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Israeli Military Faces Deadliest Day in Recent Offensive; US- Israel Rift Over Gaza Offensive; Ukraine's Plea for Aid Met with Congressional Opposition; Ukraine Cyber Attack Raises Suspicions of Russian Involvement; COP28 Draft Deal Sparks Debate; Vietnam: 36 Cooperation Deals Signed During Xi's Visit to Hanoi; Leaders to Meet Thursday Amid Growing Territorial Dispute. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired December 13, 2023 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN INT ANCHOR: Coming up here on CNN, the Israeli military confirms one of the deadliest attacks by Hamas since the ground offensive began. Seven soldiers, including a battalion commander, killed in northern Gaza. From as long as it takes to as long as we can. The U.S. president walks back a rock-solid commitment to Ukraine as Republicans in Congress block billions in wartime funding. And at COP28, the only phasing out of fossil fuels seems to be in the wording of the summit's final agreement.
We begin this out with breaking news from northern Gaza, one of the deadliest days for the Israeli military since the beginning of the war. Since ground operations began more than six weeks ago. According to the IDF, seven soldiers, including a battalion commander, were killed in a single incident in northern Gaza. Overall, 113 Israeli troops have been killed in this ground offensive, which continues to expand across Gaza in hunt for Hamas leadership and Hamas infrastructure. Elliot Gotkine is following developments. He joins us live from London. So, Elliot, the IDF is usually very cautious, very guarded about releasing precise details of how and where and when soldiers are killed. So, with that in mind, what is known at this point about the incident?
ELLIOT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: John, as you can imagine, details still pretty sketchy. But as you say, the headline there is that seven Israeli soldiers, all from the same Golani Brigade, this is a commando unit, being killed in a single incident. Another Israeli soldier was killed in another incident inside Gaza. And this makes it one of the deadliest days for the IDF since ground operations began towards the end of October.
And as you say, that takes the total death toll for IDF soldiers to 113 inside the Gaza Strip, since those ground operations began in earnest. And I suppose as Israel focuses its attention on Khan Younis, the second biggest city in the Gaza Strip in the south, where it believes leaders like Yahya Sinwar and other masterminds of the October the 7th massacre are hiding in tunnels underground, it shows that the job still isn't done in the northern part.
Now, we heard the defense minister, Yoav Galan, just the other day talking about Israel having encircled Jabalia and also Shajaya, where we believe this incident took place. It's just east of Gaza City. And it just shows that the job is not done and that it's not going to be easy either, despite Israel's presumed superiority when it comes to equipment and the like. And there are dangers still there. And I suppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underlined that when he went to speak to soldiers at an Air Force base yesterday. And he talked about four out of five Hasmoneans falling in their battle with the Greeks during the festival, which is what Jews around the world are celebrating in the festival of Hanukkah, relating back to that story, four out of five Hasmoneans falling.
In other words, Israel very much expecting, not wanting, but clearly expecting, that this incident, as grave as it is, will not be the last and that the fighting is still incredibly bitter and fierce in the northern part of the Gaza Strip and will no doubt be the same in the southern part and that those casualty figures will go up, John.
VAUSE: Thank you, Elliot Gotkin in London with the latest. Appreciate that. Thank you. Standing by in Washington at this hour, is retired U.S. Air Force colonel and CNN military analyst, Cedric Leighton. Good to see you, Colonel. Thanks for staying up.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON (RET), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You bet, John. Good to be with you.
VAUSE: Okay, so we don't know a lot at this point, but we do know it happened in northern Gaza, an area which the Israeli defense minister said should be sort of fairly secure or close to it. We also know a battalion commander is among the dead. So, piece together what may have happened here. What would a battalion commander be doing with six other soldiers in an area which was meant to be, at least, secure or on its way to being secured?
LEIGHTON: Yeah, normally a battalion commander would be a little bit back from the front line or the point of contact with enemy forces. So, it's unusual that this happened in this particular way. As Elliot mentioned in his report, this garrison brigade is a commando unit. There's a lot of special forces type elements associated with it. There's also the possibility that somebody from Israeli Air Force: Special Forces, was part of this operation and was unfortunately killed in this as well. So as far as what could have happened here, it sounds like it may have been something where they thought they could set up a battalion headquarters, a forward headquarters, and that headquarters was either compromised or somehow attacked either by booby trap or some other means.
