China News - 2 June 2021
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International
UK to begin process to join CPTPP. Member nations of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on Wednesday officially agreed to allow the UK to commence the process of joining the pact. The UK government will present its plans on the deal to parliament in the coming weeks and a working group on the UK’s accession has been set up with Japan as the chair and Singapore and Australia as vice-chairs. The Japan Times, Reuters, Bloomberg, 2 June
G7 set to back green rival to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Bloomberg reports that the programme is set to be launched at the G7 in Cornwall next week. The strategy, expected to be called the “Clean Green Initiative,” would provide a strategic framework to support sustainable development and the green transition in developing countries, but sources said “it was not clear whether any new money would be put behind the G7 initiative”. Bloomberg, 1 June
Xi: China must improve the way it tells ‘stories’ to foreign audiences. China’s President emphasised the need to improve external outreach and explore different ways of communicating to different parts of the world in order to help foreigners understand the Chinese Communist Party. RTHK, Xinhua, The Guardian, 2 June
China holds economic talks with second top US official in a week. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He exchanged views with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, but there was no indication of when negotiations on ending the existing tariff war might resume. Reuters, The Independent, 2 June
US secretary of state Blinken warns 11 Pacific leaders about ‘coercion’ in veiled swipe at China. The Guardian, 2 June
China drives rise in coal-fired power plants. The number of coal-fired power stations granted approval globally has risen for the first time since 2015 – with China making up two-thirds of all plans for the heavily polluting plants. Chinese authorities have lowered restrictions on building new plants in a drive to reboot the country’s post-pandemic economy. The Telegraph, 2 June
Military flight off Malaysia was 'routine training', according to Chinese embassy. The Foreign Ministry of Malaysia on Tuesday said it would summon China's envoy for an explanation. RTHK, CNN, The Guardian, 2 June
China-backed AIIB leaves door open to lending to Myanmar’s military junta. The vice-president of the bank said that the bank does not base lending decisions on the ‘form of government’, but on a broader checklist. FT, 2 June
China jails blogger who ‘slandered’ dead in India border clash. Popular blogger Qiu Ziming was jailed for suggesting that the death toll among Chinese soldiers during last summer’s skirmishes was in fact higher than claimed by the authorities. The Guardian, NDTV, 1 June
Foxconn and its founder Terry Gou apply to purchase 5 million BioNTech vaccines for Taiwan. Reuters, CNA, 1 June
China’s Sinovac gets WHO emergency approval, opening the door for the vaccine to be added to the Covax programme. BBC, Al Jazeera, WSJ, 1 June
Economy & tech
Hong Kong plans law to tie mobile phone numbers to user’s identity. Hong Kongers will have to provide their real name when registering mobile phone numbers, its government announced yesterday. The move has stoked fears of heightened surveillance: opposition politicians have had phone messages used by police as evidence against them for alleged violations of the national security law imposed in June. WSJ, 1 June
Apple puts China squarely at the apex of supplier list, bucking talk of decoupling and scrutiny of its vendors. American tech giant Apple has added more Chinese vendors than anywhere to its list of suppliers over the past three years, defying talk of a tech decoupling between the US and China. SCMP, Nikkei Asia, FT, 1 June
Chinese electric car start-ups report mixed fortunes amid semiconductor shortage. NIO and Xpeng’s Chinese deliveries fell far short of Tesla’s in April, which slumped by 27 per cent. SCMP, 1 June
China’s economic boom leaves manufacturing hubs short of power. Factories in southern cities such as Guangdong, Foshan, and Dongguan have been forced to shut for days after hot weather and coal concerns exacerbate supply issues. FT, 2 June
Growth in China home prices to sustain momentum in 2021. The average residential property price is estimated to increase by 5%, despite curbs on the property sector to guard against the financial risks brought about by over speculation. Reuters, 1 June
Longer reads & opinion
FT View: The pitfalls of modern battleship diplomacy. The UK, France, and Germany should be wary of sending mixed messages to China if they choose not to pass through the Taiwan Strait. FT, 1 June
‘No political story allowed’: Hong Kong broadcaster falls silent on sensitive subjects. Why RTHK is bearing the brunt of the curtailment of media freedoms in Hong Kong following the imposition of the National Security Law last year. Helen Davidson. The Guardian, 2 June
China needs to boost its population so why not scrap birth caps entirely? The reason might be Xinjiang. One major factor in not ending the policy entirely would be that it would make it more difficult for Beijing to justify attempts to limit the population in Xinjiang and other regions with large minority groups. Ben Westcott. CNN, 1 June
China dreams of World Cup glory with football cities plan. China has unveiled plans to build between 16 and 18 “football cities” in the next five years as the country makes yet another attempt to break into the sport’s global elite. Didi Tang. The Times, 1 June
How China’s Tencent avoided an antitrust push, for now. Li Yuan. NYT, 2 June