China news - 13 April 2023
International
Macron’s Taiwan remarks expose EU divisions on China. Analysts criticise Macron for undermining EU efforts to formulate a coherent China policy. Leila Abboud, Sam Fleming and Henry Foy. Financial Times. 13 April
Macron stands by divisive remarks on Taiwan during state visit to the Netherlands. Patrick Wintour. The Guardian. 12 April
German foreign minister to embark on post-Macron ‘damage control’ trip to China. Annalena Baerbock will aim to reassert a common EU policy towards Beijing during visit. Riham Alkousaa, Andreas Rinke and Andrew Gray. Reuters. 12 April
Iran in talks with China, Russia to acquire sanctioned missile fuel. Tehran has reportedly held secret negotiations with officials and SOEs from both countries, hoping to replenish Iran’s supply of ammonium perchlorate, or AP, a chemical compound used to propel ballistic missiles. Matthew Karnitschnig. Politico. 12 April
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrives in China for four-day trip. Lula hopes to reset ties strained under the Bolsonaro administration. Shi Jiangtao. South China Morning Post. 12 April
The friction points in Brazil-China relations. Leland Lazarus. The Diplomat. 12 April
Chinese supreme court judge jailed for 12 years for corruption. Meng Xiang, a former director of the Supreme People’s Court’s enforcement bureau, admitted to accepting CNY 22.7 million (US$3.3 million) in bribes over two decades. Sylvie Zhuang. South China Morning Post. 12 April
Economy & tech
China’s Hamburg port deal at risk after German security authorities declare it ‘critical infrastructure’. Chancellor Olaf Sholz pushed for Chinese state-owned company COSCO to acquire a minority stake in the Tollerort terminal. Intervention by Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security means the deal will now need to be reassessed. Hans von der Burchard and Gabriel Rinaldi. Politico. 12 April
As U.S. tries to Isolate China, German companies move closer. Volkswagen and chemical company BASF announce new investment plans in Chinese market. Melissa Eddy. The New York Times. 12 April
Chinese exports surge by nearly 15% in March. Chinese economy defies expectations, fuelled by sales of electric vehicles, lithium and solar batteries. William Langley and Andy Lin. Financial Times. 13 April
Chinese export restrictions on critical minerals threaten to drive up the cost of clean-energy transition. OECD report suggests that surging demand and constraints are putting pressure on the price and availability of commodities such as copper and lithium. Harry Dempsey. Financial Times. 11 April
IMF official calls on major economies to bring government borrowing under control. China and the US were the two main drivers of the global increase in public debt. Chris Giles. Financial Times. 12 April
Guizhou authorities ask Beijing for help with urgent debt-relief work. An article published on the provincial government’s website said it is ‘impossible’ to independently solve local-level debt. The article has since been removed. Ji Siqi. South China Morning Post. 12 April
Opinion & long reads
How China changed the game for countries in default. A long read looking at how Chinese lending has disrupted debt-relief programmes for insolvent economies. Robin Wigglesworth and Sun Yu. Financial Times. 13 April
The men and policies determining China’s future. A go-to guide on the changes made during this year’s Two Sessions. Susan St.Denis. The China Project. 12 April
Why China could dominate the next big advance in batteries. Chinese universities are leading research into sodium battery technologies. Keith Bradsher. The New York Times. 12 April