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And that was what possibly resulted in these deaths. So, if that is the case, you know, it clearly represents the possibility that Hamas is, you know, not only still alive and moving around in northern Gaza, but it also represents the possibility that they have capabilities that the Israelis have not been able to neutralize at this point. And that, of course, spells difficulties and potential danger for other Israeli forces in that area.
VAUSE: And we know that this is a ground offensive which began in northern Gaza. It moved to the central part of Gaza. It's now moving into the south around the city of Khan Younis, the second biggest city in Gaza. In the lead up, though, to this ground offensive, there was a lot of talk about Hamas wanting to draw in the Israelis. It would be a quagmire. They would be able to spring out from tunnels and there'd be, you know, ambushes, that kind of stuff, all around the next corner. But so far, the IDF death toll, which stands at 113 without sounding macabre, that seems to be relatively low compared to what we were told to expect.
LEIGHTON: Yeah, it is certainly quite low. And that's, you know, very good for the Israelis. And it does show that there is a high degree of knowledge that they're going into there, their professionalism, their use of intelligence. The tactical sense is quite good. And they also take measures to protect their troops, which make a difference on the battlefield. And they're somewhat similar to what American ground forces would employ in similar situations. The idea that the Israelis, you know, would have difficulty in these areas is, of course, something we all talked about. The fact that the death toll seems to be so low is, you know, clearly a sign that the Israelis knew to expect this and that they've also moved their forces in a way that allows them to perhaps, you know, look at what Hamas is doing, learn from it, and then also lay in wait for them.
There have been some incidents where the IDF has confronted Hamas fighters as they've exited or entered tunnels. And those firefights have been fairly consistent throughout the northern part of Gaza and also in parts of the central areas, especially in Gaza City. So we know that there's a lot of fighting going on in these areas. And the fact that, you know, it seems pretty clear that Hamas' death toll is actually much, much higher than the Israeli death toll at this point.
VAUSE: And one aspect of the Israeli death toll, which seems, I don't know, you tell me, is this surprising. According to the Times of Israel, the IDF says the deaths of 20 out of 105 soldiers killed in Gaza were friendly fire. Does that strike you as being unusually high?
LEIGHTON: That is considering the number of deaths, the total number of deaths that have been reported so far. That does seem unusually high. Yes. So, you know, we're approaching, you know, the 17 to 20 percent range there. And that, you know, is, I think, very, very high. And it does show that there are some difficulties in moving in this kind of an environment. You know, we're assuming, of course, that those friendly fire incidents were not deliberate incidents that have happened in other conflicts. But in this particular case, I think what you're seeing is the, you know, the difficulty of urban combat and the fact that you can't always distinguish friend or foe. And that becomes a difficult issue to extrapolate from.
And it also means that the Israelis have to be a bit careful. With such a fairly high rate of friendly fire incidents. So, it's something that, you know, clearly is a training issue and an operational issue as well for them.
VAUSE: Colonel Leighton, good day with you, sir. We appreciate your time. Appreciate your analysis. Thank you.
LEIGHTON: You bet, John.
VAUSE: US President Joe Biden says failure to fund Ukraine's fight against Russia will be, quote, the greatest Christmas gift for Vladimir Putin. Mr. Biden has been meeting with the Ukrainian president at the White House. They've both been imploring lawmakers, especially Republican lawmakers, to approve more military financial assistance, which will soon run out. President Biden had previously promised American support for Ukraine will last as long as it takes. Tuesday, well, that was revised downward, saying the US will supply Ukraine with weapons and equipment for as long as we can.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Putin is banking on the United States failing to deliver for Ukraine. We must. We must. We must prove him wrong.
