The China Agenda for October 22–29: Newsom to China and NPC legislative meeting

The key events this week are the California governor’s trip to China and the National People’s Congress legislative meeting.

October 23 is also Double Ninth Day (chóngyáng jié 重阳节). Falling on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, it is celebrated as a national holiday in Hong Kong and Macau, but is also observed throughout East Asia.

Upcoming diplomatic visits and international political events

California governor Gavin Newsom traveled to China on October 22. He is leading a delegation that will stop in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu Province.

• Governor Newsom’s trip is focused on climate action and partnership. He will meet with national, subnational, and business partners.
• The trip comes ahead of the Leaders’ Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, held in San Francisco November 11–17.

Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese is visiting the United States October 23–26. On the trip, he will seek progress on the AUKUS defense technology partnership and critical mineral supply chains.

• The agenda includes a state dinner at the White House on October 25.
• Following this trip, Albanese will later travel to China on November 4.
• Meanwhile, United States Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Jennifer R. Littlejohn is in Australia. In a trip spanning October 21-31, she will also visit New Caledonia and Fiji, and lead the U.S. delegation to the Pacific Community (SPC) conference.
• Beijing is reviewing its tariffs on Australian wine ahead of Albanese’s trip.

Lithuanian parliament speaker Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen landed in Taiwan on October 22 for a visit that will last until October 25.

• The visit is the first by a speaker of the Lithuanian parliament.
• Čmilytė-Nielsen is scheduled to address Taiwan’s Legislature, which will confer an honorary medal on her, and she will hold a press conference in Taipei.
• The delegation also includes foreign policy advisor Rolandas Kačinskas, Vice Minister of Finance Vaida Markevičienė, and finance official Vilma Mačerauskienė, as well as other Lithuanian business representatives.

The 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum will be held in Beijing on October 29–31. According to the Global Times, this international security dialogue “serves as a platform for the rising China to raise its voice, allowing the outside world to understand its global strategic direction and its strategic mentality.”

China’s foreign minister Wáng Yì 王毅 will deliver a speech at the opening ceremony of the International Symposium to Commemorate the 10th Anniversary of China’s Principle of Amity, Sincerity, Mutual Benefit, and Inclusiveness in Neighborhood Diplomacy on October 24.

• According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the event, which is being held in Beijing, will be attended (virtually and in person) by political figures from neighboring countries, heads of international and regional organizations, diplomatic envoys of neighboring countries to China, and renowned experts and scholars.

China’s premier Lǐ Qiáng 李强 will travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States on October 24–27 and pay an official visit to the Kyrgyz Republic.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) ministers’ meeting will take place on October 23–24, in preparation for the 13th Ministerial Conference, which will take place next February in Abu Dhabi.

The G7 Trade Ministers’ Meeting will take place in Osaka, October 28–29. Beyond the key member, other invited countries and international organizations include Australia, Chile, India, Indonesia, Kenya, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).

The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council will meet on October 23, in Luxembourg, chaired by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.

The 5th ASEAN-China Media Week is being held October 21–27. The annual event seeks to promote the exchange and cooperation of broadcasting and audio-visual communications between China and ASEAN, and to strengthen policy dialogue and deepen cooperation.

One relevant United Nations event is happening this week:

• On October 24–27, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs will hold the 45th session’s Meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Asia and the Pacific in Bali.

Political events in China

The 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) will hold its 6th legislative meeting on October 20–24. There is a possibility that the appointment of new defense minister will be announced, after the incumbent Lǐ Shàngfú 李尚福 disappeared in late August. “General Liú Zhènlì 刘振立, the head of the military body responsible for China’s combat operations and planning, has emerged as the top contender to replace Li,” according to Reuters.

There are nine bills that could be discussed. These include:

• A draft Patriotic Education Law, which is likely to pass,
• A draft revision to the State Council Organic Law,
• A draft revision to the Law on Guarding State Secrets.

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.

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

This week, several relevant sessions are being held in Congress:

• On October 24 at 10 a.m. ET, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy will hold a hearing titled “The Tangled Web of Global Governance: How the Biden Administration is Ceding Authority Over American Financial Regulation.”
• On October 24 at 2 p.m. ET, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on U.S. support for Israel after Hamas’ Barbaric Attack.
• On October 24 at 3 p.m. ET, the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control will hold hearings to examine the precursor pipeline, focusing on techniques that drug cartels use to procure and finance precursor chemicals that are used to manufacture illicit synthetic drugs, and actions the Federal government can take to address this issue.
• On October 25 at 2 p.m. ET, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability will hold a hearing titled “The Global Engagement Center: Helping or Hurting U.S. Foreign Policy.”
• On October 25 at 2:30 p.m. ET, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces will hold a hearing on the Submarine Industrial Base and its Ability to Support the AUKUS Framework.
• On October 26 at 9 a.m. ET, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on understanding the Iranian Regime’s Access to Money Around the World and How They Use It to Support Terrorism.

Market events

Data releases:

• On October 26 at 9:30 p.m. ET, China will release its monthly data on its industrial profits. These refer to total profits of all state-owned industrial enterprises and non-state-owned industrial enterprises with the annual sales revenue above 5 million yuan.

IPOs:

• On October 27, J&T Express 極兔速遞環球 will list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The company is a global integrated logistics service operator, mostly serving Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Other events

Academic and think-tank events this week include:

Atlantic Council: A bold agenda for the 2024 NATO summit in Washington, October 23, 8 a.m. ET.

Atlantic Council: China’s standing in the Global South: Takeaways from the Belt and Road Forum, October 23, 9 a.m. ET.

Atlantic Council: The third-party problem: Countering sanctions circumvention, October 23, 9:30 a.m. ET.

Brookings: The war in Israel and Gaza, October 23, 10 a.m. ET.

CSIS: CISA’s Evolving .gov Mission: Report Rollout Event, October 23, 10 a.m. ET.

Wilson Center: Book Talk | Putin’s “Turn to the East” in the Xi Jinping Era, October 23, 2 p.m. ET.

Atlantic Council: Analyzing the Pentagon’s 2023 China Military Power Report, October 23, 3:30 p.m. ET.

Wilson Center: Dreams for a Decade: International Nuclear Abolitionism and the End of the Cold War, October 23, 4 p.m. ET.

Columbia WEAI: ‘The War over Chinese Talent in the U.S.” with David Zweig, October 23, 4:30 p.m. ET.

Brookings: Securing Our Future: A Framework for Critical Technology Assessment, October 24, 8 a.m. ET.

Brookings: Implementing the 2022 National Defense Strategy: A conversation with Mara Karlin, October 24, 2 p.m. ET.

Wilson Center: Book Talk | Far From the Rooftop of the World: Travels Among Tibetan Refugees on Four Continents, October 25, 1:30 p.m. ET.

CSIS: Book Event: Precarious Ties with Meg Rithmire, October 26, 11 a.m. ET.

Asia Society: Leadership in a Fragmenting World: A Conversation with Dr. Morris Chang of TSMC and Joe Tsai of Alibaba Group, October 26, 1:45 p.m. ET.

CSIS: Transatlantic Defense in an Era of Strategic Competition, October 27, 9 a.m. ET.

Cornell University: Uyghur Children in China’s Genocide: A Symposium, October 27, 1 p.m. ET.

Atlantic Council: A conversation with Deputy Assistant Secretary Dawson on Indo-Pacific strategy, October 27, 2:45 p.m. ET.