China News - 1 April 2022
International
UK ministers quietly approve Chinese microchip factory takeover. Ministers have decided not to intervene in the takeover of semiconductor producer Newport Wafer Fab by a Chinese-owned firm, following a review by the government’s national security adviser, Sir Stephen Lovegrove. Lovegrove concluded there were not enough security concerns to block it, according to two government officials. CRG co-chair Tom Tugendhat, said: “It’s not clear why we haven’t used our new powers under the National Security and Investment Act to fully review the takeover of one of our leading compound semiconductor companies.” Politico, 1 April
EU-China summit: EU leaders urged to be tough on China if it backs Russia in Ukraine. Chinese leaders want the mood to be “business as usual”, but the summit between China and the European Union today is likely be tense because of China’s cold-blooded response to the invasion of Ukraine. In uncommonly open language, EU officials close to the preparations of the summit said any help given to Russia would damage China's international reputation and jeopardise relations with its biggest trade partners. The Economist, The Guardian, 1 April
UK Government publishes its new six-monthly report on Hong Kong. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss commented: “In less than two years, China's National Security Law in Hong Kong has seen opposition stifled and dissent criminalised. Alternative voices in Hong Kong’s executive, legislature, civil society and media have been all but extinguished.” China on Thursday blamed the resignation of two senior British judges from Hong Kong's highest court on "British pressure" against a sweeping national security law. Gov.uk, Reuters, 31 March
Six UK judges defy calls to leave Hong Kong court. The Times, 1 April
Teach UK students about China to tackle knowledge ‘deficit’, say experts. Research by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Hepi) concluded the UK lacks sufficient knowledge and understanding of China to “make sensible decisions”. The report called for additional government funding to build China competency in the UK education system. The Guardian, 31 March
Australian refinery close to producing country’s first lithium hydroxide for batteries. A joint venture between China’s Tianqi and Australian miner IGO said it was close to producing Australia’s first battery-ready lithium hydroxide, as countries work to loosen China’s stranglehold on the lithium supply chain. FT, 1 April
Solomon Islands says security pact will not allow China to build military base. Reuters, 1 April
China, Cambodia sign military deal as Beijing seeks to counter US influence. Bloomberg, 31 March
Trial of Australian journalist in China on states-secrets charges ends without verdict. WSJ, 31 March
China focus
Covid: Shanghai lockdown extended as outbreaks put economy on the skids. The eastern half of China’s biggest city had been due to emerge on Friday from a four-day lockdown aimed at crushing a persistent outbreak of the Omicron variant, but the extension was announced late on Thursday night. The Guardian, 1 April
In Hong Kong, China’s Covid aid gets the cold shoulder. Disputes about medics, squat toilets and diaper-changing duties underscore longstanding tensions between residents of Hong Kong and the mainland. NYT, 31 March
Chinese chip makers push ahead with expansion plans despite political tensions, talk of supply glut. SCMP, 31 March
Opinion & editorial
The Times view on Hong Kong’s highest court: Denial of Justice. All British judges remaining on the territory’s bench should resign. The Times, 30 March
FT editorial: China’s Indo-Pacific fears show need for diplomacy. War in Ukraine has lessons for the world’s most populous region. FT, 31 March
A final victory for China’s propaganda chiefs. A terrible plane crash prompts a revealing anti-media backlash. Chaguan. The Economist, 1 April
The muddled case against Xi Jinping’s third term. Ling Li. LSE, 31 March
Long reads
Analysis: How Ukraine has been Nazifized in Chinese Information Space? Jerry Yu. Doublethink Lab, 31 March
The US-ASEAN Summit stumble. The Biden administration’s aborted US-ASEAN Summit has handed China an unlikely propaganda victory. Phelim Kline. Politico, 31 March
China: Peeking into the private lives of livestreamers. Zubaidah Abdul Jalil and Tessa Wong. BBC, 1 April