The U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of 40 155mm M109A6 Medium Self-Propelled Howitzer artillery systems to Taiwan in a deal valued at up to $750 million, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. This comes after arms sales last year that included drones and coastal missile defenses meant to upgrade the island’s capabilities and discourage… Read More U.S. approves potential sale of Howitzer artillery systems to Taiwan
China said on Friday that it has imposed counter-sanctions on U.S. individuals including former U.S. commerce secretary Wilbur Ross in response to U.S. sanctions on Chinese officials with Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong. The sanctions are the first imposed by China under its new anti-foreign sanction law, passed in June, and come days before… Read More China imposes counter-sanctions on former U.S. commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, others
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will visit China next week as part of a larger Asia trip, the State Department said on Wednesday, marking the highest-level visit by a U.S. official to China in months. Sherman, the State Department’s second-ranked official, will meet with officials including State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi,… Read More U.S. diplomat Wendy Sherman set to visit China on July 25, 26
President Joe Biden on Wednesday withdrew a series of Trump-era executive orders that sought to ban new downloads of WeChat and TikTok, and ordered a Commerce Department review of security concerns posed by those apps and others. The administration of former President Donald Trump had attempted to block new users from downloading the apps and… Read More U.S. President Joe Biden withdraws Trump-administration executive orders seeking ban of TikTok and WeChat, orders new review
The U.S Department of Defense will remove China’s Xiaomi Corp from a government blacklist, a court filing showed, marking a noteworthy reversal by the Biden administration of one of Donald Trump’s last jabs at Beijing before exiting office. The filing stated that the two parties would agree to resolve their ongoing litigation without further contest,… Read More U.S. removes Chinese tech company Xiaomi from blacklist
A Chinese businessman pleaded guilty on Wednesday to U.S. charges that he smuggled marine technology out of the United States for the benefit of a Chinese military university involved in developing underwater drones. Shuren Qin, a marine biologist and founder of a company that sells oceanographic instruments, pleaded guilty in Boston federal court to illegally… Read More Chinese man pleads guilty to smuggling U.S. marine tech to China
The Biden administration on Tuesday said it was easing travel restrictions on Chinese and other international students into the United States this fall, a change that could provide financial help to some colleges whose enrollments declined during the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. State Department said in a statement it is expanding its national interest exemptions… Read More U.S. to ease travel restrictions on international students from August 1
Cameras in Tesla cars are not activated outside of North America, the U.S. automaker said on its Chinese social media page on Wednesday, seeking to assuage security concerns in the world’s biggest car market. Tesla faces scrutiny in China where the military in March banned Tesla cars from entering its complexes, citing security concerns over… Read More Tesla says car cameras not activated outside North America
