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SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Friday that she agreed with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to "intensify communication" on economic issues but warned him to crack down on Chinese companies that give material support to Russia for its war in Ukraine. "During our discussions, we agreed that in-depth and frank discussions matter, particularly when we disagree," Yellen said. "And I emphasized that the current uncertain global landscape makes it particularly crucial that we maintain resilient lines of communication going forward." "We would like to see China crack down on this, especially when we're able to provide information," Yellen said. Discussing the Israel-Hamas war, Yellen spoke of the need "to prevent escalation and expansion of the conflict in the Middle East," the Treasury said in a statement.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Lifeng, Yellen, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Carlos Barria, Donald Trump's, Liao Min, Liao, Eric Beech, David Lawder, Ann Saphir, Andrea Shalal, David Ljunggren, Chizu Nomiyama, Andrea Ricci, Grant McCool, Christian Schmollinger, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: FRANCISCO, . Treasury, Economic Cooperation, Communist Party, Treasury, U.S, APEC, REUTERS, Industrial, Commercial Bank of, Finance, Ministry of Finance, Fund, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, San Francisco, Asia, China, RUSSIA, Israel, U.S, San Francisco , California, Commercial Bank of China, Washington, Beijing, United States

☆ Detained, missing or under investigation: Business leaders in China face an ‘aggressive’ crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hong Kong CNN —Business leaders in China are under immense pressure, as the country’s leader Xi Jinping intensifies a regulatory crackdown on companies and strengthens its control of the economy. They face rising risks, including the possibility of police raids and detentions of staff, in the world’s second largest economy. A former banker, he has invested in a series of Chinese companies since 2000 and brought their shares to the public markets in mainland China and Hong Kong. No end in sightThe crackdown this year has spooked the business community in China, but it is not unfamiliar. Xi launched a sweeping regulatory crackdown on the private sector in 2020, which wiped trillions of dollars off the market value of Chinese companies worldwide.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ”, Doug Guthrie, ” Guthrie, Tencent, Chen, Zhao Bingxian, “ China’s Warren Buffett, Zhao, Guthrie, “, Zhou Zheng, Zhou, watchdogs, Zhang Hongli, Bao Fan, Bao, Xi, Kevin Frayer, Mauro Guillen, ” Guillen Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Business, China Initiatives, Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management, CNN, Cyberspace Administration of China, Wohua Pharmaceutical, Central Commission, National Supervisory Commission, COFCO, Industrial, Commercial Bank of, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Locations: China, Hong Kong, Communist, Beijing, Arizona, Shenzhen, “ Beijing, DouYu, Shandong, Commercial Bank of China

☆ Biden and Xi meeting set for next week as US hopes to halt downward spiral in relations
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —President Biden’s highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is set for next Wednesday in the San Francisco Bay Area, senior US administration officials said, setting up a test of whether the two men can slow a downward spiral in relations at a moment of heavy global turbulence. It includes restoring military-to-military communication between the two countries, a chief objective for Biden, who plans to press Xi on the issue. Despite a deep and apparently warm personal relationship cultivated during their time as vice presidents, Biden and Xi have overseen a deterioration in US-China relations to the lowest level in decades. That meeting was intended to establish a baseline for the relationship amid heightened economic and military tension. Ahead of next week’s meeting, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen invited Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, known as the country’s “economic tsar,” for a two-day meeting starting Thursday.

Persons: Biden’s, Xi Jinping, aren’t, Biden, Xi, ”, Bonny Lin, “ Rather, Nancy Pelosi, Antony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gina Raimondo, Wang Yi, Jake Sullivan, Han Zheng, ” Han Organizations: CNN, San Francisco Bay Area, White, Communist Party, Biden, China Power Project, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US National, Washington, Bloomberg Locations: San Francisco Bay, Ukraine, Washington, Beijing, Israel, South, Taiwan, California, China, Russia, United States, Bali, Singapore

