Beijing Rejects US Missile Launch Notification Demand While Pushing Ahead in Space
China has refused to notify the United States of missile launches 24 hours in advance, and on August 19 the private company LandSpace successfully landed a rocket's first stage on land for the first time in the country's history, replicating a key element of SpaceX's technology. The rejection of transparency in the military-space sphere and the parallel technological breakthrough in the private space sector are two mutually reinforcing signals: Beijing does not want to explain its moves to Washington, but it is eager to show the world that it is catching up with the Americans on reusable rockets without playing by anyone else's rules.
Wang Yi Visits Korea for the First Time in Five Years as China Thaws Relations with Its Neighbors
On August 19-20, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is making his first official visit to South Korea in five years, then flying on to Indonesia, restoring channels that had been nearly frozen amid the trade and technology conflicts of recent years. To me, this is a clear pivot toward regional diplomacy: while Washington is preoccupied with domestic matters and Middle Eastern affairs, Beijing is methodically mending relations with key Asian economies, and this opens a window for those working at the intersection of the Korean, Indonesian, and Chinese markets.
Domestic Demand Is Rising, but Not Enough to Change Course
On August 17, China reported that retail sales grew 2.6 percent year-on-year, while authorities simultaneously continue tightening controls on the outflow of technology and specialists abroad. Here I see the continuation of an old contradiction: Beijing wants to heat up domestic consumption to reduce dependence on exports, but at the same time it is restricting the mobility of its own talent, and for business this means that access to Chinese specialists and technology will only narrow, even as the consumer market itself grows.
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