China News - 10 September 2021

International

Government accused of deliberate ‘strategic void’ on China to prioritise trade. A major report on the future of UK-China relations, published today by the House of Lords’ international and defence select committee, calls for the government to produce a single, coherent China strategy. It points to “inconsistencies, uncertainty and lack of a central strategy” in UK government relations with China. The committee interviewed over 50 witnesses, including George Osborne and and Minister for Asia Nigel Adams. The Guardian, Beijing to Britain, 10 September

US Biden and China's Xi hold first call in seven months. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke for 90 minutes on Thursday, in their first talks in seven months. A White House Statement said both leaders had "discussed the responsibility of both nations to ensure competition does not veer into conflict". BBC, Reuters, 10 September

Climate change: China should pledge absolute carbon emissions cap until 2025, advisory body headed by vice-premier says. An influential government advisory body, chaired by Vice-Premier Han Zheng, said China needs to establish mechanisms to control absolute emission levels and impose caps on individual provinces and industries. SCMP, 10 September

Transatlantic trade deal rises from the grave to fight China. The first meeting of the Trade and Tech Council (TTC) in Pittsburgh on September 29 is intended to build a diplomatic platform for the European Union and the United States to work together on industrial and tech standards to counter China's rise. Politico, 10 September

Uyghur Tribunal into alleged Chinese genocide in Xinjiang to start second hearing. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian denounced the tribunal as “a lie”. Sky News, Watch live, 10 September

Coronavirus: China to donate 100 million vaccine doses to developing countries by end of 2021, says Xi Jinping. SCMP, 10 September

Economy & tech

Global windfarm installations expected to surge after Covid drop, says report. The Guardian, 9 September

China has become a laboratory for the regulation of digital technology. There are new protections, but not from the Communist Party. The Economist, 10 September

Longer reads & opinion

Chaguan: A new book looks behind Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption campaign. The Economist, 10 September. See also the interview with Desmond Shum in iNews.

Fish and ships: Chinese fishing and Europe’s Indo-Pacific strategy. Predatory fishing activities threaten Europe’s geopolitical and geo-economic interests, as well as its attempts to protect marine biodiversity. ECFR, 24 August

‘Reversing Gears’: China increasingly rejects English. The education authorities in Shanghai last month forbade local elementary schools to hold final exams on the English language. NYT, 9 September