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☆ Why China has few good options to boost its faltering economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Fiscal stimulus, for instance, amounted to just a third of the aid offered in the United States, with no nationwide cash handouts. “A comprehensive policy mix — covering monetary and fiscal stimulus, including infrastructure, property, and consumption, alongside structural reforms,” would be helpful to rebuild confidence, they said. It was seen as a success and helped boost Beijing’s domestic and international political standing as well as China’s economic growth, which soared to more than 9% in the second half of 2009. China’s debt woes have only deepened during the Covid-19 pandemic, when three years of draconian restrictions and a real estate downturn drained the coffers of local government. “An infrastructure-led fiscal stimulus would need to be much bigger to have the same economic impact,” she said.

Persons: they’ve, ”, Robert Carnell, Craig Singleton, Alicia Garcia, Herrero, China “, wouldn’t, Zhu Min, Garcia, Xi Jinping, Derek Scissors, Singleton, “ Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, ING Group, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Manufacturers, Asia Pacific, UBS Global Wealth Management, International Monetary Fund, Bloomberg, American Enterprise Institute Locations: Hong Kong, China, Asia, Pacific, Washington, “, Beijing, United States, China’s, Tianjin

Washington-based analysts say Wang's return to the ministry should help China's foreign ministry resume normal operations after weeks of international speculation about Qin's fate. In the Chinese system, the top diplomat is not foreign minister but rather the director of the Chinese Communist Party's foreign affairs commission, a role Wang will continue to hold. Still, Wang's reappointment is a sign of problems in China's foreign policy establishment, said Blanchette. On Tuesday, content mentioning Qin was quickly removed from China's foreign ministry website after Wang's appointment. The tab on the website that typically holds the biography of the foreign minister simply read "Updating."

Persons: Wang Yi, Qin Gang, Xi Jinping's, Qin, Xi, Wang, Joseph Torigian, Vedant Patel, Blinken, Joe Biden, Rorry Daniels, Wang's, China's, Jude Blanchette, Craig Singleton, Michael Martina, David Brunnstrom, Don Durfee Organizations: Communist, American University, U.S . State Department, U.S, APEC, Asia Society Policy Institute, Communist Party, Washington's Center, Strategic, International Studies, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Thomson Locations: Washington, United States, Beijing, U.S, China, China's, Xi's, India, California, Taiwan, scold Washington, Lincoln

☆ Iraq-Iran gas-for-oil barter would likely violate US sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Arshad Mohammed | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

However, three former U.S. officials said a barter would likely run afoul of U.S. sanctions. There has been speculation the waiver might be amended to allow barter, an issue the official declined to address. We have no comment at this time regarding reports of a barter arrangement between Iraq and Iran," the official said. Former U.S. officials said the Treasury Department, which oversees most U.S. sanctions against Iran, defines the term "transaction" so broadly that it would cover a barter exchange. "As far as a strictly legal question, it absolutely does violate U.S. sanctions," he added.

Persons: Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Richard Goldberg, Goldberg, Antony Blinken, that's, Arshad Mohammed, Josie Kao Organizations: Iraqi, Foundation for Defense, Democracies, Trump, State Department, Iran, U.S, Treasury Department, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Tehran, U.S, Iraq, Iran, Baghdad, Iraqi, Washington

☆ Blinken heads to Saudi Arabia amid strained ties, Israel normalization in mind
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan traveled to Saudi Arabia on May 7. Speaking at the pro-Israel lobby group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Monday, Blinken said Washington had "a real national security interest" in advocating for the normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, but cautioned that it will not happen quickly. "[Blinken should explain] why Chinese interests do not align with Saudi Arabia, and why closer relations in a strategic way inhibit closer relations with Washington," Goldberg said. U.S. citizens and residents with family members detained in Saudi Arabia called on Blinken in a letter on Tuesday to press Saudi officials for an immediate release of their relatives. The list included prominent cleric Salman al-Odah, children of former spy chief Saad al-Jabri, human rights defender Mohammed al-Qahtani and aid worker Abdulrahman al-Sadhan.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jake Sullivan, Blinken, Washington, Richard Goldberg, Goldberg, Joe Biden, Prince Mohammed, Jamal Khashoggi, Biden, Bashar al, Assad, Salman al, Saad al, Mohammed al, Abdulrahman, Arshad Mohammed, Simon Lewis, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Leslie Adler, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Saudi, White House, diplomat's, Israel, American Israel Public Affairs, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, MbS, Arab, U.S, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Iran, Jeddah, U.S, Israel, Saudi, Washington, Syria

