Bill to Crack Down on TikTok’s Chinese Ownership Sails Through U.S. House |
A bill that would force the Chinese company ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban on the app passed (NYT) the House of Representatives yesterday by a vote of 352–65, underscoring bipartisan concerns about the app’s national security risks. U.S. President Joe Biden said he would sign (WaPo) the bill if it passes the Senate. The bill has thrust into the spotlight ongoing debates about the national security risks of social media technology as well as concerns over free speech and data collection.
While ByteDance has said it never turned over data of U.S. users to Beijing, U.S. lawmakers say that it could be required to do so under Chinese law. Some proponents of the bill also argued that China might influence content seen on U.S. devices during an election year. Other countries including India and Nepal have banned (WaPo) TikTok over security concerns, while Canada and the European Union are among those that echo a U.S. policy of banning the app on federal devices.
|
|
|
“If the bill were to become law, it would likely deepen a cold war between the United States and China over the control of many important technologies, including solar panels, electric vehicles and semiconductors,” the New York Times’ Annie Karni, Sapna Maheshwari, and David McCabe write.
“China’s emergence as the United States’ leading rival has upended long-standing tenets of international economic policy,” the Carnegie Endowment’s Peter E. Harrell writes in Foreign Affairs. “As Beijing reasserted state control of Chinese society and adopted a more confrontational policy internationally, Washington began to challenge China’s actions.”
|
| |
Australia to Invest $550 Million in Rare Earths Mine, Refinery |
The move is part (Nikkei) of efforts to create “a future made in Australia,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said when announcing the plans today. Currently, China accounts for 85 percent of global rare-earth processing; rare earths are used in green technologies such as electric vehicles and wind turbines.
U.S./Japan: President Biden is expected to voice his opposition today to a proposed takeover of U.S. Steel Corporation by Japanese firm Nippon Steel, according to a statement seen by the Associated Press. The merger has been under review by the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States.
This Backgrounder by CFR’s Noah Berman, Jonathan Masters, and James McBride explores what happens when foreign investment becomes a security risk.
|
| |
Indian Government Panel Recommends Merging Election Timetables |
The recommended reform would make (Bloomberg) local and national polls occur simultaneously to reduce costs. India’s opposition came out against the potential change, saying it was undemocratic as it would cut some elected terms short. The panel’s recommendations would require amending the constitution. At this CFR meeting, a panel of experts discuss the global state of democracy.
India: The defense ministry agreed (Reuters) yesterday to buy some $975 million worth of light helicopters that were made by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said (ANI) the firm is an example of Indian self-reliance in the defense sector.
|
|
|
Middle East and North Africa |
FT: U.S., Iran Held Secret Talks on Red Sea De-escalation |
The indirect talks occurred in January in Oman and were the first such meetings between the two countries in ten months, unnamed U.S. and Iranian officials told the Financial Times. Washington reportedly urged Iran to use its influence over the Houthi rebels in Yemen to get them to reduce their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and voiced concerns over Tehran’s nuclear activities. A second round of talks slated for February was postponed as U.S. officials focused on securing a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
The Center for Preventive Action tracks U.S. confrontation with Iran. Israel/Lebanon: An Israeli air strike killed (NYT) Hamas member Hadi Ali Mustafa in southern Lebanon, Israel and Hamas said in separate statements yesterday. Israel said Mustafa was a senior operative, while Hamas did not specify his role. |
| |
Group of Bilateral Creditors Reach Deal to Cancel $2 Billion of Somali Debt |
A group of wealthy countries known as the Paris Club agreed (Bloomberg) to cancel more than $2 billion of Somalia’s sovereign debt as part of a push by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to help overstretched poor countries return to debt sustainability. The move relieves 99 percent of Somalia’s debt to Paris Club members.
Sudan: Army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said yesterday that the army will continue (Reuters) its military advance in the greater metropolitan area of the capital, Khartoum, as well as the Darfur and El Gezira regions “until complete victory is achieved.” International envoys have tried unsuccessfully to broker a truce in the war, which is approaching its one-year mark next month.
|
|
|
Denmark Becomes Third European Country to Expand Military Conscription to Women |
Women will be required (BBC) to complete military service beginning in 2026, Denmark’s defense minister announced yesterday. The country’s mandatory military service period for men and women will also rise from four to eleven months as part of the changes. Denmark is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and has announced plans to boost military spending in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
UK: The United Kingdom (UK) government is preparing rules (Bloomberg) for a parliamentary vote that would ban foreign state ownership of newspapers and news magazines. The ban comes as an Emirati-backed investment group tries to take over the UK newspaper Telegraph.
|
|
|
U.S. Sends Marine Corps to Haiti Amid Security Crisis |
The unit was dispatched (WaPo) to help protect the U.S. Embassy in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, U.S. Southern Command said yesterday. Haiti is facing high levels of gang violence and is in leadership limbo after Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced his plans to resign earlier this week.
Peru: Police conducted (Reuters) nationwide raids and detained eighteen people yesterday as part of an investigation into illegal arms trafficking and its potential connection to the murder of an Ecuadorian presidential candidate last year.
|
|
|
Council on Foreign Relations |
58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 |
1777 F Street, NW — Washington, DC 20006 |
|
|
|
