The China Agenda for November 6–12: APEC Summit and Anthony Blinken in the Indo-Pacific

The key events this week are the visit by Hé Lìfēng 何立峰 to San Francisco in the runup to the APEC Economic Leaders’ Summit, and Anthony Blinken’s visit to Tokyo, Seoul, and New Delhi.

Upcoming diplomatic visits and international political events

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will host Vice Premier Hé Lìfēng 何立峰 this week in San Francisco. This comes as President Joe Biden plans to meet with Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 at the APEC summit next week.

• Yellen visited China in July, as part of a diplomatic push from the Biden administration to stabilize ties with the P.R.C.
• Yellen wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that she intends to discuss “our serious concerns with Beijing’s unfair economic practices, including its large-scale use of non-market tools, its barriers to market access and its coercive actions against U.S. firms in China.”

The APEC Economic Leaders’ Summit kicks off this weekend, running November 11–17. This is the climax of the United States’ year as chair of APEC. The week of meetings will bring 21 APEC Economic Leaders, ministers, the private sector, and other stakeholders together to engage on global challenges. These 21 countries account for nearly 40 percent of the global population, nearly 50 percent of global trade.

• The focus of the first two days are the meetings of senior finance officials from APEC member countries.

The United States and China are expected to hold nuclear arms control talks this week. The purpose of the talks is to clarify China’s plans to the Biden administration, following a Pentagon report saying that the country was manufacturing nuclear weapons faster than expected.

The 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) will be held in Shanghai November 5–10. World leaders in attendance at the opening ceremony and related events include:

• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who will be in China November 4–7,
• Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz,
• Kazakh Prime Minister Älihan Ashanuly Smaiylov,
• Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić.

Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defense Micheál Martin will pay an official visit to China November 6–9.

Chinese Vice President Hán Zhèng 韩正 will travel to Singapore and Malaysia November 7–11. He will also attend the 6th Bloomberg New Economy Forum, which will be held November 8–10. The forum’s theme this year is “Embracing Instability,” highlighting issues such as persistent inflation, geopolitical tensions, the rise of artificial intelligence, and the precarious state of the world’s climate.

Chinese speakers will include:

• Bì jǐngquán 毕井泉, Executive Vice Chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE), Member of Standing Committee and Vice Chairman of the Economic Affairs, 14th CPPCC National Committee,
• Fred Hú Zǔliù 胡祖六, founder, chairman, and CEO of Primavera Capital,
• Kai-fu Lee (李开复 Lǐ Kāifù), chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures, and former president of Google China,
• Lǐ Zhěn 李缜, founder and chairman of Gotion High-Tech,
• Julian Ma (马喆人 Mǎ Zhérén), founder of Inceptio Technology 嬴彻科技, a Chinese autonomous driving company,
• Jane Sun (孙洁 Sūn Jié), CEO and board member of Trip.com Group,
• Jack Zhang, founder and CEO of Airwallex, a financial technology company,
• Lei Zhang, founder and CEO of Envision Group, a green technology company.

The 52nd Pacific Islands Forum will take place in Rarotonga, Cook Islands from November 6–10. China is one of many dialogue partners. In previous iterations of the forum, there have been tensions between representatives from Taiwan and China. But China might seek to capitalize this year, with the absence of leaders from both Australia and New Zealand.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority hosts the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit on November 7–8. Financial regulators from the P.R.C. have been invited to share their insights about China’s economy and policy thinking, including Gě Hǎijiāo 葛海蛟, Chairman and Party Secretary of the Bank of China, and Neil Shen (沈南鹏 Shěn Nánpéng), the founding and managing partner of Sequoia China.

The 11th Gay Games are taking place in Hong Kong November 3–11. This will be the first time the games have been held in Asia.

• However, in August, the government warned organizers that the games must be conducted in a “lawful, safe and orderly manner.” The government has also not provided any sponsorship for the games.
• Hong Kong is yet to legalize same-sex marriage, and does not have laws protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in the workplace.

