China News - 15 April 2021
Commons to vote on declaration of genocide in Xinjiang province. The House of Commons is to be given a chance to vote on 22 April to declare that a genocide is under way in Xinjiang. The news of the vote comes as a group of more than 100 parliamentarians led by Lord Patten and the shadow foreign secretary, Lisa Nandy, call for Boris Johnson to extend limited sanctions to Hong Kong officials. The Guardian, BBC, 14 April
Reminder: Today at 5:30pm, Jeremy Hunt MP, Elizabeth Economy and George Magnus will join the China Research Group to discuss how China’s rise will affect the UK. Register here.
HMS Queen Elizabeth will steer clear of provoking China on first major voyage. Although HMS Queen Elizabeth will sail through the South China Sea, a vital shipping route which Beijing has become increasingly assertive over in recent years, she will not sail through the Taiwan Strait, instead going east as she makes her way up to Japan for the final section of the trip. The Telegraph, 14 April
China's Xi to attend climate change summit video conference with France, Germany - state media. Xi will attend at the invitation of Macron, according to Xinhua. Reuters, 15 April
National Security Education Day: Hong Kong children schooled in national security as city ‘celebrates’ new laws. Kindergartens have been given specially themed puzzles as schoolchildren are taught to ‘safeguard the homeland’ on National Security Education day. The Guardian, FT, 15 April
UK should focus on its problems with racial discrimination rather than meddling in Hong Kong, says Chinese embassy. CGTN, 14 April.
Washington funded terrorists in Xinjiang, Beijing says in most direct disinformation attack on US to date. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the US funded and trained Muslim minorities in Xinjiang to cause unrest in the region. SCMP, 15 April
EU mulls end to extradition treaties with China over Hong Kong electoral reform, but not every member state agrees. SCMP, 15 April
China watch
Xinjiang cotton ban and forced labour claims push China to step up plans for domestic Better Cotton Initiative. SCMP, 15 April
Top political advisor Wang Yang stresses stronger sense of community for Chinese nation while on tour in Inner Mongolia. Xinhua, 14 April
Shenzhen considers offering 12 years of free education by 2025. SCMP, 15 April
British Ambassador to China, Caroline Wilson, presents credentials to Xi alongside 28 ambassadors. Twitter, 14 April
Economy & tech
HSBC relocates top leadership from London to Hong Kong. Relocating four executives means that divisions that account for almost all of HSBC’s global revenue will be run out of Hong Kong. FT, 14 April
34 Chinese tech companies make public pledges to comply with country’s antimonopoly laws. WSJ, BBC, 15 April
China ‘must shut 600 coal-fired plants’ to hit climate target of net zero by 2060, says new report. The Guardian, 15 April
Longer reads & opinion
Home Advantage: How China’s Protected Market Threatens Europe’s Economic Power. For Western countries and businesses, waiting for China to ‘normalise’ its behaviour and open up its economy is a risky choice. Rhodium/ECFR, 15 April
Do China’s ‘wolf warrior’ diplomats really have any bite? So far, this propaganda flood seems to have done a better job of fuelling a backlash than of convincing other governments. FT, 15 April
Chinese children in the UK talk about racism and the effect on their lives. CBBC Newsround, 15 April
The vanishing billionaire: how Jack Ma fell foul of Xi Jinping. The Alibaba founder’s dramatic rise and fall illustrates China’s wary embrace of the tycoons who power the country’s economic growth. FT Magazine, 14 April
The CCP’s propaganda blueprint for 2021. The first phase will focus on the Fifth Plenum and 14th FYP, while the second, “cresting in June and July” will focus on the Party’s centenary. China Media Project, 15 April