China News - 22 June 2022
International
China research ties ‘damaged by vague security guidelines’, say UK academics. In a report commissioned by the British Embassy in Beijing on behalf of the Foreign Office, academics warned of the economic, strategic and intellectual harm from the decline in the number of partnerships with leading research centres. The academics said they were “confused and frustrated” by the government’s ambiguous approach to the sector’s work with China, with engineering, material science, environment and computer science remaining the biggest areas of co-operation. The Times, 22 June
US 'rallying' allies over Xinjiang forced labour as import ban begins. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) came into force yesterday, containing a "rebuttable presumption" that all goods from Xinjiang are made with forced labour and barred from import unless it can be proven otherwise. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US is rallying allies and partners to make global supply chains free from the use of forced labour. Nikkei Asia, 22 June
Firms warn of China shipment delays as US bans Xinjiang imports. WSJ, 21 June
MPs demand TikTok answers as company moves to avoid EU sanctions. A BuzzFeed report that leaked audio from internal TikTok meetings detailed Chinese-based employees repeatedly accessing US user data has led a group of MPs to demand answers from the social media giant. Meanwhile, the video-sharing app has agreed to boost EU users' rights, averting possible sanctions in a case sparked by multiple complaints from consumer groups in the bloc. The Spectator, Reuters, 21 June
Boris Johnson’s father hopes UK parliament removes ban on Chinese ambassador. Stanley Johnson made the remarks during an interview with the SCMP on Tuesday, when he discussed a filming trip to China The two aim to see the western region of Xinjiang, with the support of Beijing. SCMP, 22 June
Taiwan scrambles jets to warn away Chinese planes in its air zone as tensions simmer. Beijing sent 29 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence zone on Tuesday, the third-largest fly-by this year. The Guardian, 22 June
In Brussels, tram ads for 25th Hong Kong handover anniversary pulled after complaints. SCMP, 21 June
China resumes more international flights as Covid curbs ease. Caixin, 21 June
Economy & tech
China vows more pro-growth policies as banks urged to step up. Beijing ratcheted up calls to boost China’s Covid-battered economy, with the nation’s finance minister saying more pro-growth policies are being studied and a newspaper affiliated with the Cabinet urging banks to step up lending for infrastructure projects. Bloomberg, 22 June
Ant, Alibaba plan for less intertwined future after China crackdown. E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding and payments and financial services provider Ant are untangling their operations from each other and independently seeking new business as the Jack Ma-founded companies navigate China's devastating regulatory crackdown. Reuters, 22 June
Solar panel material price hits highest in a decade in China. Bloomberg, 22 June
China supercomputer achieves global first with ‘brain-scale’ AI model. SCMP, 22 June
China focus
Hundreds of thousands evacuated as floods ravage southern China. Residents of communities living along river banks and in low-lying neighbourhoods have been urged to move to higher ground as rivers overflowed and floodwater levels broke a 50-year high. BBC, 22 June
Senior police officer dismissed, many under investigation after Tangshan assault. SupChina, 21 June
China’s mental health crisis is getting worse. The Economist, 21 June
Long reads & opinion
The End of Pragmatic China. The Communist regime has always been brutal, but it was at least predictable. No longer. Michael Schuman. The Atlantic, 21 June
The corporate feud over satellites that pitted the west against China. How a clash of cultures — and geostrategic interests — sank a German-Chinese joint venture competing in the new space race. Eleanor Olcott. FT, 22 June
The Balance of Soft Power. The American and Chinese quests to win hearts and minds. Maria Repnikova. Foreign Affairs, 21 June
Defending Taiwan. An anthology by the American Enterprise Institute. 21 June