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China News - 22 November 2021
International
Priti Patel pledges spying laws to tackle Beijing’s “malign” interference. In an address to the Heritage Foundation, the British Home Secretary accused China of “brazenly” spying on British universities and businesses in a threat to national security. She laid out her plans to overhaul Britain’s outdated official secrets laws, which will be implemented through an espionage bill next year. The Times, The Telegraph, 20 November
Chinese hypersonic weapon fired missile over South China Sea. According to the Financial Times, China’s hypersonic weapon test in July included a first-of-its-kind technological advance that enabled it to fire a missile as it approached its target travelling at least five times the speed of sound, confounding Pentagon experts. FT, The Telegraph, 21 November
Prove to us Peng Shuai is safe, UK urges China. The FCDO has joined the mounting chorus of concern over the disappearance of tennis star Peng Shuai, urging the Chinese authorities to offer “verifiable evidence” of her whereabouts and safety. The British Olympic Association also called for the Chinese authorities to provide “urgent clarification” that Peng was safe. The Observer, 20 November
WTA remains concerned despite Chinese tennis star’s call with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach. The Guardian, BBC, 21 November
Chinese state media claim to show images of Peng. POLITICO, FT, 21 November
Royals and senior ministers set to snub Beijing Winter Olympics. Boris Johnson last week called together the National Security Council to discuss the boycott and broader China policy, according to The Sun. The Sun, 19 November
Whitehall security scare after discovering Dahua CCTV unit in its London HQ. The Home Office is replacing the camera, thought to be in the lobby of its Marsham Street building and outwardly branded as Honeywell. The company was blacklisted by US authorities in 2019. Mail on Sunday, 21 November
China downgrades Lithuania’s diplomatic status over Taiwan row over opening of Taiwanese office in Vilnius. China's Foreign Ministry said that Lithuania had ignored China's "solemn stance" and that relations would be downgraded to the level of charge d'affaires. POLITICO, Reuters, FT, 21 November
UK invites south-east Asian nations to G7 summit amid Aukus tensions. The UK has invited ASEAN nations to attend a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Liverpool next month. The Guardian, 22 November
Hong Kong under-24s beg to come to Britain. Pro-democracy campaigners have called on the government to back CRG member Damian Green’s amendment to include those born after 1997 in the UK’s British National Overseas (BNO) settlement scheme for Hong Kong nationals. The Sunday Times, 20 November
Prisons at centre of Beijing's Uyghur crackdown caught on video. Guan Guan, thought to be a Chinese activist studying in Taiwan, exposed 18 detention centres and prisons in Xinjiang province using a covert camera hidden in his backpack. Mail on Sunday, 20 November
Work on ‘Chinese military base’ in UAE abandoned after US intervenes – report. WSJ, The Guardian, 19 November
Kissinger doesn’t see China invasion of Taiwan in next decade. Bloomberg, 20 November
Viral propaganda song tells Chinese to take 'bullet train to Taiwan'. The Telegraph, 20 November
Philippines set to resume resupply mission to South China Sea after standoff with China. CNN, 22 November
Five Chinese nationals kidnapped in DR Congo after attack near mine. Reuters, 21 November
China focus
Beijing names and shames 353 private firms pretending to be state-owned. China’s top state-owned asset watchdog has announced a list of hundreds of private-sector companies masquerading as state-owned enterprises (SOEs), in a bid to help investors avoid being scammed. Caixin, 19 November
China leading the way with carbon capture technology. In the last financial year, China generated 81% of all new carbon capture patents registered, making it by the far world’s largest producer of new carbon capture technologies, according to an analysis from BDO. The Times, 22 November
China’s clean coal financing tool balances energy needs with emissions reduction, analysts say. SCMP, 21 November
China’s latest fines on Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu show Beijing’s anti-monopoly commitment. Fines announced by the country’s antitrust watchdog on Saturday date back as early as 2012. DW, 21 November
Economy & tech
Report: China is now the world's richest country. A report from management consultancy firm McKinsey & Company found that China’s wealth rose from $7 trillion in 2000 to $120 trillion in 2020. The US saw its wealth more than double to $90 trillion in the same period. Yahoo, 19 November
Advising both Chinese state companies and the Pentagon, McKinsey & Co. comes under scrutiny. NBC, 13 November
Surge in Chinese millionaires brings £135bn boost to Britain. The number of Chinese millionaires in Britain reached 650 in the past year, more than doubling in the past five. The Times, 22 November
China's iron grip threatens Hong Kong's financial future. Hong Kong's status as a major financial hub is in jeopardy as banks find it harder to recruit and retain talent amidst severe restrictions. The Telegraph, 20 November
China’s top trade negotiator Liu He meets foreign business dignitary in Beijing for first time in two years. SCMP, 19 November
Opinion & editorial
China’s latest double fault is a gift to critics. The authorities’ recent attempt to censor a tennis star’s sexual assault allegations has backfired badly. Edward Lucas. The Times, 22 November
It’s a danger to the world that the precise origins of Covid-19 remain a mystery. Matt Ridley. The Sunday Telegraph, 21 November
The Chinese Communist Party still thinks it owns the future. Outsiders might see a peaking power, but China’s leaders don’t. Nathaniel Sher and Sam Bresnick. Foreign Policy, 21 November
US Congress heralds the coming capital wars. Finance may be the next frontier for decoupling from China, with new limits on business between the two countries. Rana Foroohar. FT, 21 November
Long reads
What happens to China’s disappeared – and why do so few in the West care? Tennis player Peng Shuai is the latest to go missing, but open condemnation of Beijing is the exception rather than the norm. Luke Mintz. The Sunday Telegraph, 21 November
How Xi Jinping became the world’s most powerful man. A landmark ruling has made him president of China for life - and his decisions impact everyone. Michael Sheridan. The Sunday Times, 21 November
China’s e-commerce crackdown: timeline of Beijing’s actions to bring tech giants in line with national policy. Bien Perez. SCMP, 22 November
Race to the future: what to know about the frantic quest for cobalt. NYT, 21 November
Little England? Not any more - Barbados is becoming little China. Matthew Campbell. The Sunday Times, 21 November
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