Political events in China

The Party Central Committee is expected to hold a quinquennial plenary session to map out economic reforms for the years ahead this month.

• The Third Plenum, which could be held this month or in November, could herald some significant changes: earlier this year, Xi Jinping called for updating Party theory, and senior policy advisors have been discussing theoretical innovations to support the private sector.

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) is soliciting public comment on six bills through November 23. These include the second draft of the Law on Ensuring Food Security, the draft amendment to the Charity Law, and the draft revision to the Law on Guarding State Secrets, among others.

• You can find links to the Chinese drafts texts and unofficial translations on the NPC Observer website.

The Philadelphia Orchestra is on tour in China November 9–18. The orchestra is commemorating the 50th anniversary of its first-ever concert in China. Violinist Davyd Booth, who participated in the 1973 tour, will also join the trip.

The American Ballet Theatre is also on tour in China until November 12. This is the first time the company has performed in China in over a decade, and is being framed as marking the revival of cultural ties between the two countries.

China-related political events in the U.S. and around the world

This week, one relevant session is being held in Congress:

• On November 7 at 10 a.m. ET, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy is holding a hearing titled “The Tangled Web of Global Governance: How the Biden Administration is Ceding Authority Over American Financial Regulation.”

United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will visit India on November 10 to participate in the annual India-US 2+2 dialogue. Both sides are expected to share notes on their respective engagements with Beijing.

• Blinken will also lead a delegation to Tokyo to participate in the second G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of 2023, and meet with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko.
• Blinken then travels to Seoul to meet with President Yoon Suk Yeol, Foreign Minister Park Jin, and National Security Advisor Cho Tae-yong.

Market events

Data releases:

• On November 7, China will release its monthly data on its foreign exchange reserves.
• On November 8 at 9:30 p.m. ET, China publishes its monthly Producer Price Index, as well as inflation statistics.
• On November 10, China will release monthly data on new vehicle sales.
• On November 10, China will also release monthly data on loans and social financing, as well as data on the M2 money supply.

IPOs:

• On November 7, 麦加芯彩 MEGA P&C will list on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The company produces industrial coatings for metal infrastructure, such as bridges and wind turbines.
• On November 9, 喜相逢集團 XXF Go will list on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The company is an automobile rental service.
• On November 10, 華視集團 Huashi Group Holdings will list on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Huashi is a branding, advertising, and marketing service provider.
• On November 10, 廣州佛朗斯 Folangsi Co. will list on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Folangsi manufactures forklift trucks.

Earnings:

• ACM Research is holding its third quarter earnings call on November 7 at 8 a.m. ET.
• KE Holdings is holding its third quarter earnings call on November 8 at 7 a.m. ET.
• Zai Lab is holding its third quarter earnings call on November 8 at 8 a.m. ET.
• Li Auto is holding its third quarter earnings call on November 9 at 7 a.m. ET.
• Weibo Corp is holding its third quarter earnings call on November 9 at 6 a.m. ET.
• Microvast is holding its third quarter earnings call on November 9 at 5 p.m. ET.

Other events

Academic and think-tank events this week include:

Atlantic Council: Investigating China’s economic coercion: The reach and role of Chinese corporate entities, November 6, 9 a.m. ET.

SOAS: The New China Playbook, November 6, 12 p.m. ET.

CSIS: What’s Next for US-China Relations? The View from Congress, November 6, 1:15 p.m. ET.

Stanford CISAC: Assessing US-China Interaction at APEC | Brookings & CISAC, November 6, 3 p.m. ET.

CSIS: Project Atom Report Launch, November 7, 9 a.m. ET.

CSIS: China’s Demographic Challenges, November 8, 9 a.m. ET.

CSIS: Book Talk: Among the Braves: Hope, Struggle, and Exile in the Battle for Hong Kong and the Future of Global Democracy, November 9, 12:30 p.m. ET.

Wilson Center: Unpacking China’s Climate Action, November 9, 2:30 p.m. ET.

Columbia WEAI: The Global Cascade of Repression Against Transnational Activism, November 9, 4:30 p.m. ET.