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VAUSE: It was a standing ovation from Republicans in Congress, but there was no more money. And unless Republicans get their way on immigration control and border security, there will be no more money. Neither side seems likely to happen. Neither of this is likely to happen before the end of the year. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy laid out his military aims for defeating Russia, but defied calls for Ukraine to give up any of its territory in any kind of peace deal with Russia, saying that's insane.
CNN's Manu Raju reports on the impasse in Congress and why President Zelenskyy has not been able to move the needle.
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MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fears in the Capitol that Ukraine aid could be stalled permanently amid a dispute over immigration that has completely stymied negotiations in the Senate. Republicans are demanding that aid to Ukraine be paired with stricter border policies. And Democrats say that what the Republicans are proposing is just far too much than they are willing to accept.
The end result, a bill that they tried to advance, Democrats did without those stricter border measures, failed in the Senate on Wednesday evening. Now, one of the key Republican negotiators, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, told me that he believes that something needs to be done now because there will be a migrant surge at the border, even worse than now, if Donald Trump becomes president and migrants believing that they need to come over the border now before 2025.
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): So, you have a president who is going to be on the border now, a presidential candidate who says he will close the border on day one. Donald Trump said that within the last 48 hours. He is likely to be the nominee and likely to win the race. What do you think is going to happen with future flows next year? They're going to double over the four-time increase in the last year of Trump.
RAJU: But there is so much uncertainty about how this ultimately will get resolved. Given the divide over the policy, as well as the process, the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, wants to move these bills individually. Ukraine aid, Israel aid, as well as dealing with the border, the border tied to Ukraine. Democrats want Israel and Ukraine and everything else tied together as one big package. But they first have to agree on the policy.
They're nowhere near an agreement on that, which is why there is a belief in the Capitol that members will leave town for the holidays without dealing with aid to Ukraine at a time when the White House warns that urgent action is needed, or Ukraine will be kneecapped in its war against Russia. Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill
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VAUSE: Matthew Schmidt is an associate professor of national security at the University of New Haven. He's also a foreign policy expert, including Russia and Ukraine. Good to have you with us.
MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ASSOC. PROF. OF NATIONAL SECURITY, UNIV. OF NEW HAVEN: Great to be back, John.
VAUSE: Okay, so the focus for many Republican lawmakers was, hey, nothing personal, Ukraine. We really like you. We just don't trust you with all this about, you know, essentially being we want accountability for taxpayer dollars. Here's House Speaker Mike Johnson.
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MIKE JOHNSON, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER (R): What the Biden administration seems to be asking for is billions of additional dollars. With no appropriate oversight, no clear strategy to win, and none of the answers that I think the American people are owed.
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VAUSE: It's a valid regional question, which has been asked multiple times already, right? And so is it so urgent right now to ask this question again and put all that financial aid on hold, given the consequences of those actions?
SCHMIDT: It's a canard to suggest that corruption in Ukraine has been large enough to, you know, to raise questions about the values, about the value of American aid. There's simply no evidence of it. In fact, there's plenty of evidence that the Zelenskyy administration, which came into office to fight corruption and its original platform, has been doing that pretty successfully. And it's frankly Republicans lying to the American public who pay about 50 cents a day per person since 2022. But half of that money goes to American companies. And they're simply not telling that side of the story. VAUSE: Okay, so again, one of the arguments coming from Republicans, and it's reflected a little bit in public opinion, is that the war is costing too much, not spending enough at home, and there's too little return from what's happening in Ukraine. Here's Republican Senator J.D. Vance.
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J.D. VANCE: U.S. SENATE REPUBLICAN: They have made no significant progress despite hundreds of billions of dollars of American aid. Is another $100 billion really going to accomplish anything? Or will it take Ukraine further down the pathway of becoming effectively a dependent of the United States of America?
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VAUSE: Here are the facts, though. According to a U.S. assessment, since the war began in February last year, more than 300,000 Russian troops have been killed in action out of an initial force of 360,000. Out of 2,200 Russian tanks -- Also, 2,200 Russian tanks have been destroyed. And 4,500 APCs and infantry fighting vehicles also destroyed. And overall, this assessment has found the war has sharply set back 15 years of Russian efforts to modernise its ground force. All that in a bag of chips. Isn't that alone worth $100 billion?
