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1. US Treasury chief sees ‘big breakthrough’ ahead in China trade talks
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday he expects coming talks with China to yield a “big breakthrough” in trade relations, adding that aid for soybean farmers could be announced as soon as Tuesday.
2. New mock Taiwan government buildings spotted at mainland Chinese military base
Beijing has built more structures resembling Taiwan’s key government buildings at its military base in Inner Mongolia, according to satellite images obtained by a Japanese think tank, a move that suggests more systematic training for a potential conflict across the strait.
3. The data access challenge in China of trying to counter the US’ Xinjiang claims
As Washington and its allies continue to slap sanctions related to Xinjiang on Chinese companies, citing allegations of human rights violations, a group of scholars is trying to challenge some of those claims, digging into their years of field research and networks of contacts in the far western autonomous region.