The Daily: China Is Taking Notes

The lessons China is learning from Ukraine.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story June 10, 2022 Welcome to the weekend. In a recent episode, we asked, "Is the U.S. changing its stance on Taiwan?" As you heard, it's a question that snowballs, quickly, into bigger questions about China's ambitions, American strength and the shifting balance of global power. They're themes we've covered for years on The Daily. So, in this newsletter, we wanted to bring those threads together to help you make sense of this moment. First, we created a China playlist to help you learn more. And, below, we have China experts weigh in on some of these questions, too. The big idea: The lessons China is learning from Ukraine The Daily strives to reveal a new idea in every episode. Below, we go deeper into one of those from our show on America's shifting foreign policy. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT President Biden said last month that he would use the U.S. military to defend Taiwan if China attacked the island.Doug Mills/The New York Times While the war in Ukraine "will have no winner," China may come out ahead. The invasion is a real-life war game, one that defense ministries in both Western and Eastern Hemispheres have been playing for years — testing what happens when a rising superpower goes on the military offensive. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Now, China gets to take notes as Russia stumbles into uncertain geopolitical terrain, provoking global hostility. "It's the most strategic-thinking country in the world," Martin Jacques, the author of "When China Rules the World," said. "The Chinese are very serious students. They're paying close attention." So what lessons is China learning from the invasion of Ukraine? Here are two, according to the experts we spoke with: Lesson one: The developing world's silence is China's strength Between Brexit and Trumpism, relations have been strained between some Western states for years. But after Russia invaded Ukraine, the band got back together — uniting to impose sanctions on the former and arm the latter. Soon after, the consensus emerged that the war was one of the best things to happen to liberalism in recent memory, enough to "get us out of our funk about the declining state of global democracy," Francis Fukuyama said. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT But as Western democracies united behind Ukraine, much of the world remained silent — afraid to upset Russia or its allies. In a vote at the United Nations General Assembly on whether to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council, 58 countries, including India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Egypt and many across Africa and Asia, abstained. Other countries have been forced to go further, pandering to President Vladimir V. Putin in an effort to maintain relationships vital to their state security. For example, with many of the world's poorest countries facing alarming levels of hunger and starvation, the leader of the African Union met with Putin to ask him to lift Russia's blockade on urgently needed cereals and fertilizer from Ukraine. "China is immensely involved, engaged and invested in these developing countries," economically and in terms of prospective influence, Jacques said. Seeing their silence, he added, will affirm that in the long run, Western states may not carry the power they once did in the developing world. To many observers, the influence of China in developing nations today illuminates the extent of America's declining influence. Even as Washington tries to step up its game, it is still far behind, mistaking speeches for impact and interest for influence in a world where just 13 percent of the population lives in a liberal democracy. "This moment affirms China's strategy," Jacques said. "And they're willing to play the long game." Lesson two: Sanctions can hurt The United States, the European Union and their allies have placed extensive sanctions on Russia as part of a multipronged strategy to constrain its behavior. Many Western countries are taking action to halt their energy trade with Russia and to cut the country off from vast parts of the global financial system. Western governments have also banned transactions with Russia's central bank and sovereign wealth fund, forcing Russia to enact strict restrictions on capital flows to prop up the value of its currency. Finally, some countries have also frozen the assets of Russian officials and oligarchs, banned exports of advanced technology to Russia and cut some Russian banks off from SWIFT, essentially barring them from international transactions. Western nations willingness to impose sanctions on Russia, even at their own economic peril, will make China think twice before seeking to similarly expand their own territory, according to experts. Taiwan is banking on Chinese caution toward the prospect of sanctions keeping the island safe. Joseph Wu, Taiwan's foreign minister, said his country hoped the world would enact sanctions against China if Beijing invaded the island, just as it has done against Russia for its war on Ukraine. "Trade and economic development still absolutely comes first for China," Jacques said. "Putin started a war which is going to do a lot of harm to the Russian economy. But the