China News - 21 February 2022
International
MI5 chief says UK faces 'fight to keep our way of life' - as he reveals China and Russia are targeting MPs. The head of MI5, Ken McCallum, revealed MPs had warned they and their researchers were being targeted by hostile states like China and Russia in an all-encompassing 'contest' for international supremacy. McCallum also stressed that current legislation to counter state threats is in urgent need of updating. The Daily Mail, Beijing to Britain, 18 February
Britain delays removal of Huawei from telecoms network. The Government has delayed its plan to remove Huawei from Britain’s telecoms network by six months, announcing that the deadline had been pushed back to July 31 2023, “due to the difficulties providers have faced during the pandemic”. DCMS yesterday revealed that a consultation has been launched with telecoms firms on proposed legal instruments to control the use of Huawei in UK networks, as required by the new Telecommunications (Security) Act. The Telegraph, Gov.uk, 18 February
Trade Secretary secures major trade bloc milestone ahead of Asia visit. Confirmation from the Japanese government, as Chair of the UK’s Accession Working Group on behalf of the CPTPP members, means the UK has moved into the second ‘market access’ phase of negotiations with trans-Pacific trade bloc. Anne-Marie Trevelyan is set to visit Indonesia, Japan and Singapore this week to oversee the launch of the final accession stage. Gov.uk, 18 February
Munich Security Conference 2022
Russia-Ukraine: Beijing seeks to balance support for Moscow with promoting regional stability. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the Munich conference that the sovereignty, independence & territorial integrity of every country should be safeguarded. Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned that: “If Ukraine is invaded, the shock will echo around the world, and those echos will be heard in East Asia - in Taiwan.” FT, SCMP, 21 February
Europe pushes back against China-Russia efforts to ‘redefine’ post-war order. A series of speeches over the weekend showed that European leaders are now saying in public what officials and diplomats have said in private for some time: Beijing and Moscow are working together “like never before” to undermine democracy, multilateralism and human rights. SCMP, 21 February
Truss meets with AUKUS ministers to discuss “open and free” Indo-Pacific. (via Twitter), 19 February
Analysis:
Hong Kong's future unclear as leadership election is delayed by COVID. Hong Kong on Friday postponed an election for a new leader until May to battle a raging COVID outbreak, but unlike previous years, in which likely candidates have signalled their intention to run months in advance, there's no clear favourite. Reuters, 18 February
Olympics close with plea for peace. The Beijing Games closed on Sunday, with IOC president Thomas Bach calling for political leaders to be inspired by the athletes' "examples of peace". BBC, 20 February
Australia accuses China of 'act of intimidation' after laser aimed at aircraft. BBC, The Guardian, 20 February
EU spurs African telecom development to win back clout from China. Nikkei Asia, 21 February
Beijing places sanctions on US arms companies. Reuters, 21 February
Economy & tech
EU accuses China of ‘power grab’ over smartphone technology licensing. The EU is taking China to the World Trade Organization for alleged patent infringements that are costing companies billions of euros, as part of what officials in Brussels claim is a “power grab” by Beijing to set smartphone technology licensing rates. FT, Reuters, 18 February
China’s driverless dreams troubled by US chip dependency. China’s driverless car companies remain dependent on chips designed by foreign companies - mostly US groups Nvidia, Qualcomm and Intel - and fabricated offshore. FT, 21 February
Lotus plans flotation to drive growth. Geely, the Chinese automotive giant which now controls Lotus, has started an international roadshow for investors and wealthy customers which could lead to an IPO, probably in Shanghai, as early as next year. The Times, 21 February
China watchdog to emphasise prevention, resolution of bond default risks. Reuters, 19 February
Alibaba and Tencent sites added to US 'Notorious Markets List'. BBC, 18 February
Chinese tech group Meituan sheds $26bn after latest regulatory setback. FT, 18 February
China focus
China’s schools must teach thoughts of Xi. A mandate issued by the education ministry states that all middle and secondary schools - covering 200 million children - must accept up to five “assistant principals” chosen from the Communist party-run local judiciary, who will from May “push for the study and propaganda of Xi Jinping’s thoughts on rule of law”. The Times, 18 February
Chinese researchers uncover massive lithium mine in the Himalayas. Experts say the recent finding could help reduce China’s over-dependency on imported lithium resources. Sixth Tone, 17 February
Beijing adds fertility services to insurance coverage to aid slowing birth rate. Reuters, 21 February
Opinion & editorial
The myth of Chinese supremacy. Strategic incompetence has always plagued Beijing. Edward Luttwak. UnHerd, 19 February
‘No light at the end’: How Hong Kong’s Covid response went so wrong. A policy of admitting every positive case to hospital means thousands are being added to an already huge backlog every day. Helen Davidson and Sum Lok-kei. The Guardian, 18 February
Hong Kong émigrés are enriching the church in the UK. Krish Kandiah. The Times, 19 February
American self-censorship. US institutions are increasingly silencing themselves to win access to China. German Lopez. NYT, 20 February
Long reads
Fifty years on, ‘Nixon in China’ loses its sparkle in Beijing and Washington. Vincent Ni. The Guardian, 21 February
China’s industrial subsidies: what are they and why are they a source of tension with the West? Frank Tang. SCMP, 20 February
How will the Beijing Games be remembered? Stephen McDonell. BBC, 21 February