Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message to President-elect Biden on Wednesday to congratulate him on his election victory, according to the Xinhua state news agency.

Why it matters: China's foreign ministry offered Biden a belated, and tentative, congratulations on Nov. 13, but Xi had not personally acknowledged Biden's win. The leaders of Brazil, Mexico and Russia are among the very few leaders still declining to congratulate Biden.

The global adoption of remote work may leave the rising powers in the East behind.

The big picture: Despite India's and China's economic might, these countries have far fewer remote jobs than the U.S. or Europe. That's affecting the emerging economies' resilience amid the pandemic.

In the weeks before the U.S. presidential election, three prominent Chinese activists in the U.S. found their homes surrounded by anonymous protesters who accused them of spying for the Chinese Communist Party.

Why it matters: The three activists, who had fled China due to repression from Chinese authorities, now face physical threats on U.S. soil.

Disinformation has proliferated on Chinese-language websites and platforms like WeChat that are popular with Chinese speakers in the U.S., just as it has on English-language websites.

Why it matters: There are fewer fact-checking sites and other sources of reliable information in Chinese, making it even harder to push back against disinformation.

Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigner Joshua Wong and fellow activists Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam were remanded in custody Monday after pleading guilty to charges of organizing and inciting an unauthorised assembly during last year's massive protests.

The big picture: They could have faced life sentences under the new national security law, but the charges relate to offenses before Chinese lawmakers passed the bill for the city in June, per the BBC. Wong, who became the face of 2014 pro-democracy demonstrations, expects to be imprisoned for up to five years. He tweeted a message to supporters from detention, ahead of a Dec. 2 sentencing.

China is using economic and diplomatic incentives to strengthen its sway over Pacific Island nations, a new report finds.

Why it matters: Beijing's charm campaign in the Pacific aims to further isolate Taiwan and expand China's maritime reach.

The U.S. State Department's Office of Policy Planning is set to release a blueprint for America’s response to China’s rise as an authoritarian superpower, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The lengthy document calls for strong alliances and rejuvenation of constitutional democracy. Axios obtained a copy.

The day he enters the White House, President-elect Joe Biden will inherit a host of China-related challenges that require immediate action, from restoring diplomatic backchannels with China to figuring out what to do about lingering tariffs.

The big picture: Biden must find a way to put the U.S.-China relationship on a more sustainable path while preserving U.S. national security interests and blocking China's efforts to weaken international norms.

The largest free trade area in the world came into existence over the weekend — and the U.S. was not even invited.

Why it matters: For the first time in living memory, the hegemon at the center of a major global free trade agreement is not the U.S.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Friday congratulated President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris on their election victory, saying that China "respected the choice of the American people" but noting that the results were still to be finalized "in accordance with U.S. laws and procedures."

Why it matters: China had been one of the few global holdouts, leading to speculation that Beijing was wary of provoking President Trump. China's move comes a day after Biden held calls with U.S. allies in the Asia-Pacific. It leaves Brazil, Mexico, North Korea and Russia as three of the only major geopolitical players still waiting to acknowledge Biden's win.