NEWS WRAP

Close encounters of the naval kind

• High tensions on the high seas | A Chinese navy ship cut across the path of a US destroyer in the Taiwan Strait, bringing them less than 150 metres apart in the latest incidence of aggressive manoeuvres in the region. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
   
• Migrant stoush | Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom attacked Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for allegedly being responsible for 16 migrants dropped off at a Sacramento church building with little explanation. READ MORE HERE
   
• Supersonic scramble | The military scrambled F-16s on Monday to intercept an unresponsive private plane which was flying over Washington DC. The jets produced a sonic boom over the city while catching up to the plane, which later crashed in Virginia with no survivors. READ MORE HERE
   
• Utah Bible ban | A school district in Utah removed the Bible from primary and middle school libraries after a complaint over its content, and is now considering the removal of the Book of Mormon. The case has spurred further debate over the removal of books from US school libraries. READ MORE HERE
   
• Joe Bumpden | Despite a politically positive week that included averting a US government default, President Biden took a few physical hits, tripping over a sandbag on stage before bumping his head on the doorway of Marine One hours later. WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

EVENT

How Australia can navigate US-China economic battles

Strategic competition between the United States and China, Australia’s most important ally and largest trading partner respectively, means Australia must maintain a delicate balancing act. China has recently begun removing restrictions on Australian imports in signs of improved bilateral relations, even as it threatens economic coercion in other areas of the region. With an uncertain global economic outlook and rising tensions across the Indo-Pacific, questions of how Australia should engage with China's economy have never been more important.

To discuss these questions, please join us for a discussion with Rhodium Group founding partner and USSC Visiting Fellow Daniel Rosen in conversation with USSC Economic Security Program Director Hayley Channer.

TYPE
Public event

WHEN
Thursday, 15 June, 6:00–7:30pm

WHERE
Auditorium, The Michael Spence Building (F23), Corner of Eastern Avenue and City Road, The University of Sydney Camperdown NSW.

COST
Free, but registration required.

COMMENTARY

US industrial policy explained and what it means for American allies and partners

Hayley Channer, Director, Economic Security
Georgia Edmonstone, Research Associate, Economic Security

April 2023 marked a momentous month in US economic policy. While US economic policy regularly impacts the global economy, in the age of strategic competition and deepening alliances, understanding the implications for Australia and other US allies and partners has rarely been more crucial.

On 20 April, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen delivered a speech outlining the Biden administration’s view of the US-China economic relationship. One week later, on 27 April, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan gave an address on US economic policy more broadly. Sullivan acknowledged it was unusual for a US National Security Advisor to give a major policy speech on economics, indicating the deeper integration of economic policy with security. 

Both speeches are significant because they provide the Biden administration’s economic and trade policy rationale and indicate the future direction of US resources and attention in this space. 

This is an excerpt from a new USSC explainer.

VIDEO

Readout on President Biden's Asia trip: White House National Security Council Officials Kurt Campbell, Edgard Kagan and Mira Rapp-Hooper

On 26 May, the USSC hosted a webinar with White House National Security Council Indo-Pacific Coordinator Dr Kurt Campbell, White House National Security Council Senior Director for East Asia and Oceania Edgard Kagan and White House National Security Council Director for Indo-Pacific Strategy Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper in discussion with USSC CEO Dr Michael Green.

Catch this and other recent events on the USSC YouTube channel!

BY THE NUMBERS

Growing GOP field keeping pace with 2016

The field of Republican candidates for the party's 2024 presidential nomination is swiftly growing. It matches the size of the field at the same point in the 2016 election cycle, with 10 major candidates having announced their campaigns by 7 June of the year before the election. In the 2016 election cycle, 17 candidates participated in at least one Republican presidential debate, with 7 more candidates joining the first 10 who had announced by this stage. The comparison suggests that these are still the early days of the campaign, and the size of the current field is set to grow further still. By this stage in the 2016 cycle, future nominee and President Donald Trump was yet to announce his candidacy.

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

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