Two emperors on the edge of two wars  – POLITICO

Xi has repeatedly called Putin his best friend. He has also repeatedly refused to do anything to stop Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and supplied dual-use military technologies, weapon-building components and satellite imagery, warns the U.S., to Russia.  In a recent interview with POLITICO, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith highlighted Beijing’s support for Moscow, … Read more

Janet Yellen in China: how far did trip move the ball for US-China relations as presidential election looms?

The week-long trip to China by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sidestepped core economic disputes, and without headway, analysts said the pressure of November’s presidential election could force the Biden administration “to be more aggressive” on the trade front. Yellen ended her second trip to China in 10 months on Tuesday, having met Chinese officials … Read more

EU and US vow to team up against China, but can’t hide the cracks – POLITICO

Washington was pushing to “put China in the text every two sentences,” said one European diplomat who was granted the condition of anonymity to speak candidly. “It kept hammering on the Chinese nail.”  To Washington’s satisfaction, the two sides committed to team up with other countries to tackle “China’s non-market policies and practices in the … Read more

Janet Yellen in China: what’s on the table as Washington’s ‘effective emissary’ begins her trip?

Premier Li Qiang, Vice-Premier He Lifeng, Minister of Finance Lan Fo’an, central bank governor Pan Gongsheng and Liu He, China’s former vice-premier who led previous trade negotiations with the US, would also meet with Yellen during trip, the US Treasury statement added. Current affairs: sparks fly between China, US over EVs before Janet Yellen visit … Read more

How to ‘Trump proof’ the transatlantic relationship? – POLITICO

“It’s been very successful,” said Daniel Mullaney, the former top U.S. negotiator on trade issues with Europe, of the TTC. “We’ve had high-level attention, including at the presidential levels, on all of these issues. That’s kept the momentum going.” The question now is what happens if Trump wins back the White House in November. Even … Read more

Chinese chip maker SMIC ‘potentially’ broke US law to make Huawei’s 7-nm smartphone processor, lawmaker says

Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez was questioned about the 7-nanometre processor that SMIC made for Huawei during testimony before lawmakers Thursday. When asked by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul whether SMIC violated US controls, Estevez said “potentially, yes”. “We’ll assume that it was SMIC,” Estevez said. “I can’t talk … Read more

China’s Xi Jinping to visit France in early May – POLITICO

“It will be less festive and more studious given the current economic and geopolitical stakes,” said the person, who was granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue. “We demand reciprocity in relations with China, in particular in the key area of ecological transition,” he said, with reference to the debate over how far Europe should … Read more

Hurry up and tax Google, Apple, EU urges the world

EU finance ministers will call on G20 countries to finalize global corporate tax reforms that would hit international companies such as U.S. tech giants Google, Amazon and Apple, according to a document obtained by POLITICO. The EU’s “Terms of Reference,” drawn up by national treasury officials, will serve as the basis of the bloc’s negotiating … Read more

EU mulls emergency aid for collapsing solar producers – POLITICO

The talks come as the European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC), the body representing photovoltaic producers, this week sent a letter to Brussels appealing for “urgent” measures including a swift, EU-led buyout of their inventories. The group argues that subsidized Chinese mass production of solar modules — which currently sell for half the price of their … Read more

Opinion | US-China thaw means Beijing can focus on development, not security

But how long will the reset last? As the systemic divisions underlying US-China relations remain unresolved, people have reason to wonder. For example, Biden stressed that both countries should manage their competition responsibly to prevent it from veering into conflict while Xi wondered aloud “are we adversaries or partners?”. Few would expect the diplomacy between … Read more