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SCHMIDT: Easily. Again, this is costing Americans 50 cents a day just for the last two years. This is less than 1% of federal expenditures. To degrade the world's largest nuclear power by 15 years of military advancement is an incredible bargain. And to it, again, most of the money that Americans pay ends up in American companies. It goes to defense contractors. It goes to contractors who provide the government aid and the humanitarian aid in Ukraine. It's providing American jobs. And Republicans simply aren't being honest about that side of the ledger. At least not this time. They were earlier when they were voting for these bills.
VAUSE: And here's how Senator Vance would like to end the bloodshed in Ukraine. This is the plan. Republican Senator says Ukraine should cede land and cut a deal with Putin to end the war. There it is. You know, right now, 1937 is calling, and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain wants his appeasement policy back. So, is that where we're at?
SCHMIDT: I think Ukraine has an uphill battle in their original goal to actually push out all Russian soldiers from their territory. I think that's going to be hard to achieve in the next year. That doesn't mean they haven't done tremendous things to get this far. And it doesn't mean that they won't get back their territory eventually. But it's going to be slower than they hoped. And the U.S. has every reason to stay in this fight, you know, to secure Ukraine into the future, economic reasons and national security reasons. And this year is going to be crucial, John. The election in the U.S. is a variable that Zelenskyy doesn't control. And it's a critical, critical variable for the success of his war effort. VAUSE: And the problem is we're heading into winter, and winter is not a good time for the Ukrainians at the moment. It's a good time for the Russians to dig in. A lot of things going against them right now. Matthew, thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.
SCHMIDT: My pleasure.
VAUSE: Well, Ukraine has been targeted by one of the most severe cyber-attacks since the war with Russia began. Kyivstar, Ukraine's largest cell phone operator, was hacked, disrupting air raid siren systems along with phone and banking services for millions of people. Authorities say they're investigating if Russian special services were behind the hack. Moscow routinely denies involvement in cyber-attacks, but U.S. and Ukrainian officials and private experts say Russian- backed hackers have carried out an array of cyber-attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure since the war began.
Up next here on CNN, Israel opens two border crossings for aid inspections, but not for the direct delivery of supplies into Gaza. The U.S. is now pushing for that to change. And in Dubai, calls for a greener future. Coming up, a new draft deal has just been announced. A draft, but does it go far enough to slow climate change? Three guesses, no, no, and no. The latest from COP28.
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VAUSE: Welcome back. A growing rift between the U.S. and Israel is now becoming increasingly public. It's being driven by Israel's determination to destroy Hamas no matter what the cost and U.S. concerns over a growing number of civilian casualties. CNN's Alex Marquardt has the details now reporting in from Tel Aviv.
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ALEX MARQUARDT, CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The deeper Israel gets into its war in Gaza, the more discomfort the U.S. is expressing as Israel's closest ally. The most pointed comments yet from President Joe Biden, telling donors that Israel is losing global support. And that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to change tactics, which Biden says is difficult with Israel's current government, the most right-wing in Israeli history.
The conservative pull by far-right ministers means Israel, quote, doesn't want a two-state solution, Biden said.
BIDEN: Two states for two peoples, and it's more important now than ever.
MARQUARDT (voice-over): All indications are that is not Netanyahu's goal. In a taped message before Biden's comments, Netanyahu admitted there are differences in who the two countries believe will govern Palestinians after the war. But Netanyahu knows how critical American support is, thanking the U.S. after it was the only country to vote against the U.N. Security Council's resolution for an immediate ceasefire.
Israel is still battling militants in Gaza's north while pushing south. The IDF claims to have killed an estimated 7,000 militants, while the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health says that over 18,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with almost the entire population displaced. Biden's national security advisor is telling CNN that Israel must open this Kerem Shalom border crossing to allow aid directly into Gaza.
Jake Sullivan says they're telling Israel it's an emergency. We are asking you to do this ASAP, he says, because of the nature of the humanitarian situation on the ground. We saw aid trucks being inspected, but they're still being routed through Egypt.