☆ Can the Zibo barbecue frenzy save China from economic crises?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Zhu Zheng/Xinhua/Getty ImagesSo many tourists flocked into Zibo, now dubbed China’s outdoor barbecue capital, that even the local tourism authorities urged visitors to go elsewhere. A few may, but most won’t.”A shop owner shows off grilled meat during a barbecue festival on April 29, 2023 in Zibo, eastern China. The city Zibo became a tourism hot spot after videos of its barbecue went viral online. China’s economy is navigating a growing array of challenges. The informal trade might reduce unemployment temporarily, and give people feeling poorer a boost, but it “won’t save China’s economy,” Tsang said.

☆ Opinion: Turkey’s Erdogan is in the fight of his political life. The real winner may be Putin
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Opinion Elmira Bayrasli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —For Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s longest serving ruler, Sunday’s upcoming election may be the end of a two-decade winning streak. Following an attempted coup to unseat Erdogan, the Russian president called his Turkish counterpart and offered his country’s support. Still, it was not enough to change the eastern tilt of Turkish foreign policy. Whether Erdogan wins or loses, Ankara is unlikely to untangle itself from Moscow and turn back to the West. (The Turkish president has previously dismissed concerns about press freedom in his country).

☆ One in 5 young people in Chinese cities are out of work. Beijing wants them to work in the fields
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Guangdong, the manufacturing powerhouse that abuts Hong Kong, said last month it will help college graduates and young entrepreneurs to find work in villages. Guangdong’s plan, which was widely panned on social media, coincided with the rate of urban unemployment among 16- to 24-year-olds surging to 19.6%, the second highest level on record. Kong Yiji, a famous literary figure from the early 20th century, has been one of the hottest memes on China’s social media since February. A tourist shop named 'Kong Yiji' in China's Zhejiang province. Other popular buzzwords have included “lying flat” and “letting it rot.”Authorities, uneasy about dissatisfaction expressed through memes, have banned the hashtag of Kong Yiji.

“We need to have tabletop exercises that go through a variety of scenarios, including possibly nuclear weapons,” a senior official told CNN earlier this month. Leaks loomRecent online leaks of Pentagon documents involving South Korea also loom over the visit. One of the leaked documents describes, in remarkable detail, a conversation between two senior South Korean national security officials about concerns by the country’s National Security Council over a US request for ammunition. Plans and pompWednesday’s events mark just the second state visit of the Biden presidency (Biden hosted French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte in December 2022). President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee visit the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, Tuesday.

☆ A 1960s-era cannon is 'kicking ass' against Russia's drones, but the country that makes ammo for it won't send more to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But Switzerland, where Gepard ammo is made, is not allowing more of that ammo to be sent to Ukraine. The Gepard SPAAGA German Gepard anti-aircraft tank during an exercise near Munster in June 2007. German defense company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann built 570 Gepards between 1963 and 1980 — 420 for the German Bundeswehr, 95 for the Dutch army, and 55 for the Belgian army. Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty ImagesAfter being criticized for its reluctance to send heavy weaponry to Ukraine, the German government promised some 50 Gepards to Ukraine in April 2022. In February, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that German firm Rheinmetall would restart ammo production for the Gepard.

☆ Cash-strapped Chinese cities are cutting medical benefits for seniors
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Censors removed hashtags for “Wuhan health insurance” from Weibo’s hot topics section after the demonstrations began in January. State media reported at the time that some other regions had already spent public money on mass testing. CFOTO/Future Publishing/Getty ImagesCovering the shortfallChina’s health insurance scheme is a key part of its limited social safety net. To protesters, however, it looked like local governments were dipping into their individual accounts to cover the shortfalls of the collective pool. “There has to be some resolution of the financial capacity of local governments to meet current, and prospective, age-related costs,” Magnus said.

☆ The China-brokered Saudi-Iran deal has big repercussions for the Middle East — and the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Taking up a specific role that the U.S. could not have fulfilled, this was Beijing's first foray into Middle East mediation, an area that for the past few decades was largely occupied by Washington. "I think China was a good partner to do this. I think they're the right people," he said, noting that China invests heavily in Saudi Arabia and is its top trading partner. Chinese President, Xi Jinping (L) is welcomed by Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (R) at the Palace of Yamamah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 8, 2022. And not just economically, as it already exports an immense amount of goods to the Middle East and is the largest importer of Saudi oil – but politically.

