Sharp China: A Trump-Xi Call and Meetings to Follow; TikTok Details Clear as Mud; Arc'teryx and a Tibetan Fireworks Controversy

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Show Notes:

On today’s show Andrew and Bill begin with last Friday’s call between Trump and Xi. Topics include: Plans for a meeting in South Korea and a Trump visit to Beijing early next year, whether summits on the horizon will lead to a period of stabilization, and why both sides may see the status quo as advantageous. From there: Parsing the latest reports concerning the TikTok sale, including unresolved questions surrounding the algorithm, sourced reporting that seems to change by the day, reactions in Washington that will shed light on next steps, and the CAC taking aim at short form video in the PRC. At the end: A note on the PRC and the Poland-Belarus border closure (which was re-opened after recording), and a look at the controversy swirling around Arc'teryx after an ill-advised fireworks display spawns outrage, investigations and boycotts.

Related Readings:

TikTok deal details still unclear; Xinjiang 70th anniversary; Fujian aircraft carrier flight tests; Arc’teryx makes a mess in Tibet -- Sinocism

Exclusive: China buys Argentine soybeans after tax drop, leaving US farmers sidelined -- Reuters

China prepares for long US soybean stand-off with huge Brazilian imports -- SCMP

Chairman Moolenaar Urges President Trump to Leverage Aviation Sector in Allied Response to China’s Rare Earth Export Restrictions -- Select Committee on the CCP

Chinese expert calls US lawmaker’s call for restricting Chinese airline landing rights over rare earths access ‘utterly absurd’ -- Global Times

Inside Trump’s deal to save TikTok -- Axios

TikTok’s algorithm to be licensed to US joint venture led by Oracle and Silver Lake -- AP

China’s ByteDance will get 1 of 7 board seats for TikTok’s US operations, official says -- Reuters

U.S. Government Is Expected to Get Multibillion-Dollar Fee in TikTok Deal -- WSJ

China Discusses Polish Border Closure With Belarus in Trade Hit -- Bloomberg

Poland’s Tusk to reopen Belarus border -- Politico (Published after recording)

Massive fireworks show for ad stunt in Tibet triggers blowback over environment fears -- SCMP