Dear Focus Readers,

As the world is on track to reach its hottest month ever recorded, the top climate envoys from the U.S. and China agreed this week on a video call to maintain close communication on climate issues, following their in-person meeting last week. They also exchanged views on strengthening China-U.S. climate change dialogue and promoting cooperation in the global climate multilateral process, although, like their recent meetings, no breakthrough agreements were reached.

This week also witnessed a notable shift in China's top foreign policy leadership as Qin Gang, who has been absent for a month, was officially replaced as China's Foreign Minister by Wang Yi, who previously held the position. The reasons behind Qin's removal remain uncertain, with speculations about health issues or possible disciplinary actions, but the change is unlikely to have a major impact on China-U.S. relations.

While Chinese and U.S. officials are engaging in more frequent dialogues, the perception of China among the American public has been declining. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center revealed that half of the Americans polled consider China as the most significant threat facing the U.S., which was three times higher than that of Russia.

In light of these developments, renewed people-to-people engagement and exchanges on a global scale are likely to play an increasing role in finding common ground. In the meantime, we encourage you to catch up on our latest Focus content, including topics covering Northeast Asia relations, the actions Washington and Beijing should take to avoid conflict, and insights into inflation in both China and the U.S.

Stay cool this weekend!

Team Focus