China News - 22 July 2021

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International

China can lock up a million Muslims in Xinjiang at once. BuzzFeed calculated the floor areas of 347 compounds bearing the hallmarks of prisons and internment camps in the region, finding capacity to hold more than 1 in every 25 residents of Xinjiang simultaneously. AP separately visited Urumqi No. 3 Detention Center, and estimated it could hold 10,000 people. Buzzfeed, AP, 21 July

China floods: Henan braces for another round of heavy rains as number affected reaches 3 million. The official death toll from the floods rose to 33 on Thursday and the Henan authorities said more than 3 million people have been displaced. SCMP, Sixth Tone, BBC, 22 July

China rejects WHO push for more investigation into Covid origins in Wuhan. China said it will not accept the World Health Organization’s suggested plan for a second phase of investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. Washington Post, NYT, 22 July

US-China goods trade booms as if virus, tariffs never happened. Monthly two-way trade, which tumbled to $19 billion in February of last year amid shutdowns in Chinese factories, rebounded over the past year to new records, according to official Chinese data. Bloomberg, 22 July

Surging UK exports fail to offset China wine decline. A more than $400 million drop in wine exports to China since January 1 drove a 10 per cent decline in global shipments of Australian wine. InDaily, 22 July

British warships supporting US in Asia-Pacific ‘could expand Five Eyes’ remit’. Britain’s decision to send two warships to permanently support US freedom of navigation operations in the Asia-Pacific could help broaden the influence of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, Chinese military observers said. SCMP, 22 July

Five arrested in Hong Kong for sedition over children’s book about sheep. In recent months the union published three illustrated ebooks that try to explain Hong Kong’s democracy movement to children. The Guardian, 22 July

‘Active threat’: China’s cyber-intrusion on British MPs exposed. Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) MPs were told that its co-chairs were the specific targets. Sydney Morning Herald, The Times, 22 July

US deputy secretary of state to visit China as diplomatic stand-off resolved. FT, 21 July

G20 ministers set for tepid climate pledges, yet to agree on specific actions and firm timetables needed to reach net-zero global emissions by 2050. Bloomberg, 22 July

China focus

China aims to lower child expenses in effort to boost birth rate. Demographers and Chinese parents have said that such costs, rather than birth restrictions, are now the main cause of declining birth rates in China. Bloomberg, Fortune, 22 July

China: Taobao, Weibo fined for illegal child content. BBC, 21 July

China closes off city of 9.3m after 17 Covid cases found. The Times, 21 July

Economy & tech

Welsh chip factory sale puts taxpayer-backed projects worth £20m at risk. More than £20m of taxpayer-backed technology projects are at risk after the Government pulled funding from the Welsh microchip plant now under Chinese ownership.The Telegraph, 21 July

MPs raise concerns about use of Hikvision and Nuctech in Parliament. Hikvision cameras are still being actively bought by government departments and local councils, the China Research Group (CRG) told The Sun Online. The Sun, 21 July

China unveils 600 kph maglev train - state media. The maximum speed would make the train, self-developed by China and manufactured in the coastal city of Qingdao, the fastest ground vehicle globally. Reuters, 20 July

Longer reads & opinion

Why there is no solution to our age of crisis without China. It is unlikely that any power is ever going to be as dominant as the US once was, even the US itself. The basic fact of our world is its multipolarity. Adam Tooze in New Statesman, 21 July

Britain must lead by example and not play the same game as China. But if we truly believe in the merits of openness, we must lead by example, not by playing the same game as China. Jeremy Warner. The Telegraph, 21 July

Biden has angered China, and Beijing is pushing back. In Beijing’s view, Mr. Biden has taken a more strategic approach than his predecessor, enlisting allies to join his campaign against Chinese behaviour in ways that appear to have frustrated officials. NYT, 20 July

The Government’s secrecy over cyber attacks leaves us vulnerable and deluded. Ciaran Martin. The Telegraph, 21 July

The UK needs a coherent approach to tech and security. Emily Taylor.World Politics Review, 21 July

Balancing Reality and Fear: Why an alarmist take on Chinese influence operations is counterproductive. Just Security, 21 July

British warships are traversing the world to the South China sea as the UK strengthens its foreign policy. James Rogers. City AM, 21 July