA official said that Putin’s experience in Ukraine has ‘probably reinforced’ the Chinese government’s doubts about invading Taiwan. WASHINGTON—Russia’s struggles to seize and keep territory in Ukraine over the past year has likely fueled doubts by Chinese leader Xi Jinping that China’s military could successfully invade Taiwan later this decade, Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns said. “I think our judgment at least is that (Chinese) President Xi and his military leadership have doubts today about whether they could accomplish that invasion,” Mr. Burns said Sunday on CBS . “As they’ve looked at Putin’s experience in Ukraine, that’s probably reinforced some of those doubts.”

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