China News - 1 November 2021

International

Liz Truss denies privately accusing Beijing of committing Uyghur ‘genocide’. The Times reports today that the foreign secretary accused China of committing genocide in a meeting with Caroline Wilson, the UK ambassador to China. This would represent a marked change from her predecessor, Dominic Raab, who insisted the international community had to be “careful” before making such claims. However, Truss later claimed she “does not recognise those words”. The Times, 1 November

German universities warned Xi is ‘beyond discussion’. Germany’s education minister has told universities to review their relationship with Confucius institutes, after the launch of a German biography of President Xi was cancelled under alleged diplomatic pressure. The Times, 31 October

Chinese bid for Welsh chip factory faces new hurdle. Government advisers have pushed back the conclusion of a security review into the Chinese-backed takeover of Britain’s biggest semiconductor plant until January, when the National Security and Investment Act comes into force, raising the prospect that it could be blocked under new legislation. The Telegraph, 1 November

US and EU strike metals pact to take on China’s ‘steel dumping’. The EU and US announced a new metals alliance on Sunday as part of a two-year ceasefire deal reached for the US to ease tariffs on European steel and aluminium. Biden said it would “restrict access to our markets for dirty steel, from countries like China”. SCMP, Reuters, Politico, 31 October

COP26 and G20

As the first day of COP26 kicks off in Glasgow, we’ll include a daily round-up of the key stories:

China's Xi to address Glasgow COP26 in written statement on Monday. Xi will not address the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow on Monday in person or video, according to the official schedule. Reuters, Politico, SCMP, 1 November

‘If we don’t act now it will be too late’, warns Johnson ahead of Cop26. Boris Johnson said that “too many countries are still doing too little”, comparing the situation to the fate of the Roman empire. The Guardian, The Times, 29 October

US President Joe Biden ‘disappointed’ by Xi, Putin absences at G20. Biden criticised the absence of his Chinese and Russian counterparts at the Rome G20 as “disappointing”, after the collective signed off on a communique which only promised to “pursue efforts” to limit global temperature rises. Xi, who joined virtually, reiterated his stance that the burden primarily lies with developed countries. Politico, SCMP, 31 October

Blinken holds hour-long meeting with Wang Yi; the two clash over US support for Taiwan. The meeting at the sidelines of the G20 seen as laying the groundwork for a virtual summit between Biden and Xi later this year. The Guardian, SCMP, Reuters, Nikkei Asia, 31 October

G20 leaders at odds over Beijing Olympics. The US and Canada objected to a reference to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics — requested by Beijing — “as a symbol of humanity’s resilience and global unity in overcoming Covid-19”. Politico, 30 October

G20: Xi Jinping calls for mutual Covid vaccine approvals based on the WHO’s emergency use list. The Guardian, 30 October

China applies to join digital economy pact, confirming Xi Jinping’s G20 speech. SCMP, 1 November

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng says Britain must develop its own 'homegrown, sovereign renewable energy system'. Kwarteng wrote in The Sunday Telegraph that we need to move to a home-grown, sovereign energy system where we can power our country through renewables generated in this country, rather than elsewhere. Daily Mail, Sunday Telegraph, 31 October

Beijing warns the EU it is putting good relations at risk over Taiwan; Taiwanese Foreign Minister Wu urges partners to step up South China Sea exercises. SCMP, Nikkei Asia, 30 October

China dismisses US intelligence report that says Covid-19 origins may never be known as ‘politically motivated’. SCMP, BBC, NYT, 31 October

Australia offers new permanent visas for Hong Kong nationals. Reuters, 1 November

Economy & tech

China manufacturing slows as property and energy woes hit economy. China’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index was 49.2 in October, below the 50-point threshold that indicates expansion rather than contraction, a second straight month of shrinking. FT, SCMP, The Times, Reuters, Caixin, 31 October

FTSE Russell considers revamping China index after launch of Hong Kong rival. FT, 1 November

Beijing names and shames costly local government projects in bid to curb debt. SCMP, 29 October

China focus

As China implements first law on personal data protection, data officers have become China’s most sought-after staff. The Personal Information Protection Law that was passed in August, went into force on Monday. Chinese data protection officers are now highly sought-after individuals due to the introduction of sweeping data protection laws by Beijing. CGTN, FT, 1 November

China in ‘culture export’ push as it seeks to expand soft power overseas with global media platforms. A group of 17 Chinese government agencies is pushing exports of the country’s “cultural products” to the rest of the world, including helping domestic companies to build up global new media platforms. SCMP, 29 October

TikTok owner ByteDance shortens China work hours, discouraging notorious ‘996’ routine. Washington Post, 1 November

Covid: City in Northeastern China declares a state of emergency as China deals with clusters of outbreaks. SCMP, The Guardian, The Japan Times, 31 October

China’s latest crackdown targets binge eating and wasting food. Bloomberg, 1 November

Opinions & editorial

A liberal market economy offers best way to cut carbon emissions. Mark Littlewood. The Times, 1 November

Asia must help Africa escape worst impacts of climate change. Amit Jain. Nikkei Asia, 1 November

The case for splitting China out of the EM index. Leo Lewis. FT, 31 October

Longer reads

The Corps of Xinjiang. Without understanding the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), it is impossible to understand modern day Xinjiang. Katrina Northrop. The Wire, 31 October

China’s energy crisis. The Communist party may be facing the sort of decline it sees in the West. Ian Williams. The Spectator, 30 October

What Zambia’s new debt reveal tells us about the ‘China debt trap’ theory. Ferdinando Cinotto. The Diplomat, 30 October

Who are China’s new regional party chiefs? Henry Wong and William Zheng. SCMP, 31 October

Wikipedia in Chinese editing war of words. Shiroma Silva. BBC, 30 October