Daily News Brief

October 27, 2023

Top of the Agenda

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called to return U.S.-China relations “to the track of healthy, stable, and sustainable development” in Washington yesterday, comments that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he agreed with (State Department). In Wang’s meetings with Blinken and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan during the visit, he was expected to push for the United States to roll back (WaPo) its restrictions on technology exports to China and its support for Taiwan. Blinken said earlier in the week that he would work with Wang to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spreading. 

Wang’s visit could pave the way (Bloomberg) for U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in San Francisco next month. U.S. and Chinese officials have held a flurry of meetings in the past few months, a step up in high-level engagement after a more tense period in relations earlier this year.

Analysis

“Both sides have reasons to foster friendlier ties ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in San Francisco. Beijing needs a more stable geopolitical environment to woo foreign investors as China’s economy slows, while the US wants to diffuse military and economic threats from the Asian powerhouse,” Bloomberg writes.

“Today, Washington’s goal should be to keep China entangled in a global system that regulates interstate behavior and pushes Beijing to conclude that the best path to the realization of its national ambitions would be to operate within existing rules and norms,” the Brookings Institution’s Ryan Hass writes in Foreign Affairs.

Middle East and North Africa

The strikes launched today were a response to mostly unsuccessful attacks (AP) against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed groups since October 17, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said. The operations targeted weapons and ammunition storage areas and were distinct from Israel’s war against Hamas, Austin added. 

This article by CFR’s Kali Robinson and Will Merrow looks at the role of Iran’s regional armed network. 

Israel/Palestinian territories: The UN General Assembly is debating a Jordan-backed resolution on responses to the Israel-Hamas war and will move toward a vote today (UN News).  

Pacific Rim

Li, who was sixty-eight, was China’s top economic official (AP) between 2013 to 2023. Known as a reformist and technocrat (BBC), Li became more sidelined as loyalists of President Xi Jinping favored Xi’s economic strategies. 

South and Central Asia

Qatar sentenced eight former Indian naval officers yesterday after accusing them of spying for Israel (FT) on a Qatari submarine program. New Delhi “expressed deep shock” and said it was exploring all options in response. Qatar has not yet made a public statement about the conviction.

India/Maldives: The two countries have begun “very successful” talks on removing Indian troops from the Maldives, President-Elect Mohamed Muizzu told Bloomberg. Both India and China have heavily invested in infrastructure in Maldives amid increasing competition over the region. During his campaign, Muizzu alleged that India had excessive influence over the island nation’s internal affairs.

Sub-Saharan Africa

The terms match those of a recent deal (FT) to restructure debt with China, Zambia’s finance minister said. The government has faced long delays in restructuring its $13 billion in external debt since it defaulted in 2020.

Ghana: The country experienced its worst nationwide power outage (BBC) in more than two years due to a low gas supply. Experts say the country’s financial distress has exacerbated the problem.

Europe

In a joint declaration from a Brussels summit, leaders of European Union (EU) nations expressed the “gravest concern for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza” and called for (Reuters) “measures including humanitarian corridors and pauses for humanitarian needs” in the Israel-Hamas war. 

On this episode of The President’s Inbox, CFR expert Linda Robinson discusses the future of the Israel-Hamas war. 

Slovakia: Newly appointed Prime Minister Robert Fico said that Slovakia is halting all military aid to Ukraine, making it the first of Ukraine’s arms suppliers in the war to take this step. Slovakia’s ongoing commercial defense contracts with Ukraine are expected to continue, the New York Times reported.

This In Brief by CFR expert Max Boot explores what Ukraine needs to win the war. 

Americas

Hurricane Otis destroyed power lines and flooded homes (AP) in the state of Guerrero. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador acknowledged that government aid was delayed, citing the hurricane’s destruction.

United States

Newly elected speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) says that consensus among House Republicans is that they should bifurcate new spending appeals (Bloomberg) for Israel and Ukraine. The United States would not abandon Ukraine, he said, but would require more accountability on its war funding. 

Friday Editor’s Pick

Coda Story explores how artificial intelligence's inability to understand “minority languages” further marginalizes cultures, but can also protect communities from censorship and surveillance.

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