It was not clear what specific sanctions Washington will propose. Washington and its allies have said in recent weeks that China was considering providing weapons to Russia, which Beijing denies. Before that in New Delhi on Wednesday and Thursday, the war will be discussed by foreign ministers from dozens of countries, including Russia, China and the United States. The initial outreach by Washington on sanctions has not yet led to broad agreement on any specific measures, the sources said. Washington should make China choose between access to the U.S. financial system or aiding Russia's war, Ruggiero said, citing the sanctions approach to Iran and North Korea.

☆ Republicans are blaming Biden for letting a suspected Chinese spy balloon cross into the US. It happened 3 times during the Trump administration, officials say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Republicans are criticizing the Biden administration's response to the Chinese spy balloon. "Would Trump have let China fly a spy balloon over our country?" Chinese spy balloons were sighted three times during the Trump administration, US officials said. The CCP [Chinese Communist Party] can send spy balloons over our nuclear silos and we will do nothing." It's unclear what information the suspected Chinese spy balloon could have gleaned from its various positions.

WASHINGTON/BEIJING, Feb 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed a visit to China that had been expected to start on Friday after a Chinese spy balloon was tracked flying across the United States, a U.S. official said. China earlier expressed regret that what it called a "civilian" airship had strayed into U.S. territory after being blown off course, an incident that sparked a political furor in the United States. Republican Senator Tom Cotton had called for Blinken to cancel his trip, while Republican former President Donald Trump, a declared presidential candidate for 2024, posted "SHOOT DOWN THE BALLOON!" It said it would continue to communicate with the United States to "properly handle" the unexpected situation. Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the spy balloon was alarming but not surprising.

Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in November with that goal in mind and both leaders pledged more frequent communications. He has also sidelined some of his "wolf warrior" diplomats whose strident rhetoric alienated many of China's trade partners. Despite such pragmatic rhetoric, China's actions - especially its military activity around Taiwan and in the South China Sea - have not moderated, analysts said. Washington hopes for incremental progress on more specific but vital matters such as securing China's cooperation on fentanyl, global health, climate change and the cases of U.S. citizens detained there. That ... is more than deeply frustrating," said another source familiar with the administration's thinking, adding that China has rebuffed Washington's "very specific" proposals.

"The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now," Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters. It was not clear how the discovery of the spy balloon might affect those plans. Senator Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate intelligence committee, said the spy balloon was alarming but not surprising. A separate U.S. official said the spy balloon had been tracked near the Aleutian Islands and Canada before entering the United States. Spy balloons have flown over the United States several times in recent years, but this balloon appeared to be lingering longer than in previous instances, an official said.

☆ China's cities are struggling to pay their bills from three years of Covid and a real estate crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Rolling lockdowns seriously dented household incomes, leading many to reduce spending, which in turn resulted in less tax revenue for local governments. “China’s runaway local debt poses a serious threat to the country’s overall economic health and will weigh heavily on China’s still-nascent recovery,” said Singleton. Debt that is backed by local governments but which doesn’t show up on their balance sheets could be much bigger. That’s more than 20% higher than the estimate of 53 trillion yuan made by Goldman Sachs in 2021. Their debt squeeze could pose a serious threat to China’s financial system, particularly to small regional banks.

☆ Weapons for Russia, anti-government protests and the nuclear deal: What lies ahead for Iran in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The Biden administration went from encouraging negotiations on reviving the Iranian nuclear deal to levying more sanctions on Tehran and condemning it for providing lethal weapons and training to Russian forces fighting in Ukraine. Iran's Foreign Ministry denies knowing about Iranian weapons transfers to Russia, despite evidence of Iranian-made drones wreaking havoc on Ukrainian cities. Sergei Savostyanov | AFP | Getty Images"2023 is going to be a pivotal year for Iran," Ali Vaez, Iran project director at non-profit Crisis Group, told CNBC. The nuclear deal: too far gone? Ukraine has blamed Iran for providing Russia with drones, which have been used to attack Kyiv.

