Xi to visit Russia this year?; More on possible Huawei measures; State capitalism; 狂飙 “The Knockout”
Things are still relatively slow as people start getting back to normal after the Spring Festival Holiday. Xi and the rest of the Standing Committee have not yet reappeared publicly. Today’s newsletter is thin, both due to the overall slowness and because I appear to be having a Paxlovid Covid rebound. Thanks for your patience.
Summary of the Essential Eight:
Covid - More messaging that the worst has passed and life is getting back to normal.
Xi going to Russia this year? - The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that “Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia will be the key event in relations between Moscow and Beijing in 2023”, without giving a date. Wang Yi may also be visiting Russia in February, though the PRC side has also not confirmed that.
Qin Gang’s call sheet - The new foreign minister held calls with his counterparts in the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and Argentina. His comments in the official in the official readout of the Dutch call about “stability of the international industry …