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Wednesday in California for talks on trade, Taiwan and managing fraught U.S.-Chinese relations in the first engagement between the leaders of the world's two biggest economies in nearly a year. Thousands of protesters are expected to descend on San Francisco during the summit. Thousands of people protesting climate destruction, corporate practices, the Israel-Hamas war and other issues are expected to descend on San Francisco during the summit. San Francisco Police Department Chief Bill Scott said his department expects several protests a day but doesn't know which ones will materialize where and when. ___Associated Press writer Janie Har in San Francisco and Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed reporting.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Biden, Xi, Karine Jean, Pierre, ”, Janet Yellen, Lifeng, Tsai Ing, Nancy Pelosi's, ” Biden, Bill Scott, Janie Har, Ken Moritsugu Organizations: WASHINGTON, Economic Cooperation, White, APEC, U.S ., Biden, Communist Party, Democratic, U.S, Beijing, Senate Intelligence, Pentagon, San Francisco Police Department, Associated Press Locations: California, Taiwan, Asia, San Francisco, U.S, China, San Francisco Bay, Beijing, United States, North Korea, Pyongyang, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Tehran, Israel, Bali , Indonesia, Taipei, American, South China, Philippines, States

☆ China has a sweeping vision to reshape the world — and countries are listening
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

All this coincides with longstanding calls from countries across the developing world for an international system where they have more say. Beijing, he added, sees the US as merely “paying lip service” to the “liberal order” to hurt other countries. Sergei Savostyanov/Sputnik/ReutersIn recent years, even some countries that have for decades embraced a close partnership with the US have drawn closer to China and its vision. “Is China really trying to promote multipolarity — or does China just want to (become a) substitute (for) US influence over the world?” he asked. They also raise questions about how a more militarily and economically powerful China would behave globally, if left unchecked.

Persons: Xi Jinping, —, Xi, Vladimir Putin, General Antonio Guterres, ” Xi, , Shen Hong, they’d, ”, Yun Sun, liberalize, Sanjit Das, Shen Dingli, ‘, ’ ”, Russia’s Putin, Bashar al, Assad —, Assad’s, Sergei Savostyanov, Ali Sarwar Naqvi, “ We’ve, James Marape, ’, Rubens Duarte, Li Zhiquan, “, Tong Zhao, Zhao, Ted Aljibe, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Zhang Youxia, Beijing’s, Gilberto Teodoro Jr, BRICS, Weeks, Joe Biden, Sergio Lima, ” — Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, United Nations, Forum, China, Communist, CNN, Beijing, Washington, Getty, Stimson, Bank, World Trade Organization, . Riot, Bloomberg, Initiative, Asian, Global, Sputnik, Reuters, Center for International Strategic Studies, Papua New Guinea, multipolarity, China News Service, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Global Security Initiative, NATO, Russia, Philippine Defense, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, United, New, Seven, Ministry, Global Security, Group, UN, Communist Party Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, United States, Ukraine, Gaza, Russian, Xinhua, Washington, South, Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, America, Shanghai, West, Hangzhou, Israel, Pakistan, Pakistani, Islamabad, Papua New, Brazil, Indonesia, Europe, Asia, Scarborough, South China, AFP, Moscow, Russia, “, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Palestine, India, South Africa, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, New Delhi, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Caribbean, ” Beijing

The pandas’ departure from the National Zoo leaves Zoo Atlanta as the only other US zoo to feature pandas from China, and not for much longer. First lady Pat Nixon welcomes China's giant pandas on April 20, 1972, at Washington's National Zoo. They have since become the parents of seven giant panda cubs born at Zoo Atlanta, according to the zoo. Staff at the National Zoo say they’re hopeful China might one day send over more giant pandas. Plans for the exhibit, with a welcome sign announcing the “Giant Pandas of Chengdu” and a panda-themed gift shop, aren’t clear.

