The China Agenda for August 14–20 — Camp David Summit

The key events this week are happening in the U.S.: a summit with America’s East Asian allies, and Taiwan’s vice president stopping over in San Francisco.

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Upcoming diplomatic visits and international political events

U.S. President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol for a trilateral summit at Camp David, the president’s country retreat in Maryland, on August 18.

This follows APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum’s meeting of energy ministers in Seattle on August 15.

Taiwan’s Vice President William Lai (賴淸德 Lài Qīngdé) has departed Taipei for a trip to Paraguay to celebrate the inauguration of the Taiwanese ally’s incoming president, Santiago Peña Palacios.

• Lai departed Taipei on Saturday. He spent less than 24 hours in New York, where he attended a lunch banquet celebrating the Taiwanese diaspora. He will be returning via San Francisco on August 16.

The G20 Health Working Group Ministers’ Meeting takes place in Gandhinagar, India, on August 17-18.

• The First WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit will take place alongside it.
• Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 has personally promoted the use and spread of traditional Chinese medicine both inside and outside China in recent years.

The UN is hosting two sets of meetings this week:

• The ninth session of the Group of Independent Eminent Experts on the Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action will be held in Geneva, August 14-18.
• The 32nd session of the Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Communications will also be held in Geneva, August 14-18.

The Ecuadorian presidential election takes place on August 20.

• One candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, was assassinated on August 9.
• China just signed a free trade agreement with Ecuador in May, though the agreement can only be ratified once a new Ecuadorian parliament is installed.

Important speeches, policy announcements, and political events in China

Beijing’s leaders remain at their annual summer retreat at the seaside resort town of Beidaihe.

The China-South Asia Expo will be held August 16-20 in the city of Kunming, Yunnan.

• Over 60 countries and regions have expressed the intention to participate in the expo, and nearly 1,000 enterprises are expected to attend.
• The Chinese government regards the annual event as an important platform for trade and economic cooperation, helping strengthen its position in the region.

China’s new AI law, the regulations on the management of artificial intelligence services, comes into effect on August 15.

The National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) is seeking public comment on a draft Criminal Law Amendment (XII) through August 24. In addition, the following bills are set to return to be reviewed this month, including:

• A draft revision to the Company Law.
• A draft Value-Added Tax Law.
• A draft amendment to the Civil Procedure Law.
• A draft amendment to the Administrative Litigation Law.

China’s fifth national economic census will be held from August to October. The extensive survey from the National Bureau of Statistics seeks to ascertain key information about the state of businesses and the economy, from personnel wages to ecommerce transactions to research and development.

Earnings reports, IPOs, and other business and market events

Two trade fairs are happening in China and Hong Kong this week:

• Shanghai is hosting Pet Fair Asia on August 16-20. This is Asia’s largest exhibition for pet supplies, and is expected to see over 2,200 exhibitors, and welcome over a quarter of a million visitors.
• The Hong Kong Food Expo will be held on August 17-21, set up by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, hosting around 1,700 exhibitors.

Data releases:

• On August 14, at 10 p.m. ET, China releases its industrial production data for the last month. This measures the output of businesses involved in sectors such as manufacturing, mining, and utilities.
• On August 14, at 10 p.m. ET, China releases data on investment in fixed assets. This is one of the main measures of capital spending.
• On August 14, at 10 p.m. ET, China will report its monthly urban unemployment data.
• On August 14, at 10 p.m. ET, China publishes its retail sales numbers for July.
• On August 15, at 9:30 p.m. ET, China will report its data on newly built house prices for July, based on a survey of residential properties built across 70 medium and large cities.
• On August 18, China will report its foreign direct investment (FDI) data for July.

Second-quarter 2023 earnings reports:

• Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, on August 14
• DouYu, a video livestreaming service, on August 14, at 7 a.m. ET
• Niu Technologies, an electric scooter firm, on August 14, at 8 a.m. ET
• Jinko Solar, one of the world’s largest solar panel makers, on August 14, at 8:30 a.m. ET
• Hesai, a LiDAR maker for vehicles, on August 14, at 9 p.m. ET
• Tencent Music, China’s leading music streaming platform, on August 15, at 7 a.m. ET
• Xunlei, an internet and blockchain company, on August 15, before markets open
• Huize, a digital insurance firm, on August 15, at 8 a.m. ET
• HUYA Inc., a game streaming platform, on August 15, at 8 a.m. ET
• JD.Com, one of China’s biggest ecommerce platforms, on August 16, at 8 a.m. ET
• Bilibili, one of China’s biggest video platforms, on August 17, at 8 a.m. ET
• Tuniu, an online travel agency, on August 17, at 8 a.m. ET
• XPENG, a Chinese EV manufacturer, on August 18, at 8 a.m. ET

Events

Academic and think-tank events this week include:

United States Heartland China Association: De-Risk of the U.S.-China Relationship, August 15, 7 p.m. ET.

Brookings: The US-Japan-Republic of Korea trilateral summit, August 16, 1 p.m. ET.

The Australian Centre on China and the World: The Maoist Message in the Chinese Countryside, 1949-1978, August 17, 2 a.m. ET.