China ITK | Oct. 18

China tests new space capability with hypersonic missile
FT

+ Launch in August of a nuclear-capable rocket that circled the globe took US intelligence by surprise

AFP: China slams US, Canada for sending warships through Taiwan Strait

Production, politics, and propaganda: How Beijing has shaped the international COVID immunization drive.
Nikkei

China’s Xi says common prosperity doesn’t mean full equality
Bloomberg

+ “Not everyone will be wealthy at the same time and not all regions will reach the same level of wealth at the same time,” Xi said in an August speech published Friday by the Qiushi Journal, a publication of the ruling Communist Party.

Beijing sets journalists 90 hours of lessons to learn the party line
The Times

Washington hears echoes of the ’50s and worries: Is this a Cold War with China? Incursions into Taiwan’s air zone, a space launch, and what looked like a prisoner swap raise a question that is about more than just semantics. It could signal a dangerous new mindset.
NYT

+ Governments that plunge into a Cold War mindset can exaggerate every conflict, convinced that they are part of a larger struggle. They can miss opportunities for cooperation, as the United States and China did in battling COVID-19, and may yet on the climate.

Japan to set up advanced-tech fund with eye on economic security: Investments to target AI, biotech, and robotics, reflecting PM Kishida's pledge.
Nikkei

+ The government-backed fund will invest in artificial intelligence and quantum technology, biotechnology, and robotics

South Korea is coming — let the games begin: Hooked on Squid Game? That’s not a coincidence, says Harriet Walker — it’s part of the K-wave sweeping pop culture from fashion to TV and music.
The Times

Samsung Electronics wants to dominate cutting-edge chipmaking: The South Korean dynasty’s third generation is taking on TSMC and Intel. Can it succeed?
Economist

+ Despite rising tensions between China and the West, in particular America, neither SE nor any other South Korean chipmaker is likely to give up on their giant neighbor

West eyes China’s playbook as Big Tech revs up finance ambitions: Beijing has already cracked down the digital giants that dominate its online payments.
Politico

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Demystifying China's politics and power.

Caracal ITK | Oct. 8

GLOBALIZATION + STATECRAFT

A battle of the bubbles: War comes to the Prosecco hills: A Croatian wine, Prosek, seeks an official designation, and Prosecco makers are up in arms. But they also can’t agree on what, exactly, should be called Prosecco.
NYT

Moldova raises a glass to winemakers for a full-bodied economic revival
The Times

POLITICS

As the Joe Biden slide deepens, will it fall to the first lady to say: Your time’s up?
The Times

Romans choose from a crowded field to run a chaotic city: Rome has defied efforts to make basic services work, and the incumbent mayor lags in the polls, with no shortage of rivals hoping to take her place.
NYT

Battered towns in England’s north test Johnson’s plan to ‘level up’: Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made far-reaching promises to spread the good life beyond prosperous southeastern England to neglected parts in the middle and North of the country.
NYT

DISRUPTION

Iron battery breakthrough could eat lithium’s lunch: Iron-flow technology from ESS is being deployed at scale in the US.
Akshat Rathi

COMMERCE

Mailchimp’s $12 billion sale shows Atlanta’s tech mettle
Seattle Times

The race for the electric vehicle: Electric vehicle sales are growing quickly, yet they still only account for a small fraction of the cars on the road. But that could soon change. We look at the global EV landscape, barriers to adoption, and the brands to watch.
CB Insights

CULTURE

Why Greeks live longer: Nestled in the heart of the Aegean, the island of Ikaria used to be a secluded spot with a humble and unhurried way of life. Today, a third of the island's population lives to be more than 90 years old. We venture to the local kafeneios, wild beaches, and abundant allotments to meet the bronzed seniors.
Monocle

James Bond: ‘No Time to Die’: Monocle speaks to director Cary Joji Fukunaga and producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson about the much-anticipated new James Bond film, ‘No Time to Die’. They discuss the long-awaited movie, how Daniel Craig has shaped the character of 007, and making Bond for 2021.
Monocle

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Demystifying the global politics, power, and policies shaping commerce

China ITK | Oct. 8

CIA launches new China-focused unit: The mission center is intended to “address the global challenge posed by the People’s Republic of China that cuts across all of the Agency’s mission areas,” the CIA said.
Politico

US troops have been deployed in Taiwan for at least a year: Small presence of Americans secretly training local forces marks concern over China’s years-long military buildup and recent moves.
WSJ

+ Taiwan’s defense minister has warned that China will be fully capable of invading the island by 2025, in the government’s first clear message to the public that the country faces a threat of war.

+ "See whether the PLA will launch a targeted airstrike to eliminate those US invaders!" the chief of the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda outlet threatened on Thursday.

US submarine hits underwater object in South China Sea: A US nuclear-powered submarine struck an object underwater in the South China Sea on Saturday, according to two defense officials. A number of sailors on board the USS Connecticut were injured in the accident, the officials said. None of the injuries were life-threatening, according to a statement from US Pacific Fleet. It's unclear what the Seawolf-class submarine may have hit while it was submerged.
CNN

+ Statement regarding #USSConnecticut (SSN 22): The US Navy Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine struck an object while submerged on Oct. 2, while operating in international waters in the Indo-Pacific region. There are no life-threatening injuries.

Americans sense China eclipsing US economically and say protecting US jobs should be priority, poll finds: As competition between the United States and China intensifies, more Americans now say the Asian country is more powerful economically, a reversal from two years ago when a plurality said the United States had an economic advantage, according to a survey released Thursday by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
WP

Biden and Xi agree to hold a virtual summit: The agreement is a recognition of the dangers of going a year into a presidential term without a formal meeting between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies.
NYT

IMF board weighs top official's fate in wake of China scandal: Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has been linked to a scandal involving China and an annual report that ranked countries as investment destinations.
Politico

What blockbuster? China spurns Hollywood's advances: Regulators freeze out US blockbusters as Chinese audiences become harder to woo.
Nikkei

+ In 2020, China's box office surpassed America's as the largest in the world, partially thanks to its earlier reopening from the pandemic. Ticket sales totaled $3.1 billion, compared to $2.1 billion in the US, according to Maoyan Entertainment, a Chinese ticket service, and film data platform.

Battery technology gives China an opening in electric vehicles: Backed by Warren Buffet, BYD is pushing into overseas markets. It hopes its cheap and powerful batteries will help it sell cars.
FT

+ 145 million electric vehicles are predicted to be on the roads within a decade, up from 11 million last year.

US loosens China grip on $46 billion lithium-battery industry: Bloomberg reports the US is narrowing the gap on China’s dominance of the $46 billion lithium-ion battery industry thanks to investments from Tesla and the Biden administration’s policy push to drive the growth of electric vehicles.

+ The US rose to the second spot in BloombergNEF’s global lithium-ion battery supply chain ranking for both this year and a 2026 projection.

Supply chain risks: Should businesses move out of China? As concerns rise globally over the use of forced labor in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, businesses with supply chains that extend into China face heightened reputational and compliance risks. Having passed the Senate by a voice vote on 14 July 2021, the “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act,” has raised business concerns as operations brace for its passage in the House.
Caracal

"According to RANE expert Marc Ross, Founder at Caracal, the new legislation is broadly stated and presents a 'one-size-fits-all' approach that isn’t aligned with how the market works. Different sectors and different business models require a more sophisticated set of solutions."

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Demystifying China’s politics and power