China News - 20 October 2020
CRG Event
27th October, 10 - 11am: UK-China relations: Higher education. A panel with Steve Tsang (SOAS), Cindy Yu (The Spectator) and Will Tanner (Onward), chaired by Tom Tugendhat MP, will discuss the opportunities and challenges that China poses to the UK’s higher education sector, from issues of academic freedom to financial reliance. Sign up here.
International
Analysis: Britain bought PPE worth £320m from firms linked to Chinese regime. The Telegraph reports that health authorities agreed almost a dozen contracts with Chinese state-backed companies at the height of the coronavirus crisis. State-backed exporter Beijing Union Glory Investment was awarded just under £100m worth of PPE contracts in April and May, and subsidiaries of state-run pharmaceutical group Sinopharm secured £31m in contracts. The report has prompted calls from MPs to reduce strategic reliance on Chinese suppliers. The Telegraph, 19 October
German economy minister tells firms to diversify supply chains beyond China in Asia after pandemic, citing South Korea and Singapore. Peter Altmaier told a business conference that the coronavirus outbreak had shown that supply chains were often one-sided and created dependencies. Reuters, 19 October
Taiwan says won't be intimidated by China's 'hooligan' diplomats after reports of physical altercation between Taiwanese and Chinese diplomats in Fiji. Taiwan will not be intimidated by China’s “hooligan” officials and will continue to celebrate its national day around the world, the government said on Tuesday, after Taiwan said Chinese diplomats had tried to charge into a diplomatic event in Fiji. Taiwan says the Chinese diplomats were trying to take pictures of a Taiwan national day event at a hotel to see who was there, and that in the altercation that followed people from both sides were injured. BBC, Reuters, Bloomberg, 20 October
Opinion: A distracted US is dangerous for Taiwan. If China takes advantage of political confusion in the US to make a move on Taiwan, international affairs could be convulsed by a November or December surprise. Gideon Rachman in FT, 19 October
China denies report it may detain Americans, says U.S. mistreats its scholars. Reuters, 19 October
Interview with Chinese student returning to the UK who had unproven £50 COVID vaccine by Sinovac; she joins thousands of employees from Chinese state-owned enterprises have already received the vaccine ahead of foreign travel. Sky News, 19 October
Chinese soldier detained by India after straying across border, Beijing urges India to honour its pledge to swiftly return soldier. The Guardian, 19 October
22 year old Hong Kong protester facing rioting charge in connection with last year’s protests says granted asylum in Germany. Reuters, 19 October
China watch
Xi Focus: Xi stresses carrying forward China's volunteers army's spirit in War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (Xinhua).
Xi stresses advancing development of quantum science and technology and need for more policy support from government. (Xinhua)
Economy & tech
Tesla to export China-made Model 3 vehicles to Europe, joining BMW and Daimler in expanding electric car production in China. “Support from Chinese government towards the industry, innovative local companies and customers embracing new technologies make China the best market for smart electric vehicles,” Tesla said, adding it would expand car production, charging and sales networks in China. Reuters, 19 October
China’s economic recovery from coronavirus ‘punctures western arrogance’ as the only major economy likely to have a V-shaped recovery this year. The Times, 20 October
Sweden bans Huawei, ZTE from upcoming 5G networks ahead of next month’s spectrum auction. Reuters, 20 October
Longer reads & opinion
'Xi Thought' is creeping into everything from Chinese sci-fi to company filings. The effort to make Xi Thought a guiding principle for nearly every aspect of Chinese life will loom over a conclave of some 300 top party leaders slated to begin Oct. 26 in Beijing. For the first time they’ll also draft a longer-term blueprint that runs until 2035, in the latest indication of how long Xi, 67, could lead. Bloomberg, 19 October
US 2020 election: Who does China really want to win? BBC, 20 October
China and Covid-19: what went wrong in Wuhan? FT, 17 October