International
Twenty Indian soldiers killed in clash with Chinese troops in Himalayas. At least twenty Indian soldiers have been killed in clashes with Chinese troops in the Himalayas, a sharp escalation of the long-running border dispute between the nuclear-armed neighbours. FT, SCMP, RTHK, NY Times 16 June & Bloomberg, The Guardian, 17 June
China gives up arguing it is a market economy, loses landmark WTO dispute against EU. China has spent four years fighting for market-economy status, a designation that would give it stronger footing with commercial partners while also curtailing their ability to retaliate over trade disputes. The Chinese government allowed a landmark World Trade Organization dispute -- aimed at forcing the European Union to recognize it as a market economy in trade investigations -- to lapse on June 15.By ending the dispute China now provides the EU with greater legal certainty to combat low-price Chinese exports with artificially high tariffs. Bloomberg, 16 June
State media makes new threats to HSBC over Canadian Huawei case. The Global Times says: “If there is more evidence to suggest that the bank was engaged in a dangerous game of US-China tech rivalry and violated its business principles under US pressure, then Meng's case could be a turning point for HSBC in the Chinese market.” Global Times, 16 June
Breaking Hong Kong national security law could get residents extradited to mainland China. SCMP, 17 June
Taiwan jets 'drive away' intruding Chinese fighter plane, third intrusion in days. Taiwan air force jets “drove away” a Chinese fighter plane that briefly entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone on Tuesday, the defence ministry said, reporting the third intrusion in a week. The single J-10 fighter was given radio warnings to leave before the Taiwanese air force jets ushered the intruder out of the airspace southwest of the island, the ministry said. Reuters, 16 June
Hawaii talks a chance for Mike Pompeo and Yang Jiechi to ‘draw red lines in the sand’. This week China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet in Hawaii with talks aimed at dampening tensions ahead of US elections in November. SCMP, 16 June
China tightens restrictions as Beijing outbreak widens. China has tightened coronavirus restrictions in Beijing, cancelling flights and closing schools in a bid to stem the outbreak in the capital. FT, Bloomberg,17 June
Historian calls on universities to drop Zoom over censorship. James Millward blog, 15 June
Economy/Tech
Brussels forges new weapons to shield EU market from China. Politico reports that, “Brussels is set to unveil on Wednesday a proposal for sweeping new powers to crack down on foreign subsidies, in its most aggressive push yet to curb the influence on the European market of companies backed by China.” Politico, 16 June
Shares in China telecoms groups rise as US eases Huawei sanctions. Shares in Chinese telecoms companies jumped on Tuesday after the US watered down some of its biting sanctions on Chinese technology giant Huawei, over fears it was inadvertently excluding itself from global talks shaping future technologies. FT, 16 June
Huawei overtook Samsung to become the world's largest smartphone maker in April. China Daily, 17 June
Scientists make significant step toward quantum communication. Xinhua, 16 June
Pentagon warns China is exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to wage 'economic warfare' on the US. CNN, 16 June
US blacklists “China’s MIT” as tech war grows. Nikkei Asian Review, 17 June
Debt relief focus at China-Africa summit on Wednesday. Xinhua, 16 June
Financial pressures in China:
Sichuan Trust Mobbed by Investors Demanding Their Money Back. Caixin, 16 June
China’s Former Top Insurance Regulator Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison for Bribery. Caixin, 16 June
Banks Face $300 Million Shortfall on Luckin Margin Loans. Bloomberg, 16 June
China’s Tech Capital Winter Deepens After VC Deals Tank. Bloomberg, 16 June
Longer reads & opinion
The EU must stand up to China before it’s too late. Foreign Policy, 16 June
Why India-China border dispute will continue to be shaped by mutual distrust. SCMP, 16 June
LEX: Huawei/trade war: dialling it back. FT, 16 June
Mask Diplomacy: Chinese Narratives in the COVID Era. Stanford, 16 June