China News - 10 February 2022
International
China ‘threatens families to silence Uyghur exiles in Britain’. Interviews with the diaspora, conducted by the civil liberties group Index on Censorship, have revealed details of how Uyghurs in the UK are being intimidated into silence by Chinese authorities. Foreign Office officials have said they are aware of reports of Uyghurs being “harassed by the Chinese authorities in an effort to intimidate them into silence, force them to return to China, or co-opt them into providing information on other Uyghurs”. The Times, 10 February
Today in Parliament
Backbench Business debate: Motion on UK-Taiwan friendship and cooperation. China Research Group co-chair Alicia Kearns will lead a debate in the House of Commons on the UK’s relationship with Taiwan and the areas that the UK can deepen cooperation with the island. You’ll be able watch it here.
Nationality and Borders Bill amendment. An adjusted amendment to Damian Green’s Nationality and Borders Bill, which seeks to offer a route to settlement for young Hong Kongers currently ineligible for the BNO visa scheme, is set to be debated at committee stage in the House of Lords.
China suspends Lithuanian beef imports as Taiwan row grows. China’s General Administration of Customs said it has suspended imports of beef from Lithuania after Britain said on Monday it will join the US and Australia in backing an EU trade case against China at the World Trade Organization over Beijing's alleged trade curbs on Lithuania. Reuters, Al Jazeera, 10 February
‘You’re treated like a spy’: US accused of racial profiling over China Initiative. A programme to ‘counter Chinese national security threats’ continues to spread fear among academics with links to China. The Guardian, 10 February
Somaliland touts oil and shared values as it offers Taiwan gateway into Africa. The visiting foreign minister of Somaliland has invited Taiwan to invest in his country’s oil and businesses, as the self-declared East African country resists pressure from Beijing over exchanging de facto embassies with the island. SCMP, 9 February
Pro-China Twitter accounts flood hashtag critical of Beijing Winter Olympics. Researchers say many accounts are largely automated and are meant to drown out calls by advocacy groups to boycott the Beijing Games. WSJ, 8 February
Beijing Winter Olympics star Eileen Gu wins over public and brands by avoiding politics. FT, 9 February
Early ‘lab-grown’ Covid virus found in sample lends weight to lab leak theory. The Telegraph, 9 February
Economy & tech
Chip company Arm’s float ambitions risk being ‘scuttled’ by China boss. The British microchip company Arm faces having to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to Allen Wu, the head of its troublesome Chinese joint venture, as it tries to get its accounts in shape for a blockbuster flotation. Arm said recently that it had been blocked from auditing the accounts of Arm China, in which it has a 47% stake, and that it was also investigating suspicious payments made to senior executives at the business. The Telegraph, 9 February
China revises draft rules on data security for business sectors. The updated rules, published by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), removes a previous statement that "core data," defined as data that poses a "serious threat" to China's national and economic interests, must not leave the country. Reuters, 10 February
Mandarin Oriental chief pushes for execs to temporarily relocate from Hong Kong. James Riley said the isolated city has become a “very poor” base as a result of strict coronavirus restrictions. FT, 10 February
Beijing’s ‘best efforts’ defended after failing to meet trade-deal terms. SCMP, 9 February
Coronavirus: Chinese firm Zerun Bio to get funding boost for vaccine to protect against all variants. SCMP, 10 February
China focus
Report on public opinion in China challenges ‘conventional assumptions’. The Chinese populace has a wide range of views that are less vulnerable to state propaganda than most expect, according to newly-released survey data. The report by CSIS also reveals that most respondents preferred allowing free speech even if it were to lead to social instability. CSIS, 9 February
Beijing continues to push labour protections as couriers battle algorithms in fight for survival. Beijing has urged China’s internet platforms, to enhance protection of gig workers by improving welfare coverage. SCMP, 10 February
China's Weibo, Douyin delete thousands of posts over abuse of Olympic athletes. Reuters, 10 February
Opinion & editorial
Australia offers timely lessons in resisting Chinese trade coercion. Canberra’s policy response to the export blocks has been to roll with the punches rather than hit back. Alan Beattie. FT, 9 February
Why the world needs China's Covid-zero policy. The alternative is a massive surge in infections that could bring global supply chains to a halt. James Mayger. Bloomberg, 9 February
Will China property slowdown affect the UK? James Barton. Property Week, 10 February
Long reads
World to China: Time to step up on climate. A global poll shows strong consensus that Beijing needs to stop acting like a developing nation. Ryan Heath. Politico, 9 February
Eileen Gu and the Chimerican Dream. Gu is the product of a vanishing shared space between the Chinese and American elite. James Palmer. Foreign Policy, 9 February
Breaking the internet: Competition over technology standards. High-tech middle powers will be crucial to avoiding a “splinternet.” Joshua Park. The Diplomat, 9 February