Ukraine, Hyundai, Pot, Africa, F1, plus 1,000 more actionable insights.
ITK Daily is geopolitical business intelligence for communications pros.
Happy Friday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily.
To be ITK, know this:
ITK Daily will be on hiatus starting Saturday, November 18, returning Monday, November 27.
*** Ross Rant ***
Insights from the Biden-Xi meeting: Balancing cooperation + competition in US-China relations
In a high-stakes meeting between US President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping, the leaders sought to ease tensions between their nations during a diplomatic encounter on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
The meeting came a year after their last face-to-face interaction and aimed to address growing concerns about the potential for military conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.
Despite announcing agreements on confidence-building measures, such as resuming high-level military-to-military (mil-to-mil) communications to avoid miscalculations, Biden openly referred to Xi as a dictator during a press conference.
CAP (Communications Action Point) = Biden's impromptu comment after his solo press conference jeopardized the carefully orchestrated diplomatic efforts, highlighting the fragility of US-China relations despite attempts to project stability in the face of upcoming elections in Taiwan and the United States.
Full post here.
*** Globalization + Statecraft ***
WP: Israeli troops scour Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital for evidence of Hamas presence
AP: Internet, phone networks collapse in Gaza, threatening to worsen humanitarian crisis
WP: UN Security Council calls for humanitarian pauses in Israel-Gaza war
+ A new Quinnipiac poll finds 54% of US voters say their sympathies lie more with the Israelis in the aftermath of the Hamas attack, while 24% say their sympathies lie more with the Palestinians.
The Times: Guardian removes viral Bin Laden 9/11 letter over antisemitism
The Xi-Biden summit accomplished little. But it really mattered. WP - Editorial
For Biden, a subtle shift in the power balance with China’s Xi Jinping: For the first time in years, a Chinese leader desperately needed a few things from the United States. NYT
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/16/us/politics/biden-xi-china-power-balance.html
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping rediscover the joy of talking. Good: Military contacts between America and China resume. Will they last? Economist
US business elite welcomes Xi with standing ovation: China’s president projects friendly tone, but analysts say increasing scrutiny has rattled foreign groups. FT
Xi talks up pandas and superpower 'friendship' at US CEO dinner: Chinese leader says he reached 'important consensus' with Biden. Nikkei
US executives get no reassurance from Xi on tougher China business environment: At a dinner with US corporate chiefs, Xi Jinping sought to enlist corporate America’s help in easing bilateral tensions but made no mention of boosting trade or investment. WSJ
Bloomberg: Biden tells corporate leaders stable US-China ties benefit world
Biden vows not to decouple from China while deepening Indo-Pacific ties: NIkkei reports the US president tells APEC CEO Summit that 'region more vital than ever'
AP: Take heart, it looks like China could send new pandas to the US
+ “I was told that many American people, especially children, were really reluctant to say goodbye to the pandas, and went to the zoo to see them off,” Xi said.
Whiplash in China as state media does U-turn on US WP
US committed to arming Taiwan despite Biden-Xi talks: Austin: Nikkei reports the US defense chief calls for 'substantive' dialogue with China amid rapprochement.
How can Taiwan defend itself from China? Beijing sees Taiwan as its own territory, and has openly threatened to take it by force. Washington is the island's biggest arms supplier, but Taiwanese authorities are also keen to show what they might do to defend themselves. DW
It’s time to end magical thinking about Russia’s defeat: Putin has withstood the West’s best efforts to reverse his invasion of Ukraine, and his hold on power is firm. The US and its allies need a new strategy: containment. WSJ
With all eyes on the Middle East, does the West have a viable strategy for Ukraine? New polling suggests Western public opinion is not convinced that this is a winnable war. Ivan Krastev
Could a Ukraine under siege join NATO? A former NATO chief recommends letting Kyiv join the alliance while some areas are still occupied by Russia. But the proposal doesn't have — and is unlikely to get — official backing from members. DW
UK summit shows why the UN should take lead on AI issues: Technology's risks require an inclusive, global approach to governance. Syed Munir Khasru
Westminster voting intention:
LAB: 44% (-3)
CON: 21% (-2)
LDEM: 10% (-)
REF: 10% (+2)
GRN: 8% (+1)
via YouGov
Lithium mining in Africa reveals dark side of green energy: The new rush for lithium in Africa risks fueling corruption and harming local communities and the environment, investigations have shown. DW
Bloomberg: US says all Venezuela sanctions are on table if Maduro reneges
*** Politics + Elections ***
NH GOP Primary: A new CNN poll in New Hampshire finds Donald Trump leading the Republican presidential primary field with 42%, followed by Nikki Haley at 20%, Chris Christie at 14%, Ron DeSantis at 9%, Vivek Ramaswamy at 8% and no other candidate holding more than 2% support.
