Axios

A new court established by the Chinese government will begin taking on intellectual property cases in January, the Singapore-based Straits Times reports.

Why it matters: China experts were skeptical when the government announced this month that it would begin punishing companies and individuals who steal intellectual property, a long-standing U.S. grievance that helped set off President Trump's trade war. But the establishment of the new IP court suggests China may be serious about addressing the Trump administration's complaints.

Go deeper: Rude, red awakening — China’s theft of U.S. tech is hard to stop

Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who claimed last month that he successfully created the first genetically engineered babies, is being kept under close guard while he remains under investigation by the Chinese government, the New York Times reports.

The big picture: Dr. He was spotted this week for the first time since the conference where he presented his findings at a university guesthouse in Shenzhen. The Times says he's currently under guard at the guesthouse by "a dozen unidentified men." The revelation that he used the gene-editing tool CRISPR to create genetically modified twins has sparked international outrage over the ethical questions of using the technology to engineer a human.

Go deeper: Gene editing moves into a frightening new stage

Many experts say China could be first to deploy autonomous vehicles at scale — and one indicator is how they've already taken the global lead in electric vehicles thanks to government policies and consumer attitudes.

The big picture: Sales of electric cars are growing quickly in China, where consumers are also open to innovations like car-sharing. By loosening regulatory guidelines and swinging open the door to autonomous vehicle testing, China is pulling away from other countries on disruptive new mobility initiatives, a recent study finds.

National Security Advisor John Bolton will arrive in Israel late next week for talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu on President Trump's decision to pull U.S. forces out of Syria, Israeli and U.S. officials said.

"We want to try to make lemonade out of those lemons."

Why it matters: Israel is very concerned the move will deepen Iranian influence and military retrenchment in Syria. Israeli officials tell me they want to discuss with Bolton the details and timetable of the U.S. withdrawal, and what can be done to use the move to create more pressure on Iran.

Americans are sharply divided over the role the U.S. should play around the world, and even over who America's top adversaries are, according to a report from Pew.

The big picture: Two years into Donald Trump's pugnacious and unpredictable presidency, polls show the world's view of U.S. leadership falling sharply. Democrats' top foreign policy priority is now repairing the alliances that have been fraying under Trump. Republicans, meanwhile, tend to want more of the same.