China News - 24 March 2022
International
Chinese help for Russia is key topic as Joe Biden arrives in Europe to meet with allies. The leaders of the United States and its European allies will discuss China’s perceived support for Russia’s war against Ukraine today. At an emergency Nato summit, a G7 summit and a meeting of the European Council in Brussels, Biden is expected to relay a message about China’s potential assistance to Moscow in circumventing crippling sanctions and providing military equipment, ensuring that allies are under no illusions about Beijing before next week’s crucial EU-China summit. SCMP, 24 March
Russia's Putin gets Chinese backing to stay in G20. Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to attend the next G20 summit in Indonesia later this year, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin telling a news briefing that “no member has the right to remove another country as a member.” Reuters, 23 March
Britain will hit China with tough sanctions if it helps Russia in war against Ukraine, minister warns. Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said she hopes bonds of lucrative trade with the West will help convince China not to back Russia, while hitting back at MPs who say the UK should completely sever ties with China. The Sun, 23 March
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparks fierce debate in China. Experts and the public argue over the risks and benefits of Beijing’s backing for Moscow. FT, 24 March
China gets a warning with US-UK tariff deal. A key clause in the US-UK agreement to ease tariffs on British steel and aluminium sends a wider warning to China about its policy of subsidising producers, said US commerce chief Gina Raimondo. Bloomberg, 23 March
US navy boosts presence in South China Sea with expeditionary base. A US navy expeditionary “base” has entered the disputed waters of the South China Sea for the first time, a think tank based in Beijing has claimed. The Times, 23 March
China plane crash: cockpit voice recorder analysed for clues as first victims found. The Guardian, 24 March
Taiwan says ‘reunification law’ would bring too much pressure for Beijing. Reuters, 24 March
Solomon Islands considers security cooperation with China. Reuters, 24 March
Economy & tech
Geely questions future in Russia despite opening for China’s carmakers. The Beijing-based group, which owns Volvo and Lotus and has a minority stake in Mercedes-Benz, has suspended its operations at a factory in Belarus that exports to Russia, and has launched a review weighing the reputational risk to the brand of sticking with the country against the opportunity created by the halting of sales of major rivals. FT, 24 March
Biden administration will reinstate some tariff exclusions on Chinese imports. The move comes after months of complaints by business groups that the Biden administration was not doing enough to alleviate financial pain from the Trump-era trade war. NYT, 23 March
Tencent’s revenue grows at slowest pace in nearly two decades. WSJ, 23 March
Nickel’s wild moves continue as London futures jump by 15% limit. Caixin, 24 March
China focus
Panic buyers strip shelves as Covid-19 cases soar in Shanghai. The daily number of infections has been climbing in Shanghai, fuelling worries that the country’s financial centre could be locked down. For now, the city has only sealed off residential neighbourhoods with confirmed positive cases. The Times, 24 March
Sinovac booster gives elderly stronger protection against Omicron, study finds. NYT, 23 March
China aims to expand nuclear power programme amid threat of global energy crisis. The country’s energy plan for 2025 aims to build more plants as part of its pledge to reach peak carbon by 2030 and ensure energy security. SCMP, 24 March
Opinion & editorial
Beijing’s dreams of a stronger role for the yuan are coming true. China seems keen on a multilateral system where the yuan plays a greater role, and on a payments system independent of the West. Gerard Lyons. The Times, 24 March
In the Global South, China is pitching its Ukraine stance as an antidote to Western hypocrisy. China is deftly connecting worries about international turbulence with Africa’s wider perception that it’s perpetually ignored. Cobus van Staden. SupChina, 22 March
Plane crash in China raises puzzling questions. The country has not had a serious flight accident since 2010, but officials aren’t sharing many details. James Palmer. Foreign Policy, 23 March
Lords unite to challenge China’s forced organ harvesting. The recent vote on the Forced Organ Harvesting Amendment to the Health and Care Bill demonstrates that medical ethics is an all-party issue. Lord Ribeiro. Conservative Woman, 23 March