Wall Street megadonors warm to Nikki Haley as their anti-Donald Trump Republican: FT reports the former US ambassador to the UN praised for ‘muscular foreign policy’ and electability.
Peter Thiel is still hoping that Donald Trump just fades away: Bloomberg reports the tech elite’s adventure in right-wing populism hasn’t gone quite like anyone intended.
Donald Trump poses the biggest danger to the world in 2024: What his victory in America’s election would mean. Economist
‘The tech version of a flag burning amendment’: Politico reports as the 2024 campaign gets rolling, social media companies come in for another political drubbing. But they’re under little real pressure from Washington.
Shoppers are finally getting a break on prices: WSJ reports in some cases, Walmart and other retailers are offering better deals on food and clothes than a few months ago.
Oil falls to lowest level since July ahead of OPEC+ meeting: FT reports Brent drops more than 5% to dip under $77 a barrel.
*** Disruption + Innovation ***
Detroit News: Majority of UAW workers approve deal with GM
Union workers back contract deals at 3 big automakers: NYT reports the United Automobile Workers union hopes the agreements with General Motors, Ford and Stellantis will help it make inroads at other companies.
Hyundai to be first automaker to sell new cars on Amazon: WSJ reports the companies say Hyundai will be the first brand available to car buyers on the tech company’s platform starting in 2024.
FT: Alibaba ditches plans to spin off cloud business and list supermarket
Bloomberg: China will be at forefront of AI, Alphabet’s Pichai says
Bloomberg: Apple’s push to relace Qualcomm chip in iPhone loses more ground
Apple to support messaging standard, easing Google conflict over green text bubbles: WSJ reports the change is unlikely to burst the green-blue text divide, but might improve exchanges between iPhone and Android users.
Elon Musk, TikTok, and the social media ownership problem WP
IBM suspends X ads after report of placement near Nazi posts: Bloomberg reports a watchdog group found ads for IBM, Apple, and other firms running next to pro-Nazi posts.
Bloomberg: Citi to team up with Indian bank to support female entrepreneurs, CEO Fraser says
Why some seniors are choosing pot over pills: Older people are using cannabis more than ever. Here’s what to know about its potential medicinal benefits and side effects as we age. NYT
*** Culture ***
Largely ignored by the Western world, Africa’s medieval treasures shine at the Met: North Africa’s influences radiated throughout Byzantium, helping to create a Golden Age. These objects are high on the beauty and rarity scale. NYT
*** Sport ***
Jim Harbaugh accepts Big Ten’s sign-stealing suspension: WSJ reports the Michigan coach was poised to battle the conference’s punishment in court on Friday before a late agreement that he would sit out the team’s final two games.
Michigan mess shows the risk when TV execs run conferences WP
Of course Jimbo Fisher’s buyout is insane. But so is college football. Steven Godfrey
FT: Arctos invests in Aston Martin F1 team at £1bn valuation
The $700m gamble that has brought F1 back to Vegas for next decade: After two dreary races in the early Eighties, the dream of a race down the famous Strip has come true thanks to a huge financial outlay from the sport’s owners. The Times
Saudi state oil giant to become FIFA’s biggest-paying sponsor: Deal could be worth up to £84 million a year and comes after the nation was given free run to host 2034 World Cup. The Times
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
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