[1/2] People line up at a makeshift fever clinic set up inside a stadium, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Beijing, China December 19, 2022. "We stand ready to help any country in the world with vaccines, treatments, anything else that we can be helpful with," he said. "We want China to get COVID right," Blinken said earlier this month. “China faces a very challenging system in reopening,” Powell said, adding that its manufacturing, exporting and supply chain remain critical. Officials set up health centers and apps that told people with symptoms how to avoid infecting others, he said.

☆ U.S. blacklists Chinese firm selling video surveillance tech to Iran
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“The Chinese Communist Party is weaponizing technology companies to further its geopolitical goals,” Rubio said in an email. Human rights advocates and lawmakers are concerned Iranian authorities could use Tiandy’s video surveillance technology to help squelch a wave of anti-regime protests in the country. The Biden administration last month effectively banned the sale or import of new equipment from a number of Chinese surveillance firms. China has strongly rejected U.S. criticism of Chinese tech companies and of its treatment of Uyghurs or other Muslim minorities in the country. But he said it was “absurd” to portray Chinese technology as a security threat.

☆ Iran's state media denies abolition of 'morality police' as three-day strike begins
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty ImagesSome Western media outlets are facing backlash from Iranian activists over headlines printed Sunday saying that Iran was abolishing its "morality police." Many Iranian anti-government activists now feat it will distract from three days of major strikes around the country. What's more, the higher branches of Iran's government have not confirmed it, and Iranian state media has denied any abolition of the morality police. "In reality morality police have been inactive since protests started, but there is no substantive news on their future." "This disinfo was propagated today to distract media attention from the 3 days of major protests in Iran which begin tomo.

☆ Debt woes and zero-Covid: China's cities are running out of cash to pay huge bills
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

They spent 11.8 trillion yuan ($1.65 trillion) more than they raised in revenue between January and October, borrowing heavily to do so, according to data from China’s Ministry of Finance. Andy Wong/AP‘Widest in history’For nearly three years, local governments have borne the brunt of enforcing pandemic controls. The weak fiscal position of local governments has been a drag on the country’s overall financial standing. Kevin Frayer/Getty ImagesLow income, high costsWhy are local governments in this parlous state? In May, Beijing told local governments that they had to bear the costs for regular Covid testing in their regions.

☆ Chinese firm selling surveillance tech to Iran comes under scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Tiandy is one of several Chinese companies at the center of China’s vast domestic surveillance network, experts and human rights advocates say. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said the embassy could not speak on behalf of Chinese private companies. Last week, the Biden administration effectively banned the sale or import of new equipment from a number of Chinese surveillance firms but Tiandy Technologies was not named. Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said Chinese surveillance technology tends to be less expensive and more attractive for some authoritarian governments. Like other video technology companies in China, Tiandy’s software includes an ethnicity tracking tool that supposedly can digitally identify someone’s race.

☆ Analysis: China has limited power, and perhaps little desire, to curb North Korea
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

China does not want to see a nuclear-armed North Korea, nor does it want to see U.S. nuclear weapons in the region, but the prospect of an expanding U.S. military footprint raises other priorities for China, said Jenny Town of 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea project. "They see the United States, South Korea and Japan forming as a security bloc, creating a need for a counter bloc, which would include North Korea," she said, referring to China. "Americans have perennially overestimated China's influence over North Korea," said John Delury, professor of Chinese studies at Yonsei University in Seoul. "Sanction North Korea, which cut itself off from the world for three years because of COVID and continued testing missiles? The whole point is China doesn’t control North Korea."

☆ Biden-Xi meeting brings North Korea into crosshairs. Sanctions are needed.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Anthony Ruggiero | Anthony Ruggiero Is Senior Director Of The Nonproliferation | Biodefense Program At The Foundation For Defense Of Democracies. He Previously Served On The National Security Council Under President Donald Trump As The Senior Director For Counterproliferation | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

But after North Korea re-engaged in negotiations, he reduced sanctions in exchange for promises of denuclearization, which Pyongyang soon violated. They included sanctions and an indictment against a Chinese company and four Chinese people who helped North Korea evade U.S. sanctions. This robust sanctions policy in the last year of Obama’s presidency extended into the beginning of his successor’s term. More than 20 countries curtailed diplomatic or commercial relationships with North Korea. Yet, instead of ratcheting up pressure on North Korea, Trump turned to other issues for the rest of his term.

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