MARQUARDT: Right here is where Egypt, Israel, and the Gaza Strip all meet. These trucks coming into Israel from Egypt could, in theory, go straight into Gaza to deliver that aid, but for now, that is something the Israeli government is not allowing. Humanitarian groups describe horrendous conditions for displaced Palestinians. This mother trying to push rainwater out of the tent that she shares with nine children, including a baby.
Damn Hamas and Israel. It's enough for us, says Fatma. Have mercy on us and stop or let Israel kill us all and give us relief. Thirteen- year-old Rana says her family has nine people in their tent, also full of water. My siblings are freezing, Rana says. We don't know what to do. We want to go back to our homes and not drown. Alex Marquardt, CNN, Tel Aviv.
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VAUSE: Joining me now from Jerusalem is Shaina Low, communication advisor at the Norwegian Refugee Council. Thank you for being with us.
SHAINA LOW, COMMUNICATION ADVISOR, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: Thank you.
VAUSE: One thing is clear right now. Most of the world wants a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. There was overwhelming support for a non-binding resolution at the UN General Assembly. Israel, notably the US and eight others, do not. Here's the US ambassador to the UN. Listen to this.
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LINDA THOMAS-GREENFILED, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Any ceasefire right now would be temporary at the best and dangerous at worst. Dangerous to Israelis, who would be subject to relentless attacks, and also dangerous to Palestinians, who deserve the chance to build a better future for themselves free from Hamas.
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VAUSE: Really? You know, the long-term risk to Palestinians in Gaza from Hamas reigning in power seems kind of not the same as the risk they're facing right now from the Israeli military offensive, starvation, an outbreak of disease, and total breakdown in society. There are priorities here, right? And that isn't one of them, it seems.
LOW: Yeah, you're absolutely right. The US position on this is just blatantly wrong. Palestinians in Gaza are suffering in unspeakable ways. I personally have lost the vocabulary to describe the catastrophe befalling the 2.3 million people living in Gaza. Who have been under siege, complete siege for more than two months now, who are lacking basic supplies, many of whom are already at risk of starvation because of lack of food, rampant spreading of diseases. And unsanitary conditions in which there are so few toilets available, people are defecating in public, causing other health concerns. This is how desperate the situation is. And we desperately need a ceasefire now.
The Palestinians remain under attack, and we need to put an end to it now, and then we can start bringing in, scaling up our humanitarian assistance. But so long as hostilities are ongoing, we humanitarian organizations, are struggling to reach those who need aid the most.
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Particularly those who have been in the north, who have been cut off from almost all aid, aside from the seven-day humanitarian pause. We desperately need a permanent, sustained ceasefire now. This is not going to be resolved through ongoing hostilities.
VAUSE: Right now, the only way into and out of Gaza for people or for goods, it's via the Rafah crossing in the south on the border with Egypt. There is also the Erez crossing in the north, which was destroyed by Hamas on October 7, but was primarily only for foot traffic for people. There is also the Kerem Shalom crossing, which was designated for the transportation of goods. That remains closed. It's controlled by Israel. If it was reopened for convoys of humanitarian aid, what impact would that have? And would it be immediately felt? Is that any good at this point without a ceasefire, I guess, is the caveat here.
LOW: Well, we desperately need more aid coming in no matter what. Obviously, the ideal circumstances to be distributing that aid would be with a cessation of hostilities and a longstanding ceasefire. But the Kerem Shalom crossing must be open. And there are a few reasons why. The first is that Israel, since 1967, has occupied the Gaza Strip. And that occupation comes with certain obligations towards the Palestinian people who are protected under international humanitarian law.
Israel must provide for the basic necessities for survival for those people. And they are not. The second thing is a logistical issue, which is that first of all, Kerem Shalom is designed for the transport of goods. The Rafah crossing is for pedestrians. And so logistically, it's been a real hassle to get things through. Additionally, many humanitarian organizations are not registered in Egypt. And it's taking us some time to work to try and get that registration, which requires us to build partnerships with organizations that are registered in Egypt. The logistics, the ability to get things in quickly is very slow. Many humanitarian organizations, including partners of the Norwegian Refugee Council, have aid pre-positioned in either the West Bank or in Jordan. And it would be much easier and less expensive to bring in goods through Kerem Shalom without having to go through Egypt and deal with the Egyptian authorities on top of the Israeli and Palestinian authorities.
