Image Daily News Brief May 16, 2024 Russia’s Putin, China’s Xi Pledge to Deepen Ties at Two-Day Meeting in Beijing

 

Daily News Brief May 16, 2024

Top of the Agenda Russia’s Putin, China’s Xi Pledge to Deepen Ties at Two-Day Meeting in Beijing Chinese President Xi Jinping called for (Reuters) both countries to “cherish and nurture” their “hard-earned” partnership during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing that began today. The two leaders signed a pledge (FT) to deepen strategic relations and are discussing the war in Ukraine, bilateral military and economic ties, and nuclear and energy cooperation. Russia has become increasingly economically dependent on China during the war, while Washington has pressed Beijing to avoid supplying Moscow’s defense sector through sanctions and diplomatic appeals.    This is Putin’s first overseas visit in his new term and comes as Russia carries out an offensive in northeastern Ukraine. Several top Russian economic officials traveled with Putin, though the head of Russia’s state gas firm Gazprom did not participate. Russia aims to replace some of its gas exports to Europe through a new pipeline to China, though talks have been delayed amid disagreements between Moscow and Beijing.

Analysis “The hard realities of China’s growing military prowess and its economic support for Russia during the latter’s war against Ukraine make clear that Washington and its allies must think anew about the security structures necessary to manage a world in which Beijing and its like-minded partners operate as soft, and potentially hard, military allies,” the Hoover Institution’s Elizabeth Economy writes in Foreign Affairs.    “Never since the fall of the Soviet Union has Russia been so distant from Europe, and never in its entire history has it been so entwined with China. The truth is that after two years of war in Ukraine and painful Western sanctions, it’s not just Mr. Putin who needs China—Russia does, too,” Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center’s Alexander Gabuev writes for the New York Times. In this Backgrounder, Lindsay Maizland and CFR’s Clara Fong explore the China-Russia relationship.

Europe Slovakian PM In Serious But Stable Condition After Assassination Attempt, Suspect Charged Prime Minister Robert Fico underwent (WaPo) a five-hour operation yesterday after he was shot five times at close range. Police detained a suspect at the scene of the shooting who has been charged with murder. The country’s interior minister said the shooter was “a lone wolf who had radicalized himself in the latest period after the presidential election.”  Netherlands: Four right-wing parties announced they reached a preliminary deal (AP) today to form a governing coalition after some six months of negotiations. Under its principles, the country would introduce strict measures against asylum seekers, end family reunification for refugees, and increase deportations of undocumented residents.

Pacific Rim Nikkei: Beijing Asks Top Automakers to Increase Procurement of Locally Made Chips China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology requested that some leading car manufacturers increase local sourcing of semiconductors to 20 or 25 percent by 2025, unnamed sources told Nikkei. These levels are not yet mandatory but would reportedly yield financial incentives; they come as part of broader efforts to emphasize domestic-made electric vehicles.

South and Central Asia India Begins Granting Citizenship Under Controversial Law Regarding Religious Persecution The Indian government granted citizenship (TNN) yesterday to dozens of people under a law designed to facilitate the naturalization process for members of religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan who fled religious persecution. Muslims are not eligible (Reuters) for citizenship under the law, which sparked protests when introduced in 2019. The Indian government says the law is not discriminatory as Muslims can apply for citizenship status under preexisting laws. Azerbaijan/Russia: Russia closed (Reuters) a military base in Azerbaijan yesterday that had previously housed nearly two thousand peacekeeping forces. The Russian withdrawal follows Azerbaijan’s recapture of an Armenian enclave in the country last year.

Middle East and North Africa U.S. Anchors Aid Pier on Gaza Coast Humanitarian supplies are due to move (NYT) into the Gaza Strip via the temporary pier “in the coming days,” U.S. Central Command said today. The U.S. Department of Defense has said it aims for the operation to eventually supply 150 trucks with assistance per day.   Israel/Lebanon: Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it fired (Bloomberg) more than sixty rockets at Israeli military targets today. It is the second day of retaliation after Israel killed a Hezbollah commander on Tuesday night. Israel’s military said it intercepted several missiles launched from Lebanon and reported no casualties.  This Backgrounder by CFR’s Kali Robinson unpacks Hezbollah’s role in the region.

Sub-Saharan Africa Swiss Court Sentences Former Gambian Interior Minister for Crimes Against Humanity A federal court in Switzerland tried (BBC) the case against Ousman Sonko under the international legal principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows for grave crimes to be tried anywhere. Sonko is the highest-ranking government official to be tried under this jurisdiction in Europe. He was sentenced to twenty years in prison for intentional homicide, torture, and false imprisonment. A lawyer for Sonko said he planned to appeal (AP). U.S./Sudan: Washington announced sanctions (AFP) yesterday on two commanders in the Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces. A U.S. State Department spokesperson warned the group against offensive actions in the Darfur city of El Fasher, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are sheltering.

Americas Washington Removes Cuba From List of Countries Uncooperative On Counterterrorism Efforts Cuba was added (AP) to a list of countries not fully cooperating with counterterrorism efforts in 2022, but Washington and Havana resumed law enforcement cooperation in 2023, the U.S. State Department said. Cuba remains on a separate list (CNN) of state sponsors of terrorism.     This Backgrounder looks at U.S.-Cuba ties. Colombia: Luis Gilberto Murillo was officially appointed (Bloomberg) Colombia’s foreign minister after serving in an interim capacity since January. His predecessor, Álvaro Leyva, was suspended in a probe into suspected irregularities in a passport procurement process. Murillo was formerly Colombia’s ambassador to the United States.

United States CDC: Annual Drug Overdose Deaths Fell in 2023, First Decrease Since 2018 Annual overdose deaths saw an annual decline (WSJ) of 3 percent last year to 107,500, preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed. Fewer deaths were traced to opioids including fentanyl, the CDC said. Trends varied among states, however, with many western states experiencing rising death tolls while the number of deaths declined in many eastern states. In a series of charts, CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo and Diana Roy show how fentanyl has become a huge foreign policy problem.

Council on Foreign Relations 58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 1777 F Street, NW — Washington, DC 20006