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Todayโs newsletter supported by: |
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Hi there Intriguer.ย The Czech Republicโs Markรฉta Vondrouลกovรก just became the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon, while Spainโs Carlos Alcaraz took home the menโs trophy. The last time someone other than Federer, Nadal, Murray or Djokovic won the menโs tournament, Alcaraz wasnโt even born. Feeling old?
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Todayโs briefing is a 4 min read:
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๐ฉ๐ชย Germany finally unveils its China strategy.
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๐ฆ๐ชย The UAE shares its plans for hosting COP28.
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โ Plus: The trauma of diplomatic typos, how the papers are covering Modiโs visit to France, and what a cheeseburger looks like in Thailand.
โฑ๏ธ Around the world in sixty seconds
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๐ฐ๐ตย North Korea: Pyongyangโs ambassador to the UN made a rare appearance at the UN Security Council last week (13 July). He defended North Koreaโs ICBM launch the day prior and blamed the US for raising tensions on the Peninsula.
-
๐ฎ๐นย Italy: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni joined Dutch PM Mark Rutte and EU President Ursula von der Leyen on another trip to Tunisia yesterday (Sunday). The trio finalised a long-awaited agreement aimed at addressing irregular migration.
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๐ต๐ฐย Pakistan: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif broke ground on a $3.5B China-designed nuclear power plant on Friday (14 July). Pakistan currently generates 8% of its electricity from nuclear power, and hopes to lift that to 20% by 2030.
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๐ณ๐ฎย Nicaragua: The International Court of Justice rejected on Thursday (13 July) a case that sought to extend Nicaraguaโs maritime border into territory claimed by Colombia. Nicaraguaโs government promised to respect the courtโs decision.
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๐จ๐ฉย Democratic Republic of the Congo: A leading opposition figure and former government minister, Chรฉrubin Okende, was killed last week by unknown assailants. Moise Katumbi, who leads Okendeโs political party and plans to run for president in December, called it a โpolitical assassination.โ
๐ฉ๐ช Germany | Geopolitics
Germany’s first China strategy just dropped
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Germany released its long-awaited China strategy on Thursday, as the EU’s biggest economy re-thinks how it approaches its top trade partner.
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The strategy describes China as a โpartner, competitor and systemic rivalโ thatโs โchanged” as it seeks more assertively to re-shape the world in its own image. Soโฆ Germany says:
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๐ง It doesn’t intend to impede Chinaโs development, but
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โณ De-risking is now “urgently needed“, particularly in โcritical sectorsโ like medicine, lithium batteries and chip-making, and
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๐ฐ It calls on German businesses to plan accordingly, as theyโll have to โcarry the financial risk more heavily themselvesโ in the future.
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German businesses have been pretty positive in response, saying the strategy:
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๐ Validates (and incentivises) what they were already doing, but
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๐คท Some say itโs light on detail and could curb entrepreneurialism.
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And for its part, an irritated Beijing said:
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๐ฅ Itโs a โfatal miscalculation” to see China as the source of risk, and
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๐ค The two countries are actually โpartners, not rivalsโ.
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Intrigue’s take: The West has dusted off various d-words to re-calibrate ties with China: de-couple, de-risk, diversify. So hereโs another: disentangle.
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Germany is entangled in a web of competing interests and concerns: human rights, Beijing-Moscow ties, EU unity, Beijingโs efforts to re-shape global norms, and Chinaโs key role in Germany’s own export-led growth.
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The sheer complexity of disentangling all this, while managing internal divisions (meticulously documented by Chinaโs state media), might explain why Berlin was still tweaking the strategy hours before it was released.
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But initial reactions suggest itโs done a fairly solid job of disentangling in a way thatโs coherent, if not always concrete.
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Also worth noting:
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Germanyโs strategy says it wonโt be possible โto overcome the climate crisis without China.โ
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Germanyโs spy chief warned a parliamentary inquiry last year that โRussia is the storm, China is climate change.โ
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Major German companies like Siemens, BASF and Volkswagen have recently released strategies that retain a heavy China focus.
๐ฐ How newspapers coveredโฆ
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending Franceโs Bastille Day celebrations
Doha, Qatar |
โIndiaโs Modi guest of honour at Franceโs Bastille Day paradeโ |
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โModi’s Bastille Day visit stirs controversy in Franceโ |
Noida, India |
โPM Modi conferred with Franceโs highest award, Grand Cross of the Legion of Honourโ |
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Todayโs newsletter is supported by: Digital Asset Investor
Subscribe to Digital Asset Investor
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Richard Patey breaks down the top news & opportunities in online business, domains & NFTs to help you become a better digital asset investor.
๐ฆ๐ช United Arab Emirates | Climate
COP28โs leader lays out his vision
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Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the oil executive and cabinet minister presiding over the UAEโs upcoming COP28 climate summit, shared his plans for the conference last week. Here are some of the key details:
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๐ก๏ธ 1.5C: Al Jaber says the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C will be the conferenceโs โsingle north starโ
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โก Energy: He wants concrete plans to double energy efficiency and hydrogen production, and triple renewable energy capacity, and
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๐ฆย Climate finance: Al Jaber wants rich countries to deliver on their long-standing climate funding pledges to poorer nations.
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Intrigueโs take: The UAEโs decision to name an oil executive like Al Jaber as its COP28 president attracted criticism at the time. But in words at least, it seems heโs leaning into the role. And weโll find out in November/December how much of the world is willing to follow his lead.
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Also worth noting:
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Al Jaber also called for the โinevitable and essential […] phase down of fossil fuels.โ
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Some climate groups described Al Jaberโs vision as โincoherentโ and โconfusingโ.
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The UAE set stricter emissions reduction targets earlier this year, aiming for a 40% cut by 2030 (up from 31%).
โ Extra Intrigue
Your weekly roundup of the worldโs quirkier headlines.
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Burger King in Thailand has announced a โreal cheeseburgerโ consisting of 20 slices of cheese between two bread buns.
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Birds in Europe are making their nests with anti-bird spikes.
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A Californian otter has had enough of surfers and has started snatching their boards.
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Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has opened an online merch store complete with Bolsonaro party hats and cake decorations.
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A French firefighter has broken the world record for the fastest 100m sprint (while on fire).
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Helsinkiโs deputy mayor has been caught defacing public property.
๐ณ๏ธ Poll time!
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If you were the leader of your own imaginary country, which world power would you want on your side, and why? |
๐ Meme of the day
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We were really feeling this energy after hitting send on Fridayโs Intrigue then spotting typos: the Cuba and Thailand map pins were switched; the NATO summit was in Lithuania (not Latvia), and the correct quiz answer was 1 โdโ (Jupiter has 80-95 moons). Thanks to the many Intriguers who wrote in!
Thursdayโs poll: This year’s Emmy nominees were just announced. Who are you hoping will bring home the ‘Best Drama’ award?
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๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ Andor (10%)
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๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ โ๏ธ Better Call Saul (9%)
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โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ The Crown (3%)
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โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ House of the Dragon (4%)
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๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ง The Last of Us (10%)
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๐จ๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ผ Succession (16%)
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โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ธ The White Lotus (6%)
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โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ โฝ Yellowjackets (2%)
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๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉย ๐คท Who cares? (40%)
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Your two cents:
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๐คทย K.S: โI usually lag behind on TV shows and wait till about a year after the hype dies down to binge & everything on my own timeโ
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๐ย C: โAndor is the best Star Wars we’ve had since ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, and you can’t Jedi mind trick me into thinking otherwise.โ