Editor’s note: For the duration of the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties (COP27), the Daily News Brief will include a special section dedicated to developments at the climate conference. |
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Xi, Kishida Meet in Bangkok |
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio met on the sidelines (SCMP) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Thailand, the first meeting between Chinese and Japanese leaders in three years. It was the latest in a string of meetings (Bloomberg) between Xi and U.S. allies. Ahead of the talks, Xi emphasized the importance of China-Japan relations and Kishida said he hoped to build “constructive, stable relations” with China. During the meeting, Kishida said he reiterated the importance of maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait.
Ties between the countries have been strained in recent years. Japan has criticized Beijing’s crackdown in Hong Kong and grown closer to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). But Kishida has also sought to avoid alienating China, which is Japan’s top trading partner. Meanwhile, recent U.S. export controls on technology bound for China have caused friction between Washington and Tokyo, Bloomberg reported.
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“Japanese officials occasionally describe Japan’s relationship with China as a mix of competition, confrontation, and cooperation. For the last several years, and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the emphasis has been on the first two. Kishida’s meeting with Xi will test the prospects of restoring greater balance and rebuilding the third,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Christopher B. Johnstone writes.
“[Former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo’s] search for a sustainable equilibrium with China should also shape thinking in Washington. After all, from Canberra to Tokyo, there is a deep consensus: that beyond the immediate task of defending against China’s coercion, the long game is achieving a productive relationship with Beijing,” the United States Studies Centre’s Michael J. Green writes for Foreign Affairs.
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South Korean Unification Minister Urges Further Efforts for Talks With North Korea |
Unification Minister Kwon Youngse told Yonhap that “denuclearizing North Korea is not unattainable,” and that Seoul should continue to use “extended deterrence, sanctions, and pressure” to bring Pyongyang to the negotiating table.
CFR’s Scott A. Snyder unpacks North Korea’s escalated military provocations. |
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Myanmar Junta to Free Nearly Six Thousand Prisoners |
A former British envoy, an Australian economics advisor, and a Japanese journalist were among those released so far (AFP, France24) by Myanmar’s military government.
Sri Lanka: Amnesty International urged Sri Lanka to drop terrorism charges (AP) against two anti-government protest leaders who have been imprisoned for more than ninety days. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
Saudi Arabia, South Korea Sign Deals Worth $30 Billion |
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Seoul (Reuters), where he and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol announced more than twenty investment cooperation deals, including one allowing Korean firms to build and operate a hydrogen plant in Saudi Arabia. U.S./Oman: The United States urged Oman to open its airspace to Israeli airlines, Axios reported. Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to eastbound Israeli flights last year, but the routes are blocked without similar permission from Oman. |
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WHO: Three Ebola Vaccine Candidates to Be Shipped to Uganda Next Week |
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Ukraine Grain Deal Extended by 120 Days |
The deal allowing grain to leave Ukrainian ports was set to expire (NYT) on Saturday. Russia’s foreign ministry said Moscow agreed to the extension.
Netherlands/Ukraine: A Dutch court said passenger flight Malaysia Airlines 17 was shot down in 2014 by a Russian-made missile (Reuters) fired from an area in Ukraine where Russia controlled separatist forces. The court is ruling on the case of three Russians and one Ukrainian accused of mass murder for their suspected links to the downing of the flight, which killed 298 people.
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Cholera-Related Deaths Jump to 161 in Haiti |
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Republicans Regain Control of House of Representatives |
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Donors Countries Prepare $11 Billion Deal for Vietnam to Abandon Coal |
Donor countries led by the European Union and United Kingdom are reportedly finalizing the details (Bloomberg) of a deal worth at least $11 billion for Vietnam, where coal makes up about half the energy supply. The agreement would follow similar deals for Indonesia and South Africa. A draft of the main COP27 agreement preserves the goal (Reuters) of limiting global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F), but leaves issues such as funding for climate loss and damage unresolved. |
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