China News - 10 June 2022
International
Confucius Institutes amendment receives widespread support. More than 20 MPs have signed an amendment to the Government’s Higher Education Bill to require universities to report the funding and activities of Chinese state-backed Confucius Institutes, which have been accused of “strangling free speech” in the UK. CRG analysis showed that almost all UK government spending on Mandarin language teaching at schools, with at least £27 million allocated from 2015 to 2024, is channelled through university-based Confucius Institutes. CRG co-chair Alicia Kearns MP commented: “Complacency has seen the UK become host to the most Confucius Institutes of any country in the world.” The Telegraph, The Times, 9 June
West faces ‘moment of reckoning’ over China’s online influence, GCHQ warns. The internet is no longer built on Western principles and standards due to the growing influence of the Chinese state, Ann S, deputy director of strategy and policy at GCHQ, has warned. She added that allies in the West are now coming together to counter this threat by coming up with a set of rules and protocols that transcend international borders. 61 countries, including the UK and US, recently signed up to a set of digital principles to create a “single global future for the internet”. The Telegraph, 10 June
Shanghai reimposes lockdowns after detecting 11 Covid cases. Barely a week after the Chinese Communist party declared victory in its struggle to protect Shanghai from coronavirus, half of the financial hub’s districts will be shuttered this weekend to test millions of residents after signs emerged of renewed community transmission of the virus. The reintroduction of restrictions underscored the difficulty of squashing the highly infectious Omicron variant through mass testing and strict lockdowns. FT, 10 June
Analysis: what does it cost to test China for COVID-19? Luo Yahan and Wu Peiyue. Sixth Tone, 9 June
European Parliament passes landslide vote on China’s alleged rights abuses in Xinjiang. By a landslide margin, the European Parliament has adopted a position stating that China’s alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang hold a “serious risk of genocide”. The language was part of a broader resolution condemning China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other ethnic Muslims in the northwestern region. SCMP, 9 June
China still withholding data on Covid origins, WHO panel suggests. In a veiled criticism of China, a World Health Organization panel has warned that key data which could shed light on Covid’s origins is “not available yet”. The panel - known as the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (Sago) - also revealed that WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote to the Chinese government twice in February 2022 “requesting information on the status of studies” on Covid origins. The Telegraph, 9 June
China ties at ‘lowest moment’ since 1972, US ambassador says. Noting the “profound divisions” between the US and China on everything from economics and technology to security and human rights, Burns said that Beijing was “pushing out for power militarily against the United States” and allies. Bloomberg, 9 June
Western countries wary of China’s Global Development Initiative. The Economist, 9 June
China focus
Reports: Beijing gives initial nod to revive Ant IPO after crackdown cools. China's central leadership has given billionaire Jack Ma's Ant Group a tentative green light to revive its initial public offering, two sources with knowledge of the matter said, in the clearest sign yet Beijing is easing its crackdown on the tech sector. However, China’s top securities regulator, the CSRC, said it is not working on a revival of Ant Group’s listing plan. Reuters, 10 June
Xi tells officials to ensure economic and social stability ahead of Communist Party congress. He relayed the message during a trip to the southwestern province of Sichuan, at a time when Beijing is urging local governments to do more to stabilise the pandemic-hit economy. Xi told cadres to ensure economic, political and social conditions were favourable for the party congress in autumn – when he is expected to secure a third term as the party’s general secretary. SCMP, 9 June
China shakes up its publicity system ahead of Party Congress. China has undertaken a major reshuffle of state media executives and regulators of its publicity system ahead of its 20th Party Congress. Caixin, 9 June
China factory inflation moderates as commodity prices cool. Caixin, 10 June
Long reads & opinion
With Great Power crisis comes Great Power opportunity. The War in Ukraine should prompt a new opening to China. Francis J. Gavin. Foreign Affairs, 9 June
The hotheads who could start a cold war. China’s deep distrust of America and the West is making it reckless. Chaguan. The Economist, 9 June
‘Ironclad brothers’: what China wants from its role in Cambodia’s biggest naval base. Rebecca Ratcliffe and Helen Davidson. The Guardian, 10 June
After 10 years in power, it’s clear Xi Jinping does not think in economic terms. We don't know what flat growth or a recession would look like in China—but it is definitely bad news. Kerry Brown. Prospect, 9 June