China News - 18 September 2020
International
Clues to scale of Xinjiang labour operation emerge as China defends camps. The Chinese government released a white paper yesterday that provided some official details on the breadth of the its labour programme in Xinjiang. The report states an average of 1.29m workers a year attended “vocational training centres” - including 415,000 from southern Xinjiang. The Guardian, BBC, 18 September
Hong Kong security law: Foreign judge quits Hong Kong's top court, activist denied bail. Reuters reports that Australian James Spigelman, one of the 14 foreign judges on Hong Kong’s highest court, resigned for reasons “related to the content of the national security legislation”. The Guardian reports that an activist is being denied bail ahead of his trial for “uttering seditious words”. Reuters, The Guardian, 17 September
US Senate Democrats announce $350 billion China plan. The bill was backed by 11 Democrats, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. The “America LEADS Act of 2020” includes policies to provide new resources to the U.S. education system, a range of sanctions for “malign behaviour” by the Chinese government and plans to re-establish leadership in international organisations. Reuters, New York Times, Act summary, 17 September
Swedish giant H&M cuts ties with Chinese supplier over accusations of use of Xinjiang forced labour. SCMP, 17 September
China launches combat drills as US official visits Taiwan. BBC, Taipei Times, New York Times, 17 September
Top US diplomat for East Asia calls China 'lawless bully' in testimony for FRC hearing. Reuters, 17 September
Chinese vessels account for 99 per cent of fishing off Galapagos, report finds. The Guardian, Telegraph, C4ADS report, 16 September
Xi visits Hunan province to review progress as “China’s war on poverty nears end”. CGTN, 17 September
Economy & tech
TikTok to be banned from US app stores from Sunday, FT reports. Washington moves to implement executive orders from Trump that require the removal of WeChat and TikTok from US app stores. FT, 17 September
Influential US chip industry group plans to warn Trump administration against blacklisting China's SMIC. Reuters, 16 September
China’s top science academy vows to counter tech decoupling with US. Caxin, 17 September
Premier League signs TV deal with China’s Tencent Sports. CNBC, FT, 17 September
Longer reads & opinion
Why China’s recovery is not what it seems. Michael Pettis analyses how China’s recovery has been disproportionately driven by industrial production in the FT, 18 September
China, once Germany’s partner in growth, turns into a rival. WSJ, 17 September
Trump is wrong about TikTok. China’s plans are much more sinister. Yi-Zheng Lian in NYT, 17 September
China’s system of oppression in Xinjiang: How it developed and how to curb it. Brookings Institute, 18 September
China’s mixed Marxist messages undercut EU trade prospects. Politico, 18 September
China, seeking a friend in Europe, finds rising anger and frustration. New York Times, 17 September
Analysis: Europe and China’s ‘virtual summit’. ChinaFile, 17 September
Parents keep children home as China limits Mongolian language in the classroom. NPR, 18 September
China’s anti-poverty drive is not disinterested charity. The Economist, 19 September
CRG Event
Innovation mercantilism: what China's unfair economic policies are doing to western economies with Robert Atkinson
Monday 28 September, 1-2pm
Robert Atkinson is President of the Innovation Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). He is one of the world’s leading thinkers on innovation policy, and a former adviser to the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations in the US.
To register for a place, please email julia@chinaresearchgroup.org.