China News - 18 September
International
US and China officials meet in Malta ahead of the possible Biden-Xi summit. Jake Sullivan and Wang Yi meet in Malta ahead of a possible meeting between Biden and Xi in November, in the latest effort to stabilise US-China relations. Demetri Sevastopulo. Financial Times, 17 September
Rishi Sunak considers banning Chinese officials from half of AI summit. Downing Street has already invited Beijing to the summit held in November at Bletchley Park. However, sources say that China may only be allowed to attend the first day over espionage concerns. The summit is set to shape the international community’s approach to AI for decades. Kiran Stacey and Dan Milmo. The Guardian, 15 September
Ex-RAF officers face prosecution if they train Chinese pilots. Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, said that former service personnel who train the militaries of UK competitors, including China, will be “pursued and brought to justice”. Will Hazell. Telegraph, 17 September
Chinese Defence Minister under investigation for corrupt procurement. Li Shangfu, who has been missing for over two weeks, has been placed under investigation by Chinese authorities. According to a regional security official, the investigation relates to the procurement of military equipment. Reuters, 16 September
Germany’s Baerbock calls China’s Xi Jinping a dictator. In a recent trip to the US, the German Foreign Minister referred to Xi as a dictator when stressing her support for Ukraine. Camille Gijs. POLITICO, 16 September
WHO chief pushed China for “full access” to solve Covid’s origins. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the WHO is “pressing China to give full access… we have already asked in writing to give us information…and [are] also willing to send a team if they allow us to do so”. Donato Paolo Mancini. Financial Times, 17 September
Free speech law tackles Confucius interference. CCP funded Confuscius Institutes could face investigation under new free-speech legislation if they try to stifle debate at UK universities. They could face “consequences” including £500,000 fines. Will Hazell. Telegraph, 17 September
Economy & Tech
EU fines TikTok €345mn for breaching children’s data rules. Ireland’s DPC probe found that TikTok had infringed EU data protection rules by setting the profiles of children aged 13-17 to a public setting by default, meaning that anyone on or off the App could view their content and even contact them. Jude Webber. Financial Times, 15 September
“A shot across the bow”: how geopolitics threatens Apple’s dependence on China. Beijing’s recent restrictions on governmental use of Apple products, combined with Huawei’s resurgence, pose major problems for Tim Cook. Patrick McGee and Eleanor Olcott. Financial Times, 17 September
Chinese shadow bank exposed to troubled property developers. Zhongrong, a giant of China’s $3tn shadow finance industry, is at the heart of concerns over missed payment to customers. It has also lent money to several of the country’s struggling property developers. Thomas Hale and Wang Xueqiao. Financial Times, 17 September
Opinion & long-reads
The West fears a closer Russia and North Korea. China may not. The recent meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un has sparked concern throughout the West. However, China may see more benefits than risks for itself in the emerging axis. Simone McCarthy. CNN, 15 September
A state-owned railway in China told women not to put on makeup on trains. A promotional video asking women to refrain from doing their makeup during train journeys has sparked fierce backless and a debate on sexism. The clip has become the most searched, read and debated on Weibo. Chris Lau. CNN, 17 September
What anger over a top influencer says about China today. Li Jiaqi, one of China’s top influencers, has come under attack for dismissing young followers’ complaints over high makeup prices as “nonsense”. Many comments state that “you don’t know about the current economic climate. Many people are still working hard and struggling just to keep their jobs”. Kelly Ng and Fan Wang. BBC, 16 September