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Focus This Week

A New Era of Partnership?

2023-08-18
A community space to engage opinion leaders in a fair, balanced and nuanced discussion on the U.S.-China relationship and beyond.
A community space to engage opinion leaders in a fair, balanced and nuanced discussion on the U.S.-China relationship and beyond.

August 18, 2023 - Focus This Week - China-US Focus

August 18, 2023   Read Online

Focus This Week

A community space to discuss the China-U.S. relationship and beyond.

Hi Focus Readers,

Today, Camp David became a focal point once again as President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea met for a historic trilateral summit.

Appearing jointly at a press conference following their meeting, Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, touted a "new era of partnership" that includes expanded security and economic cooperation, annual military exercises, and other mechanisms to deepen their alliance.

The three leaders took special care to frame their meeting, saying it was "not about China." However, it is widely seen as a move to counter China's growing influence in the region, with a number of potential flashpoint issues such as Taiwan, the South China Sea, and a nuclearized North Korea.

Also this week, there are indications of further potential diplomatic engagement between China and the U.S., following a series of high-level dialogues over the summer. China has stated that it would welcome a visit by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, even in the wake of foreign investment controls imposed by her agency that have stung a number of Chinese companies. No specific date has been set, but there have been speculations that the trip could come later this month.

In the meantime, we encourage you to catch up on our latest Focus content, including topics covering China-Australia relations, Beijing and Washington's relationships with developing nations, China's economy, and more.

Have a good weekend!

Team Focus

Focus Insights

Christopher A. McNally, a professor at Chaminade University, examines the future possibilities for China's economy. He believes that as its old model of development faces challenges, it will require a shift to consumption-driven growth despite challenges in the private sector.
Read More
Zhou Xiaoming, a former deputy representative of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Office in Geneva, takes a look at Beijing and Washington's contrasting relationships with developing countries.
Read More
In this interview, Sharon Lewin, Director of the Doherty Institute and new appointee to the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, discusses the importance of scientific collaboration and the tangible value of trusted, established partnerships, particularly between Australia and China.
Read More

Quote of the Week

"But if a physicist as unique and hard-to-fathom as Oppenheimer can be usefully compared to another person, the equally unique and hard-to-fathom Qian Xuesen of China immediately comes to mind."
Philip Cunningham
Independent Scholar

Notable Number

136B

The total amount in USD of Sino-Indian trade in 2022, an unprecedented peak. Read more from Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa "Could India Rise amid China's Dependence and Hegemony?"

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Question of the Week:

In our Focus Insights section, we shared an article by Zhou Xiaoming on the contrasting relationships and engagement Beijing and Washington have with developing countries.


We want to hear from you:


Do you think that the developing countries, particularly those in the South Pacific, can effectively navigate their relationships with both the U.S. and China without compromising their own interests? How can these countries leverage their partnerships for their own economic and social development?


Submit your thoughts to useditor@chinausfocus.com for a chance to be featured in next week's Focus This Week.

Interested in submitting an op-ed to China-US Focus? Contact useditor@chinausfocus.com for more info.

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