U.S., China Hold High-Level Meeting on Combating Fentanyl Trafficking |
Senior U.S. and Chinese officials held talks (AP) in Beijing today on reducing the illegal trade of fentanyl. China had paused bilateral counternarcotics cooperation in 2022 amid deteriorating U.S.-China relations, but U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to renew discussions during a meeting in November that thawed ties. Chinese Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong described the Beijing talks as in-depth and pragmatic. Washington is seeking (
WaPo) Beijing’s help with reducing the export of fentanyl’s chemical ingredients as the United States is experiencing a severe opioid crisis.
As part of renewed cooperation efforts, Washington agreed to lift sanctions on a Chinese forensic science institute that it accused of complicity in human rights violations in 2020. A State Department spokesperson said lifting the sanctions was “an appropriate step to take” given China’s willingness to cooperate regarding fentanyl ingredients. |
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“I do think this could be at least one area for the United States and China to start to rebuild or repair their relationship, because fighting against transnational crime is of the interest of both the United States and China,” CFR expert Zongyuan Zoe Liu said on the Why It Matters podcast. “Put simply, Beijing thinks of counternarcotics collaboration as downstream from its geostrategic relations,” the Brookings Institution’s Vanda Felbab-Brown writes for
Foreign Affairs. “At home and abroad, the Chinese government rarely takes action against the top echelons of crime syndicates unless they infringe on a narrow set of core state interests.”
At this CFR event at 6:30 p.m. EST today, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will discuss the future of U.S.-China relations.
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Hong Kong Announces Details of Proposed National Security Law |
The new law revealed today aims to close “loopholes” (Nikkei) in threats to national security. The bill would build on a security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in 2020. Analysts warned (
FT) it could further restrict civil liberties in the city. The government is now beginning consultations with foreign envoys and chambers of commerce on the bill’s provisions. |
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Former Pakistan PM Khan Receives Ten-Year Prison Sentence |
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were both sentenced today for improper handling of state secrets, a ruling that comes (
Dawn) ahead of elections on February 8. Khan’s political party denounced the case as a “sham trial,” and is also contesting the elections over ballot changes (Reuters). Khan is already serving a three-year sentence on a separate charge.
India/Seychelles: Forces from India and the Seychelles separately rescued (AP) two fishing vessels yesterday that had been hijacked by Somali pirates and freed their crew members, the two countries said. The incidents come after a string of suspected hijackings in the waters off Somalia in recent days.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Saudi State Oil Company Scraps Plan to Boost Output Capacity |
Saudi Arabian Oil Group, known also as Saudi Aramco, dropped (Bloomberg) a multibillion-dollar plan to boost its crude output capacity from twelve to thirteen million barrels of oil per day by 2027. Analysts said the move could reflect Saudi Arabia’s view on the future of global oil demand. Aramco is expanding diversification in chemicals, natural gas, and renewable energy sources.
U.S./Iran: The United States is not seeking (Reuters) a war with Iran and does not see Tehran seeking one either, a Pentagon spokesperson said yesterday when discussing the aftermath of strikes that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan on Sunday. The Biden administration is weighing options for its response to the attack.
This In Brief by CFR expert Ray Takeyh explains how the strike could risk U.S.-Iran escalation.
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Italy to Invest $5.9 Billion in African Green Energy, Development Projects |
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hosted (AP) African leaders in Rome yesterday, where she pledged to diversify energy, reduce the flow of migrants from Africa, and establish a new Africa-Europe relationship. The chair of the African Union Commission said that African countries, wary of empty promises on aid, would have preferred to have been consulted beforehand about the pledges.
South Africa: The ruling African National Congress party suspended (Bloomberg) former President Jacob Zuma after he endorsed a candidate from a rival party ahead of national elections later this year. Zuma was accused of corruption by a government inquiry, but retains some loyal support within the party.
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Major Northern Irish Party Says New Deal Will Allow Its Return to Legislature |
A deal reached early today that scraps some controversial customs checks could pave the way for the return of Northern Ireland’s assembly, the
Financial Times reported. The assembly has been stripped of some of its functions since the Democratic Unionist Party froze much of its participation in February 2022 due to a dispute over Brexit border protocols.
This Backgrounder by Charles Landow and CFR’s James McBride explains the future of peace in Northern Ireland.
Russia/Ukraine: A large Russian drone strike hit (Bloomberg) a power station in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region and disrupted electrical supplies, Kyiv said. It ranked the strikes as the largest since January 2 and said they targeted civilian and military facilities. |
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U.S. Reimposes Some Sanctions on Venezuela After Candidate Ban |
Washington will reimpose (ABC) sanctions on Caracas’s gold sector following a Venezuelan court’s upholding of a ban on an opposition presidential candidate. A U.S. National Security Council spokesperson said yesterday that sanctions on the oil and gas sector will be reinstated in April if the government does not “get back on track with allowing all presidential candidates to run” in elections later this year.
This In Brief by CFR’s Diana Roy unpacks the effect of U.S. sanctions on Venezuela.
Colombia: The government and the rebel group National Liberation Army (ELN) agreed (AP) to a weeklong extension on a cease-fire that was due to expire yesterday. They are seeking a longer-term extension of the cease-fire, which began last August.
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DOJ Unseals Charges Against Iranian Man Accused of Plotting Killings on U.S. Soil |
Naji Sharifi Zindashti is accused (
NYT) of heading a network that targets Iranian dissidents abroad, according to an indictment unsealed yesterday by the Department of Justice. He has been charged with orchestrating the killing of two Iranian refugees living in Maryland, a plan that was disrupted (Bloomberg) and never carried out, the Justice Department said. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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