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☆ Davos draws record crowds, but its relevance is fading
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Data from the World Bank shows that global trade of goods and services as a percentage of total economic output peaked that year. A wooden sign on the waterfront of Lake Davos in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 8, 2023. Just look to Italy’s new prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, who was installed in October. Those skipping the gathering this year include US President Joe Biden, China’s Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. That raises questions about whether Davos can hang on to its reputation an essential event for the rich and powerful.

☆ His power secure at home, China’s Xi Jinping goes on a charm offensive abroad
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | Evelyn Cheng Is A News Associate With Cnbc. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

BEIJING — Now that he has consolidated power at home, Chinese President Xi Jinping is stepping out onto the world stage to strengthen relations with the U.S. and other countries. Most recently, Xi hosted European Council President Charles Michel in Beijing on Thursday. In a speech at the party congress, Xi said the party has “safeguarded China’s dignity” in the face of international changes and warned of “dangerous storms” ahead. The following week, the countries’ military leaders met for the first time since Pelosi’s controversial Taiwan visit in August. Heads of Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia and Italy met with both Xi and Biden in the last several weeks, based on government announcements.

Seoul, South Korea CNN —North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday, the second missile test by the Kim Jong Un regime in two days, in actions condemned as unacceptable by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. “North Korea is continuing to carry out provocative actions at frequency never seen before,” Kishida told reporters Friday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. Increased missile testsThe aggressive acceleration in weapons testing and rhetoric has sparked alarm in the region, with the US, South Korea and Japan responding with missile launches and joint military exercises. The tally includes both cruise and ballistic missiles, with the latter making up the majority of North Korean test this year. North Korea isn’t interested talking right now,” Lewis said.

It was a rare, candid glimpse of the Chinese leader and a reminder of Beijing's testy relations with the West. Besides Biden, Trudeau and Australia's Anthony Albanese, Xi also met the leaders of South Korea, Italy, Argentina, Holland and France for bilateral talks in Bali. Xi was ferried around Bali in his own Hongqi (Red Flag) limousine - Mao Zedong used an earlier model - China's version of the U.S. presidential "Beast" limo. Returning to in-person diplomacy also gives Xi a platform to push Chinese initiatives that further cement its stature as leader of the emerging world. "I think in the coming years you'll see China indeed making a serious effort to implement its major power diplomacy," he said.

☆ China's Xi Jinping was filmed lecturing Justin Trudeau in an awkward exchange. It offers a rare glimpse into Xi's personal style of diplomacy.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"That's not appropriate," Xi told Trudeau on Wednesday at the G20 summit in Indonesia. The 40-second video, captured by a Canadian news cameraman, offers a rare glimpse into Xi's personal style of diplomacy. "Everything we discussed has been leaked to the paper, that's not appropriate," Xi told Trudeau, per a translator who was with Xi during the exchange. "Otherwise, it will be hard to say what will happen," the Chinese leader said. Remarking on his exchange with Xi, Trudeau said that "not every conversation is going to be easy," per The Globe and Mail.

☆ Days after Biden's face-to-face meeting with Xi Jinping, Kamala Harris is making a rare trip to a South China Sea hotspot
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Palawan looks over the South China Sea, where Beijing and its neighbors have competing claims. "This is another historic visit, as the vice president is the highest-ranking US official ever to visit Palawan," a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday. It divides the Sulu Sea and the South China Sea, where the Philippines is one of several countries that dispute Beijing's expansive claims. The Philippine province of Palawan separates the Sulu Sea and the South China Sea. Asked on Tuesday how China should view the trip, the US official said, "China can take the message it wants.

Nov 13 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in person on Monday for the first time since taking office, with U.S. concerns over Taiwan, Russia's war in Ukraine and North Korea's nuclear ambitions on top of his agenda. Biden and Xi, who have held five phone or video calls since Biden became president in January 2021, last met in person during the Obama administration. Xi's government has also criticized the Biden administration's posture toward Taiwan as undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Biden will also discuss Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and plans to be "unapologetic" in his defence of Ukraine, U.S. officials said last week. Biden will also warn Xi that North Korea's continued pursuit of weapons development will lead to an enhanced U.S. military presence in the region, the White House said.

The two leaders will meet on Monday, the White House said, for their first face-to-face meeting since Biden became president, amid low expectations for significant breakthroughs. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan announced the plan to brief Taiwan about the talks on Thursday, telling reporters the United States aimed to make Taiwan feel "secure and comfortable" about U.S. support. China is firmly opposed to it," Zhao told a regular briefing, shortly after the ministry announced that Xi would meet Biden and also attend the G20 meeting and a later APEC summit next week. U.S. President Joe Biden speaks virtually with Chinese leader Xi Jinping from the White House in Washington, U.S. November 15, 2021. Biden and Xi last met in person when Biden was vice president during the Obama administration.

☆ Analysis: Sanctions fail to halt North Korea's accelerating weapons programs
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Biden administration officials concede that sanctions have failed to stop North Korea's weapons programs - but they maintain they have at least been effective in slowing North Korea's nuclear program. The Security Council has imposed sanctions on North Korea since 2006 to choke off funding for it nuclear and ballistic missile programs. However U.N. experts regularly report that North Korea is evading sanctions and continuing to develop its programs. Some critics like sanctions expert Joshua Stanton fault both the Trump and Biden administrations for failing to exert maximum pressure to stop China allowing North Korea's sanctions evasion. He rejected the idea that Washington should recognize North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.