VAUSE: We know Erez was damaged and is not functioning. And as we say, it's mostly for pedestrians, mostly for foot traffic. Is there any reason that the Israelis have given that at this point, Kerem Shalom could not be open on a limited basis? Is it operational? Is it fully functioning? Is there any other reason that it cannot be open? Apart from the Israelis just don't want it to be open. Is there any other official reason that you've received?
LOW: My understanding is that it's purely political. The crossing, obviously, it has the means of being able to do the scanning and checks that Israel is insisting upon. And so, if trucks are going in through Kerem Shalom, being checked there and then brought back to Rafah, there's no reason why the trucks should not be able to pass directly through Kerem Shalom and into Gaza which would help relieve the bottlenecking that we're seeing at Rafah, because it simply is a crossing that is not intended for the transport of goods.
VAUSE: Shaina Low, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate your understanding and also your time to tell us what's happening and what isn't happening, I guess, more importantly. Thank you.
LOW: Thank you.
VAUSE: A new draft deal to fight climate change has been announced at the COP28 summit in Dubai. This comes after a backlash over Monday's watered-down proposal. The new text mentions transitioning away from fossil fuels but does not oblige countries to phase them out completely. That's been a major sticking point for oil-producing nations, you know, like the UAE, the host of this year's COP28. Instead, it presents a series of eight options to reduce emissions, asking countries to, quote, contribute to the goal of net zero carbon by 2050.
Environmental organizations are describing it as a significant step towards curbing fossil fuels, but it could be stronger, to say the least. Still to come, smiles, handshakes, back-slapping in Vietnam. We're China's Xi Jinping. He's hailing a shared future between the neighboring countries. Live report from Beijing on Xi's state visit at the moment.
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VAUSE: Welcome back to our viewers around the world. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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Among the dozens of deals signed by China's President Xi Jinping during his two-day state visit to Vietnam, and agreement on maritime security in the disputed South China Sea might just be the most significant.
Chinese state media reports that Xi described China's relationship with Vietnam as a priority in neighborhood diplomacy. His visit comes just months after U.S. President Joe Biden was in Vietnam, hoping to strengthen ties with China's neighbor.
CNN's Marc Stewart live this hour for us in Beijing.
So, this is one of the flashpoint issues if you like, the dispute in the South China Sea. It is a dispute that China has with many of its neighbors. So, what does this deal actually stake out, and how does it actually, I guess, improve the relationship?
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is still going to be tension, John, in the South China Sea, even though there is this agreement to help do some patrols in the Gulf of Tonkin, which has been a contentious area off the coast of Vietnam.
The fact that these two nations are talking, the fact that they have agreed to alert each other if there is, you know, quote, suspicious fishing activity. It shows that these two nations are talking.
To be honest with you, the real headline is the fact that Xi Jinping and Vietnam are having some very visible conversations. As you mentioned, this has been described as neighborhood diplomacy.
We have two nations right next to each other, two communist nations, but also two countries that are also trying to establish their -- their own presence within the region.
Right now, Vietnam has been under a very bright spotlight. It was just earlier this year that President Joe Biden was there. A lot of American companies are expressing interest in Vietnam as a manufacturing alternative to China, which of course, is the world's second largest economy.
So, Vietnam is very much in the spotlight. This visit is a way for Xi Jinping to also let Vietnam and the rest of the world know that, hey, we are here.
President Xi so far has met with Vietnam's prime minister. He's expected to meet with his -- with the president later in the day. So, that obviously is going to be very symbolic.
We are also monitoring reporting on this visit from Chinese state media. And I think you alluded to some of that earlier, John.
But this is a chance for -- for Xi to show that China has support from its neighbor. In fact, Xinhua, which is one of the news agencies here in China, reported that Xi said that he believes Vietnam will continue to support China in opposing external interference and firmly advancing the cause of national reunification and, in many ways, this is a veiled reference to Washington and the West.
