China News - 24 June 2021
Starting in 10 minutes: Briefing: PRC disinformation in the UK. The latest findings on how the PRC spreads propaganda targeted at the UK, with three leading disinformation experts from the University of Oxford. 9:30am, 24 June. Register here.
International
‘Painful farewell’: Hongkongers queue for hours to buy final Apple Daily edition. Across Hong Kong on Thursday morning the queues stretched for hundreds of metres, wrapping around corner after corner. Starting before dawn, crowds in the city of 7.5 million people lined up for hours to buy the final print edition of the Apple Daily newspaper, forced to close by authorities which had accused it of national security offences. Normally selling 80,000 copies a day, they printed a million. The Guardian, The Telegraph, 24 June
‘The blackest day’: Apple Daily’s demise comes as no surprise. The Guardian, 23 June
Biden to deter forced labour with ban on China’s solar panel materials. The Biden administration may bar imports from some companies that produce raw materials used to make solar panels. WSJ, 24 June
Hong Kong pro-Beijing legislators intervene in judicial appointment. Justice Maria Yuen, the wife of Geoffrey Ma, the city’s previous chief justice, was set to be appointed as the next permanent judge. But she withdrew her candidacy for the city’s top court after legislators raised concerns over the appointment. FT, 24 June
China deleted early coronavirus data that could help explain pandemic origins, researcher finds. The recovered data suggests the virus was circulating in Wuhan earlier than previously thought. The Telegraph, WSJ, 24 June
Chinese port company warns Australian review raises sovereign risk. The Chinese company has warned that its treatment at the hands of the Australian government risks scaring away investors from other countries. FT, 24 June
20 Canadian lawmakers want audit of Hong Kong officials’ assets and ‘personal connections’ under Magnitsky sanctions programme. SCMP, 23 June
USS Curtis Wilbur sails through Taiwan Strait. Taipei Times, 23 June
Joint Statement - 20th Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) Defence Chiefs' Conference. Statement, 23 June
Economy & tech
Jack Ma’s Ant in talks to share data trove with state firms. The new entity, which could be established as soon as the third quarter of this year, could result in Ant ceding some control over the data it has on the financial habits of Chinese citizens. WSJ, 24 June
Tencent takes quiet path through China’s tech turbulence. Pony Ma’s low profile and acquiescence to government relations have smoothened the company’s path. FT, 23 June
Longer reads & opinion
Special report: The Chinese Communist Party at 100. The push to revamp the Chinese Communist Party for the next 100 years in The Economist, 23 June
Opinion: What China did to Apple Daily, it could do to any company. WSJ, 24 June
A look inside Shein, the $45 billion retail enigma upending the global fashion industry. SupChina, 9 June
The Chinese Economy’s Great Wall. Jim O’Neill in Project Syndicate, 23 June