Jake Sullivan assures Beijing that Kamala Harris would ‘responsibly manage’ relations

Good morning. In the present day we’re protecting:

• The conviction of two Hong Kong journalists beneath a colonial-era sedition legislation

• Singapore’s disillusioned center class

• Japan’s zombie start-ups

However we begin in Beijing, the place US nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan informed Chinese language leaders that Kamala Harris would “responsibly handle” relations between the 2 superpowers if she wins the presidential election in November.

The feedback from Sullivan, who met yesterday with President Xi Jinping, are supposed to reassure Chinese language policymakers that Harris wouldn’t take a extra hostile strategy to the connection than US President Joe Biden.

Beijing has turn out to be more and more involved about how a Harris administration would deal with the connection with China and who can be her closest advisers on the matter. Whereas Harris has briefly met the Chinese language president and his quantity two, Premier Li Qiang, little is understood of the element of her views on the nation.

In addition to assembly Xi, Sullivan additionally had a extremely uncommon assembly yesterday with Common Zhang Youxia, certainly one of China’s strongest navy officers. Joe Leahy has more on the talks in Beijing.

Right here’s what else I’m preserving tabs on in the present day and over the weekend:

• Financial information: India publishes its newest progress figures. Japan, South Korea and Thailand report their industrial manufacturing indices for July.

• Outcomes: China Building Financial institution and the Industrial & Business Financial institution of China report.

How effectively did you retain up with the information this week? Take our quiz.

5 extra prime tales

1. A court docket in Hong Kong has convicted two journalists from a defunct pro-democracy information web site of sedition in a landmark trial that highlighted shrinking press freedoms within the Chinese language territory. Their conviction was the first under the law against journalists since Hong Kong was handed back to China from British administration in 1997.

2. International buyers are pulling cash out of India’s fairness market, chopping their publicity because the US rate of interest cycle turns and thousands and thousands of home savers proceed to pile into richly valued shares. 12 months-to-date inflows stood at $2.6bn, well below the $22bn recorded last year.

3. Donald Trump’s working mate JD Vance has urged tech billionaire Peter Thiel to “get off the sidelines” and assist bankroll the Republicans’ White Home bid. Vance’s plea to Thiel came in an interview with the FT, the place he additionally known as for the break-up of Google.

• Republican nervousness: Donald Trump is facing doubts from Republicans about his plan to win again the White Home as they fret he will likely be unable to get better the momentum misplaced to Kamala Harris in latest weeks.

4. Pakistani companies say web disruptions this month have harmed their companies and unsettled buyers at a time when the nation is relying on the knowledge expertise sector to assist break a cycle of financial crises and bailouts. Digital rights activists imagine the disruption is owing to the government installing “firewall” technology to filter content.

5. A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet crashed on Monday throughout a mission to shoot down Russian missiles and drones in one of many largest aerial assaults mounted by Moscow since its full-scale invasion, Kyiv stated. The crash marked the first loss of one of Ukraine’s US-made F-16s since President Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced their supply earlier this month.

Do you’ve questions on in the present day’s tales or in regards to the publication itself? Reply to this e mail together with your questions, your title and the place you’re writing from. We’ll reply them in a particular weekend version of FirstFT.

Information in-depth

Singapore’s Nationwide Day rally is historically a possibility for the prime minister to stipulate home coverage plans. However Lawrence Wong’s tackle this yr sounded an uncharacteristically ominous tone, reflecting the federal government’s considerations about rising dwelling prices in Singapore. The elevated disillusionment of Singapore’s center class, beneath strain from excessive housing costs, threatens the fragile consensus that has underpinned the city-state’s growth and stability for many years, analysts stated.

We’re additionally studying . . . 

Chart of the day

China’s use of the renminbi in cross-border transactions has reached file highs this yr, as nearer ties with Russia bolster Beijing’s efforts to internationalise its currency and cut dependence on the US dollar. In July, 53 per cent of China’s inbound and outbound transactions used the Chinese language foreign money, up from about 40 per cent for a similar month in 2021.

Take a break from the information

A silent loner returns to his desolate hometown from jail within the haunting, hallucinatory Chinese film Black Dog. Set on eve of the Beijing Olympics, director Guan Hu’s movie may be learn as a commentary on China’s particular socio-economic situation in 2008 and since, writes Jonathan Romney.

Further contributions from Harvey Nriapia and Tee Zhuo