Persons: Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Nixon, Mao Zedong, Richard Nixon, ”, Mao Ning, Richard Nixon’s, Mao Zedong’s, Pat Nixon, “, Hsing, YaYa, Xin Xin, David Culver, Fernando Gual Sill, CNN Xin Xin –, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Yang Yang, Lun Lun, Steve Schaefer, –, Bob Lee, Jane Mahalik, “ Pat Nixon, ” Mahalik, Jill Biden, Yong Xiong, Melissa Gray Organizations: CNN, Smithsonian National Zoo, ” Zoo, National Zoo, Zoo, AP China, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Washington, of Public Service, Memphis Zoo, Atlanta, Chapultepec Zoo, Pandas, Zoo Atlanta, Getty, Scotland, Edinburgh Zoo, Adelaide Zoo, Chengdu Research Base, Staff, National Locations: Washington ,, China, what’s, Zoo Atlanta, Beijing, United States, City of Peking, Washington, Atlanta, Russia, Mexico City, Chapultepec, Mexico, “, China’s, Moscow, Qatar, AFP, America, Zoo, Chengdu, New York, Los Angeles

☆ Xi Jinping to Address U.S. Business Leaders Amid Rising Skepticism of China Ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Ana Swanson | More About Ana Swanson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who is set to to meet with President Biden in San Francisco next week, is expected to speak to top American business executives at a dinner following that bilateral meeting. Mr. Xi, who is traveling to the United States for an international conference, will address business leaders at a challenging moment in U.S.-China relations. The United States has expressed growing concern about China’s military ambitions and has sought to cut off Beijing’s access to technology that could be used against the United States. Still, Chinese and American leaders have expressed interest in bolstering ties between their economies, the world’s two largest, which remain inextricably linked through trade. The Biden administration has sent several top officials to China this year to try to make clear that while the United States wants to protect national security, it does not seek to sever economic ties with Beijing.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Biden, Xi, Xi’s Organizations: United, Chinese Communist Party Locations: San Francisco, United States, China, Beijing

☆ GOP lawmakers call for VA to slash reliance on China for medical supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —A pair of Republicans leading powerful House committees are calling for the Department of Veterans Affairs to speed up efforts to decrease the agency’s reliance on China for medical supplies, CNN has learned. The Covid-19 pandemic laid bare a dangerous vulnerability in America’s medical supply chains that resulted in shortages of masks, respirators and other life-saving gear. “The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the national security and public health risks of failing to guarantee adequate medical supplies. As the biggest buyer of medical supplies among federal agencies, it has considerable influence. Congress has attempted to take steps to boost the resilience of the nation’s medical supply chain by easing dependence on goods from less friendly nations like China.

Persons: Mike Gallagher, Mike Bost, Denis McDonough, Bost, Gallagher, “, ” Terrence Hayes, Joe Biden, Health Richard Stone, ” Bost, McDonough, Democratic Sen, Tom Carper, Republican Sen, Thom Tillis, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Department of Veterans Affairs, CNN, Veterans ’, Chinese Communist Party, CCP, Department of Veteran Affairs, Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Health, Human Services, Republicans, Health, World Trade Organization, Congress, Democratic, Republican Locations: New York, China, United States, America, Covid, Mexico, Malaysia

☆ IMF upgrades China's 2023, 2024 GDP growth forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

People wait to board trains at the Shanghai Hongqiao railway station ahead of the National Day holiday, in Shanghai, China September 28, 2023. GDP growth could slow to 4.6% in 2024 because of continued weakness in China's property sector and subdued external demand, the IMF said in a press release, albeit better than its October expectation of 4.2% in the IMF's World Economic Outlook (WEO). The combination of the downturn in the property sector and local government debt crunch could wipe out much of China's long-term growth potential, economists say. Local debt has reached 92 trillion yuan ($12.6 trillion), or 76% of China's economic output in 2022, up from 62.2% in 2019. China should also develop a comprehensive restructuring strategy to reduce the debt level of local government financing vehicles (LGFVs), she said.

