China News - 18 January 2023
International
China returns to Davos with clear message: we’re open for business. China has passed its peak of Covid-19 infections and is returning to normal faster than the government expected, Beijing’s top economic official Liu He has told investors at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “The majority of society has recovered to a normal state of affairs,” Liu said as he welcomed foreign investment and declared his country open to the world on Tuesday after three years of pandemic isolation. FT, 17 January
Third-term Xi Jinping seizes the hour and misses his moment. Tom Mitchell. FT, 18 January
China 'more likely' to invade Taiwan - and attack could come in 2027, foreign minister warns. Taiwan's foreign minister has said he believes China is now "more likely" to invade Taiwan to distract from leader Xi Jinping's domestic problems. Speaking exclusively to Sky News in his first sit-down interview of the year, Joseph Wu set 2027 as the key date such action will most likely happen. Sky News, 18 January
Minister at the Department for International Trade Greg Hands met with Taiwan High Representative Kelly Wu-Chiao Hsieh in London yesterday:
TikTok’s e-commerce management structure undercuts claims of autonomy from China. The new head of TikTok’s important push into e-commerce in the U.S. answers directly to a boss at the app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, bypassing TikTok’s own CEO. The previously unreported structure could undercut TikTok’s efforts to convince Washington lawmakers that it can operate independently from ByteDance. The Information, 17 January
TikTok banned from University of Texas campus on cybersecurity concerns. The University of Texas at Austin has banned the use of TikTok on the campus’s networks after state and national leaders expressed concerns about the social media app’s ties to China and the large amount of user data it collects. Bloomberg, 17 January
China faces growing threats from ‘external forces’, former spy chief warns. In an article in Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily on Tuesday, Qiu Jin, a former deputy state security minister, said China should prepare for the potential escalation of “bullying by the hegemonies” by thrusting the country into food shortages and financial instability. SCMP, 17 January
Biden administration imposes China chip curbs on Macau. The Biden administration has hit Macau with sweeping new export controls it previously imposed on shipments of advanced chips and chipmaking equipment to Beijing, flagging the risk that the technology could be diverted from the region to the rest of China. Reuters, 17 January
Macau ex-junket boss Alvin Chau sentenced to 18 years in prison. Bloomberg, 18 January
China: Fans rejoice as Marvel films return after apparent ban. BBC, 18 January
Economy & tech
Britishvolt: UK battery start-up collapses into administration. UK battery start-up Britishvolt has collapsed into administration - the firm had planned to build a giant factory to make electric car batteries in Blyth, Northumberland. The UK currently only has one Chinese-owned battery plant next to the Nissan factory in Sunderland, while 35 plants are planned or already under construction in the European Union. BBC, 17 January
China gives us reason to be cheerful, say fund managers. China’s tech stocks have staged a $700bn rally as the country reopens and a regulatory clampdown on the sector loosens. The Times, 17 January
China's BYD takes cautious approach to US in global EV push. Reuters, 18 January
China focus
Hong Kong sports bodies told to include ‘China’ in names. Hong Kong’s Olympic Committee has told its member associations to include “China” in their official names or risk having funding pulled. The China Project, 17 January
Hu Chunhua joins China top advisory body, set to depart as vice-premier. The one-time leadership contender who was left out of the Politburo in October is set for a ceremonial role at the March sitting. SCMP, 18 January
Ex-HK leader Carrie Lam excluded from China’s top advisory body. Bloomberg, 18 January
Long reads & opinion
Freewheeling Xi is becoming a graver threat. Roger Boyes. The Times, 17 January
What it would take for Apple to disentangle itself from China. The tech giant increasingly finds itself beholden to America’s biggest geopolitical rival. But is diversification even possible? Patrick McGee. FT, 18 January
Transatlantic approaches to outbound investment screening. Emily Benson and Francesca Ghiretti. CSIS, 17 January
Why Taiwan’s main opposition party can’t shake its pro-China stance. Chieh Yen. The Diplomat, 18 January