Author: Alejandro Bowers

The American HFC Coalition applauds the United States Department of Commerce for initiating anti-circumvention inquiries to determine whether imports of Chinese hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are circumventing the 2016 antidumping duty order on HFC blends. Since 2016, importers have been blending Chinese-origin HFC components, including R-125, R-32, R-134a and R-143a, in third countries and in the United States in an effort to evade the antidumping duty order, according to the HFC Coalition. “Importers have more recently begun importing blends, such as R-410B and various “custom” blends, that do not have any commercially approved use,” the coalition said in a statement. “After importation, these unapproved…

Reports state that an aircraft carrier group that belongs to the U.S. Navy is now operating in the South China Sea in a show of strength and power against China. In the meantime, a naval training vessel that belongs to China is on its goodwill tour to Southeast Asia, aiming to foster friendship and peace in the region. Open-source monitoring facilitated by the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, a think tank from Beijing, says that the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier made its transit via the Bashi Channel, and on Wednesday, it set sail into the South China…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s first visit to China on Sunday comes nearly five months after a major rupture in relations over a Chinese spy balloon. His original trip was abruptly cancelled because the balloon, which China says was monitoring weather, drifted across the continental US before being destroyed by American military aircraft. Mr Blinken’s visit includes meetings with China’s top foreign policy officials but there is no word yet on whether he will also meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, who appeared with Microsoft founder Bill Gates in Beijing on Friday. The two global superpowers have a long list…

Senior US officials have outlined plans to “clear a path” to AUKUS technology transfer, as lawmakers decried the “dire” state of the current approach to sharing cutting edge military technologies. Last week, assistant secretaries from the US Department of Defence told the powerful US Foreign Affairs Committee that a three-pronged approach is underway to get more US military technology into the hands of allies – like Australia and the UK – sooner. Existing trade mechanisms will be used in novel ways while “historic” legislation is drafted for a long-term approach, and Australia and the UK are urged to develop reciprocal arrangements. At…

The United Arab Emirates has withdrawn from a United States-led maritime coalition after an extensive evaluation of its security needs, its Ministry of Foreign Affairs says. “As a result of our ongoing evaluation of effective security cooperation with all partners, two months ago, the UAE withdrew its participation in the Combined Maritime Forces,” the ministry said on Wednesday in a statement quoted by state news agency WAM. The UAE also said it was committed to dialogue and diplomatic engagement to advance regional security and stability as well as ensuring navigation safety near its shores in accordance with international law. The…

Prize awarded for investigation into failures by State Bar of California to regulate and enforce the integrity of lawyers in the state Press Release | University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications A series about spectacular failures by the State Bar of California to regulate and enforce the integrity of lawyers in the state earned the Los Angeles Times the 2023 Collier Prize for State Government Accountability. The $25,000 award, offered by the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, is one of the largest journalism prizes in the nation. The prize will be awarded at the White…

Tensions between Washington and Beijing add to concerns over rising Chinese competition in world’s largest auto market Last week Yuko Kishida, the wife of Japan’s prime minister, made a rare solo trip to the White House to plant a cherry tree with Jill Biden, celebrating a friendship between the two countries that will last “forever and ever”, in the US first lady’s words. It was a congenial symbol of the close alignment between the two nations. The costs of those ties have been a source of concern for some Japanese executives as tensions mount between the US and China. But…

Kenes Rakishev. An entrepreneur, philanthropist, former special envoy for Kazakhstan, head of the Kazakh boxing federation, a family man, and most importantly, a man of success. The backstory of Kenes Rakishev and his philanthropies is a complex one, with multiple factors and numerous actors involved. The 40-something Kazakh is an interesting study of human success. Ultra boyishly shy, he is the poster boy of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s “New Kazakhstan” vision for the future and better Kazakhstan. He received his education in the UK, fortunately married into the Kazakhstan elite clan and positioned quietly in the affairs of the state. Kenes’…

JUNEAU — The Alaska Senate rolled out its latest version of the operating budget Wednesday, which had a $90 million surplus, a $1,300 Permanent fund dividend, and a $175 million one-time boost for public schools. The 17-member bipartisan Senate majority caucus has insisted that lawmakers should not draw from state savings to balance the budget. Following gloomy revenue projections made last month, the House of Representatives’ spending plan — with a $2,700 dividend — was projected to create a $600 million deficit, which would further balloon to almost $800 million with additional capital expenditures announced Wednesday. The Senate announced publicly…

The United States still has no consensus on China policy, so it combines get-tough sanctions for security reasons, competition for economic ones and selective cooperation. Efforts to ban the digital app TikTok, owned by the Chinese internet company ByteDance, have become the poster child of the debate in the United States over advancing U.S. innovation, research, development and technology markets, while mitigating security and economic concerns over products, services and supply chains linked to Beijing. Whether a ban is adopted or not, the momentum to restrict Chinese technologies will not abate and will be a centerpiece in coming debates over…