China News - 22 March 2022
New podcast: Elisabeth Braw on countering greyzone aggression. For the latest Talks on China podcast episode, the American Enterprise Institute’s Elisabeth Braw joins us to discuss defence against emerging, non-military national security challenges, such as hybrid and greyzone threats. Listen here.
International
West ‘naive’ to think China will abandon Russia over Ukraine. President Biden’s claim that support for Russia over its war in Ukraine could result in China becoming isolated economically from the West will not deter it, according to Hu Xijin, former editor of the Chinese state-run newspaper Global Times. A strategic partnership between the two nations would put a “potential check on Japan”, Hu said, and act as a “potential pull on India”. The Times, 21 March
Chinese companies weigh business and politics in Russia after war. FT, 22 March
Chinese Embassy urges UK not to ‘distort’ China's position on Ukraine issue. CGTN, 21 March
US expands travel bans on Chinese officials accused of persecuting ethnic and religious minorities. The State Department said it is barring those targeted from travelling to the United States due to their involvement in crackdowns on freedom of speech and religion in China and abroad. The department did not identify which officials would be subject to the expanded ban nor say how many would be affected. SCMP, 22 March
China’s imports from Lithuania collapse amid diplomatic spat. China slashed the amount of goods it purchased from Lithuania by almost 90% in the first two months of the year after the two countries became embroiled in a political and trade dispute. Bloomberg, 21 March
Marshall Islands says 'strongly committed' to Taiwan ties. The tiny Pacific nation is one of only 14 countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. Reuters, 22 March
China plane crash: Rescuers search for survivors as families await news. BBC, 22 March
MP pulls out of Tencent event, encourages MPs to stand up for Uyghurs. Guido Fawkes, 21 March
Economy & tech
Hong Kong suspends trading in shares of Chinese property developer Evergrande. Hong Kong suspended trading in shares of the world’s most indebted property developer Evergrande pending a release of “inside information” from the Chinese company that could shed light on its restructuring and the fate of international investors. Evergrande said on Tuesday that it will miss a stock exchange deadline to disclose its annual results, citing complications with the auditing of its books. FT, 21 March
Volkswagen forms Chinese ties to secure EV battery materials. Volkswagen will form joint ventures with Huayou Cobalt and Tsingshan Group to secure nickel and cobalt supplies for electric vehicles in China, the world's No. 1 car market, and to slash costs at a time of surging raw material prices. Nikkei Asia, 22 March
China pledges stronger policy support for economy, markets. Bloomberg, 22 March
Alibaba increases share buyback size to record $25 billion. Reuters, 22 March
China focus
No shift in China’s zero-Covid response until big pandemic picture changes: top mainland expert. Liang Wannian, head of the expert panel leading the country’s Covid-19 response, said those conditions included having better tools to fight the virus, the prevalence of a less dangerous strain and the pandemic becoming less serious abroad. SCMP, 22 March
China announces 1 million internships to tackle unemployment. Positions are available for fresh graduates seeking to work at government offices or state-owned enterprises. Sixth Tone, 22 March
Opinion & editorial
Will China's “Common Prosperity” survive Putin’s war? At a time when COVID-19 border controls and perceived complicity in Russia’s aggression are threatening to isolate China, the risks of pursuing such a campaign should not be underestimated. George Magnus. Project Syndicate, 21 March
China and Covid are killing free Hong Kong. The CCP's obsession with control outranks even its greed, rendering the financial case for freedom in Hong Kong obsolete. Charles Moore. The Telegraph, 22 March
A simple solution to the complex South China Sea disputes. Relying on the principles of international law and presenting verifiable evidence to a neutral tribunal could cut through competing claims. Bill Hayton. SCMP, 20 March
A year after sanctions, EU-China ties face new ‘defining moment’ on Russia. Finbarr Bermingham. SCMP, 21 March