China News - 10 December 2021
International
China committed genocide against Uyghurs, independent tribunal rules. The Uyghur Tribunal cited birth control and sterilisation measures allegedly carried out by the state against the Uyghurs as the primary reason for reaching its conclusion on Thursday. Sir Geoffrey Nice, a prominent British barrister who chaired the tribunal hearings, said its panel was satisfied China had carried out "a deliberate, systematic and concerted policy" to bring about "long-term reduction of Uyghur and other ethnic minority populations". BBC, Sky News, The Guardian, UT judgement, 9 December
US House passes Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Bloomberg, 9 December
Summit for democracy: China is a threat to democratic way of life, says Joe Biden at summit. President Biden urged an invited group of world leaders to “lock arms” against autocracies at an online democracy summit today seen as a US-led counterweight to China’s growing global influence. In response, the Chinese government has issued a flurry of white papers and seminars extolling the advantages of China’s political system. The Times, FT, 10 December
Lithuania braces for China-led corporate boycott. Beijing has told multinationals to sever ties with Lithuania or face being shut out of the Chinese market, a senior government official and an industry body told Reuters. Reuters, 10 December
Nicaragua cuts diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognises Beijing. The move has reduced the number of Taipei’s allies to 14. FT, 9 December
A European first: UK cuts technology trade deal with Singapore. It is the first digitally-focused trade agreement ever signed by a European nation. City AM, UK Gov announcement, 9 December
China says Australia, UK and US will ‘pay price’ for Winter Olympics snub. The UN Secretary General is set to attend, while Macron said that France has no plans to join a diplomatic boycott, saying any move would be insignificant and merely symbolic. BBC, The Guardian, 9 December
China: editorial says Communist party members must have three children. The Guardian, SCMP, 10 December
This weekend: G7 Foreign and Development Ministers meet in Liverpool.
Economy & tech
Evergrande rated ‘restricted default’ by Fitch after missed payment. It became the first rating agency to declare that Evergrande’s overseas bonds are in default. FT, 10 December
Lotus prepares relaunch under China’s Geely — with SUV. Given that Lotus’s newest UK plant in Hethel, Norfolk, has a capacity of 1,500 cars a year, the Wuhan facility’s projected capacity of 150,000 indicates a decisive shift in the company’s manufacturing gravity to China. FT, 10 December
US considers banning key exports to Chinese chipmaker SMIC. WSJ, 9 December
US-China tech war: China to overtake America in core 21st century technologies within next decade, Harvard report predicts. SCMP, 10 December
Opinion & editorial
Opinion: Xi faces the dilemma of China’s imperial rulers. James Kynge. FT, 9 December
The Times view on President Biden’s ‘Summit of Democracy’: Democratic Party. The Times, 10 December
The US won’t fight to save Taiwan or Ukraine. Gerard Baker. The Times, 10 December
China’s 20th anniversary as a WTO member triggers mixed emotions. Alan Beattie in Trade Secrets. FT, 10 December
New Zealand isn’t naive about China – but it doesn’t accept the Aukus worldview. Robert G Patman. The Guardian, 10 December
Long reads
China courts global capital, on its own terms. China is pursuing a strategy of asymmetric decoupling: reducing its dependence on the West even as it seeks to increase the West’s dependence on China. The Economist, 10 December
Shein: the Chinese company storming the world of fast fashion. Shein has seized over a quarter of the US fast-fashion market in 12 years. FT, 9 December
America worries about China’s military ambitions in Africa. The Economist, 10 December
CCTV - A Trojan horse in international news dissemination? Stockholm Free World Forum, 9 December