Lucas Niewenhuis is the Newsletter Editor at The China Project. Previously, he has researched China-Africa relations at the Social Science Research Council, interned at the Council on Foreign Relations, and studied Chinese language and culture in Shanghai and Beijing.
Two high-level American officials have met with Taiwanese officials this week, continuing a trend of increased Taiwan-U.S. diplomatic contacts. Meanwhile, the U.S. is planning to sell โas many as seven major weapons systemsโ to Taiwan soon.
As of September 15, any manufacturer selling products globally that may eventually be sold to Huawei needs to get a license from the U.S. government. At least eight companies have applied, but will any get approved?
Retail sales in China were up 0.5% in August from a year before, one of many indicators showing the Chinese economy returning to normal.
ByteDance, wary of political risk after Beijing designated parts of its algorithms as โsensitive technologies,โ will not sell TikTok to Microsoft or anyone else. Instead, the company is proposing to partner with Oracle, a Silicon Valley company with Trump-friendly executives.
Huawei and ByteDance are both approaching U.S.-imposed deadlines that could dramatically alter their business models and global reach. They are among several Chinese companies increasing their investment in Singapore to hedge against U.S.-China tension.
The Trump administration says that it has cancelled more than 1,000 visas of Chinese students since a May 29 proclamation that put graduate students connected to Chinaโs โmilitary-civil fusionโ in the crosshairs.
Criticism of Chinaโs Xinjiang policies and overall human rights record is getting louder. This might not change anything in China, but donโt discount the possibility that the U.S. and its allies could boycott the Beijing 2022 Olympics.
As Australiaโs relationship with China reached new lows, Bill Birtles of the Australian ABC and Michael Smith of the Australian Financial Review both sought to leave the country. For five days, China blocked their exit, leading to tense diplomatic negotiations.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping appeared to directly respond to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeoโs insistence that โfreedom-lovingโ Chinese people are โcompletely distinctโ from the Communist Party. This distinction is one of five things the Chinese people will โnever allow,โ Xi said.