China News - 14 December 2022
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International
TikTok ‘could influence voters’ at next election, says Security Minister. Chinese-owned TikTok could influence millions of first-time voters at the next election, security minister Tom Tugendhat warned on Tuesday. In a speech on state threats at Policy Exchange, he warned it was “critical” that the public knows where debates are coming from. He also said: "In our universities, we’ve seen debate silenced by voices controlled by Beijing...and we’ve seen the United Front Work Department try to silence incredibly courageous academics." Gov.uk, The Telegraph, 13 December
US lawmakers unveil bipartisan bid to ban China's TikTok. Republican Senator Marco Rubio on Tuesday announced bipartisan legislation to ban China's popular social media app TikTok. The legislation would block all transactions from any social media company in or under the influence of China and Russia. Reuters, 13 December
China says spread of Covid ‘impossible’ to track as infections soar in Beijing. The spread of Covid-19 in China is now “impossible” to track, the country’s health authorities have said, announcing they have stopped recording asymptomatic cases in their daily tallies. Authorities have urged people not to seek emergency healthcare unless necessary, and announced the rollout of second boosters for elderly and vulnerable people. The Guardian, 14 December
Asian countries top list for worst jailers of journalists: report. A confirmed 119 journalists were detained across Asia as governments continued to relentlessly suppress media, with China, Myanmar and Vietnam standing out as among the worst offenders, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said. Nikkei Asia, 14 December
Cop15 half-time report: China prompts fears of new ‘Copenhagen moment’. Talks to halt the destruction of nature “very much hang in the balance”, sources have said, as environment ministers from around the world begin to arrive in Montreal amid concerns about a lack of Chinese leadership of the COP15 talks. The Guardian, 13 December
Europe reaches deal for carbon tax law on imports. If approved, as expected, the landmark plan would impose tariffs on countries that fail to take strict steps to curb their greenhouse gas emissions, with imports from China likely to be heavily affected. NYT, 13 December
Xi’s China-GCC summit success in Riyadh raises temperatures in Iran. Iran’s ‘strong dissatisfaction’ was made clear to China’s ambassador a day after the Riyadh summit. SCMP, 14 December
EU-Asean statement drops language about Taiwan ahead of summit. SCMP, 13 December
China, Hungary inject new impetus into Belt and Road cooperation. CGTN, 13 December
Economy & tech
Export controls hit China’s access to Arm’s leading-edge chip designs. Chinese tech giant Alibaba cannot buy some of the most advanced chip designs after Arm determined that the US and UK would not approve licences to export the technology to China. The British company concluded that the US and UK would not approve the sale of its latest Neoverse V series because the performance was too high. FT, 14 December
US to add more than 30 Chinese companies to trade blacklist. The Biden administration plans to put Yangtze Memory Technologies and more than 30 other Chinese companies on a trade blacklist that would prevent them from buying certain American components. Bloomberg, 14 December
US lawmakers introduce bill to restrict Huawei's access to banks. Reuters, 14 December
Chinese property tycoon arrested in London for suspected graft. Caixin, 13 December
China focus
China postpones key economic policy meeting due to Covid spike. China is delaying a closely watched economic policy meeting that was due to start this week, after Covid infections surged in Beijing, according to people familiar with the matter. There’s no set timetable for when the Central Economic Work Conference, usually attended by President Xi Jinping, will be rescheduled. Bloomberg, 13 December
Hong Kong ditches Covid tracing app and ban on travellers visiting bars. FT, 13 December
Long reads & opinion
Japan will make a good partner for Britain. We should help Tokyo deter China by taking the next steps in burying its post-war pacifism. Roger Boyes. The Times, 13 December
Don’t force Europe to choose between the US and China. Coercive diplomacy comes at a cost. Carisa Nietsche. The Diplomat, 14 December
The right time for chip export controls. Martijn Rasser and Kevin Wolf. Lawfare, 13 December
Two health experts say China’s haste to re-open risks needless death and disruption. Yanzhong Huang and Eyck Freeman. The Economist, 13 December