CUSEF Blog

Beijing: China open to Raimondo’s visit

• Responding to the report that U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was planning a trip to China, a Chinese commerce ministry official said (Zh/En) yesterday that China is open to Raimondo's visit. “It is very important for the commerce departments of both sides to maintain dialogue and communication,” the official said.

U.S. intelligence community warns of China’s power expansion

• The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released its Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community yesterday. The report responds to Section 617 of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. The report identified China as the first threat to the U.S., followed by Russia, Iran, and North Korea, saying that China attempts to “alter the rules-based global order in every realm and across multiple regions.”

U.S. on Nord Stream explosion

• A senior U.S. official said the authorities are investigating the “possibility” that a pro-Ukrainian group had conducted the attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline last year. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the reports of the Western investigations on the causes of the explosion “a coordinated media blast.”