Skip to content

US-China Relations - 2. page

Dunhuang Withdraws Job Offer to American Anchor After Backlash Over Taiwan Study, Think Tank Ties

China’s Dunhuang Media Center in Gansu province has confirmed that Edward Kuperman, an American it had planned to hire as an anchor, has given up the position, according to a China Central Television (CCTV) News report on July 31. Chinese internet users had earlier discovered that Kuperman studied in Taiwan and interned at a right-wing American think tank, sparking accusations that the city was “using public funds to support an anti-China figure.”

Dunhuang had reportedly offered a package worth 900,000 yuan (about $125,700) — a 300,000 yuan (about $41,900) annual salary plus 600,000 yuan (about $83,800) in subsidies — to recruit international communication talent in 2025. Kuperman, a Yale graduate in East Asian studies, was the only foreign candidate in the program.

CCTV News reported that local authorities clarified the compensation details after online criticism. The position was an off-payroll hire, and the widely circulated “900,000 yuan” figure was not an annual salary. The actual pay was 300,000 yuan pre-tax per year, plus a 30,000 yuan annual living allowance paid over ten years contingent on passing yearly reviews, and a one-time 300,000 yuan home-purchase subsidy for those who bought property locally after three years of service — partially refundable if employment ended before ten years. The real annual compensation was about 330,000 yuan (about $46,000).

Authorities also said an investigation team had been formed to review the recruitment process for compliance issues raised by some internet users, with corrections and accountability measures to follow.

Kuperman had reportedly studied in Taiwan through National Taiwan University’s ICLP Chinese-language program in 2023 and interned at the American Enterprise Institute, contributing to Taiwan-related reports. Officials said Dunhuang would proceed more cautiously in future talent recruitment while promoting Chinese culture and international exchange.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), August 1, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202608010078.aspx

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Florida Schools to Begin Teaching the History and Terror of Communist Regimes

Beginning with the 2026–2027 academic year, Florida public schools will implement new curriculum standards requiring instruction on the history of communist regimes and the human suffering they inflicted. The standards, approved by the Florida Board of Education in November 2025, were developed by Florida educators and subject-matter experts.

According to the Florida Department of Education, the curriculum is designed to provide students with an accurate and in-depth understanding of how communist ideology suppresses individual freedom, abuses power, and causes widespread human suffering. Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas said the new standards are especially important as communist ideology has regained prominence in the United States and globally. He argued that students should understand the historical failures of communist regimes and develop a deeper appreciation for the values of freedom.

Under the new standards, middle and high school students will study the history of communist governments, including the links between communist rule and poverty, famine, political repression, violence, and other forms of state-sponsored terror.

Source: Epoch Times, July 31, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/30/n14820606.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics US-China Relations

CFIUS Chairman Calls for National Security Review of Chinese Solar Company’s Planned Facility Near Key U.S. Air Force Base

The chairman of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has called for a formal national security review of a proposed real estate transaction involving Chinese solar manufacturer SolarSpace (Zhongrun Solar). In a July 31 letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CFIUS Chairman and U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno expressed “serious concern” over the company’s reported plan to purchase or lease an industrial facility located approximately 13 miles from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. The proposed transaction involves a 1.1-million-square-foot industrial property at 2555 Woodman Drive in the Dayton area.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is one of the U.S. Air Force’s most strategically important installations. It hosts the headquarters of the Air Force Materiel Command, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center, making it a critical hub for military research and development, procurement, intelligence, testing, and logistics. Moreno urged CFIUS to conduct a comprehensive review to determine whether the proposed investment poses a risk to U.S. national security.

The facility, formerly operated by Delphi and later Tenneco, has been undergoing renovation since Tenneco closed the plant in late 2023. The property is currently being marketed for lease or sale.

Source: Epoch Times, August 2, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/8/1/n14821681.htm

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military US-China Relations

China and the United States Accelerate Competing AI Alliances

Beijing moved earlier than the United States to establish a national strategy for artificial intelligence (AI) and shape global AI governance. China issued the “New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan” in 2017, setting the goal of becoming the world’s leading AI innovation center by 2030 while calling for active participation in international AI governance and standards-setting. It subsequently launched the “World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC)” as a state-backed platform for AI diplomacy, introduced national AI ethics guidelines in 2021, and unveiled the “Global AI Governance Initiative” at the Belt and Road Forum in 2023.

On the U.S. side, the Trump administration’s first term emphasized maintaining American leadership in AI through deregulation, market-driven innovation, and limited government intervention. The “American AI Initiative,” launched in 2019, marked the first U.S. national AI strategy, while the United States also joined multilateral efforts such as the “Global Partnership on AI (GPAI).” Following President Trump’s return to office in 2025, the administration shifted its focus to winning the global AI race through deregulation, rapid infrastructure expansion, strategic competition with China, and reducing ideological constraints on AI development.

The Trump administration further strengthened cooperation with allied countries by launching the “Pax Silica Declaration” in December 2025 to establish a trusted AI and semiconductor supply chain independent of China. An initial group of seven countries—including Japan, South Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Israel—signed the declaration, while Taiwan, the Netherlands, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, and the OECD participated in various capacities. At a second summit in Washington in June 2026, the coalition expanded to 35 countries and economies, which jointly endorsed the “Joint Statement on AI Opportunity,” emphasizing trusted supply chains, pro-growth, light-touch regulation, and accelerated AI infrastructure development.

Twenty days later, on July 16, 2026, China established the “World AI Cooperation Organization” (WAICO) in Shanghai with 29 founding members. The emergence of these two blocs signals an increasingly polarized global AI landscape, with competing approaches to AI governance, supply chains, and technology standards. China’s coalition consists primarily of Russia, Belarus, Cuba, Venezuela, Brazil, and developing countries in the Global South. While Beijing promotes an alternative framework centered on open-source cooperation, data sovereignty, and equality, the bloc’s combined technological capabilities remain significantly weaker than those of the U.S.-led alliance.