Chinese are not like that at all. They think differently." "The cost to them is just too great," he added. "And the benefits are not large enough to make it worthwhile." While Jacques thinks the economic risks will likely keep China from invading Taiwan in the short term, he said that reunification was most likely inevitable as China grows in strength, invoking a line from the former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, who once told President Richard Nixon, "We can wait, maybe even a hundred years." From The Daily team: A conversation with an Afghan general Brig. Gen. Khoshal Sadat was Afghanistan's top police official. "We're not cowards," he said of the nation's security forces.Kiana Hayeri for The New York Times We recently sat down with senior Daily producer Rachel Quester to talk about one of her favorite episodes of the show that she's had a hand in making. Rachel's pick is "A Conversation with an Afghan General," one of a number of episodes we made last year amid the American withdrawal from — and the fall of — Afghanistan. Here's what she had to say about making the episode. Why is this episode among your favorites? When Afghanistan fell, the team really kicked into gear and felt like not only telling listeners what was going on but doing that through voices on the ground and those who were actually experiencing it. We did that by telling stories about people like R., an outspoken critic of the Taliban who was trying to flee and interpreters and their military equivalents. How did the episode come about? I was really curious about this thing we were hearing over and over again — and President Biden even came out and gave a speech saying as much — that, basically, the Afghan army just laid down their arms, that they weren't fighting. That kind of left me with a question: Would someone in the Afghan army agree with that assessment? With a lot of blame being put on their shoulders, what's their perspective of what happened? Does that feel like a fair critique? So that was a voice I really wanted to hear from. How did you end up finding that voice? Producer Lynsea Garrison and I had started to poke around to see what voices we could find, and eventually we came up with a list. One name on that list was General Khoshal Sadat — he had been featured in a story from 2019 because he was this up-and-coming, star, young general in the Afghan army. We reached out to him and ended up having a phone call where I was getting his story for basically an hour. At that time, our focus was so on what had happened in the immediate sense, but it became very clear from his perspective that it was a way more complicated picture than to say that the Afghan army laid down their arms. Later, I asked him if he would do an on-the-record, formal interview for the show, and he said yes. Can you talk a bit about producing that interview? What was it like watching that conversation happen? The interview itself kind of took a turn. It was an unexpected conversation in the best way possible. Rather than focusing on the present, the general ended up talking us through his entire experience. He grew up under the Taliban, and his military career mapped onto and told the story of the 20-year war effort in Afghanistan. I think we struck gold, basically. It was kind of unexpected and completely riveting. How did you deal with that unexpected turn during the taping? All of us in the taping — Michael Barbaro, the producers and editors — were on the same page about going with him, that eventually we'll get to questions about the present, but he wants to take us on a journey, so let's just follow that journey with him. We ended up talking to him for three and a half hours. Are there any moments that stick out to you from the process? I think at the end of the episode, I remember this in the taping — he had this total moment of grappling, which I love. When Michael mentions that General Sadat left the war effort, he has a very human reaction, and you feel like he didn't have a choice, which leads to the most surprising part of the episode: when he says that we need to give the Taliban a chance. He said that he's a very violent person and has killed and been in hand-to-hand combat with more of the Taliban than anybody he knows, and yet he says that we have to give them a chance because what else are we going to do? In my mind, that was a fighter realizing there wasn't a fight anymore, and that's a really hard conclusion for somebody who has based their entire life on that to have to come to. We didn't expect him to go there, and he did. It was provocative, and it was complicated, but it was him personally coming to a conclusion, which was surprising and unexpected. On The Daily this week Monday: What the winning legal strategy in the defamation case between the actors and former spouses Johnny Depp and Amber Heard means for #MeToo. Tuesday: Polls show that the majority of American voters support gun safety measures. Their votes follow a different pattern. Wednesday: A psychiatrist discusses mental health and mass shootings. Thursday: How the Proud Boys went from an informal drinking club for men into a right-wing group now charged with sedition. Friday: The bigger story behind the ousting of San Francisco's progressive district attorney. That's it for the Daily newsletter. See you next week. Have thoughts about the show? Tell us what you think at thedaily@nytimes.com. Were you forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox. Love podcasts? Join The New York Times Podcast Club on Facebook. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Daily from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. 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The T List: Father’s Day Gift Guide

