The China Agenda for July 17–23 — Kerry in Beijing

This is what’s on the diplomatic, political, and business agenda for the week of July 17–23.

This is the week coming up in U.S.-China relations, global diplomacy, and everything that matters if you follow China and its political and economic place in the world.

Upcoming diplomatic visits and international political events

John Kerry, the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, is in China July 16–19, meeting with officials, including his counterpart, Xiè Zhènhuá 解振华.

• His plan is apparently to reactivate a high-level joint working group on climate cooperation that has not been functioning since August, and to pave the way for November’s COP28 meeting in Dubai.

Algerian President Abdelmagid Tebbon will pay a state visit to China July 17–21.

The G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors will meet in Gujarat, India, on July 14–18.

India’s defense minister, Rajnath Singh, will visit Malaysia July 17–19.

• The aim is to strengthen bilateral military cooperation, in particular in response to China’s actions in the South China Sea.

The 28th Session of the International Seabed Authority Council is meeting until July 21 in Kingston, Jamaica.

• This lesser-known United Nations organization has made headlines this year as the prospect of deep-sea mining for rare earth elements and minerals crucial to the energy transition has gained momentum.

The 129th Session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council will be held in London July 17–21.

• This weekend saw the Ministerial-level Commission meeting of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in New Zealand.

Counselor Derek Chollet of the State Department will travel to Manila July 15–17.

• He will consult with U.S. ally the Philippines on a range of topics, including economic cooperation and bolstering deterrence, and review the latest conditions in the South China Sea.

Exercise Talisman Sabre, the Australia- and U.S.-led international naval military exercise, will run from July 22 to August 4.

• More than 30,000 military personnel from 13 nations will directly participate, and China is expected to deploy PLAN ships to monitor the exercises, as it has in the last three of the biannual exercises.

The first South Korea-U.S. Nuclear Consultative Group meeting will be held on July 18.

• Kurt Campbell, U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs, and South Korea’s principal deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo will co-chair.

Important speeches, policy announcements, or domestic political events

Several sessions are being held in Congress this week, which have a bearing on the U.S.-China relationship:

• On July 18, at 9 a.m., the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation will hold a hearing on Man and Machine: Artificial Intelligence on the Battlefield.
• Also Tuesday, at 10 a.m., the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security will hold a hearing on Strategic Competition in the Arctic.
• Simultaneously, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Indo-Pacific will hold a hearing on Achieving Peace through Strength in the Indo-Pacific: Examining the FY24 Budget Priorities. Witnesses will include the Honorable Daniel Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and Mr. Michael Ronning, Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator Asia Bureau, U.S. Agency for International Development.
• On July 19, at 9:30 a.m., the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee will meet to consider items, including a bill to require a pilot program on the use of big data analytics to identify vessels evading sanctions and export controls, and to require a report on the availability in the United States of emerging and foundational technologies subject to export controls; also, another to improve the cybersecurity of the Federal Government.
• On July 20, at 8 a.m., the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party will hold a hearing on the Biden administration’s P.R.C. strategy.
• On July 20, at 10 a.m., the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee will hold a hearing to examine America’s supply chain security, focusing on understanding and mitigating threats.

In China, the National People’s Congress is soliciting public comment on four pieces of legislation, including the Patriotic Education Law and the Administrative Reconsideration Law.

Earnings reports, IPOs, and other market events

Data releases:

• On July 16, at 10 p.m. ET, China’s GDP annual and quarterly growth rates will be released, along with a number of other data points, including on unemployment and retail sales.

Earnings:

• Tesla, on July 19, at 5:30 p.m. ET, after markets close.
• TSMC, on July 20, at 2 a.m. ET.
• ASML, on July 19, at 1 a.m. ET, when a press release, video, consolidated financial statements, and presentation of the latest quarterly financial figures will be released, and 9 a.m., when senior management will host a 60-minute investor call.

Listings:

On the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, two companies are listing on the main board this week:

• New Media Lab Limited lists on the HKEX main board on Tuesday, July 17.
• uSMART lists on the HKEX main board on Wednesday, July 18.

Events

Academic and think-tank events this week include:

USCBC: Chinese Law and US-China Relations: A Conversation with Professor Jerome Cohen, July 10, 8:30 p.m. ET

Asia Society: Executive Roundtable on Searching for Common Ground in U.S.- China Relations with Founder of China Vanke, Wang Shi, July 17, 1 p.m. PT (in person)

Asia Society: China Executive Briefing | China Tech and the Impact of Geopolitics, July 17, 9 p.m. ET

CSIS: The Future of Quantum – Developing a System Ready for Quantum, July 18, 11:30 a.m. ET

Delhi Institute of Chinese Studies: Cooperate, Compete, Challenge, Compromise, and Convince: A US Policy towards China, July 19, 5:30 a.m. ET

CSIS: A U.S. Mineral Strategy for Global Energy Transition, July 20, 9 a.m. ET

Brookings: The geopolitics of generative AI, July 19, 3 p.m. ET

Brookings: A conversation with Assistant Secretaries Daniel Kritenbrink and Ely Ratner on US alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, July 21, 10:30 a.m. ET

Events in China and Hong Kong this week include:

The First International Congress of Basic Science (ICBS) is being held on July 16–28. The opening will feature Nobel laureates and Turing Award winners.

The 2023 China Internet/Cyber Civilization Conference will be held in Xiamen on July 18–19.

The Hong Kong Book Fair takes place on July 19–25. Hosted by the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council, it is Asia’s biggest book fair, and is expected to welcome around 1 million visitors.