Sun Chunlan guides Beijing outbreak work; More economic support; “领袖 Leader“; Biden and strategic ambiguity over Taiwan

Today’s Essential Eight:

1. Sun Chunlan guides Beijing anti-epidemic work - Shanghai is still on track for its slow reopening but Beijing is looking like a much harsher lockdown is increasingly possible. Today Vice Premier Sun Chunlan made an appearance to “guide” epidemic prevention work, and generally wherever she appears much harsher measures follow.

2. Did Biden just end “strategic ambiguity” over Taiwan? - He once again said the US would come to Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack from the mainland, and then the White House tried to clean it up. It is hard to imagine anyone in the PRC leadership thinks the US would not come to Taiwan’s aid, no matter what Biden says.

3. More from Biden’s Asia trip - The new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) sounds more like IPUFF at this point, though perhaps something substantively interesting will emerge eventually.

4. State Council signals increasing stress over economy with new measures - 33 new support measures, inc…