China News - 16 December 2020
Uyghurs: UK retailers come under pressure to stop using cotton from Xinjiang. MPs have called on retailers to investigate where they get their cotton, in the aftermath of the BBC/CGP investigation which appeared to show hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other minority groups being used as forced labourers in Xinjiang. "UK businesses must now wake up to these disturbing realities," said MP Nusrat Ghani, who is the lead for the ongoing BEIS Committee inquiry into forced labour in UK value chains. The Foreign Affairs Committee is also holding an inquiry into Xinjiang detention camps. It heard evidence yesterday from witnesses including Dolkun Isa and Schona Jolly QC: watch here. As part of the inquiry, the FAC wrote to the Foreign Secretary. The Foreign Secretary Letter's response to FAC summarises the steps that the UK government has taken so far, such as the FCDO part-funding ASPI’s influential Uyghurs for sale paper. BBC, The Times, Nus Ghani MP statement on cotton picking reports, 15 December
1:20pm: Urgent Question in Parliament on “the overwhelming evidence of the Chinese Government’s use of Uyghur Slave Labour in Xinjiang Region”. 40 MPs - including Iain Duncan Smith, Lisa Nandy, Tom Tugendhat and Layla Moran - are set to speak.
D10: Boris Johnson to visit India in January in bid to transform G7. The UK prime minister has invited the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, to attend the UK’s G7 summit as one of three guest nations alongside South Korea and Australia - “delivering the prime minister’s ambition to work with a group of like-minded democracies to advance shared interests and tackle common challenges”. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is currently in India, and met Prime Minister Modi today to discuss a ‘10-year roadmap’ for a new era in the UK-India relationship. Johnson will also travel to India next month as guest of honour on India’s national day in a move to deepen UK-India relations. The Guardian, FCDO Press Release, 15 December
Australia escalates China trade dispute, bringing WTO action against China over barley tariffs. Trade minister Simon Birmingham admitted the WTO process was “not perfect” but said Australia had been left with no choice and encouraged other nations to join the process. The Guardian, FT, 16 December
12 Hongkongers detained in Shenzhen since 23rd August officially charged. AFP, 16 December
WHO research team expected to travel to Wuhan to investigate coronavirus origin. They will be working with Chinese scientists for four to five weeks. The Guardian, 16 December
All undersecretaries and political assistants in Hong Kong government to take oath of allegiance. It is seen as a primer for similar pledges by the 180,000 strong civil service. RTHK, 16 December
China refutes Britain's Hong Kong-related accusations, urges Britain to abandon its double standards. Xinhua, 15 December
Chilean navy ships monitor huge Chinese fishing fleet in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The large Chinese fleet had arrived in waters off the Galapagos Islands in July. BBC, 15 December
Huawei reshuffle:
China watch
Xi Focus: Xi's article on promoting global growth to be published in Qiushi Journal. Xinhua, 15 December
China’s latest economic buzzword: ‘Demand-Side Reform’. The phrase made its debut at the latest Politburo meeting on Friday. Caixin, 16 December
Tencent placates Beijing with 'public interest' games for China, in an attempt to ease tensions over gaming addiction. Tencent released games to improve standard Chinese pronunciation, and games on Tang Dynasty poetry. Nikkei Asia, 16 December
Economy & tech
BioNTech set to become first foreign jab to enter China market, supplying 100m doses to Chinese partner Fosun next year. SCMP, FT, 16 December
Ant Group’s chairman Eric Jing breaks silence after halt in largest global IPO with a corporate ‘check-up’ and rehabilitation plan. Ant Group’s Eric Jing promises to align business with national development priorities in the next five years and pledges greater transparency. SCMP, 15 December
Goldman Sachs reveals how to take advantage of the ‘China phenomenon’ in 2021, calling it a “once in a generation opportunity”. CNBC, 16 December
Shares of China’s biggest chipmaker drop on reports co-CEO has quit. FT, 16 December
Longer reads & opinion
As chief rabbi, I can no longer remain silent about the plight of the Uighurs. The Guardian, 15 December
Opinion: Apple can’t act as censor if it wants to be a broadcaster. An investigation last year found that Apple leadership had told partners to “avoid portraying China in a poor light.” The Times, NYT, 16 December
China embarks on campaign of Covid vaccine diplomacy. President Xi has offered $1 billion in vaccine loans to Latin America and the Caribbean. The Times, 16 December
China’s coal industry fights for survival in a greener world. Bloomberg, 16 December
The Big Story: China rethinks the Jack Ma model. Nikkei Asia, 16 December
Analysis: China to crank up anti-trust heat on Big Tech after unprecedented fines for Tencent, Alibaba. Reuters, 16 December