‘The firm’ leads US efforts to ease blowback for countries targeted by China

News Snapshot:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Business is good at “the firm.” The eight-person team at the State Department is leading Washington’s efforts to ease the economic blowback for countries targeted by China. It emerged in the scramble to help Lithuania during a spat with China over Taiwan two years ago. Today, “the firm” is helping growing numbers of nations cope with what diplomats call economic coercion from Beijing. Countries “knock on the door, they call,” Undersecretary of State Jose Fernandez told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “We run a consulting firm that does not have to advertise for clients, as...