Xi Vows ‘Great Wall of Steel’

Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, where we’re looking at Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vows to build a “great wall of steel,” a capsized boat and dozens of missing people, and the death of a Japanese Nobel Prize winner.

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In the first speech of his new presidential term, Chinese leader Xi Jinping promised that he would strengthen China’s defenses and make its military a “great wall of steel.”

“[We must] build the People’s Liberation Army into a great wall of steel that effectively safeguards national sovereignty, security, and development interests,” he told the National People’s Congress.

“The Chinese people have become the masters of their own destiny,” Xi added. “The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process.”

China is set to expand its defense budget by 7.2 percent this year.

In response to China—and to Russia—another defense spending increase was announced on Monday, this time by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said the United Kingdom would increase defense spending by $6 billion over the next two years.

Sunak described China as presenting an “epoch-defining challenge.” Sunak said defense spending would increase to 2.5 percent of GDP “in the longer term,” though did not say by when. British military officials wanted it to increase to 3 percent. Sunak was in California to discuss next steps for AUKUS, the military pact between the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia.

Dozens reported missing after boat capsizes. After a boat capsized off the coast of Libya, Italy has said 30 migrants are missing. Seventeen people were rescued. This came two weeks after a shipwreck off the southern coast of Italy killed at least 76 people.

Italy’s far-right government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is now under criticism for failing to have saved the migrants. Meloni, though, has shown no contrition. “The government, myself, have been accused of atrocious things, but my conscience is clear,” she said. Guido Crosetto, Italy’s defense minister, has blamed the increase in migrant boats attempting to make the dangerous crossing on the Russian mercenary Wagner Group.

Japanese Nobel recipient dies. Japanese Nobel Prize-winning author Kenzaburo Oe died at the age of 88. His publisher confirmed the news on Monday, 10 days after it said he passed away of “old age.” Oe debuted in 1957 and won his Nobel Prize in literature some four decades later in 1994. He then won his own country’s Order of Culture, honoring outstanding Japanese accomplishments, but he refused to accept it because it was awarded by the emperor at the time.

Oe’s writing touched on the bombing of Hiroshima. Toward the end of his life, he pushed for Japan to relinquish nuclear power after the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011 and took part in rallies against former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s efforts to review the country’s pacifist constitution. “I’m afraid that Japan’s spirit is approaching its most dangerous stage in the past 100 years,” he added at a rally in 2014.

U.N. chief: “Cold, hard facts” should dictate climate policy. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, speaking via video to delegates at a summit in Switzerland, warned, “Our world is at a crossroads—and our planet is in the crosshairs. We are nearing the point of no return, of overshooting the internationally agreed limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius [2.7 degrees Fahrenheit] of global warming.” Guterres told experts and officials that “cold, hard facts” should drive governments’ climate policies.

• Don’t Trust Russia’s Numbers by Agathe Demarais

• The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense by Steven A. Cook

• Staring Down the Black Hole of Russia’s Future by Anastasia Edel

International Oscars celebrations. The Academy Awards were held in California Sunday night. On Monday, cheers went up around the world. People in Malaysia and Hong Kong celebrated actress Michelle Yeoh, who took home the trophy for best actress for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

In India, people applauded “Naatu Naatu,” which took home the award for best original song. India was “elated and proud,” said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also congratulated the filmmakers of The Elephant Whisperers, which won for best documentary short, the first Indian production to win an Oscar. “Two women did it,” producer Guneet Monga said.

Some in Ireland, meanwhile, rolled their eyes at Irish stereotypes trotted out during the ceremony. The Banshees of Inisherin was nominated nine times but did not win any awards, and The Quiet Girl lost out to Germany’s All Quiet on the Western Front in the best foreign picture category. The best live-action short film went to Northern Ireland’s film An Irish Goodbye.