China News - 11 May 2021
China census: Data shows slowest population growth in decades. While the country’s population marginally increased to 1.41 billion people in 2020, annual growth averaged 0.53 per cent over the past decade, the slowest rate since 1953. BBC, The Telegraph, WSJ, 11 May
Germany slams Hungary for blocking EU criticism of China on Hong Kong. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday lambasted Hungary for an “absolutely incomprehensible” decision to block an EU statement accusing Beijing of cracking down on democracy in Hong Kong. Politico, 10 May
Taiwan fights to attend WHO meeting, but China says no. The G7 has called for Taiwan to attend the World Health Assembly, but China said there was no room for compromise. Reuters, 11 May
Denmark draws China ire for inviting Taiwan leader to speak at 'democracy summit'. Reuters, 10 May
Fosun, BioNTech in $200 Million China vaccine venture. A Shanghai facility will co-produce the Covid-19 vaccine developed by BioNTech. Caixin, 10 May
Everest: China to set up 'separation line' at summit over Covid fears from Nepal. BBC, 11 May
China deletes 2 million online posts for ‘historical nihilism’ as Communist Party centenary nears SCMP, 11 May
Economy & tech
Meituan: China tech giant's shares slide over ancient poem. Shares in the Chinese food delivery giant fell sharply after its boss reportedly shared a 1,000-year-old poem on social media, interpreted as a veiled criticism of Xi Jinping's government. FT, BBC, 11 May
China’s digital yuan gets access to Alibaba’s 1 billion user base. Alipay users find a ‘digital yuan’ option in their payment options. Caixin, 10 May
Report: Jack Ma makes rare appearance at Alibaba’s headquarters in Hangzhou. Reuters, 11 May
Tesla puts brake on Shanghai land buy as US-China tensions weigh. Reuters, 11 May
Longer reads & opinion
Army of fake fans online boosts China’s global messaging. A new investigation by the Associated Press and the Oxford Internet Institute found that more than half the retweets former ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, got from June through January came from accounts that Twitter has suspended for violating the platform’s rules. AP, 11 May
The EU is trailing China’s trade distortions all round the world. The European Commission has introduced a number of new tools to combat unfair trade, but they tend to lag years behind the evolution of the Chinese trade and growth model. Trade Secrets in the FT, 11 May
China targets Muslim women in push to suppress births in Xinjiang. NYT, 10 May
US-China rivalry drives the retreat of market economics. Gideon Rachman in the FT, 11 May
Comment: Britain should invite Taiwan to the G7 and Cop26. Azeem Ibrahim in The Times, 11 May