Persons: Aly, IMF's, Gita Gopinath, Gopinath, LGFVs, Joe Cash, Ryan Woo, Edmund Klamann, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Monetary Fund, China's, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Shanghai Hongqiao, Shanghai, China, Rights BEIJING, Gopinath

☆ Putin looks set to run for president in 2024 — and there's no one who can oppose him right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 9: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the concert marking the City Day on September 9, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images) Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesRussian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly decided to run in the March 2024 presidential election and he's likely to win another six-year term in office, essentially because there's no one that can oppose him. Analysts say that the bitter truth in modern Russia is that there is no one who can oppose Putin, for now. In this pool image distributed by Sputnik agency, Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with the regional head of Inigushetia in Moscow's Kremlin, on August 15, 2023. MOSCOW, RUSSIA - SEPTEMBER 9: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the concert marking the City Day on September 9, 2023 in Moscow, Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Sobyanin, he's, —, Vladimir Milov, Alexander Kazakov, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Alexei Navalny, Yulia Morozova, Vladimir Kara, Murza, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Sergei Medvedev, Mikhail Svetlov, Medvedev, deigning, Prigozhin's Wagner, Wagner, Kirill Shamiev, Milov Organizations: Moscow's, Getty, Kremlin, Reuters, CNBC, Sputnik, AFP, Kremlin's, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party, Russia, IK, Wagner Group, Analysts, Saint Petersburg, Economic, Prigozhin's Wagner Group, Anadolu Agency, European Council, Foreign Relations, Putin Locations: MOSCOW, RUSSIA, Moscow, Russia, Russian, Moscow's Kremlin, Ukraine, Vladimir, Iran, North Korea, SAINT PETERSBURG, Concord, Saint Petersburg, Belarus, Prigozhin, Russia's, Tver

☆ Gay Games: Sporting and cultural LGBTQ event faces a conservative backlash in Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

I have no idea how it managed to reach Hong Kong,” he said. Gay Games organizers hit back at the opposition from Hong Kong lawmakers and have vowed the event will be a proud, non-political, celebration of inclusivity. A spokesman did not answer the first part and replied on the latter: “Any activity that takes place in Hong Kong must not contravene any laws of Hong Kong. One of Hong Kong leader John Lee’s top advisers and also a lawmaker, Ip has been one of the few Hong Kong politicians vocally supportive of the games. Meanwhile Chan Kwan-on, one of the Gay Games ambassadors in Hong Kong, urged critics not to jump to conclusions and come see for themselves.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, –, ”, Junius Ho, Peter Shiu, Lisa Lam, Alan Lang, Hong, Tyrone Siu, Xi Jinping, Hong Kong, ” Wayne Morgan, ‘, Lang, Regina Ip, John Lee’s, Ip, Chan Kwan, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Gay Games, Wednesday, firebrand, Beijing, CNN, Reuters, Gay, Valencia, Hong, Gay Sports and Movement Association, China’s Communist Party, ’ Gay Locations: Hong Kong, Asia, Mexican, Guadalajara, Beijing, China, Hong, Australian, Taiwan

☆ China's He Lifeng named to key post in Central Financial Commission
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Nov 6 (Reuters) - A Chinese vice premier, He Lifeng, has been appointed head of the office of the Central Financial Commission (CFC), which is responsible for running day-to-day affairs of a new regulator tasked with overseeing a vast financial sector. He was also appointed as party chief of a separate Central Financial Work Commission (CFWC), which has been set up to strengthen the ideological and political role of the party in China's overall financial system. The appointments, announced by the central bank's Financial News publication, underscore how the ruling Communist Party has taken direct control of supervising the financial sector. He has also been appointed director of a key ruling Communist Party economic body, the Central Finance and Economic Affairs Commission, replacing Liu He. In 2014, He was named vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, the state planning agency, before taking full control in 2017.

Persons: Lifeng, Florence, Xi Jinping, Liu He, Xi, Ziyi Tang, Kevin Yao, Ryan Woo, Edwina Gibbs, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Central Financial Commission, Financial Work, Financial, Communist Party, Central Finance, Economic Affairs Commission, Xiamen University, National Development, Reform Commission, Thomson Locations: China, EU, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Rights BEIJING, Quanzhou, Fujian province, Xiamen, Tianjin

