China News - 13 May 2022
International
Shanghai says victory against COVID getting closer. Officials in Shanghai, which has endured six weeks of an almost complete lockdown, said economic activity was gradually resuming, with many factories operating in "closed loop" systems, with workers living on site. The city is aiming to achieve its ‘societal zero-Covid’ target by May 20. Meanwhile, Beijing officials late on Thursday denied rumours of sweeping, Shanghai-style lockdown measures. Reuters, 13 May
Espionage law to step up war against hostile agents. The government’s overhaul of espionage legislation could result in a maximum of two prosecutions a year against hostile actors working against the UK, according to an assessment by officials. The National Security Bill has been heralded as a suite of new powers that will help intelligence agencies and police combat the serious threat from hostile states including Russia and China. The Times, 12 May
UK government says arrest of Catholic cardinal in Hong Kong is unacceptable. “We continue to make clear to mainland China and to Hong Kong authorities our strong opposition to the National Security Law, which is being used to curtail freedom, punish dissent, and shrink the space for opposition free press and civil society," British minister James Cleverly said in a statement to parliament. The Standard, 12 May
Biden hosts Southeast Asian leaders as he tries to return focus to China. US President Joe Biden opened the US-ASEAN summit in Washington with a promise to spend $150 million on Southeast Asian nations’ infrastructure, security, pandemic preparedness and other efforts aimed at countering the influence of China. NYT, Reuters, 12 May
Sri Lanka meltdown exposes China loan policy. Beijing could complicate Colombo's IMF talks as other borrowers watch closely. Nikkei Asia, 13 May
Three major Chinese universities quit international rankings. University World News, 11 May
China focus
China says it will ‘strictly limit’ citizens from going abroad. China’s top immigration authority has announced stricter curbs on “non-essential” international travel by citizens. The National Immigration Authority referred to the need to prevent people from bringing the virus into China and comes on top of existing measures that heavily limit movement within and into the country. FT, 11 May
How China’s drive to develop its own state-of-the-art Covid vaccine is going. Currently a number of candidate mRNA vaccines made by Chinese firms are undergoing clinical trials. SCMP, 13 May
The pandemic has made life harder for China’s homeless. Most come from the countryside in search of work. Lacking a local hukou, or household-registration permit, they cannot obtain benefits. The Economist, 12 May
Economy & tech
Jaguar Land Rover posts £455 million loss. “Covid lockdowns in China are expected to limit volume improvements in [the April-June] possibly resulting in negative earnings and negative cash flows in the quarter,” the company said in its earnings statement. The Times, 13 May
Ant Group on hiring spree in Singapore ahead of digital bank opening, sources say. Alibaba’s Ant Group is recruiting 20 new positions in Singapore as the Chinese fintech giant doubles down on expansion in Southeast Asia amid a forced restructuring by regulators in China. SCMP, 13 May
China chipmaker SMIC says phone, PC demand has dropped 'like a rock'. Nikkei Asia, 13 May
Chinese dollar-bond defaults mount as another large developer fails to pay. WSJ, 12 May
Opinion & long reads
China has no place in Britain’s tech future. Kwasi Kwarteng should block the takeover of Newport Wafer Fab on national security grounds. Emma Duncan. The Times, 12 May
China builds a self-repressing society. Xi Jinping sees strengths in Maoist tools of social control. Chaguan. The Economist, 13 May
Is China taking an isolationist stance on higher education? Cancellation of international exams and pronouncements on rankings trigger debate. Pola Lem. Times Higher Education, 12 May
COSCO: China's shipping giant expands its global influence. From Taiwan to Greece, state-owned group with military links is enmeshed in world trade. Chris Horton. Nikkei Asia, 13 May