China News - 13 January 2022
International
Beijing Winter Olympics
Team GB athletes offered temporary phones over China spying fears. While the British delegation will not be banned from taking their own mobile devices, they have been warned against doing so by the British Olympic Association because it fears the authorities could install spyware to extract private information or track future activity. The Guardian, 12 January
Team GB urged by pressure group not to discuss China's human rights issues. Global Athlete has criticised the International Olympic Committee for making athletes 'pawns in a geopolitical fight' and says they are 'being used to legitimise the Chinese government'. The group added: 'With no guaranteed protection by the IOC or the Chinese authorities, we strongly advise athletes not to speak up about human rights issues while in China.’ Daily Mail, 12 January
Chinese Olympic athletes to wear kit manufactured in 'forced labour' region of Xinjiang. The athletic winter gear is “Xinjiang’s contribution to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics,” Jiang Shicai, a Chinese sports official, was quoted as saying by state media. The Telegraph, 12 January
US lawmakers ask IOC for assurances uniforms not made through forced labour. Reuters, 12 January
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam vows to bring in new security laws. In an address opening the first legislative sitting since the “patriots only” election cemented the removal of opposition from government, Lam did not detail the new crimes that would be created in the planned “local legislation”. The Guardian, The Times, 12 January
Lithuania’s foreign minister calls on EU to stand up to China. Gabrielius Landsbergis told the Financial Times that China had escalated its conflict over Lithuania’s ties with Taiwan to include harassment of European companies which use Lithuanian-made components. He will tell EU foreign ministers about the harassment at a meeting on Thursday and Friday, he said. FT, 13 January
Lithuanians overwhelmingly oppose Vilnius’ policy on China, poll shows. SCMP, 13 January
Half of international students did not feel completely ready for courses – poll. 72% of international applicants wanted more information about what their year would look like and how the pandemic would impact it, according to a report from Ucas. China is the largest market for UK international student recruitment, with 30,845 applicants and 16,310 people placed during the 2021 application cycle. Evening Standard, 13 January
US State Department: Beijing’s South China Sea claims ‘gravely undermine’ rule of law. Al Jazeera, 13 January
China, Gulf Cooperation Council countries pledge strategic partnership, FTA talks. Global Times, 12 January
Syria officially joins China's Belt and Road Initiative. Newsweek, 12 January
Cathay Pacific hits back after being blamed for Hong Kong Omicron outbreak. FT, 13 January
Economy & tech
China GDP: five things to watch ahead of Xi’s push for a third term. China will release its estimates for fourth quarter and full-year gross domestic product growth on Monday at a critical economic and political juncture for President Xi Jinping. FT, 13 January
More Chinese developers seek to extend bond terms to avert default. Shimao Group and Yuzhou Group are the latest developers seeking extensions on their maturing debt. The market is also watching the outcome of China Evergrande Group's meeting with onshore bondholders, as the voting period to approve an extension will end today. Reuters, 13 January
MG overtakes Honda, Renault and Mazda as UK sales hit record high. The almost century-old British car brand, now owned by state-controlled Chinese company SAIC Motor, said a rush of electric vehicles sales helped it move a record 30,600 cars. The Telegraph, 12 January
TSMC sees multi-year growth ahead, to boost chip spending in 2022. Soaring demand for semiconductors during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an acute chip crunch, forcing automakers and electronics manufacturers to cut production but keeping order books full at TSMC and other chipmakers. Reuters, 13 January
Tencent founder Pony Ma warns company is replaceable in leaked speech signalling a low-key future. SCMP, 12 January
Green hydrogen to get cheaper by 2030 as China drives policies favouring clean fuel to control emissions. SCMP, 13 January
China focus
China unveils plan to safeguard water security. The plan, jointly released by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Water Resources, is the first five-year plan for water security to be implemented on the national level. Xinhua, 11 January
China builds artificial moon with low-gravity and rocky surface. The first-of-its-kind facility could play a key role in the country’s future lunar missions. The Telegraph, 12 January
China’s Ministry of Education wants students to work less, so it’s asking teachers to do more. Sixth Tone, 12 January
Woman’s diary goes viral as lockdown in China forces her to stay with blind date. The Guardian, BBC, 12 January
Opinion & editorial
We must make more of renewed UK alliance. Australia and the United Kingdom are renewing their partnership for a competitive era and now must plot for the long-term. Rory Medcalf. The Australian, 13 January
What the Thucydides Trap gets wrong about China. The theory goes that war is inevitable when an emerging power threatens to displace an old one. But when it comes to the Sino-US rivalry, the logic fails. Lawrence Freedman. The New Statesman, 12 January
Problems are piling up for China’s economy, and not just from Covid. George Magnus. The Times, 13 January
Russia’s alliance with China is beginning to falter. Con Coughlin. The Telegraph, 13 January
Long reads
Should Britain protect semiconductor production from autocracies? The UK needs a genuine semiconductor strategy centred around working with allies and developing manufacturing capacity. Radomir Tylecote. Council on Geostrategy, 12 January
China’s New Year ambitions for Latin America and the Caribbean. Amid the economic and public health challenges of COVID-19, Beijing has steadily deepened its engagement with the region. R. Evan Ellis and Leland Lazarus. The Diplomat, 12 January
How the Chinese language got modernized. Faced with technological and political upheaval, reformers decided that Chinese would need to change in order to survive. Ian Buruma. The New Yorker, 10 January