☆ ICBC ex-VP being probed by China’s anti-graft body
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Zhang Hongli, a former senior executive at Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), is being probed by China’s top anti-corruption watchdog, in a sign of a continuing crackdown in the country’s financial sector. State-owned ICBC is one of China’s “Big Four” banks and the world’s largest lender by assets, according to S&P Global. Prior to joining ICBC, Zhang worked at Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs, where he held senior management roles. They include three top executives at the highest ranks of China’s financial world, who have either been probed or charged, according to the commission. In October, Li was expelled from the Communist Party and arrested for allegedly taking bribes, according to Xinhua.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Zhang Hongli, Zhang, Goldman Sachs, Bao Fan, Bao, Xi, Li Xiaopeng, —, Li, Liu Liange, Liu, “, Wang Bin, Wang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Industrial, Commercial Bank of China, Central Commission, P, Deutsche Bank, ICBC’s Communist Party, Xinhua, CNN, China, Communist Party, of China, China Life Insurance Locations: China, Hong Kong, ICBC, Xinhua

☆ China to accelerate issuance of government bonds, finance minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A woman walks in the Central Business District (CBD) on a hazy morning in Beijing, China, October 25, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, China, Nov 5 (Reuters) - China will accelerate the issuance and use of government bonds, state-run news agency Xinhua reported on Sunday citing an interview with new finance minister Lan Foan. "The Ministry of Finance will continue to implement a proactive fiscal policy, focus on improving efficiency, and better play the effectiveness of fiscal policy," said Lan, who also noted the "complex domestic and international situation". Some new local government debt quotas for 2024 have been issued in advance to reasonably ensure local financing needs, he said. The top parliamentary body last month approved the issuance of 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion) in sovereign bonds in the fourth quarter to fund rebuilding of areas affected by floods, state media reported.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Lan Foan, Lan, Liu Kun, Martin Quin Pollard, Wang Shuyan, William Mallard, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Central Business, REUTERS, Rights, Xinhua, Ministry, Finance, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Shanxi

The rule, de minimis, exempts packages shipped into the United States from duties and fees if they are worth less than $800. U.S. retailers want that rule changed. Over six years, that amounted to about $100 million in duties that could have been invested in modernizing the business, he added. Temu and Shein most likely account for 30 percent of packages shipped daily under the provision, according to a report from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. A Shein spokeswoman said de minimis “is not critical to the success of our business,” and in July, Shein’s executive vice chairman said the company was “eager” to work with lawmakers to help change the rule.

Persons: de, minimis “, David Bridal’s, Jim Marcum, DealBook, Marcum, ” Organizations: Customs, Chinese Communist Party Locations: United States

☆ U.S. Retailers Say an Old Trade Law Puts Them at a Disadvantage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Jordyn Holman | More About Jordyn Holman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

If it isn’t, they argue, companies may move their warehouses, and the jobs that come with them, outside the United States. In 2022, David’s Bridal said it paid about $20 million in fees to U.S. Customs. Competitors based in China that ship dresses directly to shoppers paid nothing, Mr. Marcum said. In the course of six years, he added, David’s Bridal paid about $100 million in duties that could have been invested in modernizing its business. “You can see the enormity of that — the disadvantage that we’ve had to face,” Mr. Marcum said.

Persons: ”, Shein, ” Jim Marcum, “, David’s, Marcum, ” Mr, Ron Sorini Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, ”, . Customs Locations: United States, China, U.S

☆ McCormick wants the US to divest from China. As a hedge fund manager, he oversaw investments in Chinese companies grow more than a thousand-fold
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Em Steck | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

However, as the head of the world’s largest hedge fund, McCormick oversaw massive investments into US exchange traded Chinese companies and holdings, according to a CNN KFile review of the hedge fund’s holdings. I held deep reservations about Bridgewater’s exposure to the moral and patriotic hazards of doing business in China,” McCormick said in September 2023 before officially launching his campaign. That amounts to a 108,000% increase in Chinese holdings over a five-year period. In 2017, Bridgewater reported investing in just one US exchange traded Chinese company; by the final quarter of 2021, its holdings included 47 Chinese companies. McCormick’s hedge fund also held an additional $779 million indirectly in Chinese companies through their investments in exchange traded funds.

