China News - 12 October 2020
Westminster Hall debate today at 6pm: UK MPs will debate China’s policies towards Uyghurs in Parliament after a public petition reached 146,000 signatures. Watch here.
CRG Human rights briefing on Xinjiang and Tibet with Adrian Zenz and Rahima Mahmut, Uyghur activist rearranged to Monday 19 October at 6pm. Sign up here.
International
UK politicians call for action over human rights in China: Block China’s seat on human rights council over Uyghurs, urges Lisa Nandy. The Shadow Foreign Secretary's letter to the Foreign Secretary set out five demands, including calling for Britain not to support China’s place on the UNHRC until the UN is allowed to conduct an independent investigation into its treatment of the Uyghurs. Iain Duncan Smith called for a review of Chinese investment in UK, highlighting Chinese ownership of Britain’s leading supplier of blood plasma. The Guardian, The Guardian on IDS, 11 October
UK universities: Academics want say over university deals with hostile regimes. Academics at universities including LSE, Oxford and Edinburgh have formed a working group in response to concerns that university administrations have been ignoring foreign interference. They have released a code of conduct to “embed more transparency and accountability” in all British universities, ahead of the expected release of Universities UK’s foreign interference guidelines next week. The Times also reports that the large projected losses from a drop in overseas students this year have not yet materialised. The Times, Daily Express, The Times, 12 October
Hong Kong: Chief executive postpones major policy speech until November, claiming she must consult Beijing on some of her proposals. The Guardian, 12 October.
US blocks Hong Kong users from at least two government websites that provide economic data. FT, 12 October.
Taiwan: Academics told to identify as Chinese in Springer Nature journal. The Times, 11 October. Taiwan president calls for 'meaningful dialogue' with China. Reuters, 10 October
Iran wants a “strategic partnership” with China and looks set to conclude an agreement within months as China seek to cultivate ties with Middle East. The Economist, 9 October
China watch:
Covid-19: Qingdao to test nine million for coronavirus in five days after a dozen cases. BBC, 12 October
China is not interested in competing for world leadership, foreign minister says in a meeting with Philippine counterpart. SCMP, 11 October
China's Dida Chuxing poised for Asia's first ride-sharing IPO. Nikkei Asia, 9 October
New course at Chinese universities in autumn 2020: “Introduction to Xi Thoughts”. ChinaScope
Economy & tech
Chinese foreign ministry says it is highly concerned about safety of its UK investments after MPs declared Huawei a security risk. The Guardian, 9 October
China’s customs authorities reportedly orders several Chinese state-owned steelmakers and power plans to halt imports of Australian coal. The Guardian, 12 October
Hong Kong bankers increasingly replaced by mainland rivals, who now hold a majority of senior investment bank jobs. Bloomberg, 11 October
Longer reads & opinion
The Times leader on China’s return to the United Nations Human Rights Council: Hostile Makeover. The Times, 12 October
Opinion: The Great Wall (Street) of China - 2020 marks the year when Beijing finally threw open its doors to US banks despite broader Sino-American tensions. Patrick Jenkins in FT, 12 October
Can we trust Chinese Covid-19 science? China is now second in the world for output of science and engineering publications, behind the EU but ahead of the US. The Observer, 11 October
Serbia cultivates both US and China in Balkans tug of war. FT, 11 October
How clean air in China may mean a warmer earth: coal plant upgrades dramatically reduce sulphur dioxide - but also removes particles that help to reflect solar heat away from the planet. Wired, 30 September
The imperial overreach of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Xi Jinping’s signature foreign project is poorly defined, badly mismanaged and visibly failing. WSJ, 1 October
The week ahead
Monday:
6:00pm - 7:30pm: UK MPs will debate China’s policies towards Uyghurs in Westminster Hall - after a public petition demanding sanctions reached 146,000 signatures.
The UN General Assembly will hold elections for 15 seats on the 47-nation Human Rights Council for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 2021.
Tuesday:
11:30am: Oral questions to Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (including questions on Hong Kong, South China Sea and Xinjiang) in UK Parliament.
1.30pm - 5.00pm: Foreign Affairs Committee - The FCDO’s role in blocking foreign asset stripping in the UK, including Matthew Rous, Chief Executive, China-Britain Business Council. Follow here.
4.30pm - 5.30pm: Westminster Hall debate on Chinese and East Asian communities' experiences of racism during the covid-19 pandemic.
The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, will convene its 22nd session from Tuesday to Saturday in Beijing.
Wednesday:
2.00 pm - 4.30 pm: International Trade Committee - Oral evidence on UK trade remedies policy.
Xi Jinping to visit Shenzhen to mark the 40th anniversary of the special economic zone; Carrie Lam to attend.
Thursday:
EU leaders are set to meet for the October European Council summit in Brussels, with climate change and EU-Africa relations on the agenda.
China has consumer price index figures out on Thursday.