The China Agenda for September 18–24 — UNGA, Hou You-yi in the U.S.

The key events this week are the United Nations General Assembly in New York, and Taiwan presidential candidate Hou You-yi’s tour of the United States.

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Upcoming diplomatic visits and international political events

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is being held this week in New York City on September 18–23.

• Vice President Hán Zhèng 韩正 will attend the assembly itself as well as related high-level events, including the Sustainable Development Goals summit and the Climate Ambition summit. He will host a meeting on Global Development Initiative cooperation outcomes and meet with the UN Secretary-General.

Other UN events being held include:

• On September 20, the eighth high-level dialogue on financing for development.
• Also on September 20, a high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
• On September 21, a high-level meeting on universal health coverage.
• On September 22, the Conference of the States Signatories to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, Thirteenth Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (Article XIV).
• Also on September 22, the General Assembly high-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis.
• The UN Summit of the Future of Ministerial Meeting.

Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate, Hou You-yi 侯友宜, currently the New Taipei City mayor, arrived in New York on Thursday, and will remain in the United States until Friday, September 22.

• He will meet with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chair Laura Rosenberger and U.S. lawmakers to engage in dialogue and deepen their friendship. The AIT serves as the de facto embassy of the U.S. to Taiwan.
• His tour includes stops in Washington, D.C., New York City, Newark, and San Francisco.
• He will also meet with a number of think tanks, including the Council of Foreign Relations and the Brookings Institution, where he will deliver a speech.

Chinese premier Lǐ Qiáng 李强 is set to attend and deliver a speech at the opening ceremony of the 20th China–ASEAN Expo and China–ASEAN business and investment summit, in Nanning, Guanxi, September 17.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal plans to visit China, touring Hangzhou, Beijing, Chonqing, and Tibet, on September 22–October 8.

• PM Dahal will sign MOUs and agreements in an expansive range of sectors, from infrastructure projects to trade to cultural cooperation.
• However, there will not be any agreements on cross-border energy cooperation or BRI implementation.
• On September 25, he will meet with Lǐ Qiáng 李强 in Beijing.

Political events in China

The National People’s Congress (NPC) is now soliciting public comment on five draft law revisions through September 30. The drafts are the Company Law, the Value-Added Tax Law, the Preschool Education Law, the Academic Degrees Law, and the Public Security Administrative Punishments Law. You can find the Chinese drafts texts and unofficial translations on the NPC Observer website.

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

Several sessions are being held in Congress this week, which have a bearing on the U.S.-China relationship:

• On September 19 at 10 a.m. ET, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a hearing: “Chips on the Table: A one-year review of the Chips and Science Act.”
• On September 19 at 10 a.m. ET, the House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on “Evaluating CISA’s Federal Civilian Executive Branch Cybersecurity Programs.”
• On September 19 at 10 a.m. ET, the House Intelligence Permanent Subcommittee on Central Intelligence Agency will hold a closed investigation update hearing.
• On September 19 at 10:15 a.m. ET, the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education will hold a hearing on “Academic Freedom Under Attack: Loosening the CCP’s Grip on America’s Classrooms.”
• On September 19 at 10:35 a.m. ET, the House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on Defense Cooperation with Taiwan.
• On September 19 at 2 p.m. ET, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing on the Use and Regulation of Autonomous and Experimental Maritime Technologies.
• On September 19 at 2:30 p.m. ET, the Senate Intelligence Select Committee will hold hearings to examine advancing intelligence in the era of artificial intelligence, focusing on addressing the national security implications of AI.
• On September 19 at 2:30 p.m. ET, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight will hold hearings to examine advanced technology, focusing on threats to national security.
• On September 20 at 9 a.m. ET, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation will host an event on Industry Perspectives on Defense Innovation and Deterrence.
• On September 20 at 10:30 a.m. ET, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce will host an event on Mapping America’s Supply Chains: Solutions to Unleash Innovation, Boost Economic Resilience, and Beat China.
• On September 20 at 2 p.m. ET, the House Ways and Means Committee will host a hearing on Reforming the Generalized System of Preferences to Safeguard U.S. Supply Chains and Combat China.
• On September 20 at 3 p.m. ET, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet will host a hearing on IP and Strategic Competition with China: Part III – IP Theft, Cybersecurity, and AI.

Earnings reports, IPOs, and other business and market events

Data releases:

• On September 19 at 9:15 p.m. ET, China will release its one- and five-year loan prime rates.

IPOs

• Global Mofy Metaverse Ltd, a China-based tech company, is expected to IPO on the Nasdaq stock exchange on September 21. The company produces virtual content, digital marketing, and digital assets development for the metaverse industry. Its clients include affiliates of Alibaba and Tencent.
• On September 18, 富恒新材料 XCL will launch on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The company is a plastics manufacturer for a variety of consumer goods.

Earnings

• On September 18, SPYR Technologies is expected to report its quarterly earnings. SPYR manufactures Internet of Things products for consumer use and industrial applications. Its subsidiary GeoTraq Inc. produces ultra-small tracking devices.

Other events

Academic and think-tank events this week include:

Wilson Center: Cobalt and the EV supply chain, September 18, 10 a.m. ET.

Wilson Center: Understanding the Fentanyl and Opioid Crisis: US-Mexico solutions, September 18, 11 a.m. ET.

Harvard Law School China Law Association: Xinomics: What China’s dual circulation strategy means for global business, September 18, 12:30 p.m. ET.

Brookings: A conversation with DHS Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis Kenneth Wainstein on the current threat environment, September 19, 10 a.m. ET.

Atlantic Council: From holding the line to a robust international response to the atrocities against the Uyghurs, September 19, 3:30 p.m. ET.

CSIS: CPTPP and the future of trade in the Indo-Pacific, September 20, 2 p.m. ET.

Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies: China Economy Lecture Featuring Arthur Kroeber – Has China’s Economy Hit the Wall?, September 20, 4:30 p.m. ET.

Brookings: Strengthening U.S. semiconductor supply chain resilience, September 22, 10 a.m. ET.

Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies: The Chinese Surveillance Technology Industry and its Reception in African Countries, September 22, 12:20 p.m. ET.