China News - 15 December
International
Rising China tensions boost sales at British hypersonic missile defence maker. Cohort has a record backlog of orders valued at £353.9mn following a spike in demand. Howard Mustoe. Telegraph, 13 December
Top defence officials from US and China meet after Taiwan rift. Michael Chase, the top US defence official for China policy, recently met with his Chinese counterpart, Major General Liu Zhan in Washington. Demetri Sevastopulo. Financial Times, 13 December
Hong Kong places arrest bounties on activists abroad for breaching national security law. Hong Kong police have accused 5 overseas activists of breaching a harsh national security law imposed by Beijing. They have offered rewards of 1mn HK dollars for information leading to arrests. Kanis Leung. The Independent, 14 December
Festive cheer for Filipino fishers after supply boat evades Chinese vessels. A Filipino boat carrying gifts for fishers, troops and coastguards in the South China Sea slipped past vessels that intercepted the festive flotilla. Rebecca Ratcliffe. The Guardian, 13 December
Economy & Tech
China bets on security versus reform in 2024 outlook. Beijing released a detailed statement on the Central Economic Work Conference and pledged to pursue measures ranging from “proactive fiscal policies” to tax breaks for strategic industries. Joe Leahy, Sun Yu and Andy Lin. Financial Times, 14 December
Country Garden sells Chinese mall stake as developer tackles offshore debt. The most prominent victim of China’s real estate cash crunch is selling a $420mn stake in a mall operator to tackle the fallout from an international bond default. Thomas Hale. Financial Times, 14 December
West’s love for Shein and Temu drives ecommerce boom for air freighters. The demand for goods sold by online Chinese brands like Temu and Shein is bouying air freight rates and creating fierce competition among logistics companies shipping from Asia. Chan Ho-him, William Langley and Oliver Telling. Financial Times, 14 December
Opinion & long-reads
Why everyone wants to be Vietnam’s friend. Both the US and China have visited the country recently in a bid to boost ties. Jon Emont. WSJ, 13 December
China’s space programme: Five things to know. Xi has described turning China into a space power as “our eternal dream”. France24, 14 December
Cold wave grips northern China, and the south is also bracing for a big chill. The cold weather is moving from several northern provinces that have been hit with blizzards to central and southern areas such as Guizhou, and even to the lower reaches of the Yangtze River delta. Bernard Orr and Ryan Woo. Reuters, 14 December