The ZTE deal is done and the company can return to operations. Part of the settlement includes the insertion into the company of a US compliance team. Who decides who is on that team, and will it end up being a huge payday for big US law, consulting and accounting firms? And will Beijing assume that some or all of the members of the compliance team are working for US intelligence? The arrangement sounds complicated in practice…

The G-7 and the SCO summits are both happening this weekend. The SCO has always seemed a bit toothless but in the New Era might it become more important, especially as the Xi-Putin bromance appears to deepen and the G-7 strains against the Trump Administration?

On Friday Xi will issue the first Order of Friendship of the People's Republic of China to a foreigner or foreigners who "have made outstanding contributions to China's development, exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries, as well as world peace." My money is on Putin getting it. 

Some h…