China News 2 July 2020
International
Hong Kong:
CRG poll shows UK voters want sanctions over Hong Kong and tougher action on Beijing across the board. A new poll for the CRG finds that 49% agree the UK: “should put sanctions, including travel bans and assets freezes, on the Chinese government officials involved in imposing the new law”, while only 10% disagree. Neil O’Brien from CRG discussed the poll on Newsnight and the BBC News Channel and it was discussed in Parliament. Spectator, Newsnight, Parliament 1, Parliament 2, Poll on Scribd, Google docs
National security law used immediately and 370 arrested as protests break out in Hong Kong. SCMP, 1 July
UK grants Hongkongers residency, Beijing vows to retaliate. Beijing’s ambassador in London vowed his country would take “corresponding measures” to stop such a move. However a poll for YouGov finds that support for helping British passport-holders in Hong Kong is rising. The FT reports Alan Mak, a Conservative MP of Chinese descent saying, “The left and the right of the party is in lockstep on this issue. This is a very positive step. It’s the right decision.” Statement, FT, 1 July, The Guardian, FT, 2 July, YouGov, 2 July
China’s embassy in the UK claims the UK offer of refuge is a “violation of international law” Global Times, 2 July
Australia plans to offer safe haven to Hong Kong residents. FT, SCMP, 2 July
US Congress Launches Bipartisan Bill to Give Refugee Status to Certain Hong Kong Residents. WSJ, Safe Harbor Act
US passes sanctions over Hong Kong. BBC, 2 July
Unease over role of British judges in Hong Kong court. Tom Tugendhat suggested that British judges, who include the president of the Supreme Court in London, were compromised in their roles on Hong Kong’s highest bench. “How can they defend civil and commercial rights if they are being violated by the law they are sent to uphold?” he said. Times, 2 July
“The era when the Chinese cared what others thought and looked up to others is in the past, never to return” said Zhang Xiaoming, executive director of the Chinese government’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office. Washington Post, 1 July
“You guys had better think more about ‘one country,’ forget about your ‘two systems’” said Michael Tien, a pro-Beijing lawmaker. Bloomberg, 1 July
53 countries supported China's national security law at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Tuesday, triumphing over 27 members that criticised it. Global Times, 1 July
Carrie Lam to lose honorary position at Cambridge University? Wolfson College
Biden says new China national security law a 'death blow,' for Hong Kong, vows sanctions if elected. Reuters, 1 July
Water cannon used to blast reporter. Footage
Security law details:
New “Office for Safeguarding National Security” will be exempt from investigation by the Hong Kong police. “In other words, they are untouchable under Hong Kong law,” Donald Clarke, a professor at George Washington University Law School, said. “This is real Gestapo-level stuff.” Times, 2 July
Beijing’s law threatens Hong Kong students at our universities, warns MP. The extraterritorial nature of the law will threaten free speech for students at UK universities. Times, 2 July
Article 38 means new law will apply across the globe. NPR, 1 July
China says suspects arrested by HK security office to be tried in mainland. Reuters, 2 July
Tony Blair drawn into row over pro-China 48 Group Club. The Times reported yesterday that “Tony Blair has been dragged into a row over a mysterious pro-Beijing lobbying group accused of using Chinese propaganda to groom British elites.Yesterday the former prime minister denied claims that he was a fellow of the 48 Group Club”. The Times today reports that: “A photograph of Jack Straw, the former home secretary, being awarded a fellowship from a mysterious pro-Chinese lobbying group has emerged days after he claimed: “I’ve never heard of them.” Straw said: “I’d completely forgotten about that — it was 13 years ago. At the time there weren’t the same anxieties about the Chinese using economic muscle in a predatory way.” It notes that: “The club took down its website after the publication of Hidden Hand, an exposé of Chinese influence networks, in Australia last week.” Times, 1 July & Times, 2 July
U.S. Readies ‘Harsh’ Sanctions on China Over Abuses in Xinjiang. Bloomberg, 1 July
Chinese Communist Party celebrates 99th anniversary. SCMP, 1 July
China and India to move troops ‘in batches’ from disputed border. SCMP, 2 July
Beijing troops write 'China' in giant letters on disputed border with India. Daily Mail, 1 July
India should open Andaman to US, Japan to track Chinese submarines. The Week, 1 July
China orders some American media to give details on staff, after U.S. move. Reuters, 1 July
Economy/Tech
Did Chinese hacking help Huawei kill Nortel? Bloomberg, 1 July
Apple freezes updates for thousands of mobile games on China App Store. Apple has frozen updates for tens of thousands of mobile games on its App Store in China, as it faces increasing government pressure to comply with local regulations. FT, 1 July
Intel Halts Chip Supply to Leading Chinese Server-Maker. Caixin, 1 July
Nokia and Ericsson remain vulnerable in geopolitical 5G tussle. FT, 2 July
Businesses in Hong Kong fear collateral damage from security law. FT, 2 July
Longer reads & opinion
Tom Tugendhat: Britain should cut loose from Chinese fuel and lead a hydrogen revolution. The Times, 2 July
Academic honours should reflect a university’s values, so why has Carrie Lam still got one? HKFP, 1 July
The EU must end its appeasement of Chinese interests. Times, 2 July
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