China News - 24 May 2022
International
The faces from China’s Uyghur detention camps. The BBC has published a huge cache of new data hacked from police files, revealing significant new insights into the internment of the region’s Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in Xinjiang. The documents provide some of the strongest evidence to date for a policy targeting any expression of Uyghur identity, culture or Islamic faith. The Xinjiang Police Files, as they’re being called, include classified speeches by senior officials; internal police manuals and personnel information; the internment details for more than 20,000 Uyghurs; and photographs from highly sensitive locations. BBC, 24 May
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss issued a statement on the findings:
President Biden in Asia
Quad unveils satellite-based maritime initiative to counter China. Leaders of the group - composed of Japan, the US, Australia and India - met in Tokyo on Tuesday in what has been described as one of the most important meetings in recent years that will affect the geopolitics and security of the Indo-Pacific region. They unveiled a satellite-based initiative to help countries in the region track illegal fishing and unconventional maritime militias, in their latest effort to counter China. FT, 24 May
Biden formally unveils his economic plan for countering China in Asia. President Joe Biden on Monday said the thirteen nations joining his long-sought Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) for Asia were "signing up to work toward an economic vision that will deliver for all people on Earth." Whilst not a free trade agreement, the group wants to set international rules on the digital economy, supply chains, decarbonisation and regulations applying to workers. CNN, 23 May
Joe Biden’s comments about defending Taiwan ‘send signal to Beijing without changing US policy’. SCMP, 23 May
UN rights chief’s visit to China will be held in ‘closed loop’, Beijing says. China has said Michelle Bachelet’s visit to the country this week will be conducted in a “closed loop” as previously agreed with the UN, referring to the Chinese model of isolating people inside a “bubble” in order to contain the spread of Covid-19. Bachelet has told Beijing-based diplomats that her trip would not be an “investigation”, but rather was aimed at promoting, protecting and respecting human rights. The Guardian, 23 May
UK and Lithuania commit to closer collaboration to tackle malign regimes. The signing of a Joint Declaration marks 100 years of bilateral relations and will build on the current defence cooperation the countries share as NATO allies and will increase resistance to threats, including from Russia and China. Gov.uk, 23 May
China's foreign minister embarks on ‘marathon’ Pacific Islands visit. Wang Yi looks set to visit at least five Pacific Islands nations over the coming two weeks in a trip designed to signal Beijing's broader ambitions in the Pacific and strengthen China's commercial and security ties with the region. ABC, 24 May
Covid: Beijing ramps up quarantine, Shanghai residents decry uneven rules. Reuters, 24 May
Retired Catholic leader Joseph Zen and five others to appear before Hong Kong court. SCMP, 23 May
Economy & tech
Airbnb is closing its domestic business in China. All mainland Chinese listings — homes and experiences — will be taken down by this summer, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Sources say that the China segment was already costly and complex to operate; the pandemic worsened these issues and heightened their impact. Aribnb joins a long line of Western internet firms such as Linkedin and Yahoo that have retreated from China. CNBC, 23 May
Didi investors vote to delist in US in bid to revive China business. Chinese ride-hailing group Didi has notified the New York Stock Exchange it will move to delist in the US after more than 95 per cent of shares cast in the Monday vote approved of its delisting plan, designed to return the company’s services to Chinese app stores. FT, 23 May
Beijing reverses ban on tech companies listing offshore. The Register, 24 May
China’s scale and opening-up will lure more investment, experts say. Financial leaders at Davos forum on China see increased resilience and ‘tremendous’ opportunity despite short-term volatility. Caixin, 24 May
China’s economic recovery faces new hurdle in rising power costs. Caixin, 24 May
Opinion & editorial
We don’t need no (British) education in China. Beijing’s new curriculum requirements sit uncomfortably with the concept of a Western liberal school system. Matthew Brooker. Bloomberg, 23 May
Joe Biden tries to pivot to Asia — but that’s easier said than done. Richard Lloyd Parry. The Times, 23 May
China's own hotheadedness reinforces Quad's strategic importance. Biden is aiming to shore up what the body stands for with first trip to the region. Richard McGregor. Nikkei Asia, 22 May
Manoj Kewalramani on reading the People’s Daily, daily. Andrew Peaple. The Wire China, 22 May