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US-China Relations - 13. page

People’s Daily: Worsening Homelessness Crisis in the U.S.

An article published by People’s Daily, titled “Homeless Problem in the U.S. Is Getting Worse,” talks about the deteriorating homelessness crisis in the United States. The piece cites several Western media outlets, stating that the number of homeless individuals in the U.S. has surged to 577,000, marking an 11 percent increase from the previous year and the most significant spike since 2007 when records were first maintained. This crisis is particularly pronounced in major U.S. cities, with Los Angeles witnessing a staggering 55 percent rise in homelessness since 2015. In New York, approximately one in every 80 people lacks shelter, and the number of homeless individuals in the city’s shelters has surpassed 100,000.

The article attributes this dire situation to “deeply-rooted social inequality” and the vast wealth disparity between the affluent and the impoverished in the U.S. It criticizes government policies as ineffective, emphasizing that the federal, state, and local governments are merely passing the issue around, engaging in political blame games, and implementing largely symbolic measures.

In conclusion, the article underscores that despite being the world’s most powerful developed nation, the presence of a substantial homeless population living on the streets tarnishes not only the U.S.’s human rights record but also its societal governance and governmental efficacy. It quotes Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz’s assertion that the United States has become a wealthy nation full of poor people.

Source: People’s Daily, September 9, 2023
http://world.people.com.cn/n1/2023/0909/c1002-40073771.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Chinese Scholar: China Is Facing The Worst External Environment in 40 Years

Wang Wen, Executive Director of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China, published an article stating that China is facing the worst external environment in 40 years.

Wang listed three points regarding the international environment:

  1. China’s annual and quarterly economic growth rate became lower than that of the United States, which has not been seen for more than four decades.
  2. There are signs that production and supply chains are moving out of China, also not seen for more than four decades.
  3. The United States has coordinated a political consensus and comprehensive action among Western countries regarding the “China threat,” also not seen for more than four decades.

Wang gave a few strategic prescriptions for easing China’s situation (a nice way of implying that the authorities have made strategically poor decisions):

  1. Reflect on the long-term, difficult, and complex nature of the rise (of China) as a great power. {Editor’s Notes: The author is suggesting that China has not reached the great power that it wants to achieve; it still needs time to continue building up its power.}
  2. Objectively face the basic fact that the U.S., though it will decline, has not yet declined too much.
  3. Objectively face the basic fact that China, though it will surpass the U.S., has not yet surpassed it.
  4. Chinese society needs to mentally prepare for the worst and most dire scenarios to occur.

Source: Sohu, August 27, 2023
https://www.sohu.com/a/715303788_120094090

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics US-China Relations

Global Times: U.S. Restricts AI Chip Exports to Middle East

China’s Global Times recently published a report on social media regarding new U.S. restrictions that prevent technology companies NVIDIA and AMD from exporting advanced AI chips to the Middle East. Analysts say the restrictions are aimed at preventing Middle Eastern countries from reselling the chips to China.

In a recent regulatory filing for its A100 and H100 chips, NVIDIA disclosed that the Biden administration’s new measures will affect exports of those chips. It’s not clear which specific countries are targeted by the new export controls.

In October of last year, the Biden administration announced its implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) chip export controls targeting China. NVIDIA’s A100 and the H100 were restricted, and AMD’s exports were similarly restricted by the U.S. government. Both companies stated that, although the new control measures will affect the export of some products, they will not have a direct and significant impact on the  companies’ business performance.

On the one hand, the U.S. may be concerned about China’s acquisition of advanced AI chips from Middle Eastern countries, especially considering the close relationship some Middle Eastern countries have with China. On the other hand, the U.S. export controls may not be aimed at curbing AI tech acquisition by China alone; they may also be part of U.S. policy targeting Middle Eastern countries specifically.

Compared with the earlier U.S. measures that targeted exports to China specifically, these latest controls targeting Middle Eastern countries have a less-direct impact on China’s AI industry. According to the Global Times report, however, they still reflect the U.S.’s attempt to stifle China’s semiconductor and AI capabilities.

Source: Global Times, August 31, 2023
https://tinyurl.com/mvuph8k7

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend US-China Relations

HKET: Poll Shows 2/3 of U.S. Residents Support Increasing Tariffs on Chinese Goods

Hong Kong Economic Times (HKET), the leading financial daily in Hong Kong, recently reported on a new Reuters-Ipsos poll of U.S. residents showing that about two-thirds of respondents support increased tariffs on Chinese goods. A similar proportion of respondents agreed that Washington should do more to deal with the military threat posed to the U.S. by China.

About half of respondents supported providing military equipment to Taiwan, but only 38 percent supported sending U.S. troops to defend Taiwan if China were to uses force against Taiwan. In terms of U.S.-China relations, 75 percent of respondents held a negative view of China, and about 65 percent believe that the Chinese government is trying to influence the upcoming 2024 U.S. election.

