STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT. The US should abandon the idea of “American primacy” if it hopes to counter China’s sway in the “multi-actor” Southeast Asia region, the Asia Society has urged in a new report.
Observing that the region is now “genuinely multipolar, and China may, in fact, be the region’s primary power”, the report, titled Prioritizing Southeast Asia in American China Strategy and released concluded that “America is only one of many regional actors”.
The US House of Representatives Oversight Committee said it is opening an investigation into China’s suspected involvement in recent breaches of Commerce and State department email systems.
Congressman James Comer, who chairs the committee, and the heads of two subcommittees asked Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Secretary of State Antony Blinken for staff briefings by August 9.
“We are also concerned that this attack on federal agencies, including the email account of a senior US government official such as yourself, reflects a new level of skill and sophistication from China’s hackers,” the lawmakers wrote Raimondo.
The United States has formally invited China’s newly reappointed foreign minister, Wang Yi, to Washington, the U.S. Department of State said after Wang’s predecessor was abruptly removed from his post by Beijing.
The invitation to Wang was extended on Monday during a meeting at the Department of State between U.S. Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry Director General of North America and Oceania Affairs Yang Tao, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a press briefing. Miller did not say if the Chinese side had accepted the invitation but added that this was Washington’s expectation.
According to a report released by the China Policy Task Force on the Asia Society, a non-profit organization headquartered in New York, the United States must change its policies and approach toward Southeast Asia. Rather than viewing Southeast Asia as a tool for competing with China, Washington should value the region for its potential.
Washington should also listen to Southeast Asia’s concerns about U.S. policy toward Palestine. The United States must also abandon some policies that are deemed hypocritical. “Southeast Asia is very important, although it is sadly underappreciated when it comes to United States’ interests and competition with China,” according to the report.
Two US Navy sailors have been charged with passing classified military intelligence to China, including details on wartime exercises, naval operations and critical technical material. The two men pleaded not guilty at courts in San Diego and Los Angeles and were remanded in custody until their detention hearings next week.
The US non-farm payroll rose by 187,000 in July, data just released shows, below forecasts of an increase of 200,000. June’s NFP has been revised down too, from +209,000 to +185,000, while May’s has been cut by 25,000, from +306,000 to +281,000, meaning fewer jobs were created in the spring than we thought.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has also reported that the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, down from 3.6% in June.
