U.S. House Hearing Showcases Bipartisan Commitment to Countering China |
A new U.S. House of Representatives committee on China held its inaugural hearing last night, with committee Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) describing U.S.-China competition as “an existential struggle” (Reuters). The top Democrat on the committee, Illinois Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, said Democrats and Republicans had both underestimated the ruling Chinese Communist Party in recent decades. Earlier in the day, the House Financial Services Committee greenlit multiple China-related sanctions bills (Bloomberg), moving them toward a likely floor vote.
The committee was created (AP) in January after a 365-65 congressional vote. It is intended to rally support for selectively decoupling the U.S. and Chinese economies and draw attention to Beijing’s human rights abuses. Speeches in yesterday’s hearing also stressed the need to counter increased anti-Asian hate crimes. Some Democrat lawmakers had expressed concerns that the committee could fuel anti-Asian sentiment.
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“For Washingtonians, full-throated rivalry [with China] has been part of a larger bid to stitch the country together after the Trump years, and to work within the constraints of a Republican opposition whose hawkishness on China has shown no limits. US politics encourages both China threat inflation and political outbidding (who can look tougher on China),” Victoria University of Wellington’s Van Jackson writes for the Australian Institute of International Affairs.
“Washington’s approach to its growing tech rivalry with China risks repeating the mistakes it made in the solar industry, with U.S. scientists laying the foundation for a new technology only to see Chinese firms take the lead in building it,” Dan Wang of research firm Gavekal Dragonomics writes for Foreign Affairs. “To avoid repeating the solar story, the United States will have to give greater priority to advanced manufacturing.”
This Backgrounder unpacks the contentious U.S.-China trade relationship. |
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Japanese Government Endorses Extending Life of Nuclear Plants |
The cabinet backed bills (Kyodo) that would allow nuclear plants to operate past a current sixty-year limit on a case-by-case basis. The bills aim to reduce carbon emissions while ensuring sufficient energy supplies.
Japan/South Korea: South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol gave a speech that signaled hopes of improving ties (Kyodo) with Tokyo, saying that Japan had transformed from a “militaristic aggressor” to a partner.
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Blinken Talks Ukraine War During Central Asia Visit |
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged $25 million (Euronews) in economic support for Central Asia during a visit to Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, and called on Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to oppose Russian aggression. Last week, the countries had abstained from a UN vote condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
U.S./Afghanistan: Poor planning ahead of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and years of inadequate oversight of U.S. military aid to the country contributed to the rapid collapse (WaPo) of Afghanistan’s U.S.-backed government in August 2021, a new report from the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction found.
This timeline traces the U.S. war in Afghanistan. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
UN Nuclear Watchdog: Iranian Uranium Enrichment Nears Weapons Grade |
Iran has enriched uranium to 83.7 percent (BBC) at one underground site, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a new report. Ninety percent enrichment is considered weapons grade. This Backgrounder looks at efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Iran: The health ministry is investigating the cases of hundreds of schoolgirls across several cities who were poisoned (BBC) by nonlethal, toxic gas in recent months. Officials have suggested the poisonings could be an attempt to stop girls from going to school, while some Iranians speculated the girls were targeted for participating in Iran’s anti-government protests.
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Ruling Party Candidate Declared Winner of Nigerian Election |
Bola Ahmed Tinubu received 8.8 million votes (AFP) to Atiku Abubakar’s 6.9 million and Peter Obi’s 6.1 million, according to official results. The parties of the two runners-up challenged the results, but it was not immediately clear if they would contest them in court.
Ethiopia/Eritrea: Eritrean soldiers killed more than three hundred villagers in Ethiopia’s Tigray region in the week before a November 2 peace deal to end the country’s civil war, a Washington Post investigation found. Eritrea had allied with the Ethiopian government to fight rebels in Tigray.
The Global Conflict Tracker looks at the war in Ethiopia.
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Germany, Italy Push Back on Proposed EU Rules for Green Vehicles |
The countries have called for the European Union (EU) to exempt vehicles (Bloomberg) that use clean, synthetic fuels from a proposed ban on new combustion-engine cars. EU members provisionally agreed to the plan last year, and a final vote is set to occur next week. France/Gabon: French President Emmanuel Macron is attending a forest-preservation summit (AFP) in Gabon today to kick off a four-nation tour of Central Africa that is meant to showcase a new “responsible relationship” with the continent. |
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Tesla to Build Plant in Mexico |
The plant will be constructed (MercoPress) in the northeastern city of Monterrey, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said. Tesla also pledged to help alleviate water shortages in the area.
Canada: A government panel found that China, Iran, and Russia attempted to interfere (NYT) in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 elections but that they ultimately did not influence the results.
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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