The Reuters-Ipsos poll gathered opinions from more than 1,000 adults across the U.S., including 443 Democrats and 346 Republicans.

Bipartisan concern over relations with China may explain Republican presidential candidates’ increasingly hardline stance on the topic. Many candidates have called for the U.S. to terminate normal trade relations with China. Although President Biden has sought to stabilize the embittered U.S.-China rivalry through high-level diplomatic visits, he has also called the Chinese economy a “time bomb” and has criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping by name at several recent fundraisers.

Source: HKET, August 16, 2023
https://china.hket.com/article/3593364

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

LTN: Tyson Foods to Sell Its China Poultry Business

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that Tyson Foods, the largest U.S. meat supplier, is planning to sell the China-based branch of its poultry business, becoming the latest multinational company planning to divest from the country. Tyson Foods has hired Goldman Sachs to advise on the sale and has sent out preliminary information to potential buyers, including private equity firms.

It’s unclear how much Tyson Foods’ poultry business in China is worth and why Tyson Foods is selling the business. Tyson Foods opened its first factory in China in 2001. Currently, it has four R&D centers, several processing plants, and dozens of farms in China. It operates a vertically-integrated pipeline in China, from breeding and slaughtering to processing and distribution. The company sells chicken, beef, pork, and processed foods.

Livestock business margins have been squeezed in China over the past few years. This is due to the government’s Zero Covid policies as well as higher feed price pressure caused by the Ukraine war. Both Tyson Foods and Goldman Sachs declined to comment.

Source: LTN, August 17, 2023
https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/4399192

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources US-China Relations

NYC Bans All Government Devices from Using TikTok

Well-known Chinese news site Sohu (NASDAQ: SOHU) recently reported that New York City has joined the many U.S. states and jurisdictions that have banned the use of the video-sharing app TikTok on government devices.

The report stated that, on August 16th, New York City’s Network Department asked that TikTok be removed from government equipment within 30 days, citing so-called “security concerns.” According to Sohu, this is the latest move of the U.S. government that unreasonably suppressed Chinese companies and technology applications. This series of “prohibitions” by the United States violate the principle of fair competition.

A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in the statement that government personnel will be unable to access the app and its website on city devices as well as city networks. According to the article, many government departments in New York City have TikTok accounts, including Mayor Adams, who has 11,600 followers. The NYC Department of Health also has nearly 50,000 followers on TikTok. After the ban was issued, these city-operated accounts all announced that they would end operation by the end of August. The Politico website stated that more than 30 states across the United States have banned employees from using TikTok on government equipment.

Source: Sohu, August 17, 2023
https://www.sohu.com/a/712608913_121332532

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

People’s Daily: “Strike Hard!” – CIA Spy Busted by Chinese National Security

People’s Daily reported that a Chinese national, last name Zeng, has been arrested for spying on behalf of the US. According to the article, Zeng was born in July 1971 and works at a Chinese military industrial company. Zeng had access to important classified information. When Zeng was sent to study in Italy by the Chinese government, an official named “Seth” from the U.S. Embassy in Italy approached him and eventually recruited him to be a CIA spy. Zeng signed a spy agreement with the U.S. and participated in CIA examinations and training. After returning to China, Zeng met secretly with CIA personnel many times, providing a large amount of core intelligence information to the U.S. and receiving money from the U.S.

The People’s Daily article follows CIA Director William Burns’ recent statement that the U.S. has made progress in rebuilding its spy networks in China, as well as the U.S.’ recent arrest of two Navy servicemen accused of transmitting military information to China.

Source: People’s Daily, August 11, 2023
http://society.people.com.cn/n1/2023/0811/c1008-40054456.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military US-China Relations

Guangming Daily: It Is Not China But the U.S. That Does the Economic Coercion

Guangming Daily has published a response to recent criticism from the international community, saying that it is not Communist China that conducts economic coercion of Asia-Pacific countries; rather it is the U.S. that is coercive.

The article said that the U.S. aims to create a new narrative to rally allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region, building an “anti-economic coercion” coalition against China’s rise. The U.S. seeks to create a hostile external public opinion environment for China, and the U.S.’ intensified portrayal of China’s “economic threat” is for the purpose of excluding China from the global supply chain, critical technology, and trade systems. This approach, camouflaged as exposition of China’s “economic coercion,” is, in reality, economic coercion by the U.S. against China.

The article further argues that this “economic coercion” by the U.S. will fail for the following reasons:

  1. Many Asia-Pacific countries understand the damage caused by the U.S.’ “economic coercion” and won’t support it.
  2. The U.S.’ “economic coercion” tactic is against the trend of openness and inclusion in the Asia-Pacific region, and therefore it is against the interest of the countries in this region.
  3. The U.S.’ effort of using this “economic coercion” to promote the “de-Chinaization” of the Asia-Pacific economy is nothing but a foolish and unrealistic delusion.

Source: Guangming Daily, August 3, 2023
https://news.gmw.cn/2023-08/03/content_36741488.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations