Daily News Brief

February 16, 2023

Top of the Agenda

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and French President Emmanuel Macron held a detailed discussion (SCMP) on the war in Ukraine yesterday as Wang began a tour of Europe with a stop in Paris. Wang said China maintains an “impartial” stance on the war and that it “is committed to promoting peace talks,” according to a Chinese government readout of the meeting.

Wang is next set to visit Germany, Italy, and Hungary, and tomorrow he will attend the Munich Security Conference. Unnamed sources told the Wall Street Journal he could meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken there. Earlier this month, Blinken canceled a trip to Beijing after U.S. intelligence authorities said they identified a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over the United States. Beijing denies that the balloon was used for surveillance. Separately, China’s commerce ministry today announced sanctions (Bloomberg) on U.S. companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin over their participation in arms sales to Taiwan.

Analysis

“Wang Yi’s visit [to Europe] will not be a reconciliation,” Natixis’s Alicia García-Herrero tells the Wall Street Journal. “Europe is not in the mood for love.”

“Europe may be less hawkish on China than its American partners, and thus will have an internal discussion about the right balance of its values and interests when it comes to Beijing. What Europe shouldn’t do is believe that China’s involvement can be a silver bullet that can stop the war in Ukraine and restrain Vladimir Putin,” the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Alexander Gabuev writes. 

This timeline traces U.S.-China relations.

Pacific Rim

Several hundred people protested (Le Monde, AFP) in the city of Wuhan yesterday following a reduction in the value of pensions. It was the second such protest in a week.

South and Central Asia

In a televised speech yesterday, the Taliban’s top diplomat categorically rejected (VOA) a Russian general’s claim that al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Khorasan have gathered thousands of fighters in Afghanistan and become “the biggest threat” to regional stability.  

Pakistan: More than 832,000 Pakistanis went overseas to work (Nikkei) in 2022, the third-largest amount in the country’s history and the most since 2016, official figures showed. The numbers reflect a brain drain amid Pakistan’s economic crisis and surge in extremist violence. 

For the Asia Unbound blog, Andrew Gordan discusses the role of U.S. aid in addressing Pakistan’s crisis.

Middle East and North Africa

A team of Israeli contractors told undercover journalists they had manipulated more than thirty elections (The Guardian) around the world through hacking and disinformation campaigns on social media. The team denied any wrongdoing.

Israel: The country passed a law revoking the citizenship (BBC) of Arab citizens who have terrorism convictions and receive financial aid from the Palestinian Authority. 

This Backgrounder looks at what to know about the Arab citizens of Israel.

Sub-Saharan Africa

President Muhammadu Buhari said old banknotes worth two hundred naira would be temporarily released back into circulation (Bloomberg) after banning them led to a cash shortage.

U.S./Nigeria: Two lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs called on (Reuters) U.S. President Joe Biden to revoke a nearly $1 billion arms sale to Nigeria following reports that the country’s military ran an illegal abortion program.

Europe

Some 962,000 Ukrainians fled to Germany (Reuters) last year, exceeding the total number of Afghans, Iraqis, and Syrians who arrived in the country between 2014 and 2016.

Ukraine: Officials said they identified six Russian balloons (NYT) floating over Kyiv yesterday, most of which have since been shot down. A military spokesperson said Russia uses such balloons for “reconnaissance or to confuse air defense systems.” 

Americas

An official statement declared the critics, who include several well-known writers and journalists, to be “traitors,” and a judge said their property would be confiscated (AP). Last week, lawmakers voted to strip the citizenship of over two hundred former detainees.

Panama: At least thirty-nine people were killed when a U.S.-bound bus carrying migrants from the Darién Gap, a stretch of jungle between Colombia and Panama, drove off a cliff (WaPo), officials said.

This photo essay shows the perilous journey across the Darién Gap.

United States

World Bank President David Malpass announced his resignation (FT) almost a year before his term was to end. The departure follows criticism of Malpass’s leadership on climate change; in September, he refused to say if he believed it is human-caused. 

Council on Foreign Relations

58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065

1777 F Street, NW — Washington, DC 20006

Shop the CFR Store

Forward This Email

Manage Your Email Preferences