Daily News Brief

November 4, 2022

Top of the Agenda

In Beijing, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chinese President Xi Jinping both condemned the use of and threats to use nuclear weapons (Politico) in international conflicts. Scholz said they were specifically referring to the war in Ukraine, while the Chinese readout of their meeting said Xi more generally called for preventing a nuclear crisis (FT) in Eurasia. Scholz is the first Western leader to visit China since Xi secured a third term as leader of the Chinese Communist Party last month. 

Each leader urged the other to push for an end to the war, though Xi stopped short of calling for a Russian withdrawal. Scholz said he also pushed for better market access in China for German companies and that he addressed tensions over Taiwan and China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region. In an editorial published in Politico yesterday, he said Germany does not aim to decouple from China but that it would not become over-reliant. 

Analysis

“[Scholz’s] trip comes amid a broad pushback against China in Europe, a trend that began during the pandemic but accelerated after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, due to Beijing’s ‘no limits’ partnership with Moscow,” the South China Morning Post’s Finbarr Bermingham writes.

“Xi’s comments send a clear message to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that nuclear threats are a red line for China, giving Beijing some common ground with Brussels on a conflict that’s strained ties with the bloc,” Bloomberg News writes. 

This Backgrounder looks at China-Russia relations.

Pacific Rim

Officials are planning to do away with penalties for airlines found to have brought COVID-19 cases into the country, unnamed sources told Bloomberg.

South and Central Asia

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan suffered injuries (Dawn) to his leg after an assailant shot at him during a rally. One of his supporters was killed, and fourteen others were injured.

Myanmar: The military is diverting fuel from civilian airlines to military planes conducting air strikes that could amount to war crimes, Amnesty International said.

Middle East and North Africa

At a forum for religious leaders in Bahrain, Pope Francis said a global arms race has brought the world to “the brink of a delicate precipice.” In an apparent reference to the war in Ukraine (Reuters), he denounced unnamed leaders for “reviving obsolete rhetoric” and “redesigning spheres of influence and opposing blocs.”

Israel: Prime Minister Yair Lapid conceded (Times of Israel) to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after general elections in which Netanyahu’s bloc gained a 64-seat majority in Israel’s 120-seat parliament.

Sub-Saharan Africa

The military government’s justice minister opened corruption probes (Reuters) against ousted former President Alpha Condé and more than 180 officials.

Ethiopia: The peace deal that the federal government and Tigrayan rebels signed Wednesday calls for Tigrayan forces to fully disarm within thirty days, according to a copy of the deal seen by the New York Times. The details of the agreement have not been made public.

Europe

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Finland and Sweden have not fulfilled all conditions (DW) of a deal they struck with Turkey to enter the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Officials told Bloomberg that Ankara is unlikely to approve the applications this year and that it could wait until after its general elections are held in June.

This In Brief explains how NATO will change if Finland and Sweden become members.

Ukraine: Russian strikes have left 4.5 million Ukrainians without electricity (AFP), President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Americas

At the UN General Assembly, 185 countries voted to condemn (AP) the United States’ long-standing embargo, two voted against doing so, and two abstained.

This Backgrounder unpacks U.S.-Cuba relations.

Brazil: The teams of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro and President-Elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met in Brasília to formalize plans (AP) for the transition of government. Bolsonaro has not yet explicitly conceded after losing Brazil’s presidential election over the weekend.

United States

Grant recipients across the country will collectively receive $53.4 million (Reuters) to monitor air quality in minority and other communities disproportionately affected by pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said.

Friday Editor’s Pick

Ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Time magazine talks to construction workers who endured scorching temperatures to prepare for the event and explains what a warming planet means for outdoor workers.

Council on Foreign Relations

58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065

1777 F Street, NW — Washington, DC 20006

Shop the CFR Store

Forward This Email

Manage Your Email Preferences