China News - 15 February 2021

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International

UK backs Biden’s call for China to release data on coronavirus origin. The US has pushed for more transparency on the Covid-19 investigation amid reports of China withholding raw data. In an interview on CBS over the weekend, Boris Johnson said "We need to see the data. We need to see all the evidence. So I thoroughly support what President Biden has said about that.” Politico, 15 February

Covid data: UK investigator defends Wuhan trip as ‘a start’, Australian WHO investigator claims China refused to hand over some Covid data. BBC, The Guardian, NYT, WSJ, 14 February

New Commons defence committee report: MPs call for ban on China and Russia investing in UK defence supply chain. A new report by the Commons defence committee calls on the government to draw up a list of hostile countries that should be banned from investing in the UK’s defence supply chain. It named China and Russia as the main threats. The warning follows a parliamentary inquiry into foreign involvement in the UK defence supply chain that concluded tougher measures were needed to protect companies from hostile foreign ownership. The Times, FT, 14 February

First 2021 G7 meeting on Friday. While the government briefed that Friday’s meeting will focus on pandemic preparation, Bloomberg reports that UK officials are discussing how to start crafting a joint strategy on China. The White House says Biden will be discussing the pandemic, economy and China. Bloomberg, Gov statement, Reuters, 15 February

Academics with ‘high risk’ China links get Porton Down funding. Senior academics secured Porton Down funding for research while working with Chinese universities linked with the military. Three academics from the Bristol Composites Institute have lectured at Zhejiang University and opened a laboratory there. The Times, 15 February

China played leading role in spreading Covid-19 conspiracies, investigation finds. A new nine-month AP investigation shows how rumours that US created Covid-19 were weaponised by the Chinese government’s disinformation operations. AP, 15 February

EU calls on China to reverse ban on BBC World News channel. The media authority of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia said CGTN could no longer be broadcast in Germany because it had been distributed under a licence issued by British regulator Ofcom. Separately, BBC Director general Tim Davie warned of a ‘growing global threat to free media’. AP, BBC, SCMP, 14 February

Libs Dems warn China over 'international bullying' after sanctions threat over 2022 Winter Olympics boycott calls. The Guardian, 14 February

Vaccine diplomacy: Balkans turn to Russia and China for Covid vaccines, Chinese vaccines reach Zimbabwe as it receives its first Sinopharm doses. SCMP, The Times, 15 February

China sees leverage as Portugal takes presidency of European Council. SCMP, 15 February

Former BT chair Sir Mike Rake quits Huawei UK board after a year. Sky News, 15 February

China watch

China hints at a shift on climate with rare public rebuke of energy agency. WSJ, 13 February

China cracks down on spurious, illegal, pricey vaccines, making dozen of arrests over fake vaccines, according to Xinhua. Reuters, 15 February

China New Year gala show sparks new racism controversy with blackface performance. Reuters, 15 February

Economy & tech

Cost of food heading towards crisis levels again as corn prices reach highest in seven years. The Telegraph, 15 February

ByteDance walks away from TikTok deal with Oracle after Donald Trump’s White House exit. SCMP, 14 February

London and UK trade bodies slammed for talks with Chinese tech firm iFlyTek, linked to Uighur surveillance. City AM, 12 February

Hong Kong plans stricter money laundering checks on Chinese officials. FT, 14 February

China’s box office roars with impressive 2021 figures while Hollywood remains on mute. FT, 15 February

Longer reads & opinion

Long read: Global solar industry faces up to its problems in Xinjiang. The Telegraph, 14 February

Long read: Curse of Huawei case deepens HSBC’s Chinese nightmare. Torn between Beijing and Washington, the bank faces an embarrassing wrestle with the telecoms giant with a UK court case under way. Sunday Times, 14 February

Tech giants are vying to become the next universal 'super app'. Chinese super apps are envied in the West. The Telegraph, 14 February

All this talk of independence: an analysis of CGTN’s claims to editorial independence. China Media Project, 12 February

‘They’d have made me a spy’: China uses LinkedIn to steal state secrets. Two years ago, Chinese agents began using LinkedIn as a way to offer money and lucrative business opportunities in exchange for sensitive information. The Times, 13 February

Weekend op-eds on China

Opinion articles on Chinese links to UK universities: Juliet Samuel in The Telegraph, Charles Moore in The Spectator, 14 February

Freezing Chinese assets is our precision missile in Cold War II. Sunday Times, 14 February

Our greed is a bigger security risk than China. Edward Lucas in The Times, 15 February

How to rein in China without risking war is the issue Biden must address. The Guardian, 14 February