China News - 17 April 2023
International
UK Foreign Secretary to meet G7 partners in Japan this week, ahead of visits to the Pacific Islands and New Zealand. James Cleverly to discuss closer ties around security and defence, as well as opportunities presented by the UK’s recent accession to the CPTPP trade agreement. Gov.uk. 16 April
China’s defence minister and Putin vow to strengthen military cooperation. Li Shangfu met with the Russian president on Sunday on his first trip overseas in the role. The Guardian. 17 April
Montana legislature approves outright ban of TikTok. Governor Greg Gianforte must now decide whether sign the bill into law. David McCabe. New York Times. 14 April
BT holds China-Taiwan war game to prepare for potential conflict. Staff in Dublin took part in a two-day stress test last year following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. Oliver Telling, Anna Gross and Cheng Ting-Fang. Financial Times. 16 April
China and Brazil branded ‘strategic partners that share extensive common interests’. Xi and Lula sign a series of cooperation deals covering trade and investment, the digital economy and aerospace. Xinlu Liang. South China Morning Post. 14 April
Blinken’s trip to Beijing stalled over spy balloon concerns. China is reportedly refusing to reschedule the visit with US secretary of state over concerns that the FBI will publish results of spy balloon investigation. Demetri Sevastopulo. Financial Times. 15 April
Chinese foreign minister appeals to the Taliban to create more progressive and inclusive government. Qin Gang attended a quadrilateral meeting with Russian, Iranian and Pakistani counterparts as part of his trip to Uzbekistan. Zhao Ziwen. South China Morning Post. 14 April
Increasing numbers of Chinese migrants are attempting to enter the US via Latin America. Chinese nationals were the fourth-largest group making the Darién crossing between South and Central America so far this year. Wenxin Fan and Shen Lu. Wall Street Journal. 16 April
Chinese mining contractors accused of bribing militant groups in Nigeria for access to mineral reserves. Through bribes and illegal transactions, Beijing could be indirectly funding terror in Africa’s largest economy. Richard Assheton. The Times. 16 April
Beijing’s ambassador to Manila accuses the Philippines of exacerbating regional tensions with US military bases pact. The US and the Philippines signed an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement in 2014. The Philippines has offered access to four more military bases, three facing north towards Taiwan and one near the disputed Spratly Islands. Reuters. 16 April
Domestic
China arrests human rights activists en route to EU embassy in Beijing. Yu Wensheng and wife Xu Yan were planning to meet the EU ambassador. Gregorio Sorgi. Politico. 14 April
China uses anti-espionage laws against Chinese nationals who share information on Xinjiang. Article posted by the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission shares details of six espionage cases as a warning against providing overseas organisations with Xinjiang-related documents. Vanessa Cai. South China Morning Post. 14 April
Beijing assigns Communist Party veterans to top decision-making body for Hong Kong and Macau. Beijing said to be ‘keeping a close eye on the security aspects’ while promoting development in the two special administrative regions. William Zheng. South China Morning Post. 15 April
Economy & tech
China hit by surge in Belt and Road bad loans. US$78 billion has been renegotiated or written off in the last 3 years. James Kynge. Financial Times. 16 April
Chinese lenders slashed disbursements to countries that applied for debt relief during Covid-19 pandemic. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University publish findings of a study on the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative. Jevans Nyabiage. South China Morning Post. 15 April
China’s chip imports slump 23 percent in first three months of 2023. US sanctions weigh on semiconductor transactions. Ann Cao. South China Morning Post.13 April
Logistics industry in China faces slow recovery. Supply chain shifts and weakened global demand affect market outlook. Mandy Zuo and Ji Siqi. South China Morning Post. 15 April
Chinese battery supplier plans five Europe plants. SVolt Energy Technology Co., spun out of Great Wall Motor Co., in talks with several European car manufacturers. Wilfried Eckl-Dorna. Bloomberg. 13 April
Opinion & long reads
Reform the World Bank and save developing countries from China’s grasp. Former prime minister calls on the UK to lead the reform of multilateral development banks. David Cameron. The Telegraph. 15 April
Only China can put a stop to Kim Jong-un’s latest round of nuclear sabre-rattling. The G7 will need China’s support to end the standoff on the Korean Peninsula. The Observer. 16 April
The West is in the grip of a decoupling delusion. How attempts to decouple from China are more likely to leave countries in south-east Asia more economically dependent on China. James Crabtree. Financial Times. 14 April
What it will look like if China launches cyberattacks in the U.S. A look at a few of the most likely scenarios in the event of a China-Taiwan conflict. Maggie Miller. Politico. 16 April