News that caught our eye / The week ending on August 12
NOTE: The news reports below are not in chronological order. There is often a time lag in their reaching the US and in gaining our attention. These reports reflect the opinions of a variety of news sources.
News that caught our eye / The week ending on August 12
Without partnering with the US, China will reduce greenhouse emissions / August 7, 2022
China will move forward with efforts to reduce emissions, even as its suspension of bilateral talks with the United States has cast doubt on whether the world’s second-largest economy can follow through on its agenda to fight global warming, according to climate experts.
China and Taiwan
China Reaffirms Threat of Military Force to Annex Taiwan / August 10, 2022
China has reaffirmed its threat to use military force to bring self-governing Taiwan under its control. The Chinese statement said Beijing would “work with the greatest sincerity and exert our utmost efforts to achieve peaceful reunification…. But we will not renounce the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures.”
China aims to control the western Pacific, Taiwan says / August 8, 2022
Taiwan considers Chinese military drills near the self-governing island are both a rehearsal for an invasion and a reflection of China’s ambitions to control large swaths of the western Pacific. Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said that China wants to establish its dominance in the western Pacific. That would include controlling the East and South China Seas via the Taiwan Strait and imposing a blockade to prevent the U.S. and its allies from aiding Taiwan in the event of an attack.
Chinese People's Liberation Army continues exercises near Taiwan / August 8, 2022
On August 8, after four days of live-fire military drills designed to intimidate Taiwan, the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army continued to conduct practical joint exercises in the sea and airspace around Taiwan Island, focusing on organizing joint anti-submarine and sea assault operations. According to China’s Global Times, drills like these will not stop and are expected to become routine until reunification.
Pelosi: China cannot isolate Taiwan / August 6, 2022
While in Tokyo on August 5, Pelosi said her visit to Taiwan was not intended to change the status quo for the island but to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait. She praised Taiwan's hard-fought democracy and success in technology and business, while criticizing Chinese violations of trade agreements, weapons proliferation, and human rights problems, including its treatment of its Muslim Uyghur minority. “If we do not speak out for human rights in China because of commercial interests, we lose all moral authority to speak out about human rights any place in the world,” Pelosi said.
Chinese Gen Z are underemployed / July 25, 2022
A perfect storm of factors has propelled unemployment among 16- to 24-year-old urbanites to a record 19.3%, more than twice the comparable rate in the US. Because private industry has not offered employment, many young people are opting for lower-paying state jobs. But private companies drive entrepreneurial expansion of the economy. Lower-income expectations and talent shunning the private sector are likely to lower growth in the long term.