China News - 16 July 2021

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International

WHO chief says it was ‘premature’ to rule out COVID lab leak. The head of the World Health Organization acknowledged it was premature to rule out a potential link between the COVID-19 pandemic and a laboratory leak, noting his experience as a lab scientist. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for China to be more transparent as scientists search for the origins of the coronavirus. AP, The Guardian, 15 July

British MPs vote for diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics. MPs called on the British government to not send any representatives to the Games, including members of the royal family, diplomats and other VIPs. Sydney Morning Herald, 16 July

MPs urge government to block Chinese chips takeover bid. The Newport Wafer Fab case is under a review led by the national security adviser. Politico, 16 July

British MPs fret over China investment in university spin-offs. In the past decade, 79 of 1,547 U.K. university spinoffs have been sold to overseas companies, according to data from Beauhurst. Bloomberg, 15 July

US legislation targeting China and products from Xinjiang clears key congressional committee. The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted on the Eagle Act, omnibus-style legislation. In addition to calling for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Olympics, strengthening US ties with Taiwan, and cracking down on researchers in the US affiliated with the Chinese military, the bill also includes the House version of the Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act. SCMP, The Guardian, 15 July

China snubs senior US official in worsening diplomatic stand-off. The US halted plans for Wendy Sherman to travel to Tianjin after China refused to agree to a meeting with Le Yucheng, her counterpart. FT, 16 July

China’s carbon market scheme too limited, say analysts. Analysts warned that oversupply, a limited scope and no cap on total emissions meant the scheme was unlikely to assume immediately its intended “central role”. FT, 16 July

Self-censorship hits Hong Kong book fair in wake of national security law. Far fewer politically sensitive titles are on display in the first such event since Beijing imposed sweeping new regulations. The Guardian, 16 July

Chinese Foreign Minister urges US not to dump Afghan ‘burden’ on neighbouring countries. SCMP, 15 July

Hong Kong national security police raid university student union as part of investigation into stabbed officer motion. SCMP, 16 July

China focus

Entire whisky distillery ships out to China. More than 35 tonnes of equipment, including stills, flooring, control valves and pipework, is leaving Buckie in Moray for the port of Tianjin. BBC, 16 July

China tunnel flood: Desperate search to find trapped workers. BBC, 16 July

China covid: Counties target unvaccinated students' families. Students will not be allowed back in school in September unless their entire family is fully vaccinated, some local governments in China have said. BBC, 16 July

A human case of bird flu is reported in China. NYT, 15 July

Economy & tech

Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance and 30 other Big Tech firms sign voluntary antitrust ‘self-discipline’ pledge at event. Tech giants gathered at the China Internet Conference promising to maintain fair competition and prevent abuses of market position. SCMP, 15 July

Didi faces a new cybersecurity probe. China sent state security and police officials to Didi Global Inc.’s DIDI -2.06% ride-hailing business on Friday as a part of a cybersecurity investigation. WSJ, 16 July

In depth: Huawei’s plan to snatch Alibaba’s cloud crown. Huawei is fast growing in the market for third-party cloud services. Caixin, 15 July

Longer reads & opinion

China buys friends with ports and roads. Now the US is trying to compete. The US’ International Development Finance Corp is backed by $60bn. WSJ, 15 July

China Inc’s new inconspicuous expansion. Around the world Chinese companies are, fairly or not, viewed as instruments of the Communist Party. The Economist, 16 July

Let the bullets fly for a while. Lillian Li on changes in China’s regulatory environment for tech firms in Chinese Characteristics, 16 July

The South China Sea Arbitration Award: 5 Years and Beyond. The Diplomat, 15 July

Biden’s new China doctrine. Its protectionism and its us-or-them rhetoric will hurt America and put off allies. The Economist, 16 July