China News - 10 December 2020
International
Details revealed of secret deal that gave Chinese spies free rein in Switzerland. The full text of a secret deal between Switzerland and China that allowed Chinese security officials access to the country at Swiss taxpayers’ expense has been revealed for the first time as the government pushes to renew it. Readmission deals are a regular part of international law, but Safeguard Defenders said the 2015 arrangement with Beijing, which was not reciprocal, was of “an entirely different character” from others signed by Switzerland. The Guardian, Safeguard Defenders, 9 December
Hong Kong activists meet British Home Secretary Priti Patel as she finalises plans to let BNO passport holders move to UK. Priti Patel held a one-hour meeting in Westminster with Nathan Law and Beatrice Li, whose brother Andy Li was one of 12 people detained by Shenzhen authorities while attempting to flee Hong Kong for Taiwan in August. More than 216,000 residents of Hong Kong received BNO passports during the first 10 months of 2020. SCMP, 10 December
China imposes temporary anti-subsidy charges on Australian wine imports. Additional tariffs of 6% will be levied on wine imports, on top of existing anti-dumping tariffs of up to 212%. Already this week, China has blocked timber imports from two Australian states and banned beef imports from another meatworks. Bloomberg, Reuters, 10 December
Xi and Macron discuss China-France relations on phone call. French media highlighted discussion of climate change, Hong Kong and Xinjiang, Covid-19 and debt agreements. Chinese state media listed 8 consensus topics, including the Olympics the China-EU investment agreement - but did not mention human rights issues. Le Figaro, CGTN, French communique, 9 December
New Christmas campaign for Canadians held in China. The campaign is led by a former British diplomat, Charles Parton, who is a friend of Michael Kovrig from when they were both diplomats in Beijing close to a decade ago. BBC, 10 December
Europe, US should coordinate to say say 'no' to China's 'wolf-warrior' diplomacy, says EU ambassador to China. Reuters, 10 December
US
China revokes visa exemptions for U.S. diplomat passport holders visiting Hong Kong, Macau in retaliation against new US sanctions on Chinese officials. Reuters, SCMP, 10 December
China-US relations: Beijing says Twitter hacked after Chinese Embassy retweeted Trump election claim. BBC, Sky News, 10 December
Pompeo shames MIT, calls Chinese authorities ‘jackbooted thugs’ in provocative remarks about academic freedom at Georgia Tech University. SCMP, 9 December
Hunter Biden investigated by US authorities in relation to business dealings in China. The Times, 10 December
China watch
China works to improve personal insurance coverage, quality. Xinhua.
Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law guides law-based governance in China. Xinhua.
Nestle launches plant-based Harvest Gourmet brand in China, amid increasing demand for meat alternatives. Reuters.
Economy & tech
U.S. lawmakers ask Intel, Nvidia about sale of tech to China used against Uighurs. Reuters, 9 December
How Chinese apartment rental giant Danke fell apart. It faces disputes over $500m of debts. Caixin, 10 December
Longer reads & opinion
Can Britain afford to turn down Chinese investment? Since 2017, the UK government has intervened in 4 takeovers by Chinese firms. But over 40 per cent of Chinese takeovers since 2010 were in a sensitive industry. New Statesman, 9 December
The plunge in Chinese overseas lending is a big deal. In this new era, when Chinese foreign policy in places like Africa will no longer be predicated on access to seemingly endless supplies of state-backed capital, the ramifications are going to be absolutely enormous - including levelling the playing field for US, Europe and others. China Africa Project, 10 December
Is the UK still an AI leader? In 2019, McKinsey Global Institute placed the UK in the top quartile for “AI readiness”. Raconteur, 10 December
Hong Kong democracy fighters face a dire choice: Go abroad or go to jail. Washington Post, 9 December
Podcast: Why Africa borrowed billions of dollars from China. Bloomberg, 10 December
Understanding China’s corporate social credit system. Trivium China, Bloomberg report, 16 November