Persons: David McCormick’s, McCormick, ” McCormick, Hugh Hewitt’s, CNN’s KFile, Bush, Mehmet Oz, Oz, Democrat John Fetterman, Bridgewater, Elizabeth Gregory, “, he’s, Ray Dalio –, thievery ”, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, US, CNN, CCP, Bridgewater Associates, US Securities and Exchange, Bridgewater, Republican Party, Republican, Democrat, Chinese Communist Party, US Commerce Department Locations: New York, Pennsylvania, hardliner, China, McCormick’s, United States, Xinjiang, ”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chinese middlemen launder the proceeds of North Korean hackers’ cyber heists while Chinese ships deliver sanctioned North Korean goods to Chinese ports. China views North Korea as a buffer against the U.S., which maintains a significant troop presence in South Korea. The U.S. has accused North Korea of supplying artillery shells and rockets to Russia, while new evidence shows Hamas fighters likely fired North Korean weapons during their Oct. 7 assault on Israel. “China violates North Korea sanctions it voted for and says won’t work because it’s afraid they’ll work. Such “over-the-counter” brokers allow North Korean hackers to bypass know-your-customer rules governing banks and other financial exchanges.

Persons: “, ” Aaron Arnold, Kim Jong Un, ”, Joshua Stanton, cryptocurrency, Anthony Ruggiero, couldn’t, hadn’t, Eric Penton, Dake Kang Organizations: WASHINGTON, North, Associated, United Nations, Royal United Services Institute, U.S, . Security, North Korean, Kremlin, AP, Treasury, government’s Ministry of Commerce, U.N, Associated Press, Carnegie Corporation of New, Outrider Foundation, Investigative@ap.org Locations: Beijing, Korea, North Korea, China, Pyongyang, South Korea, Ukraine, The U.S, Russia, Israel, North, U.S, Carnegie Corporation of New York

A woman dressed up as a starving medical student. One woman dressed up as a medical student, holding a begging bowl in her hands. A woman dressed up as a liberal arts student hungry for egg fried rice. Greg Baker/Pool/ReutersTo address these challenges, President Xi Jinping hosted a key financial policy meeting this week to reiterate the need to resolve financial risks in the economy. “Hidden economic and financial risks are still widespread,” the readout said.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, ”, Zhou, Xiao Pan, Yan Ziqi, “, Xi Jinping, Greg Baker, Xi Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Global, Stock, Huaan Securities, Service, National People's, of, People, Reuters, Communist Party, Ministry of State Security Locations: China, Hong Kong, China’s, Shanghai, Weibo, Douyin, “, Beijing

☆ Wu Zunyou, the Face of China’s Covid Controls, Dies at 60
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Liyan Qi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Wu Zunyou became a household name in China during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: China News Service/Imago/Zuma PressWu Zunyou, China’s top epidemiologist, never wanted the spotlight, believing that a successful public-health professional should be “invisible.” His last role, as the face of China’s draconian Covid-19 restrictions, was anything but. In China, the decisions that kept the country in isolation with closed borders and rolling lockdowns for three long years—policies deemed extreme by the global public-health community—were made by the Communist Party leadership. Still, by the time Wu died, on Oct. 27 at the age of 60, he had become the target of much of his countrymen’s anger over China’s pandemic response.

Persons: Wu Zunyou, Wu Organizations: China News, Zuma, Communist Party Locations: China

☆ China’s Male Leaders Signal to Women That Their Place Is in the Home
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Alexandra Stevenson | More About Alexandra Stevenson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At China’s top political gathering for women, it was mostly a man who was seen and heard. Xi Jinping, the country’s leader, sat center stage at the opening of the National Women’s Congress. From the head of a large round table, Mr. Xi lectured female delegates at the closing meeting on Monday. In the past, officials had touched on the role women play at home as well as in the work force. But in this year’s address, Mr. Xi made no mention of women at work.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Xi, “, ”, Xi’s Organizations: National Women’s, Communist Party’s, Communist Party

[1/3] The Chinese flag at a gate to the Zhongnanhai leadership compound flies at half-mast in memory of late former Chinese premier Li Keqiang, in Beijing, China November 2, 2023. REUTERS/Mark Chisholm Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Nov 2 (Reuters) - China lowered the national flag at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Thursday amid an outpouring of grief online as the country cremated former premier Li Keqiang, known as "the people's premier" for his down-to-earth, hands-on leadership. "In memory of comrade Li Keqiang, flags were flown at half-mast at Tiananmen Square in the capital," state media said. "Personally, I still feel a bit unreal (about his death) because I feel like he's a good premier and suddenly he's gone. Some businesses such as international coffee chain Starbucks (SBUX.O) turned their app interface black and white in mourning for Li.

