Xi in San Francisco; Fentanyl and Flying Tigers; Scrutiny of Xi's CEO dinner; Taiwan; Criticism of EU values
Xi in San Francisco; Fentanyl and Flying Tigers; Scrutiny of Xi's CEO dinner; Taiwan; Criticism of EU values
Summary of today’s Essential Eight:
Xi in San Francisco - Xi has arrived in San Francisco. Much of the focus of his visit, in the US and China, is of course on tomorrow’s meeting with Biden, but he will also give a speech to the APEC attendees and have other bilateral meetings. Will Xi temper his usual oblique criticisms of the US (bloc mentality, breaking supply chains, protectionism and unilateralism etc.) and advocacy of reshaping the global order as leader of the Global South, out of respect for his host?
Wednesday Xi-Biden morning - Bloomberg scooped that there will be a deal on Fentanyl in which China would try harder to stop the exports of fentanyl and precursor chemicals and the US would end sanctions on the Ministry of Public Security’’s forensic institute. It certainly will be interesting to learn how much and how quickly the PRC can reduce the flow of fentanyl and precursors if they choose to do so. There are also reports that there will be a restoration of military-to-milit…