China News - 14 April

International

China sanctions US lawmaker for visiting Taiwan. Michael McCaul, US Representative and chair of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, led delegation to Taiwan. McCaul pledged to help provide training for Taiwan’s armed forces and to expedite the delivery of weapons. Reuters. 13 April

Chinese court upholds death sentence for American citizen Mark Swidan. Swidan was arrested in 2012 on drug-related charges. In 2020, A UN working group concluded that Swidan had been arbitrarily detained in violation of international law. Jennifer Hansler and Nectar Gan. CNN. 14 April

China says no weapon exports to parties in Russia-Ukraine conflict. Foreign minister Qin Gang stated that the country would regulate the export of items with dual civilian and military use and reiterated China’s willingness to facilitate peace negotiations. AP. 14 April

Chinese firm imported copper from Russian-annexed region of Ukraine, customs data reveals. There are no trade restrictions between China and Russia, however the company - Quzhou Nova - may be at risk of US secondary sanctions. Filipp Lebedev and Gleb Stolyarov. Reuters. 14 April

Chinese surveillance tech facilitating oppression of women in Iran. Facial recognition, crowd surveillance, and phone monitoring technologies have been supplied by Chinese companies. Joshua Askew. Euronews. 14 April

Uruguay’s Foreign Minister heading to China with hopes to secure trade agreement. Francisco Bustillo asserts Uruguay’s commitment to achieving an FTA. MercoPress. 13 April

The potential China-Uruguay trade deal risks fracturing Mercosur. Uruguay is ignoring warnings from neighbours about possible legal action if it negotiates an FTA outside the bloc. Igor Patrick. The Diplomat. 18 March

Economy & tech

China agrees to cooperate on sovereign debt restructurings. Central bank governor Yi Gang told G20 finance ministers that the country was willing to work through the Common Framework for sovereign debt restructuring. Joe leahy and Kana Inagaki. Financial Times. 14 April

China left out of Sri Lanka debt talks due to delays. India, Japan and the Paris Club have proceeded with a joint briefing in Washington. Both Sri Lanka and its other creditors have said they are keen for China to participate in discussions. Shawn Donnan, Anusha Ondaatjie, Toru Fujioka and Eric Martin. Bloomberg. 13 April

IMF working closely with Suriname on debt restructuring process, looking for progress with China. Rodrigo Campos and Jorgelina de Rosario. Reuters. 14 April

Regulator asks banks to avoid discussing the origins of money flowing into Singapore. As wealthy Chinese transfer their assets, the Monetary Authority of Singapore wants to keep public discussion of the politically sensitive issue to a minimum. Mercedes Ruehl, Kaye Wiggins and Leo Lewis. Financial Times. 14 April

The US natural gas export industry is skirting US-China trade tensions. Industry representatives have met with US politicians to make the case that China is a crucial market for energy shipments. Ben Lefebvre and Zack Colman. Politico. 13 April

Apple said to explore MacBook production in Thailand to cut supply chain reliance on China. Apple is discussing with contractors the possibility of assembling and producing some parts for its laptops in the Southeast Asian nation. Apple has already been producing its Apple Watch in Thailand for over a year. Ben Jiang. South China Morning Post. 13 April

China to cut soymeal use in animal food amid food security concerns. China’s agriculture ministry issued a three-year action plan to reduce heavy reliance on soybean imports. Dominique Patton. Reuters. 14 April

Opinion & long reads

The most shocking intel leak reveals new Chinese military advances. Leaked documents suggest that China has tested and deployed a new long-range hypersonic missile with the capacity to evade US defences. Josh Rogin. The Washington Post. 13 April

The Dove or the dog: China makes peace while baring teeth. How China is trying to revive diplomatic engagement while projecting strength on the Taiwan issue.Tessa Wong. BBC. 14 April

China’s war games in Taiwan hone military strengths but reveal restraint. Military drills less disruptive than last year, analysts claim. Kathrin Hille. Financial Times. 13 April

China in Afghanistan: Myopia, denial and fantasies. Analysis of the position paper published by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. Shanthie Mariet D’Souza. The Diplomat. April 13

Podcast: US-Philippine embrace, Taiwan strait, what’s on weibo. China Watcher, Politico. 13 April