China News - 19 April 2021

International

New powers to kick out spies from hostile states as concerns mount over Russia and China. Boris Johnson will use the Queen’s Speech on May 11 to announce a bill to counter hostile states, including a foreign agent registration scheme which will require all individuals working on behalf of foreign governments in Britain to register their presence. Failure to do so would be a criminal offence. The Times, Evening Standard, 19 April

US and China pledge joint action on climate change. John Kerry and Xie Zhenhua, the climate envoys for the world’s two biggest economies, have vowed to co-operate “to tackle the climate crisis”, committing to “concrete actions in the 2020s” to reduce emissions in line with the aims of the 2015 Paris climate accord. FT, The Times, BBC, 18 April

Europe’s strategic long-shot: More warships in the Indo-Pacific. Politico reports on the new EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, which commits the EU to a “meaningful” naval presence in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Politico, EEAS fact sheet, 19 April

China’s Xi slams EU carbon border levy plans. President Xi Jinping rejected EU plans to develop a so-called Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism — aimed at ensuring that companies producing in countries with laxer climate rules face a carbon cost when exporting to Europe. Politico, 16 April

New Zealand ‘uncomfortable’ with growing scope of Five Eyes as members speak out on China. Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta told reporters on Monday that Wellington prefers ‘multilateral opportunities to express our interests’ rather than to invoke intelligence network. SCMP, The Guardian, 19 April

UK education: British schools beat retreat from China. Over the weekend, MPs and education experts publicly warned of the risks of British schools setting up in China. But SCMP reports the market for international schools in the Greater Bay Area is surging. The Times, SCMP, 19 April

COVID-19: Boris Johnson's trip to India cancelled due to 'current coronavirus situation'. Sky News, 19 April

Japanese prime minister vows to support US in opposing ‘coercion’ from China in the South and East China Seas, after summit with Joe Biden. FT, 17 April

Trudeau government threatens Halifax Security Forum over proposed major award for president of Taiwan. Politico, 11 April

Germany’s ‘chaotic bureaucracy’ sees several instances where Germany did not recognise BNO passports. Apple Daily, 17 April

China watch

Tencent’s Ma proposes $7.7bn to help society in line with Xi’s values as antitrust scrutiny grows. Bloomberg, 19 April

China sticks with old growth drivers to spur growth drivers. Government advisers suggest high investment is the key to growth, not consumption. Bloomberg, 19 April

China celebrates four years without a violent terrorist incident, says public security ministry. SCMP, 15 April

Birth control policies should be scrapped to retain economic edge over US, says China’s central bank. SCMP, 15 April

Economy & tech

Netherlands: Huawei was able to eavesdrop on all calls from mobile KPN customers, including those of the prime minister. A report from Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant suggests Huawei had unfettered access to KPN’s mobile network, according to a secret internal report commissioned by KPN from 2010. de Volkskrant, Twitter (EN), The Telegraph, 17 April

UK launches taskforce for potential Bank of England digital currency - Sunak. Reuters, BoE Statement, 19 April

Bitcoin hashrate drops over 45% with Xinjiang grid blackouts blamed. Bitcoin News, 18 April

Longer reads & opinion

FT View: The limits of China’s taming of tech. Beijing shows little sign of applying the same standards to its state-owned giants. FT, 19 April

Telegraph view: Sino-American climate cooperation is essential but the devil will be in the detail. The COP26 process would be pointless without these two on board. The Telegraph, 19 April

Chinese firms prepare to charge into Europe’s electric car market. A crop of Chinese subsidy-backed manufacturers is following the Tesla playbook. The Guardian, 19 April

Hainan ‘on fire’ as luxury’s centre of gravity tilts to China. To boost domestic consumption, the Chinese government has turned the island into a duty-free shopping hub. FT, 17 April