China News - 18 October
International
Vladimir Putin visits Beijing for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin is the “main guest” at Xi’s Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and has arrived in China ahead of the summit. Max Seddon and Joe Leahy. Financial Times, 17 October
Putin in China aiming to strengthen anti-West coalition. Both leaders can reassure each other and their people when they are frozen out of the world stage, with images of their handshakes and apparent strength. Stephen McDonell. BBC News, 17 October
Spymasters warn of aggressive push to steal West’s secrets. McCallum is appearing publicly for the first time with counterparts of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. The director general of the security service is to attend an unprecedented security summit as countries compete for technical dominance amid a heightened espionage threat. Fiona Hamilton. TheTimes, 17 October
“We don’t feel safe here”: Hongkongers in UK fear long reach of Chinese government. Pro-democracy supporters who fled Hong Kong speak out about continued harassment, threats and physical attacks. Tom Levitt and May James. The Guardian, 17 October
Hong Kong court rules that gay couples get equal housing rights. A Hong Kong court has dismissed a government bid to deny same-sex married couples the right to rent and own public housing saying that it was “discriminatory in nature” and a denial of their rights. Jessie Pang. Reuters, 17 October
China and Japan say their ships faced off near disputed islands. China said it drove away several Japanese vessels that “illegally” entered territorial waters around the islands it calls Diaoyu. Beijing urged Japan to stop all “illegal activities” in the area. Farah Master and Tim Kelly. Reuters, 17 October
China’s Xi supports stronger international role for Papua New Guinea. Xi said that China supports Papua New Guinea in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, and is willing to strengthen ties. Kirsty Needham and Bernard Orr. Reuters, 17 October
China tightens curbs on foreign travel by bankers and state workers. Employees have said that curbs have been widened since 2021 to include bans on overseas travel and tighter limits on the frequency and duration of trips. They said the measures are unrelated to the pandemic. Engen Tham and Julie Zhu. Reuters, 17 October
Economy & Tech
US tightens rules on AI chip sales to China in blow to Nvidia. Commerce secretary Gina Raimondo said the goal of the update was to curb China’s access to advanced ships that “could fuel breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and sophisticated computers” that are critical for the Chinese military. Demetri Sevastopulo and Qianer Liu. Financial Times, 17 October
China tells banks to roll over local government debt. Local government debt reached 92 trillion yuan, which is 76% of economic output in 2022, up from 62.2% in 2019. Reuters, 17 October
Apple boss Tim Cook makes a surprise China visit. In his second trip to China this year, Cook visited Apple’s Taikoo Li store to meet young players of Tencent’s Honour of Kings online battle game. Chris Vallance. BBC News, 17 October
Slowing Chinese EV demand drives down battery metal prices. According to data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Refinitiv and Argus, lithium prices have fallen almost 70% and nickel prices have dropped 40%. The cobalt market is in a glut with prices slightly above record lows. Harry Dempsey. Financial Times, 17 October
China’s economy: five things to look for in the latest growth figures. Economists expect gross domestic product to have expanded 4.4% in the third quarter, meaning that China is on track for its 5% target. Edward White. Financial Times, 17 October
Opinion & long-reads
Belt and Road Initiative: Is China’s trillion-dollar gamble worth it? It has had limited success in meeting certain goals, such as internationalising the yuan and solving Chinese companies’ overcapacity. But China has reaped a huge economic trade benefit. Tessa Wong. BBC News, 17 October
“Like being buried alive”: Australian journalist Cheng Lei on life in a Chinese prison. The reporter reveals she was arrested for breaking a news embargo, and talks about how she survived months in solitary confinement. Cait Kelly. The Guardian, 17 October
How to fix China’s birth rate: treat single mothers the same as married ones. A nationwide law ensuring equal rights for single mothers would remove the barriers to having children when unmarried. Lijia Zhang. South China Morning Post, 14 October