Source: Epoch Times, July 26, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/25/n14817344.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Information/Technology US-China Relations

FARA Filings Renew Scrutiny of Chinese Influence Operations Targeting U.S. Media

Recently resurfaced filings under the U.S. Department of Justice’s “Foreign Agents Registration Act” (FARA) have renewed scrutiny of China’s long-running influence operations targeting U.S. media organizations. The filings show that the Hong Kong-based China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), through U.S. public relations firm BLJ Worldwide (BLJ), sponsored trips to China and engagement programs involving journalists from dozens of major Western media outlets over more than a decade. The disclosures have gained renewed attention following investigative reporting by journalist Natalie Winters, who argues the records illustrate the scope and sophistication of Beijing’s overseas influence efforts.

According to the FARA filings, BLJ organized sponsored visits to China for 128 journalists from 48 media organizations beginning in 2009. Participants reportedly included journalists from CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, the Associated Press, and other leading news organizations. The filings describe the programs as providing prominent journalists with opportunities to gain a more positive understanding of China’s development and achievements through official meetings, site visits, and exchanges.

CUSEF, founded in 2008 by former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, has long been identified by U.S. officials and congressional reports as part of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) broader united front influence network. Beyond media engagement, the organization has funded exchanges with universities, think tanks, and political organizations, including programs for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Critics contend that these activities are designed to cultivate long-term relationships with political, academic, and media elites capable of shaping public opinion and policy debates in ways favorable to Beijing.

The resurfaced FARA records have renewed attention to the CCP’s broader influence operations and the role of sponsored exchanges as a tool of public diplomacy. Critics argue that such programs form part of a wider strategy to shape Western media narratives and public discourse by cultivating relationships with influential journalists and opinion leaders over the long term.

Source: Aboluo, July 20, 2026
https://www.aboluowang.com/2026/0720/2410405.html

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

Trump Administration Plans Nearly $500 Million Initiative to Counter China’s Global Influence

The Trump administration has notified Congress of plans to invest $175.8 million to replace aging undersea telecommunications cables in the Caribbean and Central America as part of a broader effort to counter China’s influence over the region’s communications infrastructure. The initiative, titled “Countering CCP Control of Caribbean and Central America Undersea Cables Project,” would fund the installation of strategically selected submarine cable systems and support partnerships between regional governments and private-sector providers to deploy secure U.S. and other trusted alternatives.

The proposed funding would support cable projects serving El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Haiti. Because of strained U.S.-Nicaragua relations, Washington does not plan to work directly with the Nicaraguan government. The project reflects broader U.S. concerns over China’s expanding strategic presence in the Western Hemisphere, including its investments in telecommunications, critical infrastructure, and other sectors.

According to State Department planning documents, the cable initiative is part of a broader proposal to invest nearly $500 million in more than 50 projects across the Western Hemisphere, Africa, and Asia to counter Chinese influence. Proposed initiatives include strengthening cybersecurity, securing ports and critical mineral supply chains, countering China’s export of surveillance technologies, and reducing international support for Beijing’s space program. Other projects would establish regional security operations centers and bolster communications security, information resilience, and religious freedom, including efforts to counter Chinese influence over the selection of the next Dalai Lama.

Source: Epoch Times, July 28, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/28/n14818672.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations

Report Warns of Sharp Decline in U.S. Students Studying in China

A 2026 report by the U.S.-China Education Trust (USCET) found that fewer than 2,000 American students are currently studying in China, down more than 80 percent from approximately 11,000 in 2019. The number peaked at around 15,000 during the 2011–2012 academic year before plunging during the COVID-19 pandemic, when China’s border restrictions reduced the U.S. student population to as few as 300–350.

The report says the sustained decline reflects more than the lingering effects of the pandemic. It attributes the downturn to deteriorating U.S.-China relations, intensifying strategic competition in areas such as defense and technology, China’s national security policies, exit bans, and growing concerns over personal safety. According to the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors data, the number of American students in China rebounded to about 1,749 in the 2023–2024 academic year but has remained below 2,000, far below pre-pandemic levels.

Former U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns warned that if the trend continues, the United States could face a serious shortage of China specialists over the next decade. He argued that a shrinking pool of Americans with firsthand knowledge of China’s language, culture, society, and political system would weaken the ability of the U.S. government, businesses, and academic institutions to understand China and formulate effective policies.

Source: Epoch Times, July 23, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/22/n14815062.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Xi Jinping Calls for New Global AI Order to Challenge U.S. Leadership

At the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, Xi Jinping called for a new global AI governance framework, positioning China as an alternative to the U.S.-led AI order. He described China’s open-source AI models as a global public good and argued that AI development and governance should be driven by international cooperation rather than dominated by any single country.

Xi criticized the “overextension of the national security concept” in AI governance, an apparent reference to U.S. technology restrictions on China. He announced that China will provide 5,000 AI training opportunities for developing countries over the next five years, expand AI cooperation with BRICS, ASEAN, Latin America, and Africa, and make its AI-powered weather forecasting and early warning system available to 30 countries.

Xi also highlighted the launch of the Chinese-initiated World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO), which reportedly has 29 member states. The initiative reflects Beijing’s broader effort to shape global AI governance, promote Chinese AI standards, and strengthen technological partnerships with the Global South as strategic competition with the United States intensifies.

Source: Deutscher Welle, July 17, 2026
https://www.dw.com/zh/习近平倡议中国建立全球ai新秩序-挑战美国主导地位/a-78007555

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations