China News - 18 March 2021
International
US and China delegations set to meet in Alaska today. In the lead-up to the meeting, the US has announced enhanced sanctions on 24 officials from China and Hong Kong and has sought to strip three Chinese telecoms firms of their US licences over ‘links’ the CCP. While Xinhua has termed today’s 2+2 meeting a ‘high-level strategic dialogue’, the US side is clear that this is not ‘the beginning of a dialogue process’. BBC, The Times, State Dept statement, Xinhua, 17 March
EU set to sanction four Chinese officials. The sanctions, awaiting formal approval by EU foreign ministers on March 22, are the first since 1989. The China Daily newspaper has vowed that China will take countermeasures. A proposed visit by EU ambassadors to Xinjiang is also ‘in stalemate’ over access to jailed Uygur academic Tohti. SCMP, 17 March Reuters, 17 March
Integrated review: Tories calling for a new Cold War with China are ‘hotheads’, says George Osborne. Speaking at a Lords Committee hearing yesterday, Osborne told peers he believed the Integrated Review marked a “continuity” with the Golden Era. I News, 17 March
North Korean threat forces Biden into balancing act with China. Washington’s recent attempts to communicate with Pyongyang were rebuffed, leaving American officials to appeal to countries in the region to help pressure North Korea. NYT, SCMP, 18 March
Kovrig and Spavor: China set to begin trial of two Canadians. The Guardian, The Times, 18 March
Chinese President Xi Jinping offers more vaccine support to Caribbean countries. Xi spoke to his Guyanese counterpart and offered 20k vaccine doses. SCMP, 18 March
Rising affluence drives British private school expansion in Southern China. Some 20 British school brands are expected to operate 31 campuses in the Greater Bay Area by 2025. Caixin, 17 March
UK urged to ban fur imports from China over animal abuse claims. The Guardian, 17 March
New UK National Commission on China launches, run by five with experience of business in China. UKNCC, 18 March
China watch
China takes aim at corrupt cadres and officials in expanded Inner Mongolia campaign, with investigations going as far back as two decades. SCMP, 18 March
Beijing orders no live Oscars after Hong Kong protest film nomination. Bloomberg, 17 March
China hopes more day care will reduce cost of having kids. Sixth Tone, 18 March
Economy & tech
China bans micro lenders from targeting college students over fears of excessive debt. Caixin, 18 March
Pinduoduo founder abruptly quits tech giant he founded. The firm’s work culture has been criticised after the death of two employees. BBC, 17 March
Longer reads & opinion
Boris Johnson Unveils His Post-Brexit ‘Tilt’ to Asia. There remains plenty of doubt around London’s seriousness and direction. James Crabtree in Foreign Policy, 18 March
Chinese economy: Beijing’s war on the credit boom. China’s leaders are focused on the threat of excessive risk-taking in the financial system. FT, 18 March
Comment: Supply chain ‘sovereignty’ will undo globalisation’s gains if it tips into protectionism. FT, 18 March
How might US-China competition end? Competitive coexistence and regime failure are the most likely objectives. Foreign Policy, 11 March
Boris Johnson is testing China with Britain’s foreign policy ambiguities. The UK’s Integrated Review on Foreign and Security policy is unclear about what Britain wants from China, but that is part of the point, writes Rana Mitter. SCMP, 17 March
Comment: Britain should avoid undermining the Hong Kong judiciary. Calls for the withdrawal of British judges have nothing to do with judicial independence or the rule of law. Lord Sumption in The Times, 18 March