The U.S. and China agreed to broaden talks
During her visit to Beijing, Gina Raimondo, the U.S. commerce secretary, said the U.S. and China had agreed to hold regular discussions about certain economic issues — the latest step toward reducing tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
Raimondo said yesterday that she had “open” and “pragmatic” discussions with China’s commerce minister, Wang Wentao, and that two separate dialogues would be established: One would include business representatives and focus on commercial issues. The other would exchange information on export controls. The first meeting of the export control group will take place in Beijing today.
Bilateral talks about trade, technology and other economic issues were once the norm between the U.S. and China, but those discussions have atrophied in recent years. China halted eight bilateral discussion groups a year ago in retaliation for a visit to Taiwan by Representative Nancy Pelosi, who was House speaker at the time.
But relations have begun to thaw as both nations, whose economies are tied to one another, work to improve ties.
Reaction: Some Republicans have criticized the idea of establishing a working group, calling it “inappropriate.” But Raimondo said that she had spoken to nearly 150 business leaders in preparation for her trip and that they had given her a common message: We need more channels of communication.
China’s property crisis: As a real estate meltdown ripples through the economy, small businesses and workers — including painters, cement makers and builders — are no longer getting paid and are owed hundreds of billions of dollars by Chinese developers.
Dozens of nations have reported that criminal gangs operating in Cambodia have lured tens of thousands of people into the country with the promise of high-paying jobs and free housing. Instead, they have been forced to work for online scam mills while under intense surveillance in nondescript compounds.
Cambodia announced a crackdown on the scam mills last year, but the illegal operations have continued to flourish, protected by powerful officials with close ties to the government.
Ukraine said it took back another village
Ukraine’s military said yesterday that its forces had retaken the small village of Robotyne, a sign that the troops waging Kyiv’s counteroffensive were pushing through Russia’s initial defenses on the southern front line.
While Robotyne is tiny, its recapture could help boost Ukrainian morale after two months of grinding fighting that has produced few gains. It is the first settlement Ukraine has claimed to retake since Urozhaine, also in the south, nearly two weeks ago.
Other war news:
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A child’s right to a healthy environment
Young people around the world are increasingly taking their governments to court for failing to reduce climate pollution, with mixed results.
But their efforts have now received an endorsement from an independent panel of experts that interprets United Nations human rights laws, the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The committee said yesterday that all countries have a legal obligation to protect children from environmental degradation — including by “regulating business enterprises” — and to allow their underage citizens to seek legal recourse.
The committee’s opinion is not legally binding, but it is significant because it is based on a widely recognized international treaty, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and explicitly recognizes children’s right to go to court to force their government to slow down the climate crisis.
That’s it for today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. Jonathan and Lyna
P.S. “The Daily” is about what India’s moon landing means for international competition in space.
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