Daily News Brief

October 24, 2022

Top of the Agenda

President Xi Jinping was granted (The Economist) a precedent-breaking third five-year term as leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the party congress over the weekend. Six of Xi’s allies will now join him on the party’s top leadership body, the seven-member Standing Committee.

Xi’s protégé Li Qiang, who oversaw Shanghai’s harsh COVID-19 lockdown, was added to the committee and is expected to be appointed premier in March. Former Chinese President Hu Jintao was escorted out of the party congress, sparking speculation among analysts, though state media said he had felt unwell. Meanwhile, China released economic data (Reuters) today that shows its economic growth slightly exceeded expectations between July and September, though domestic demand lagged at the end of the period. The data’s release had been delayed during the conference.

Analysis

“For the most part, the past few decades have seen Standing Committees with some figures who represented an alternative vision for China. As best as we can tell, this was indeed a clean sweep for Xi,” CFR’s Ian Johnson writes for the Asia Unbound blog.

“No indication that Xi/CCP intend to modify their approach to foreign policy. In fact I would expect more continuity here than change. If anything, we can likely expect to see an even more assertive/aggressive approach to FP under Xi in next 5 years as power is consolidated,” the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Paul T. Haenle tweets.

This Backgrounder explains the Chinese Communist Party.

Europe

Former finance minister Rishi Sunak will become (BBC) the leader of the Conservative Party and thus the next prime minister of the United Kingdom (UK) after other potential contenders dropped out of the leadership race. 

U.S./Russia: The top military officials from both countries held their second call (Reuters) in three days yesterday. The U.S. Department of Defense said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “rejected any pretext for Russian escalation” in Ukraine.

For Foreign Affairs, Tatiana Stanovaya discusses Russian President Vladimir Putin’s apocalyptic endgame in Ukraine.

Pacific Rim

The UN torture-prevention body said its inspectors were denied access (ABC) to several Australian detention facilities.

South and Central Asia

The satellites are operated (Mint) by British company OneWeb. It is the company’s first launch since it stopped using Russian rockets in March due to the war in Ukraine.

Afghanistan/Pakistan: A Pakistani soldier was killed (Anadolu) in what Pakistan’s military said was gunfire from terrorists on the Afghan side of the countries’ shared border.

Middle East and North Africa

Iranian hacker group Black Reward claimed responsibility (Reuters) for the attack on one of the organization’s email servers, saying it was in support of Iran’s ongoing women-led, anti-government protests. 

CFR’s Women Around the World blog looks at Iran’s protests.

Qatar: A Human Rights Watch report said Qatari authorities have arbitrarily arrested LGBTQ+ people and subjected them to abuse in prison ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which Qatar is hosting next month.

Sub-Saharan Africa

The talks in South Africa today follow a surge of fighting (AFP) in Ethiopia’s conflict between the federal government and rebels from the Tigray region. Both sides have reportedly sent delegations to the African Union–led talks.

Sudan: At least 220 people were killed (AP) during two days of intertribal fighting in the country’s southern Blue Nile State, a health official said.

Americas

Former Brazilian lawmaker Roberto Jefferson fired a rifle and threw grenades (AP) at federal police officers seeking to arrest him at his home. President Jair Bolsonaro, an ally of Jefferson, condemned his behavior.

Mexico: Hurricane Roslyn hit west-central Mexico yesterday and killed at least two people (NYT) before being downgraded to a tropical storm. 

United States

A federal appeals court halted (NPR) President Joe Biden’s plan, which was set to forgive up to $20,000 of student debt for qualified borrowers as soon as yesterday. 

This Backgrounder looks at rising student debt in the United States.

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