Council on Foreign Relations Daily News Brief November 14, 2023 -Biden - Widodo , APEC Summit, Gaza Hospitals, and more ....

 

Council on Foreign Relations Daily News Brief November 14, 2023

Top of the Agenda U.S. Officials Talk Critical Minerals, Fentanyl With Asian Nations Visiting for Summit U.S. President Joe Biden and Indonesian President Joko Widodo upgraded their bilateral relationship (Nikkei) to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” during talks in Washington yesterday, the White House said. The two leaders discussed preliminary plans for the United States to access Indonesia’s critical minerals sector and ongoing U.S. contributions to its energy transition targets. Widodo is in the United States for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, which will also see a meeting tomorrow between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The United States and China are expected to announce cooperation (FT) on combating fentanyl trafficking and increasing military communications.  As part of the deal being discussed, Beijing would crack down on companies exporting the precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl, the Financial Times reported. Biden and Xi are also expected to announce the reopening of military communications channels that were closed after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.

Analysis “The Biden administration suggests that [the White House meeting with Widodo] shows the importance Washington places on Indonesia, the most powerful state in Southeast Asia and one that often has been ignored by past administrations,” CFR expert Joshua Kurlantzick writes for the Asia Unbound blog. “I would measure success [at the APEC forum] by the restoration of dialogue and conversation mechanisms. And if there are conversations about possible resume of military-to-military dialogue, that would be a major breakthrough,” CFR expert Zongyuan Zoe Liu said on this CFR briefing call.

Middle East and North Africa Biden Says Gaza Hospitals ‘Must Be Protected’  President Biden said yesterday that hospitals in the Gaza Strip “must be protected” (Reuters) as Israeli troops encircled Al-Shifa hospital, under which they believe Palestinian militant group Hamas has a command center. A spokesperson from the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry said yesterday that thirty-two patients had died in the last three days. Israel’s government said it was offering portable incubators (Reuters) to move babies out of the hospital.   This CFR media briefing discusses international law and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel/Palestinian territories: A Hamas spokesperson said in an audio recording posted to their Telegram channel yesterday that it was ready to release (Reuters) up to seventy women and children in exchange for a five-day truce with Israel. An unnamed Israeli official told the Washington Post that the “general outline of the deal is understood” and that it would free most Israeli women and children kidnapped during Hamas’s October 7 attack.

Pacific Rim China, Pakistan Hold Joint Naval Drills in Arabian Sea The two countries are conducting (VOA, Reuters) their first joint maritime patrol, China’s defense ministry said yesterday. The weeklong drills began on Saturday. A Chinese naval base commander said the drills aim to boost defense cooperation with Pakistan.

South and Central Asia Nepal Bans TikTok, Citing Cost to ‘Social Harmony’ Nepal’s government said yesterday that the social media platform had refused to curb hateful content (NYT). The Chinese-owned app has also been banned in India and is subject to increased restrictions in the United States, Canada, and Europe over national security concerns. Nepal’s reasoning focused on content that was stoking religious hate, violence, and sexual abuse, officials said.   Pakistan/Afghanistan: Pakistan opened three new border crossings (AP) to accelerate the deportation of undocumented Afghan migrants, Pakistani officials said yesterday. Nearly three hundred thousand Afghans have left Pakistan in recent weeks following a government deadline.

Sub-Saharan Africa Liberians Vote in Runoff Election President George Weah is in a close contest (AP) to secure a second term against his opponent Joseph Boakai as Liberians head to the polls today. The runoff is a repeat of 2017, and is expected to be slow in announcing results; electoral officials took weeks to announce the outcome of the first round vote on October 10.   In this article, CFR expert Michelle Gavin explains how Liberia’s history casts a long shadow over its democracy.  Zambia/China: China said that Zambia’s other creditors should bear a “fair burden” (Reuters) in the country’s ongoing debt restructuring talks. China, France, and the International Monetary Fund have expressed reservations in recent days about a potential restructuring deal that the United Kingdom-based watchdog group Debt Justice calculated would give more money back to foreign bondholders than official creditors.

Europe Poland Votes in New Legislative Speaker Promising Break With Law and Justice Party Former television host Szymon Hołownia was elected speaker (Politico) almost a month after an election that defeated the country’s ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS). He pledged an end to PiS practices of closing the legislature to journalists and blocking votes on bills that the government dislikes.   In this In Brief, CFR expert Matthias Matthijs explores how Poland’s election could reshape European politics.  Ukraine: Ukraine’s military said it killed three Russian officers (NYT) in a bomb attack in the Russia-occupied city of Melitopol on Saturday. Russia’s defense ministry did not immediately comment on the attack, which comes as Ukraine tries to increase pressure on high-profile Russian assets amid a stalled counteroffensive.

Americas Thousands March After Death of Mexico’s First Nonbinary Political Figure The first openly nonbinary person to assume judicial office in Mexico was found dead yesterday (AP) after receiving death threats due to their gender identity, officials said. Jesús Ociel Baena was one of the most visible LGBTQ+ figures in Mexico and was among the first to be issued a nonbinary passport. Thousands of people marched in the country’s capital last night demanding justice for Baena. Brazil: The country announced its first-ever environmental and social governance (ESG) bond sale for $2 billion, which will fund activities (Bloomberg) related to environmental sustainability and social development, Brazil’s treasury said.

United States New Government Report Surveys Climate Effects, Equity, Progress The United States is on average experiencing a billion-dollar disaster (Bloomberg) every three weeks, up from every four months in 1980, according to the Fifth National Climate Assessment released today. The report details how climate change is disproportionately impacting historically marginalized groups such as Black and Indigenous communities, and it spotlights mitigation and adaptation work underway across the country.

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