China News - 11 March 2022
International
Ukraine war: Foreign minister says China supports ceasefire but does not agree to step in. Premier Li Keqiang reiterated China’s support for ceasefire talks and called the situation “disconcerting”, while continuing to avoid criticising the invasion. The Times noted that China acknowledged a “war” for he first time when Wang Yi told his French counterpart that China supports “a ceasefire to stop the war” in Ukraine “as soon as possible”. Europe has been lobbying Beijing to step in diplomatically. Bloomberg, The Times, SCMP, 10 March
No evidence China is easing Russia’s Ukraine sanctions sting: Yellen. “I’ve not seen evidence that China is providing Russia with any significant workaround for our sanctions,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in an interview with CNBC Thursday. Bloomberg, 11 March
China is refusing to supply Russia with aircraft parts after aviation sector was hit by Western sanctions, Moscow admits. Daily Mail, 10 March
Chinese state media repeats Russian disinformation. Chinese diplomats and state media organisations have repeated false Russian statements about the Pentagon financing biological weapons labs in Ukraine. NYT, 11 March
China sees over 1,000 Covid-19 cases for first time since 2020. Changchun, a city of 9 million people was ordered into lockdown on Friday after 23 new cases. FT, 11 March
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss' speech at the Atlantic Council Annual Makins Lecture. “Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security are indivisible. China looms large over this debate.” Gov.uk, 10 March
Angola looks at refinancing debt as it faces higher repayments on Chinese loans. The finance minister said the country will start to reduce its debt to China, including by refinancing through multilateral and commercial alternatives. SCMP, 11 March
China’s leader congratulates South Korean president-elect and voices hopes for stronger ties. SCMP, 11 March
Economy & tech
LME nickel trading remains halted on Friday. LME, 11 March
Chinese stocks listed in US tumble over fears of potential delisting. Chinese stocks listed in the United States saw their worst day of trading since 2008 on Thursday, driven by fears of potential delisting in U.S. markets under a law that requires the companies to hand over audit information to American regulators. NYT, 11 March
China’s tech platforms become propaganda tools in Putin’s war. The internet platforms in China are promoting content backing Putin, conflicting with Western investors’ social responsibility commitments against the war. FT, 11 March
Coal still at heart of China energy strategy after parliamentary gathering. A speech by Xi Jinping reiterated the importance of coal in Inner Mongolia. Reuters, 11 March
Italy annuls sale of military drones firm to Chinese investors, insiders say. The government opened an investigation last year into the 2018 sale to the Chinese players of a 75% stake in Alpi Aviation, based in northern Italy. Reuters, 11 March
Long reads
War in Ukraine: How Asian economies are divided over Russia sanctions. BBC, 11 March
China’s scientists are looking for a way out of the zero-covid policy. A top Chinese epidemiologist has begun telling state media that China’s new “dynamic zero” policy does not mean zero infections and that the most stringent measures will not last forever. The Economist, 10 March
Western surveys for Chinese democracy. The CCP seeks to reframe the global discourse on democracy away from rights-based participation to results-driven government trust. China Media Project, 10 March
Event: The CCP’s United Front: “Magic Weapon” or Paper Tiger? A panel discussion with Professor June Teufel Dreyer, Dr Gerry Groot and Professor Steve Tsang moderated by Martin Purbrick at the RSAA, 27 April. Register here.