Simon Lester
U.S. Debate over Outbound Investment Screening Heats Up
The discussion of U.S. legislative or executive action on outbound investment screening, with a focus on American investments in China, is heating up.
Congressional Republicans Raise Follow-up Concerns about Chinese Company's Land Purchase
In a letter sent to several Biden administration officials, Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) led a group of 51 Republicans in raising concerns over "the recent acquisition of farmland near a U.S. military installation by a Chinese-based manufacturer with close links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
Report Alleges that Amazon Sells Dahua/Hikvision Products, Runs Cloud Services for Surveillance Systems; Possible Violation of U.S. Law
A new report by IVPM and National Review alleges that Amazon is engaging in two practices that "raise legal, national security, and ethical concerns" related to U.S.-China economic relations, and suggests there may be violations of a U.S. statute as a result.
U.S. Senator Presses Biden Administration on Funding for Chinese-Linked Lithium Company
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) is pressing the Biden Administration on a possible Energy Department loan to support a U.S. lithium mine investment by a company with ties to Chinese lithium company Ganfeng.
Procurement Bans on Goods, Services from Chinese-Government Linked Companies May Start Proliferating in U.S. States
U.S. state level laws that prohibit purchases from companies owned or operated by the Chinese government may start proliferating, as several states have moved forward with their laws and a national conservative organization is pushing them. An example from earlier this year is legislation enacted in the state of
Canadian Prime Minister Discusses Canada-China Relations
Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered some brief comments on Canada-China relations, in which he called China "a real challenging actor in the [Pacific] region," and as a new Canadian Ambassador to China was appointed.
China and Ecuador Restructure Debt, Continue Trade Talks
Last week, China and Ecuador announced an agreement to restructure Ecuador's $4.4 billion in outstanding debt, and also advanced trade talks and said they hoped to reach a trade deal by December.