China News - 24 January 2023
International
US confronts China over companies’ ties to Russian war effort. The Biden administration has confronted China’s government with evidence that suggests some Chinese state-owned companies may be providing assistance for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, as it tries to ascertain if Beijing is aware of those activities, according to Bloomberg sources. Those familiar with the matter declined to detail the support except to say that it consists of non-lethal military and economic assistance that stops short of wholesale evasion of the sanctions regime the US and its allies have imposed. Bloomberg, 24 January
Labour vows to rebuild international reputation of ‘isolated’ UK. Speaking to the Financial Times ahead of a speech at Chatham House on Tuesday to set out his foreign policy thinking, Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy pitched the creation of a ‘Britain Reconnected’, for security and prosperity at home. On China, Lammy was clear in the need to respond to Beijing’s growing dominance by re-engaging with multilateral organisations and leveraging the UK’s soft power. FT, 23 January
China could use IoT to modules to collect data of millions of UK citizens. The Chinese government has the ability to access the data of people in Britain by “weaponising” microchips embedded in cars, domestic appliances and even light bulbs, ministers have been warned. A new report, sent to the Government by former diplomat Charles Parton, says the potential threat to national security from IoT modules outstrips the threat from Huawei products being used in mobile infrastructure, which led to a Government ban. The Telegraph, 23 January
EU ‘could end reliance on China for electric car batteries by 2030’. Europe could end its reliance on China for electric car batteries by 2030 but only if it keeps pace with Joe Biden’s $369bn (£298bn) green subsidy spree, experts predict. The study also forecasts that Europe’s reliance on China for the refining and processing of battery metals could also fall dramatically. The Guardian, 24 January
Taiwan president tells pope war with China not an option. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has written to Pope Francis to say that war between Taiwan and China is not an option and only by respecting the Taiwanese people's insistence on sovereignty and freedom can there be healthy ties with Beijing. Reuters, 23 January
Archrivals China, India move in to fund same Bangladesh port. The two have zeroed in on the development of Mongla, Bangladesh's second-largest port, raising eyebrows as the regional rivals compete for influence in the South Asian country. Nikkei Asia, 24 January
China is ‘barrier’ to ending Zambian debt crisis, says Janet Yellen. FT, 23 January
Indonesia boosts South China Sea security ahead of energy project. Nikkei Asia, 24 January
Economy & tech
UK to propose carbon border tax as part of steel industry aid package. The UK is to propose a carbon border tax that would place a levy on imported steel as part of a £600mn support package to help Britain’s two biggest steelmakers invest in greener technologies and avert the loss of thousands of jobs. Jingye, the Chinese owner of British Steel, has warned that it will be forced to close one of its two blast furnaces and import steel from China to be processed at the company’s UK sites if it does not receive government aid. FT, 23 January
China property bonds rebound on support measures from Beijing. Bonds issued by China’s highly indebted real estate developers have rebounded sharply over the past two months, in a sign that efforts by Chinese authorities to bolster the hard-hit sector are bearing fruit. FT, 24 January
World of Warcraft to go offline in China, leaving millions of gamers bereft. Millions of Chinese players of the roleplaying epic World of Warcraft will bid a sad farewell to the land of Azeroth, with the game set to go offline after a dispute between the US developer Blizzard and its local partner NetEase. The Guardian, 23 January
China surpassing US in key innovation metric and evolving from ‘imitator’, report says. SCMP, 24 January
China focus
Chinese city reports coldest day on record as temperatures plunge across country. The temperature in Mohe in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province dropped to minus 53 degrees Celsius, the coldest day the country says it has ever documented. BBC, 23 January
Chinese academic tells students to talk to their parents about the Mao era to understand ‘basic facts’. Political scientist Yan Xuetong encourages students to find out about China’s history, including the Cultural Revolution. SCMP, 23 January
Dubious Covid treatments explode on social media in China. Bloomberg, 24 January
Long reads & opinion
Post-Brexit Britain has become a military leader in the East. It won’t be from Beijing’s benevolence that peace is maintained in East Asia; only from a calculation that war is not worth it. Tony Abbott. The Telegraph, 23 January
Aukus won’t undermine Australia’s stance against nuclear weapons. Penny Wong. The Guardian, 23 January
China’s New Anti-Uyghur Campaign. How the world can stop Beijing’s brutal oppression. James Millward. Foreign Policy, 23 January
Britain is losing its chance to become a life sciences superpower. Kate Bingham. FT, 24 January