China News - 24 November
International
WHO statement on reported clusters of respiratory illness in children in northern China. ProMED reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China on 21 November. The WHO has since made an official request to China for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses. WHO, 22 November
China to rule on appeals in case of detained human rights lawyers. A Chinese court is to rule on the appeals of detained human rights lawyers Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong, as Ding’s wife called on China’s top judge to “rectify the miscarriage of justice” in their case. Amy Hawkins. The Guardian, 23 November
China says Philippines enlisted “foreign forces” to patrol South China Sea. The southern theatre command of the PLA said the Philippines enlisted “foreign forces” to patrol the South China Sea, in an apparent reference to the US. Ella Cao, Bernard Orr, Liz Lee and Neil Jerome Morales. Reuters, 23 November
Economy & Tech
Value of Apple sales underperforms Huawei and Xiaomi on China’s Singles Day. The value of Apple’s smartphone sales declined 4% year-on-year during the two-week sales, while the value of sales for Huawei and Xiaomi grew 66% and 28% in the same period. Yelin Mo and Brenda Goh. Reuters, 23 November
Protests and court appeals as Nepal’s TikTokers decry government ban on app. Many Nepalis have said the ban has cut off a source of income and shut down a platform for free speech. Gopal Sharma. Reuters, 23 November
Chinese shadow bank Zhongzhi faces $36bn shortfall after “management ran wild”. The financial group tells investors it is “severely insolvent” after the unexpected death of its founder, Xie Zhikun, in 2021. Hudson Lockett and Sun Yu. Financial Times, 23 November
Mintz staff stuck in China detention despite warming ties with US. 8 months after a raid on the US due diligence firm’s Beijing office, the Mintz Group is struggling to secure the release of 5 local employees detained in China. Joe Leahy and Sun Yu. Financial Times, 23 November
How a focus on Chinese buyers “doomed” Malaysia’s Forest City. The 7,000 acre project on the artificial islands between Malaysia and Singapore has struggles to attract interest. Patrick Lee. Al Jazeera, 23 November
Opinion & long-reads
China property: running out of options as fallout spreads to shadow banking. Systemic risks are mounting among non-banking financial bodies that lend to struggling house developers. Financial Times, 23 November
Copper: China plants red flags on red metal ahead of green switch. Despite soaring copper prices, China is determined to secure long-term supplies of a metal crucial to the transition to green energy. Financial Times, 21 November