North Korea has disclosed a new facility for producing nuclear bomb fuel as Kim Jong Un called for an “exponential” expansion of the country’s nuclear forces. State media said Kim claimed weapons-grade nuclear material production has more than doubled in five years.
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Key takeaways: The balloon was spotted southwest of the northern port city of Keelung on Thursday night, and continued east before disappearing. The incident highlights…
President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet next Wednesday in the San Francisco Bay area for a summit of Pacific Rim nations. The two leaders will discuss a range of issues in the U.S.-People's Republic of China bilateral relationship, including trade, human rights, and the South China Sea. The summit will be closely watched as it will be the first meeting between the two leaders since President Biden took office and the first since increased tensions between the U.S. and China began.
The U.S. has been attempting to restore high-level communications with China, and extended an invitation for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to meet with PRC Minister of National Defense Li Shangfu on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. However, China has declined the invitation, signaling limits to their willingness to ease tensions. It remains to be seen if the two sides can come to an agreement and move forward with their relationship.
The US is planning to relax Covid-19 testing restrictions for travelers from China on Friday, following a surge in cases and lack of transparency from Chinese officials. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had previously announced a requirement for travelers to prove they had tested negative for the virus before flying to the US from China, Hong Kong, and Macau. This decision is part of an effort to protect US citizens from the spread of the virus, though it is unclear if the US will continue to require negative tests in the future.
Ren Zhiqiang, a renowned real estate tycoon in China, has been missing for 10 days. His company, China Renaissance Holdings, has now released a statement that its missing chairman and star dealmaker Bao Fan is currently cooperating with relevant Chinese authorities conducting an investigation. The company has also stated that its business and operations are continuing normally and that it will cooperate with any lawful requests from the relevant PRC authorities.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at an international security conference in Munich to discuss the U.S. shooting down of a Chinese surveillance balloon two weeks ago. Blinken made it clear that the U.S. will not tolerate any violations of its sovereignty, and Wang Yi offered no apology for the incident. The meeting was an important step in the U.S.-China relationship, and both countries will work together to ensure similar incidents do not occur in the future.
US intelligence officials have uncovered evidence of a Chinese military surveillance program, which includes a fleet of balloons and has conducted at least two dozen missions over five continents. Half a dozen of these flights have been within US airspace, and the US has requested a secure call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart to manage tensions and open dialogue. The US has expressed concern about the Chinese surveillance program and called for greater transparency from the Chinese government.