China News - 11 February 2021
International
Joe Biden presses Xi Jinping on 'abuses in Xinjiang' in first call with Chinese leader. Joe Biden raised concerns about China’s “coercive” behaviour and human rights abuses with Xi Jinping, in the first call between the US and Chinese presidents since Biden entered office three weeks ago. Xi told Biden that “China-US confrontation will hurt both sides — co-operation is the only choice”, according to a summary of the call released by Chinese state television. The Telegraph, FT, 11 February
Joe Biden reconsiders Donald Trump’s effort to ban TikTok. In a court filing, Department of Justice attorneys said the new administration had begun to review whether TikTok was the threat to national security that Trump had claimed. FT, 11 February
Biden says Pentagon to review strategy toward China. The review will look at pivotal areas including intelligence, technology and Washington’s military footprint in the region. Reuters reports a 15-member task force is expected to present recommendations within four months. Reuters, 10 February
India, China agree to pull back troops from disputed Himalayan lake. India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh told parliament the accord over Pangong Tso had been reached after several rounds of talks between military commanders and diplomats from the nuclear-armed neighbours. Reuters, 11 February
UK Treasury finance director says working to open doors for financial services in China. “We continue to work very closely with Chinese authorities to ensure that we are engaging to be a partner in the liberalisation of their financial system,” said Katharine Braddick, the U.K. Treasury's director general for financial services. Politico, 10 February
China moves for more control over Belt and Road in Pakistan. It has proposed a joint parliamentary oversight committee in a bid to further control the speed and quality of projects. Nikkei Asia, 11 February
China watch
Xi Focus: Xi extends Spring Festival greetings to all Chinese with Lunar New Year reception in Beijing. Xinhua, 10 February
Chinese, Nigerian presidents exchange congratulations on 50th anniversary of ties. Xinhua, 10 February
Economy & tech
Fears over China’s forced labor loom over EU solar power. Nearly every solar power panel sold in the European Union has its origins in China’s oppressed Xinjiang region because of the use of polysilicon. Politico, 11 February
Tencent says exec held by China over links to 'personal' corruption allegations. The WSJ reported that Tencent employee Zhang Feng had been detained for allegedly sharing personal data collected by WeChat with Sun Lijun, a former vice public security minister who is being investigated by Beijing. Tencent rejected the reports, saying a probe of Zhang does not involve Tencent’s WeChat messaging service. SCMP, Bloomberg, Reuters, 11 February
Chinese court puts HNA Group into bankruptcy administration. Sprawling conglomerate HNA Group sold its last remaining properties in the UK at a steep discount in 2019 after too-swift overseas expansion. Nikkei Asia, 10 February
China's Geely sets out to become a force in electric cars with flurry of partnerships, including Taiwan’s Foxconn. Geely owns Lotus and London’s Electric Vehicle Company. Reuters, 10 February
Goldman, other financial firms add China staff, eyeing growth. Goldman plans to double its headcount by 2024. Reuters, 10 February
Longer reads & opinion
Analysis: A new Anglo-Japanese alliance threatens China's TPP plans. On Feb. 3, a "two-plus-two" meeting of Japanese and British foreign and defense ministers was held. Beijing was watching closely, noting that the meeting that differed in nature from their previous gathering in 2017. Nikkei Asia, 11 February
MERICS EU-China Weekly Review. 17+1, Borrell-Wang Yi call, Three Gorges in Spain, Greek energy sector. MERICS, 10 February
Insight: The long-term implications of the Jimmy Lai bail decision. The Diplomat, 10 February
UK newspapers pushing back on WHO investigation - Comment: WHO's scandalously naive approach to China puts the world in danger. The Telegraph, 11 February
Event reminder: Join us next week on Tuesday 16 February at 10am for an in-depth discussion on the state of UK-China relations with Professor Rana Mitter. Register here.
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