China News - 17 October 2022
International
20th Party Congress: Xi Jinping steers towards confrontation with west in ‘great rejuvenation’ push. China’s president has signalled his intention to steer the foreign policy of the world’s most populous country and rising military superpower away from reconciliation with the west as he warned of “grave international developments” not seen in the past 100 years. In a nearly two-hour speech opening the Chinese Communist party’s 20th national congress in Beijing on Sunday, Xi touted his administration’s success in countering foreign interference and called on party members to build China into an all-round modern socialist country by mid-century. FT, The Economist, Caixin, 17 October
Analysis:
Xi Jinping’s vision for China’s next five years: key takeaways from his speech. Helen Davidson and Emma Graham-Harrison. The Guardian, 17 October
Xi Jinping speech: Zero-Covid and zero solutions. Stephen McDonell. BBC, 17 October
All the Emperor’s men. How Xi Jinping became China’s unrivalled leader — and how he plans to expand his power base. FT, 17 October
Hong Kong protester dragged into Manchester Chinese consulate grounds and beaten up. Video footage appeared to show a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester beaten inside the grounds of the Chinese consulate in Manchester on Sunday. A consulate spokesperson said protesters had displayed an insulting portrait of China's president. Alicia Kearns MP, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the China Research Group, is likely to seek an urgent question in the Commons today. The Telegraph, 17 October
A quarter of Britons consider China to be an enemy of the UK. New data published by YouGov has revealed that just 1% Britons see China as an ally of the UK, with only a further 9% viewing China as a friend. By contrast, a third (34%) believe China to be a rival of the UK, with another quarter (26%) believing China to actively be an enemy. However, support for sanctions against China falls when they are linked to economic costs at home. YouGov, 14 October
Academics fail to break links with US-sanctioned Chinese firms. An audit by The Times and Civitas found that academics at universities that had highlighted ending work with military-linked Chinese organisations after being criticised had continued to co-author academic papers with them. The Times, 17 October
EU to discuss deepening rivalry with China at top-level meetings: diplomats. Top European Union leaders and diplomats will confirm next week that the bloc’s rivalry with China has deepened over the past 12 months, during their first in-depth talks on the matter since before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They are expected to stand by their 2019 designation of China as a partner, competitor, and systemic rival. SCMP, 15 October
NATO-China tension over Ukraine flares at conference in Iceland. Rob Bauer, chair of NATO’s Military Committee, confronted He Rulong, China’s ambassador to Iceland, over China’s failure to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, injecting tension over the war into an international conference about the Arctic. Bloomberg, 15 October
‘Indo-Pacific events will shape the world for next century’, says HMS Tamar commander. The Telegraph, 15 October
Can Kenya keep importers happy and repay loans on China-funded railway? SCMP, 17 October
Economy & tech
BMW to move production of electric Minis from UK to China. BMW is to axe all UK production of the award-winning electric Mini and switch it to China, dealing a major blow to hopes that Britain could be a global hub for zero-emission vehicle manufacture. It is another hit to the UK’s pretensions to become a leader in global electric car manufacturing, following Honda’s decision to quit Britain. The Times, 15 October
Shein: Fast-fashion workers paid 3p per garment for 18-hour days, undercover filming in China reveals. Workers at factories in China that supply clothes to the biggest fast-fashion company in the world frequently work up to 18 hours a day with no weekends and just one day off per month, according to an investigation from Channel 4 and The i newspaper. Shein said it is "extremely concerned" by the material shown in the investigation, which "would violate the Code of Conduct agreed to by every Shein supplier.” The i, 15 October
China’s top 6 lenders boost loans to support slowing economy. The biggest state-run Chinese banks have increased their lending by 22 per cent to $1.3tn in the first nine months of the year. FT, 17 October
Apple freezes plan to use China's YMTC chips amid political pressure. Nikkei Asia, 17 October
Long reads & opinion
Chinese whispers heard in London — Q&A with Cindy Yu. Cindy Yu is one of the most refreshing new voices about China with her podcast, Chinese Whispers. The China Project, 14 October
Xi Jinping’s quest for control over China targets even old friends. Chun Han Wong. WSJ, 16 October
It’s time for the US to revoke China’s ‘normal trade’ status. Nathan Picarsic and Emily de La Bruyere. The Spectator, 14 October
Inadvertently Arming China? One Year On: The Chinese military complex and its exploitation of scientific research at UK universities. Robert Clark. Civitas, 17 October