China News - 22 June 2021
Event: NATO for Trade? We will be launching a new paper on the need to rethink economic alliances in the era of a rising China. With Rob Atkinson (President of ITIF), Reinhard Butikofer MEP (Co-chair of European Greens) and Agatha Kratz (Rhodium Group). 5pm on Monday 28 June. Register here.
International
Xinjiang
Biden weighs ban on China’s solar material over forced labour. The Biden administration is considering banning imports of polysilicon, a critical solar panel material, from China's Xinjiang region, according to four people familiar with the administration's plans. Politico, 21 June
Bachelet seeks Xinjiang trip amid reports of Uyghur persecution. The UN human rights chief says she is pressing for ‘meaningful access’ to the region this year. Bachelet also pointed to the chilling impact of a sweeping national security law introduced in Hong Kong. Al Jazeera, The Guardian, NDTV, 21 June
China fails to meet promises on missing Xinjiang children. Chinese authorities have repeatedly promised to help trace any children reported to be missing in Xinjiang, to prove that they haven't been forcibly separated from their parents. Those promises have not been met. BBC, 21 June
North Face owner pulled Xinjiang criticism, then reinstated it. The move by VF, which also owns Vans and Timberland, shows the difficulty in catering to Western consumers and China. WSJ, 22 June
Pakistan PM Imran Khan refuses to condemn China's Xinjiang crackdown.CNN, 22 June
Carrie Lam refuses to say how media can avoid arrest in wake of Apple Daily raids. At a press conference on Tuesday, the Hong Kong leader defended the arrest of senior Apple Daily executives under the national security law, as well as the raid of its newsroom and freezing of assets. The Guardian, Bloomberg, The Standard HK, 22 June
Wuhan lab used Chinese military as key advisers. The Wuhan Institute of Virology listed members of the Chinese military on its oversight committees and included international scientists without their knowledge, according to an investigation. Fabrizio Gatti, an Italian author, said the laboratory deleted all of the names from its website last year after he contacted the scientists to ask them about their roles. The Times, 21 June
Huawei commits to Cambridge innovation push. Despite a slump in revenue following the ban on building the UK’s 5G network infrastructure, the company remains committed to building out a new optoelectronics R&D and manufacturing centre at Sawston. Business Insider, 20 June
China policy divides Germany’s biggest party ahead of election. A manifesto by the Christian Democratic Union of Germany contrasted comments made by Armin Laschet, the party’s candidate to be the next chancellor. SCMP, 22 June
China risks international ‘isolation’ if it fails to allow ‘real’ probe into Covid origin, say Biden aides. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan pointed to “diplomatic pressure” as the administration’s main vehicle for encouraging Beijing to allow further access to international experts. Independent, Daily Express, 21 June
Donald Trump's top security chief warns UK over Russian and Chinese cyber threat. Giving evidence to Parliament's Joint Committee on National Security Strategy, General HR McMaster outlined four key areas that could be targeted: direct threats to infrastructure, cyber criminality, espionage, and cyber-enabled information warfare. The Mirror, 21 June
China’s man in Washington Cui Tiankai heads for home after eight years as envoy. SCMP, 22 June
China focus
China’s nuclear safety queried over Taishan reactor, but it wants to lead world by 2050. China aims to become a dominant player in the world nuclear market in less than 30 years and have the highest safety standards and lowest costs. SCMP, 21 June
Have more children, all-male advert tells China’s women. Weeks after Beijing relaxed its birth policy to allow all Chinese couples to have three children, a public relations crusade to persuade Chinese women to have more children has drawn widespread ridicule for featuring only men. The Times, SCMP, 21 June
China needs breakthroughs in green hydrogen to catch up with global leader Japan, experts say. SCMP, 22 June
Economy & tech
TikTok and WeChat get reprieve as US Commerce Department removes apps from prohibited transactions list. The Biden administration reversed the Trump-era rule from last September that sought to limit the use of the Chinese apps on Monday. Under new rules, the Commerce Department is tasked with assessing any apps associated with foreign adversaries and their national security risks. SCMP, 22 June
China orders banks to intensify anti-crypto campaign. China’s central bank warned several of its largest state-owned banks and Jack Ma’s Alipay to “investigate and identify” bank accounts facilitating cryptocurrency trading and block all corresponding transactions as Bitcoin suffered another volatile drop in value. Reuters, FT, The Times, 21 June
Hi-tech hub Shenzhen allows firms to impose no-pay leave on workers who refuse Covid-19 testing. SCMP, 21 June
HSBC: billionaire boom supports Asian wealth management drive. FT, 21 June
Longer reads & opinion
Surprise! The EU knows how to handle China. With the notion of labelling China a ‘systemic rival’, rather than a ‘strategic rival’, the European Union hopes to continue to separate political differences and economic links. Bruno Maçães. Politico, 22 June
How China broke the Asian model. Beijing has challenged the geopolitical order that enabled the rise of east Asia. Gideon Rachman. FT, 21 June
Perspectives: What China needs to do if it wants to achieve its ambitious economic goals by 2049. CNN, 21 June
China according to the collapsists, declinists and triumphalists. Will China drop dead or take over the world? Alex Lo bets on neither, not in our lifetime anyway. SCMP, 22 June
Competition and concentration. Deglobalisation in areas such as semiconductor production could be good for the global economy. Rana Foroohar. FT, 21 June
In a muffled Hong Kong, bookstores offer freedom of thought. Tiffany May. NYT, 21 June
At Shanghai job fair, advocates call for more LGBT inclusion. Sixth Tone, 22 June