Dad jeans, chocolates from a father-daughter duo — and more.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story June 8, 2022 Welcome to the T List, a newsletter from the editors of T Magazine. This week, we've turned it into a Father's Day gift guide with recommendations on what we're buying for ourselves and considering for our paternal figures. Sign up here to find us in your inbox every Wednesday. And you can always reach us at tlist@nytimes.com. WEAR THIS Elevated Dad Jeans Denim belted pants, a perennial style from the Japanese label Comoli, offer a welcome alternative to traditional dad jeans; $330, tortoiseandco.com.Left: courtesy of Rendez Vous; right: courtesy of Tortoise & Co. By Diego Hadis Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT When choosing a Father's Day gift, it's easy to fall back on certain familiar clothing options: a printed tie that may never be worn, or yet another jersey or cap from his favorite team. But what about a pair of dungarees? Consider the denim belted pants from the cult Japanese label Comoli, which are like dad jeans, only far better: They come in a textured, high-quality indigo twill and feature a soft crease and a very slight taper. I picked up a pair this spring, after a long-unfulfilled obsession with the brand, which is quite hard to find in North America, at Comoli's only U.S. stockist, Tortoise & Co. in Los Angeles. The jeans' loose cut has made them invaluable in helping me to keep pace with the rambunctious toddler in my life who never seems to slow down — and to look pretty put together while doing so. COVET THIS Lockets to Fill With Family Photos Monica Rich Kosann's new men's wear collection includes 12 styles in a variety of materials like 18-karat gold, black steel and sterling silver, starting from $445, monicarichkosann.com.Courtesy of the brand By Angela Koh In the nearly two decades since she launched her namesake jewelry line, the designer and photographer Monica Rich Kosann has found that her vintage-inspired lockets and symbolism-heavy pendants were occasionally purchased by women for the men in their lives, or that men would buy the pieces for themselves. This spring, she introduced her first dedicated men's wear collection. The launch includes 12 styles, such as a classic, minimalist oval locket in gold or silver that holds four photos, and a shield-shaped piece with a black steel chain, a starburst design and sapphire or diamond detailing. "I want a man to wear these pieces and feel protected by love and inspired by their empowering themes," says Kosann. "They are designed to be his daily armor." Shoppers can slide in their own photos or select images for the brand to insert before shipping. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT EAT THIS Chocolates From a Father-Daughter Duo An assortment of the chocolates featured in Thierry Atlan's gift boxes, with ganaches and fruit-forward jams made in-house. Boxes from $25, thierry-atlan.com.Alex Staniloff By Nancy Coleman The French chocolatier Thierry Atlan's résumé was already studded with accomplishments when he moved to the United States nearly a decade ago, including winning the title Meilleur Ouvrier de France chocolatier, marking him as a master of his craft. But after years of teaching, consulting and making confections for others, it took a push from his daughter Julie Atlan — "He's very humble," she says — for him to launch his namesake brand in 2015. The two have worked side by side since, with Julie handling marketing and branding as the chief operating officer and her father behind the housemade jams and ganaches, delicate bonbons and rainbow of macarons made daily with fresh almond flour. Their most recent collaboration, the Thierry Atlan store in SoHo, opened last month. Fittingly, there are plenty of Father's Day presents on offer, such as sleek black boxes that open to reveal rows of striped chocolates and vibrantly colored caramel domes. For Thierry, working with Julie is the "biggest gift" he could be given, he says. "I'm very lucky." BUY THIS Molded Leather Objects for the Home Hunting Season leather tray set, $495, hunting-season.com.Courtesy of the brand By Caitie Kelly Continue reading the main story ADVERTISMENT The Bogotá-based handbag company Hunting Season is known for its classic shapes meticulously hand-crafted by Colombian artisans using traditional skills. This week, the brand extends its home décor offerings with a series focused around wet-molded leather, a technique in which sodden pieces of hide are pulled and adjusted over wooden frames to create a desired shape. The objects thus require no additional stitches or interior supports and, after hours of drying, are buffed to a finish that resembles wood or lacquer. "I feel I am using a piece with a story, a history, a soul," says Hunting Season's founder, Danielle Corona, of the collection, which includes trays, round or rectangular boxes and vases in black, cream and cognac — all of which would