The China Agenda for July 24–30 — Wang Yi in Africa

This is what’s on the diplomatic, political, and business agenda for the week of July 24–30.

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

The 4th meeting of the 14th National People’s Congress Standing Committee takes place on July 25. The meeting will consider a draft amendment to China’s Criminal Law and personnel appointments and removals.

• The National People’s Congress is soliciting public comment this week on four pieces of legislation, including the Patriotic Education Law and the Administrative Reconsideration Law.
• The July meeting of the Communist Party’s Politburo is expected to be held this week. This meeting usually sets the tone for economic policy in the second half of the year. Although there have been rumors and hopes for stimulus measures to be announced, it should be noted that last year’s meeting failed to introduce significant new policies.

Wáng Yì 王毅 will be in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 24–25, for the 13th Meeting of Senior Representatives of the BRICS Countries on Security Affairs. 

• Wang has been in Africa the whole weekend and he has been busy: On Friday, he met with with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen Hassen; on Saturday, Wang met with Kenyan President William Ruto and Alfred Mutua, cabinet secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.
• Wang is expected to return to China via Turkey.

The G20’s fourth and final Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group meeting will be held in Chennai July 26–27, with a Ministers’ meeting on July 28.

At the United Nations, several relevant meetings will be held this week:

• On July 24–28, the ninth session of the Human Rights Council’s Group of Independent Eminent Experts on the Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action will be held in Geneva.
• On July 24–28, the assembly of the International Seabed Authority will be held in Kingston, Jamaica.
• On July 24–28, an open-ended working group on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies will hold its fifth session in New York.

In Taiwan, the live-fire component of the 39th annual Han Kuang military drills will be held July 24–28. These will simulate responses to a potential Chinese invasion based on the latest threats posed by the PLA.

• These follow the tabletop wargaming exercises held in May, using a U.S.-built simulation platform.
• Civilian airports will be used, and most transport and pedestrian movement will be suspended during air-raid drills.

The Australia- and U.S.-led international naval military exercise, Exercise Talisman Sabre, is running July 22–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.

Communist Party Secretary of Chongqing and aerospace engineer Yuán Jiājūn 袁家军 arrived in Kathmandu today at the invitation of Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a three-day visit, leading a delegation from Chongqing City. Nepalese Prime Minister Dahal is planning an official visit to China for September.

Taiwan is hosting a four-member French parliamentary delegation July 23–27.

Important speeches, policy announcements, or domestic political events

This week, several sessions are being held in the U.S. Congress that have a bearing on the U.S.-China relationship:

On July 25, 3 p.m. ET, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law will hold an oversight hearing to examine artificial intelligence, focusing on principles for regulation.

On July 26, 9 a.m. ET, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee will meet to continue the consideration of various bills, including:

• The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2023, to improve the cybersecurity of the Federal Government.
• The Mitigating Foreign Influence in Classified Government Contracts Act, to assess foreign influence in the National Industrial Security Program and to develop a single, integrated strategy to better identify and mitigate such foreign influence.
• The Vessel Tracking for Sanctions Enforcement Act of 2023, 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.
• The AI LEAD Act, to establish a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officers Council, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officers, and Artificial Intelligence Governance Boards.

On July 26, 10 a.m. ET, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will meet for a markup of bills, including:

• A bill to authorize the sale of Virginia Class submarines to Australia in support of the trilateral security partnership AUKUS.
• A bill to conduct oversight and accountability of the State Department’s implementation of AUKUS.
• A bill to amend the Arms Export Control Act in support of Australia and the AUKUS partnership.
• A bill to amend the Arms Export Control Act in support of the United Kingdom and the AUKUS partnership.
• A bill to impose sanctions with respect to countries, individuals, and entities that engage in any effort to acquire, possess, develop, transport, transfer, or deploy Iranian missiles and related goods and technology, including materials and equipment.

On July 26, 10 a.m. ET, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold hearings to examine improving capacity for critical mineral recovery through electronic waste recycling and reuse.

On July 26, 10 a.m. ET, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold hearings to examine U.S. economic security, focusing on addressing economic coercion and increasing competitiveness.

On July 26, 11 a.m. ET, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee will hold hearings to examine governing AI through acquisition and procurement.

• Additionally, a Biden administration executive order to regulate some U.S. investments in China has been rumored to drop in late July, though this is yet to be confirmed.

On July 26, 7 p.m. ET, the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party will meet to discuss the theme “Commanding Heights: Ensuring U.S. Leadership in the Critical and Emerging Technologies of the 21st Century.”

Starting on July 26, Singaporeans traveling to China will be eligible for a 15-day visa-free visit, reinstating an arrangement that had been in place prior to the pandemic.

Earnings reports, IPOs, and other market events 

Data releases:

• On Sunday, July 31, at 9:30 p.m. ET, China’s Manufacturing PMI data is released by the National Bureau of Statistics. This index measures the performance of the manufacturing sector for the preceding month.
• On Sunday, July 31, at 9:30 p.m. ET, China’s Non-Manufacturing PMI data is released by the National Bureau of Statistics. This index measures the performance of the non-manufacturing sector for the preceding month.

Listings:

On the Shanghai Stock Exchange, one company is listing this week:

• AGIOE  (688450.SH), a high-tech enterprise focusing on new-generation fiber-optic sensing network equipment, lists on Monday, July 24.

Events

Academic and think-tank events this week include:

US-China Business Council: Geopolitical Risk Series: Understanding Risks Around Taiwan, July 26, 8:30 a.m. ET.

United States Heartland China Association: The Globalization of RMB and The Future of World Trade, July 26, 10 a.m. ET.

Brookings: US-China proximate military operations in the maritime, air, and space domains, July 26, 10 a.m. ET.

Brookings: Improving workforce development and STEM education, July 27, 10 a.m. ET.

CSIS: National Security and Spectrum for 5G, July 25, 2 p.m. ET.

Events in China and Hong Kong this week include:

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

The Hong Kong Book Fair is taking place 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.