ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - May 18, 2024

ZeroFox Physical Security Intelligence Daily Brief - May 18, 2024

ZeroFox physical security experts collect, curate, and analyze information derived from open and proprietary sources for comprehensive context of the circumstances surrounding global events. Here is today’s daily roundup of major developments.

Brief Highlights

• Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi Deepen Economic Ties
• U.S. Bans Imports from 26 Chinese Textile Companies over Forced Labor
• WSJ Reports Russia Launched Prototype for Nuclear Anti-Satellite Weapon in 2022

Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi Deepen Economic Ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to deepen their economic ties in the energy and technology sectors. Bilateral trade between Russia and China hit a record of USD 240 billion in 2023, which provided an important economic lifeline for Russia. In the energy sector, Chinese and Russian firms will need to build new infrastructure to transfer Russian energy to China. Most of Russia's energy infrastructure is designed to trade with Europe, but that trade has largely ended since Russia's war in Ukraine. In the finance sector, the use of local currency settlements, payment tools, and platforms will be needed to better avoid Western sanctions, which prohibit certain types of trade with Russia. Russia is heavily reliant on China and other allied states for providing the technology needed to sustain the war effort.

U.S. Bans Imports from 26 Chinese Textile Companies over Forced Labor

The United States has barred imports from 26 Chinese textile companies as part of its effort to remove goods made with the forced labor of Uyghur minorities. These companies are the latest additions to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act of 2021. The list prohibits goods suspected of being made by Uyghurs or other Muslim minority groups in China’s western Xinjiang region from entering the U.S. More Chinese companies are likely to be added to the entity list as the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is planning to expand the list to cover the polysilicon, aluminum, PVC, and rayon industries, as well as any company in other parts of Asia making goods for the U.S. market with inputs sourced from Xinjiang.

WSJ Reports Russia Launched Prototype for Nuclear Anti-Satellite Weapon in 2022

The Wall Street Journal, citing American officials, reported that Russia launched a satellite designed to test components for an anti-satellite weapon capable of carrying a nuclear weapon in February 2022. The satellite in question is the Kosmos-2553 satellite launched into space from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on February 5, 2022. U.S. officials say the satellite is simply a prototype of the potential weapon, and that Russia's development has not yet progressed to advanced stages. Russia meanwhile insists the Kosmos-2553 is purely for scientific research. This development comes after U.S. officials in Congress earlier this year warned Russia was developing a nuclear-capable weapon in space.