China News - 20 January 2022
Event today (2pm GMT): The CPTPP, UK and China. Andrew Bowie MP will be joined by trade experts Wendy Cutler and David Henig to discuss the benefits for the UK of joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
What are the prospects of China joining? Could the CPTPP change China, or will China change it? Register here.
International
UK and Australia agree cyber and critical technology partnership. According to the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne, the partnership “will help shape a positive technology environment and maintain an internet that is open, free, peaceful and secure.” The UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is also expected to agree to closer cooperation with Australia to boost opportunities for “honest and reliable” infrastructure investment for Indo-Pacific states during her visit to Australia. Gov.au, The Guardian, 20 January
Backbench Business Committee debate on Uyghur Tribunal judgement to take place today. MPs will call on the Government to urgently perform an assessment as to whether it considers there to be a ‘serious risk of genocide’ in the Uyghur region following the tribunal’s findings that China had detained “hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs without any, or any remotely sufficient, reason and subjected [them] to acts of unconscionable cruelty, depravity and inhumanity”. Commons Library, 20 January
European Commission publishes toolkit to help mitigate foreign interference in research and innovation. The toolkit will help EU Higher Education Institutions and Research Performing Organisations to develop a comprehensive strategy for tackling risks and challenges from abroad that covers key areas of attention grouped into four categories: values, governance, partnerships and cybersecurity. European Commission, 18 January
European Parliament debates resolution over ‘deterioration’ of media freedoms in Hong Kong. European lawmakers urged the European Commission and EU member states on Wednesday to act over the “deterioration” in media freedoms in Hong Kong, reiterating calls for sanctions on the city’s top officials and proposing a review of Hong Kong’s status at the WTO. SCMP, 20 January
Security scanners across Europe tied to China govt, military. Nuctech, a Chinese company with deep ties to China’s military and the highest levels of the ruling Communist Party, has been frozen out of the US for years due to national security concerns. However, it has made deep inroads across Europe installing its devices in 26 of 27 EU member states, according to public procurement, government and corporate records reviewed by The Associated Press. Independent, 20 January
Campaign group urges UK universities to cut ties with Chinese state-linked companies. The Ethical Research Campaign, which was set up by a group of concerned students and recent graduates to highlight these issues, has called on universities to end all research projects with Chinese genomics giant BGI Group over data privacy concerns. Evening Standard, 19 January
Kazakhstan crisis challenges Beijing’s reticence to interfere abroad. For China, the crisis in Kazakhstan has presented the latest challenge to its cautious approach to foreign interventions. A principle of Beijing’s foreign policy is non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs - a stance that has repeatedly come into conflict with the need to protect its growing global interests. FT, 20 January
Exclusive: China ‘abducts’ Indian teenagers hunting near disputed border. The Telegraph, 20 January
Japan, France to hold ‘2 plus 2’ security talks amid concerns over China’s growing Indo-Pacific influence. SCMP, 19 January
Public trust surges in China, falls dramatically in world’s democracies. SCMP, 20 January
Economy & tech
Biden says 'not there yet' on possible easing of tariffs on Chinese goods as China falls short on trade deal. Biden said chief trade negotiator Katherine Tai was “working on the issue” as data compiled by the Peterson Institute for International Economics revealed that Chinese purchases reached only about 60% of the two-year Phase 1 trade agreement target to buy $200 billion in additional US goods and services. Reuters, Bloomberg, 20 January
China state planner to punish monopolies in internet platform industry. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) published a policy document on its website that called for the revision of legislation relating to monopolies and data security in data-driven online platforms, as well as stronger supervision over areas such as advertising and tax reporting. Reuters, 19 January
China cuts mortgage lending rate for first time in two years. The lowering of the five-year loan prime rate and its one-year equivalent add to a cycle of gradual monetary easing as policymakers seek to counter a loss of economic momentum. China’s publicly traded developers soared on the stock market. FT, SCMP, 20 January
China-Africa trade in 2021 amounted to $254 billion, breaking an all-time record. Whereas the majority of China’s imports arrived a small group of mostly-resource wealthy nations, there may be some proof that China is broadening its import base to extra nations throughout the continent. 198 China News, 19 January
Shanghai to woo semiconductor talent and support local chip development. SCMP, 19 January
ByteDance disbands investment team amid China’s Big Tech clampdown. FT, 19 January
China’s tax investigation embroils biggest state-run oil company. Bloomberg, 20 January
China focus
Beijing Covid flareup worsens with new clusters at cold storage. China’s capital found a Covid-19 cluster among cold chain workers on Wednesday, the latest sign the country is seeing more infections resulting from a controversial claim of transmission through contaminated goods. Bloomberg, 19 January
China pledges to further support employment of people emerging from poverty. In an effort to consolidate its poverty elimination achievements, China will strive to ensure that at least 30 million people who have been lifted out of poverty are employed this year, a senior official said. Xinhua, 18 January
China's demographic dividends to end soon, expert warns. Reuters, 20 January
Opinion & editorial
Governments will always try to influence one another – we mustn’t let ‘China fear’ take hold in the UK. Mark Logan MP. Independent, 19 January
Xi Jinping's great leap backwards is killing China's growth miracle. Jeremy Warner. The Telegraph, 19 January
How UK charities can support emigrants from Hong Kong. Michael Netzler. Civil Society, 20 January
Long reads
How MI5 uncovered a Chinese ‘agent’ in parliament. The Today in Focus podcast explores a shift in approach from the security services towards much more aggressively calling out interference from hostile states. The Guardian, 20 January
How Beijing’s global ambitions are playing out in politics, economics, and technology. Mary Hui interviews Elizabeth Economy about Beijing’s strategic ambitions, what changes it’s pursuing globally to realise those goals, and the successes and pitfalls it encounters. Mary Hui. Quartz, 19 January
‘We Are Taiwanese’: China’s Growing Menace Hardens Island’s Identity. More than ever, Taiwan defines itself by its democratic values. Beijing’s military and diplomatic threats only reinforce the island’s separateness. Amy Qin and Amy Chang Chien. NYT, 19 January