Joint Sword-2024A around Taiwan; Xi in Shandong; G7; Huawei

Summary of today’s top items:

1. Exercises around Taiwan - So far the most noteworthy aspect of the Joint Sword-2024A exercise may be the involvement of the Chinese Coast Guard and its operations inside “the so-called restricted waters of Wuqiu and Dongyin islands” which, according to the Global Times “demonstrated an upgrade in military-police cooperation, with a clear intent to deter ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionists”. A CCTV report interviewed “authoritative military expert Zhang Chi 张弛” to explain the significance of the exercise. I have included a translation of that report. His concluding point is that “this exercise introduced a new mode, representing another creative real-combat exploration by the PLA. Taiwan is an isolated island, suspended in the sea with weak self-sufficiency. Taiwan's economy is export-oriented, and most of its energy consumption relies on imports. Once besieged and blockaded, it can easily lead to economic collapse, turning it into a dead island. This e…