China News - 17 February 2021

International

New BFPG report: Upsurge in Britons who view China as a critical threat and oppose deepening economic ties. New significant public opinion polling by the British Foreign Policy Group finds that China is now clearly seen as a strategic rival to the UK, in a similar frame to Russia. 79% of Britons regard the rise of China as a global power to be an important or critical threat to the United Kingdom. Britons are now eleven percentage points more likely to see the rise of China as a critical threat than they were in 2020 (30% to 41%). And 78% of Britons do not trust China to act responsibly in the world - down from a peak of 83% during the height of the pandemic - comparable to the 80% of Britons who distrust Russia. But just 18% of Britons support the deployment of security resources to contain China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific. There is much more detail, including demographic breakdowns showing young people more likely to trust China, in the full BFPG report. The Times, CNN, 17 February

In case you missed it: Our China Research Group session yesterday with Rana Mitter looked at the importance of perception to the UK-China relationship, given the Chinese public’s high levels of trust in the UK. Listen back on our ‘Talks on China’ podcast or the recording on YouTube.

Taiwan suggests China to blame after deal for 5m Covid vaccine doses is put on hold. A deal for Taiwan to buy 5m doses of a Covid-19 vaccine developed by Germany’s BioNTech is on hold, the island’s health minister said, citing potential pressure from China for the delay. The Guardian, 17 February

China blocked Jack Ma’s Ant IPO after investigation revealed likely beneficiaries. The WSJ reports another intriguing layer to the Ant IPO story. According to more than a dozen Chinese officials and government advisers, there was growing unease in Beijing over Ant’s complex ownership structure. Some of the people who stood to gain most from what would have been the world’s largest IPO were potential rivals to Xi and his inner circle. WSJ, 16 February

Myanmar protesters accuse China of backing coup plotters. Members of a nationwide civil disobedience movement opposing Myanmar’s coup are venting their anger at China, which protesters accuse of helping to set up a ‘great firewall’ to help the generals who overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi. FT, 16 February

Disinformation campaign targets Hongkongers seeking UK visas. China-friendly Hong Kong newspaper editorials, online chat rooms and senior officials in Hong Kong are amplifying the rhetoric that leaving Hong Kong would be a bad move - extending to threats that people are in danger of becoming stateless refugees. Bloomberg, 17 February

UK visa offer to Hong Kongers fails to help thousands wanting to flee. Thousands of people, particularly in their 20s, had or were planning to flee on their Chinese-issued passports with a six-month visitor visa and claim asylum once in the UK. Such people are likely to face a far more complex, time-consuming and stressful journey to permanent residency than those on the BNO route. FT, 16 February

Canada weighs calling China’s treatment of Uyghurs a genocide. “It’s a word that is extremely loaded and is certainly something that we should be looking at in the case of the Uyghurs,” Trudeau told a news conference. SCMP, 17 February

Hobbled US Import-Export bank is given new life to counter Chinese competition. Revived under Trump, its website explicitly sets out loan pricing comparable to PRC. SCMP, 16 February

Nato to meet this week to discuss multilateral stance on China, Russia at first Biden-era talks. SCMP, 16 February

Economy & tech

Virtual control: the agenda behind China’s new digital currency. A new must-read by the FT on the e-yuan sets out the potential for greater state control over the fintech industry - potentially at the expense of WeChat Pay and Alipay. FT, 16 February

ByteDance looks to list Douyin in New York, seizing on new mood in Biden administration and strong demand for China tech stocks. It would be the first IPO by a Chinese social media network in the US. SCMP, 16 February

UK set to announce £800m of funding for high-risk tech scientific research agency Aria. The Times, 17 February

'The hikes are insane': British firms face surging import costs in recent months of up to 700% per container as shipping chaos continues. This is Money, 16 February

The auto industry bets its future on batteries. Expected demand for electric vehicles in 2030 would increase demand for batteries 8 times beyond current capacity. Manufacturing is dominated by players based in China, Japan and South Korea. NYT, 16 February

Longer reads & opinion

Biden’s trade plans will boost China’s power in Asia. Biden’s worker-centred trade policy may come with foreign policy costs. James Crabtree in Foreign Policy, 16 February

We have been staggeringly blind to China’s rare earth dominance. The Telegraph, 16 February

How Joe Biden can help Britain modernise its role in the world. There are several strategic areas of cooperation, aligning on cybersecurity, AI and maritime defences. FT, 16 February

How US can avoid an all-out war with China. Biden should say openly that the US does not aim to upgrade Taiwan’s diplomatic status but is determined to defend its autonomy and democratic culture. Roger Boyes in The Times, 16 February

Opinion: America’s best hope of hanging together is China. The one line of continuity between Trump and Biden is China. FT, 17 February

Decoupling denied: Japan Inc lays its bets on China. The fate of Japan’s manufacturing is intertwined with the Chinese market. FT, 16 February

For a Biden Arctic agenda, look to governance to navigate the nascent question of Arctic Chinese investment. Foreign Policy, 15 February