This is a big deal for Xi to be here, because it's been a while since he has been there. John, marks his first visit to Vietnam in six years.
A lot of these agreements we talked about, a lot of them not a surprise, a lot of it is symbolic, but it is certainly generating headlines not only in Vietnam but here in China, where Xi Jinping is definitely trying to establish this idea of a second world order, an alternative, John, to the West.
VAUSE: Marc, thank you. Marc Stewart bringing us some details and some context, live from Beijing. Thank you.
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Just ahead here on CNN, look who's talking! The leaders of Venezuela and Guyana plan to meet over a territorial dispute as fears grow over a possible conflict.
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VAUSE: Argentina is set to devalue the peso by more than 50 percent to try and reign in hyperinflation.
The conversion right now changes from 360 pesos to the U.S. dollar to 800 pesos, part of a raft of emergency measures announced on Tuesday with cuts to public works, projects, and energy subsidies.
The reforms come just days into the term of the new president, who campaigned on a pledge to end the peso and replace it with the dollar. The president says during his inauguration on Sunday the country will have to endure a period of hardship before moving forward.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says he'll sit down with the president of neighboring Guyana on Thursday to discuss a growing territorial dispute.
Venezuela has proposed creating its own state on a massive oil-rich stretch of land inside Guyana, raising fears of conflict. It's a dispute that goes back more than a century, as CNN's Isa Soares reports.
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ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's an outlandish attempt at a land grab that has the world on edge.
"Long live the full map of Venezuela." This is President Nicolas Maduro, revealing his new vision: a larger, a more powerful Venezuela, which includes Essequibo, a lush and vast patch of land that makes up two-thirds of neighboring Guyana.
Maduro is now threatening to invade Guyana, after an incendiary referendum at home backed his bid to claim sovereignty over the territory.
"Let's publish and take to all the schools, high schools and universities of the country the new map of Venezuela," he says.
Across the border, Guyana's president, Irfaan Ali, is ringing alarm bells.
IRFAAN ALI, PRESIDENT OF GUYANA: This is a direct threat to Guyana's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence.
SOARES (voice-over): Roughly the size of Florida, Essequibo has been a part of Ghana since 1899, when international arbitrators set the current borders.
Venezuela has long sought to control the territory. And the discovery of more than 11 billion barrels of oil and gas off Guyana's coast by oil giant ExxonMobil in 2015, which put the country on track to become the country's world's highest per capita oil producer, has only emboldened Maduro.
Now he's escalating tensions even further, naming a major general as the head of a new Essequibo state, and telling oil companies operating in the region they have three months to pack up and leave.
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This as he orders Venezuela's national oil company to start exploring the area.
"Immediately, we'll proceed to give operating licenses for the exploration and exploitation of oil, gas and mines in all of Guyana's Essequibo," he says.
It's a move out of President Putin's playbook, and the fear, Guyana's president tells me, is that Maduro feels empowered by the Russian leader's invasion of Ukraine.
ALI: We cannot allow a situation like Ukraine in this Western hemisphere. We cannot allow the annexation of the territory in this Western hemisphere.
SOARES (voice-over): Allies and neighbors, too, are taking note. Brazil's President Lula da Silva has ordered additional troops and armored vehicles to his Northern border.
"Something we don't need in South America is war. We don't need a war. We don't need conflict," he says. "What we need is to build peace."
A long-time ally, the United States is conducting flight operations within Guyana while throwing its support for the country's sovereignty and robust security.
Isa Soares, CNN, London.
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VAUSE: Scientists have seen a rare glimpse of the aftermath of a supernova. Astronomers say this image, captured by the James Webb space telescope, reveals the closest and most detailed look inside an exploded star.
The supernova remnant, Cassiopeia A, has intrigued scientists for decades, and analyzing the image could help researchers better understand the process that the -- the processes that fuel these explosive events. Sorry about that.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Back with more news at the top of the hour. WORLD SPORT is up next.
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