Persons: Li Keqiang, Mark Chisholm, Li, Xi Jinping, Han Zheng, Hu Jintao, Gao, Xi, he's, Wan, Zhang Shijun, Liz Lee, Xiaoyu Yin, Ryan Woo, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Communist Party's, Xinhua, Weibo, China's, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, Rights BEIJING, Shanghai, Weibo

☆ Li Keqiang: Death of China’s former premier offers glimpse into discontent with Xi Jinping
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —The sudden death of China’s former Premier Li Keqiang has spurred an outpouring of grief and mourning across the country. But for many, it also appears to offer a rare opening to air pent-up discontent with top leader Xi Jinping and the direction he has taken the country. His death, just months after his retirement, shocked the Chinese public. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang review a guard of honor prior to a meeting at the Chancellery on July 9, 2018 in Berlin, Germany. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visits a hospital in Wuhan on January 27, 2020, days after the city was placed under a complete lockdown to curb the raging Covid-19 outbreak.

Persons: Li Keqiang, Xi Jinping, Li, Xi –, ”, Alfred Wu, Lee, “, Xi, Angela Merkel, Sean Gallup, Zhang Lun, Mao Zedong, Zhang, “ I’ve, Wu, Li Tao, Zhou Enlai, Mao, Hu Yaobang, Fish Leong, ” Zhang Organizations: CNN, Communist, Lee Kuan Yew, of Public Policy, Getty, Studies, University of Cergy, Peking University, Li, AP Party, Communist Party, Xinhua, CPC, Party Locations: Shanghai, China, Singapore, German, Berlin, Germany, Pontoise, France, Communist China, Wuhan, AFP, Yunnan province, Weibo, Malaysian, Hefei, Anhui, Zhengzhou, Henan, Beijing

☆ China kicks off nationwide population survey amid declining birth rate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, Nov 1 (Reuters) - China will begin polling 1.4 million people on Wednesday in a survey on population changes, as authorities struggle to incentivise people to have more children amid a declining birth rate and the first population drop in more than six decades. The survey will be based on a sample of 500,000 households and last for around two weeks until Nov. 15, China's National Bureau of Statistics said. It will help provide a basis to monitor China's population developmental changes and for the government and Communist Party to formulate national economic, social development and population related policies, it said. China last conducted its once-in-a-decade census in November 2020 which showed it grew at the slowest pace since the first modern population survey in the 1950s. Population development has often been linked to the strength and "rejuvenation" of the country in state media amid the declining birth rate and widespread concerns by citizens on the difficulties of raising children.

Persons: Farah Master, Michael Perry Organizations: China's National Bureau of Statistics, Communist Party, Authorities, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, China, China's

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng attends a joint press conference following the 10th China-EU High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China September 25, 2023. He, 68, replaced internationally respected Liu He as one of China's four vice premiers during its annual parliament session in March. The full scope of his portfolio had been largely unclear until Sunday when state media referred to him as the director of a powerful Communist Party economic body. "He Lifeng mainly implements policies from the top leader," said a policy adviser who spoke on condition of anonymity, referring to Xi. "Now under the leadership of the Party ... there will be closer cooperation among the top economic planner, central bank and the finance ministry."

Persons: Lifeng, Florence, Xi Jinping's, Liu, Xi, Liu He, Li Keqiang, Peng Liyuan, Kevin Yao, Laurie Chen, Joe Cash, Ellen Zhang, Marius Zaharia Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Communist Party, Central Financial Commission, Harvard, Investors, State Council, Party, Xiamen University, National Development, Reform Commission, Thomson Locations: China, EU, Diaoyutai, Beijing, Rights BEIJING, China's, Washington, Europe, Quanzhou, Fujian, Xiamen, Tianjin, Lincoln

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