be handsome on a night stand or entryway table. "This, for me, is the ultimate luxury." VISIT THIS A Trove of Vintage Watches The Secret Watch Shop inside the Patrick Parrish gallery is open by appointment only at secretwatchshop@gmail.com.Clemens Kois By David Farber Hidden behind a translucent wall of Patrick Parrish's design gallery on Lispenard Street in TriBeCa, on a lower level — and away from his noteworthy assemblage of furniture, lighting and art — is a dedicated new space to showcase the founder's other passion: beautiful watches. An avid collector, Parrish is particularly interested in pieces from the 1950s, '60s and '70s, as well as tool watches, which are constructed with special features to assist, say, drivers or pilots (or wearers who can appreciate the detailing of either). Much of his extensive stockpile is now available for purchase, along with some new timepieces he's sourced specifically for this shop-within-a-shop. While a variety of commercial brands such as Rolex, Breitling and Omega are on offer, Parrish also hopes to highlight a number of more obscure items, such as chronographs from Wittnauer Geneve and Jack Heuer. Stopping by to peruse might be a special treat for dad; taking one home, an unforgettable gift. BUY THIS A Recycled (or Upcycled) Backpack From left: Aruna Project backpack, $139, arunaproject.com; Sealand backpack, $325, sealandgear.com; Loewe backpack, $1,300, loewe.com; and Prada backpack, $2,200, prada.com.Courtesy of the brands By Jameson Montgomery For the dad who is mindful of his environmental impact and appreciative of multiple pockets, a selection of sustainably made nylon backpacks abounds this summer. Loewe's roll-top style is composed of salvaged preconsumer yarns and trimmed in butterscotch calfskin. The South African line Sealand's own roll-top is ready for adventure, with two exterior water bottle pockets. Each of the brand's bags is made by artisans in Cape Town whose signatures appear on interior name badges (and their bio on the company website). Prada has revamped its instantly recognizable nylon backpack via its Re-Nylon initiative, which uses regenerated yarn produced from waste fibers and from recycled, purified plastic trash collected from oceans and landfill sites. The Cincinnati-based Aruna Project's Rani bags are constructed in a water-repellent, recycled polyester-nylon blend by victims of human trafficking, in the United States and India, who are offered access to transitional housing and trade development programs — providing sustainable employment in addition to a lower carbon footprint. SEE THIS A Show Tracing the History of Tiffany & Co. Archival Tiffany & Co. print advertisements. Left: "Disarming bracelets of diamonds and gold," The New Yorker, September 1969. Right: "Decisions…Decisions," The New Yorker, February 1967.The Tiffany Archives/Tiffany & Co. Left: photo by Henry Leutwyler By Angela Koh A landmark new exhibition about the storied jewelry company Tiffany & Co. provides a little something for every type of visitor. Titled "Vision & Virtuosity" after the brand's core principles, and housed at London's famed Saatchi Gallery, the show is arranged as a seven-chapter journey through Tiffany's history, with sections expounding on the founder, Charles Lewis Tiffany, appreciating the house's most enduring designers (such as Elsa Peretti and Jean Schlumberger) and looking at the company's entanglement with our conceptions of love and commitment. Over 400 archival objects are on display, including vintage advertisements, an original "Breakfast at Tiffany's" film script and the 128.54-carat yellow Tiffany Diamond. An exhibition catalog with a foreword by the late Andre Leon Talley is published by Assouline and, in the gift shop, a selection of everything from skateboards and hoodies to paint markers — the result of collaborations with contemporary artists and brands — rendered in Tiffany blue. "Vision & Virtuosity" is on view June 10 through Aug. 19 at Saatchi Gallery, London, saatchigallery.com. BUY THIS Engaging Desktop Objects Clockwise from top left: Look Optic Liam blue-light reading glasses, $78, plain-goods.com; CB2 Hippodrome travertine oval tray, $199, cb2.com; Tetra patina matchbox case, $180, shop-tetra.com; CB2 Rein saddle leather desk blotter, $129, cb2.com; CB2 Brass USB candle lighter, $34.95, cb2.com.Courtesy of the brands By Tom Delavan Even after all this time working remotely, your father's home office might still consist of a table stuck in the corner of a living room or bedroom. There are a few items that can transform such a makeshift desk into something warmer and more appealing, including accessories like a saddle leather desk blotter to define the work area, an attractive brass lighter and matchbox case to light a scented candle or incense and a travertine tray echoing ancient Rome's hippodrome to corral odds and ends. For the hours spent looking at a screen, he may also like some blue-light reading glasses, like these tortoiseshell aviators, which look less Sarah Palin and more Steve McQueen. Correction: Last week's newsletter rendered the name of a skin-care brand incorrectly. It is Ourself, not Our Self. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The T List from The New York Times. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

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