China News - 17 September 2021
Monday’s Event - After Merkel: Berlin and Beijing. How will the upcoming German election on 26 September shape Germany's foreign policy? How will the announcement of AUKUS influence the EU's approach to alliances and the Indo-Pacific? Join Tom Tugendhat MP, Constanze Stelzenmüller, Noah Barkin and Janka Oertel for a virtual briefing on Monday 20 September at 3pm BST. Register here.
International
China officially applies to join CPTPP. A day after the announcement of AUKUS, China announced that it would seek to join CPTPP. The addition of new members requires unanimous consent among existing members, including Japan and Australia. “We need to carefully assess whether China is prepared to meet [CPTPP’s] very high standards,” Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan’s economy minister, said. BBC, FT, 17 September
More reaction to AUKUS:
Theresa May questions implications for Taiwan. In yesterday’s Commons debate, the former British prime minister asked Johnson: “What are the implications of this pact for the stance that would be taken by the United Kingdom in its response should China attempt to invade Taiwan?” Boris Johnson has said that Aukus is ‘not intended to be adversarial’. The Guardian, 16 September
Taiwan welcomes support from major allies after Aukus pact riles China. The Guardian, 17 September
Beijing: On Friday, China's President Xi Jinping said foreign powers should not be allowed to interfere in the country's affairs. BBC, 17 September
Indonesia said it had taken “cautious note” of AUKUS, expressing concern over the “continuing arms race" and power projection in the region”. The Australian, 16 September
Australia rejected Chinese and French criticism of Canberra’s decision to sign a defence pact with the US and UK to build nuclear-powered submarines, saying the “incredible uncertainty in the Indo-Pacific” made the deal a necessity. FT, 17 September
New EU Strategy for the Indo-Pacific. On Thursday, Josep Borrell released the EU’s new Indo-Pacific Strategy, including an enhanced naval presence by EU member states in the Indo-Pacific. DW, European Commission, 16 September
Biden is set to meet with world leaders for a climate forum. President Biden is set to host a climate change summit Friday morning that is expected to draw pledges from the United States, Europe and a number of countries to slash their use of methane. It is unclear if China will attend. NYT, 17 September
World Bank inquiry finds IMF chief pushed staff to boost China rankings. The report alleges that Georgieva led efforts to improve China’s ranking at a time when she was “engrossed” in a campaign to secure a capital increase for the World Bank. FT, 16 September
Wikipedia blames pro-China infiltration for bans. The foundation banned seven editors linked to a mainland China group, having recently set up a disinformation team. BBC, 17 September
China focus
Macau casinos see $18 billion wipeout as China tightens grip. Officials said they would change casino regulations to tighten restrictions on operators, including appointing government representatives to “supervise” companies in the world’s biggest gaming hub. Bloomberg, 16 September
China reports highest single-day rise in Fujian’s Delta outbreak. SCMP, 17 September
Astronauts return to Earth after China's longest space mission. BBC, 17 September
Longer reads & opinion
Is China already the world’s most dominant economy? Based on share of world trade, net capital exports and global GDP, China became the world’s most dominant economy last year. The Economist, 18 September
What does the new AUKUS alliance mean for global relations? This new triple near-alliance is based on capability, convergent interest and, above all, trust. Rory Medcalf. New Statesman, 16 September
FT View: Aukus leaves some awkward questions. The purpose of Nato, so undermined by recent events in Afghanistan, needs now to be reaffirmed. FT, 17 September