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ICAS Bulletin (online ISSN 2836-3418, print ISSN 2836-340X) is published every other week throughout the year at 1919 M St NW, Suite 310, Washington, DC 20036.
The online version of ICAS Bulletin can be found at chinaus-icas.org/bulletins/.
– From December 13-16, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is travelling to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. In Jakarta, Blinken highlighted the importance that U.S. “diploma[tic], military, [and] intelligence partnerships” in Southeast Asia played in upholding a “rules-based order” in the Asia-Pacific region.
– From December 9-10, the Biden administration held its ‘Summit for Democracy,’ a forum intended to enhance multilateral cooperation on issues like combating corruption, defending human rights, and bolstering democratic processes.
– On December 7, Secretary Blinken, speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit, warned that “it would be a very serious mistake” if Beijing were to take unilateral steps to change the status quo in Taiwan.
– On December 4, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum and declared that “America is a Pacific power…working to advance an international system that is free and stable and open.”
– On December 2, the second session of the U.S.-EU China dialogue took place. Officials discussed a joint approach to China on issues of economics and technology, human rights, security and disinformation, and Taiwan.
– On December 11, the United States (joined by Canada and the U.K.) issued sanctions on dozens of individuals and entities tied to China, Myanmar, North Korea and Bangladesh, citing action “against those who abuse the power of the state to inflict suffering and repression.”
– On December 8, the United States imposed an arms embargo against Cambodia due to the growing influence of the Chinese military in the country.
– On December 8, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act was passed 428-1 in the House of Representatives. The act would ban all imports involved in supply chains going through Xinjiang province unless the U.S. government verifies that they were not made with forced labor.
– On December 6, the White House—later joined by the U.K., Canada, and Australia—announced that it would not be sending any U.S. officials to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in protest of China’s “human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang.”
– On December 5, the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2022 was delayed by a week over a number of controversial issues, including a proposal by Senator Mark Rubio (R., Fla.) to add language of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act to the NDAA.
– On December 12, the U.S., Australia, and Japan announced that they will jointly fund the construction of undersea internet cables to Nauru, Kiribati and Micronesia. Beijing, whose funding for this cable project was shunned in September after U.S. intervention, announced that it began work on domestic undersea internet cables in the South China Sea on December 8.
– On December 3, Chinese ride-sharing company Didi Global Inc. announced that it plans to de-list from the New York Stock Exchange in favor of a listing in Hong Kong. The move comes amid a cybersecurity probe of the company by Beijing and SEC demands that US-listed Chinese firms comply with audits.
– On December 2, the Security and Exchange Commission mandated that Chinese companies that list on American stock exchanges must disclose if they are publicly-owned and turn over evidence of their auditing inspections.
– On December 2, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told the Reuters Next conference that lowering Trump-era tariffs on Chinese imports could ease some inflationary pressures, but that tariff exclusion is “not a game changer.”
– From December 4-5, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with several of his ASEAN counterparts, saying that Southeast Asian states should voice their “joint opposition” to external efforts to provoke a “new cold war.” The Foreign Ministry followed up Wang’s démarche with vociferous criticism of Biden’s ‘Summit for Democracy’ the following week, calling the summit hypocritical and subversive in light of the U.S.’ own democratic challenges and its invitation of Taiwan.
– On December 5, it was reported that American intelligence believes that Beijing has made overtures to Equatorial Guinea in an effort to establish a naval base at the port of Bata—which would be China’s first permanent military presence on the Atlantic Ocean.
– On December 3, the $5.9 billion Chinese-built railway connecting the Laotian capital of Vientiane to Kunming in China’s Yunnan province was inaugurated.
– On December 1, it was reported that earlier this year China demanded that Indonesia cease drilling for oil and natural gas in an area of the South China Sea—claimed by both states—north of the Natuna islands.
– On December 12, it was reported that the White House cut the video feed when a presentation by a Taiwanese minister at the Summit for Democracy showed a map labelling Taiwan in a different color than China, an apparent violation of Washington’s ‘One China Policy.’
– On December 6, Ely Ratner, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, testified at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that Beijing’s threats “unify” China are “real and dangerous”—a sentiment shared with Taipei—and that “bolstering Taiwan’s defenses is an urgent task.”
– On December 4, Defense Secretary Austin warned at the Reagan National Defense Forum that Beijing’s recent air incursions and naval exercises in the Taiwan Straits look “a lot like rehearsals,” but he did not elaborate on how the U.S. would respond to a military action by Beijing.
“Nicaragua breaks diplomatic relations with Taiwan, recognizes Chinese sovereignty,” The Hill, December 9
“China is rapidly becoming a ‘tremendous threat’ in the solar system, says US Space Force leader,” Business Insider, December 6 [Paywall]
“China easing rules for US business travellers, approvals in 10 days,” Reuters, December 3 [Paywall]
“Twitter and Facebook hit back at Chinese propaganda campaigns,” The New York Times, December 2 [Paywall]
“Beijing wanted to ‘break’ Australia -U.S. Indo-Pacific adviser,” Reuters, December 1 [Paywall]
December 1 hosted by Center for Strategic and International Studies
December 3 hosted by Brookings Institute
December 6 hosted by Sigur Center for Asian Studies
December 8 hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
December 15 hosted by Hudson Institute
December 16 hosted by Center for Strategic and International Studies
December 16 hosted by Quincy Institute
January 2022 hosted by Center for a New American Security
Thursday, December 9, 2021
9:00am – 1:00pm EST (GMT -5)
On Thursday, December 9, ICAS successfully held its 2021 Annual Conference bringing together more than a dozen esteemed panelists to discuss the prospects for U.S.-China relations under the Biden administration!
The hybrid event featured two discussion panels — (1) Strategic Rivalry, and (2) Trade, Technology, and Climate Engagement — and a keynote dialogue between:
A special thanks to our many expert panelists — whose information can be found at the link below — our live audience, and our co-sponsors.
A written summary and recordings of the Annual Conference are now available on our website for public viewing!
Additionally, you can read Deputy Chief of Mission & Minister Xu Xueyuan’s remarks made at the Conference on the website of the Chinese Embassy in the U.S.
On Thursday, December 2, 2021, Senior Fellow Sourabh Gupta discussed the inauguration of the China-Laos Railway on CGTN America’s China 24.
On Thursday, December 2, 2021, Senior Fellow Sourabh Gupta was interviewed by the Global Times regarding the Biden administration’s Summit for Democracy.
The Institute for China-America Studies is an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to strengthening the understanding of U.S.-China relations through expert analysis and practical policy solutions.
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