China News - 2 May 2023
International
UK considers official visit to China after coronation olive branch. Foreign secretary James Cleverly is due to hold talks with Chinese vice-president Han Zheng when he attends the coronation this week. Plans for a subsequent visit would make Cleverly the first foreign secretary to visit China in more than five years. Oliver Wright. The Times, 1 May.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin is to make a major speech on Ireland’s relationship with China today. The speech will stress that Ireland wants to have a positive and productive relationship with China, while emphasising the need to ‘de-risk’ ties between the two countries in politics, business and academia. Pat Leahy. Irish Times, 2 May
Shein IPO challenged over claims of Uyghur forced labour. A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has submitted a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission, in which they call for an independent supply chain review before the Chinese e-commerce company is allowed to sell shares in the US. Mariko Oi. BBC, 2 May
China’s use of exit bans grows as political control tightens under Xi. A new report by Safeguard Defenders indicates that China is increasingly barring people - including human rights activists, journalists and foreign executives - from leaving the country. Among them is a Singaporean executive at the U.S. due-diligence firm Mintz Group. Analysis of China's Supreme Court database, shows an eightfold increase in cases mentioning bans between 2016 and 2022. James Pomfret and Angel Woo. Reuters, 2 May
Tibet’s exiled government reaffirm historical claims to independence. The India-based Central Tibetan Administration, led by Penpa Tsering, hopes challenging China will lead to greater engagement. Mure Dickie. Financial Times, 2 May
Tiktok censors discussion of China, Trump, Uyghurs. Investigation suggests moderation system run by ByteDance staff in China used to censor sensitive topics in the US. Alexandra S. Levine. Forbes, 1 May
Airlines dispute escalates US-China tensions. US airlines are lobbying the Biden Administration against proposal to grant Chinese airlines the same number of weekly flights as American carriers — but only if they agree not to fly over Russia. Demetri Sevastopulo, Joe Leahy and Claire Bushey. Financial Times, 30 April
Growing alarm as China cuts off overseas access to critical information channels. China has gradually restricted access to corporate-registration information, patents, procurement documents, academic journals and official statistical yearbooks. Most recently, foreign researchers are finding they can’t renew subscriptions to the Shanghai-based Wind Information Co. database, widely used to access economic and financial data. Lingling Wei, Yoko Kubota and Dan Strumpf. The Wall Street Journal, 30 April.
China says UN Security Council should give smaller nations a greater say. China continues to position itself as a member of the Global South and advocate for the developing world. In a statement from its foreign ministry, China called on the UN to ‘redress historical injustices against Africa.’ Sun Yu. South China Morning Post, 1 May
Taiwan pledges stronger ties with Paraguay after ally’s presidential election. Pro-Taiwan ruling party candidate Santiago Pena won a convincing election victory, and vows to maintain formal ties with the island. Lawrence Chung. South China Morning Post, 1 May
Asian Development Bank calls on countries to fight protectionism. Masatsugu Asakawa, president of the ADB, said intensified trade uncertainty between the US and China risked disrupting economic activity across the Asia-Pacific region, damaging consumer and business confidence and reducing consumption. Edward Wright and Mercedes Ruehl. Financial Times, 1 May
China’s domination of European ports a security threat, says Nato official. Beijing’s ownership of communications networks, harbours and shipping is being viewed with increasing alarm by western security services. Bruno Waterfield and Oliver Moody. The Times, 1 May
Economy & tech
China’s Midea considering takeover of Electrolux. The Chinese home appliance giant made a preliminary approach in recent weeks to the Swedish brand despite potential political opposition. Electrolux has reportedly not been receptive to the proposal so far. South China Morning Post, 1 May
China’s local governments to foot the bill for neighbourhood surveillance. Demands from Beijing for greater security and monitoring of citizens to be paid for by cash-strapped local authorities. Sun Yu. Financial Times, 1 May
Mercedes-Benz CEO says cutting China ties would be ‘unthinkable for almost all of German industry’. As Berlin re-evaluates its relationship with Beijing, Ola Källenius calls for focus on ‘win-win on growth and climate protection, not conflict’. Laura Pitel. Financial Times, 30 April
Carmakers voice concerns at Chinese dominance over connectivity patents. Chinese companies have filed a deluge of patents around the essential technology that facilitates access to 4G, 5G and WiFi networks. Patricia Nilsson and Anna Gross. Financial Times, 29 April
Opinion & long reads
Who is Li Hui, China’s point man in Ukraine? A profile of the senior diplomat sent to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia. Laura Zhou. South China Morning Post, 1 May
Expats could be key to understanding Russia and China. As many British nationals choose to leave posts in China and Russia amidst deteriorating relations, the UK government has a unique chance to benefit from returning expats’ expertise. Elisabeth Braw. The Times, 1 May
Shaky Signal: Qualcomm is optimistic about its China business. Should it be? A deep-dive into the world’s largest fabless semiconductor company. Brent Crane. The Wire, 30 April
The Guardian view on US-China chip wars: no winners in zero-sum battles. UK policy is to ensure its industry doesn’t become collateral damage in the battle between China and the US for tech supremacy. The Guardian, 30 April