☆ Germany's dependence on China is 'overblown,' but critical goods diversification needs to improve: EU Chamber of Commerce
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Su-Lin Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

watch nowThe top European business representative in China downplayed concerns over Germany's economic reliance on China as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz makes his maiden in-person visit to Beijing. President of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China Joerg Wuttke told CNBC's "Squawk Box Asia" on Friday that many of Germany's imports from China are replaceable, when asked if the European country had become dependent on China for many of its goods. Experts largely agreed with Wuttke but warned that Germany needed to step up its diversification from with China. and international relations expert from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, largely agreed with Wuttke's comments, given Wuttke's extensive knowledge of Germany's stakes in China. He said Germany must reduce its dependency so that it is neither susceptible to blackmail by Beijing, nor unable to implement sanctions.

North Korea has escalated its weapons tests and fiery rhetoric as the U.S. and South Korea continue large-scale joint military exercises this week. An hour later, North Korea fired two suspected short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea from the Gaechon area of South Pyongan province. North Korea last tested an intercontinental ballistic missile in March, its first such test since 2017. Early last month, North Korea sent an intermediate-range ballistic missile soaring over Japan in its longest-ever weapons test. Tensions had already risen Wednesday when South Korea responded to North Korea’s barrage by firing three air-to-surface missiles of its own.

HONG KONG — Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s first two terms in power were marked by intensifying competition and tensions with the United States. The United States does not seek conflict with China, Biden told a meeting of his top military advisers Wednesday. “China stands ready to work with the United States to find the right way to get along with each other in the new era,” he said. But China under Xi has a “superficial stability,” Johnson said. Hulton Deutsch / Corbis via Getty ImagesAt 69, Xi has appointed no obvious successor, indicating he may plan to stay in power indefinitely.

☆ Analysis: Need for speed: China Xi's new generals offer cohesion over possible Taiwan plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Greg Torode | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Although the Politburo's seven-man Standing Committee would make the ultimate decision on any Taiwan action, the Central Military Commission would forge and execute the battle plan, eight Asian and Western military attaches say. "If Xi Jinping is going to the pull the trigger on Taiwan, then he can't afford any dissent from the Central Military Commission," said Singapore-based strategic adviser Alexander Neill. That has always been Chinese thinking on Taiwan, and the Ukraine stalemate has confirmed the need to avoid getting bogged down in a slow logistical build up." Crucially, Li has experience with the People's Liberation Army's digitised strategic support forces, a body that covers electronic, cyber and space warfare. He was promoted to the position after his command of the reformed Eastern Theatre Command, which is responsible for Taiwan operations.

☆ Analysis: What is Russia's policy on tactical nuclear weapons?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Guy Faulconbridge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

WHAT ARE TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS? Academics and arms control negotiators have spent years arguing about how to define tactical nuclear weapons (TNW). The clue is in the name: they are nuclear weapons used for specific tactical gains on the battlefield, rather than, say, destroying the biggest cities of the United States or Russia. The atomic bomb dropped by the United States on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945 was about 15 kilotons. The president is the ultimate decision maker when it comes to using Russian nuclear weapons, both strategic and non-strategic, according to Russia's nuclear doctrine.

"Given the economic and social strain caused by sticking to an increasingly unpopular COVID zero policy, Xi's speech might sound defensive to many Chinese citizens, insisting that the Party has their best interests in mind. ALFRED WU, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, LEE KUAN YEW SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE"It is obvious that security is Xi's greatest concern. ZHIWU CHEN, PROFESSOR OF FINANCE, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG"One significant change is to de-emphasise economic development and economic reform. BATES GILL, PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF SECURITY STUDIES AND CRIMINOLOGY, MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY, SYDNEY"This speech said 'continuity' and full speed ahead. "But this was not intended as a policy speech.

☆ Analysis: Xi's new generals face tough military challenges post-congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Greg Torode | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Now come the tricky next steps for his Central Military Commission: implementing sweeping changes to its leadership, which commands China's two million-strong People's Liberation Army, potentially tightening Xi's grip over the military and its modernisation. Among those expected to step down are the body's vice chairmen, Generals Xu Qiliang and Zhang Youxia, both 72. Diplomatic challenges are also mounting, as China's military modernisation confronts the traditional U.S. strategic dominance in East Asia. Who is chosen could shed light on Xi's military priorities. "There is no shortage of senior military officers who internally parrot Xi's 'fight and win' mantra, but the conundrum for the PLA is the lack of operational experience," said Alexander Neill, a private military analyst.

☆ Hu Chunhua: From rural roots to candidate for China premiership
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Dominique Patton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"For his policy record, I would pick Hu," said Yu Jie, senior research fellow on China at Chatham House. Hu is depicted in state media as a man of action, sometimes shown checking on planting progress in far-flung provinces. YOUTH LEAGUE ROOTS, POVERTY FIGHTERHu got his start in the party training ground of the Communist Youth League. Despite his Youth League roots - the faction was seen to be a rival to Xi's - Hu has proved his loyalty to Xi, promoting many of his initiatives in rural areas, including the campaign to eradicate poverty. Hu also wrote a paean to Xi's "historic achievements" on rural issues published in the party's official People's Daily in July.

A North Korean missile launch is seen in a photo released by state media on Monday. Rodong SinmunAnalysts noted that with Monday’s reports, North Korea broke six months of silence on its testing program. Kim Jong Un watches a missile launch in a photo released by North Korean state media on Monday. Rodong SinmunIn the report, Kim called South Korea and the United States “the enemies” and said North Korea doesn’t need to hold talks with them. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observes a military drill on October 8 in photo from North Korean state media.

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