International
Britain warns on future of UK judges in Hong Kong, saying national security law raises “important questions”. Ministers say they have begun consultations about whether it is still appropriate for British judges to sit on Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal. They have warned that British judges sitting in Hong Kong should not lend “a veneer of respectability” to the region’s legal system if it is compromised by Beijing’s new security law. FT, The Times, 24 November
UK publishes six-monthly report on Hong Kong: January to June 2020. Raabs’s comments were made in the foreword of the regular report to Parliament on Hong Kong. FCDO report, 23 November
How a firm linked to China's military forged close ties with one of Britain's top universities. Since 2012, Imperial College London has worked with Avic, the main supplier of aviation technology to the People’s Liberation Army, on an aircraft design lab known as the Avic Centre for Structural Design and Manufacture. Avic is one of the latest 89 Chinese companies set to be blocked from accessing US technology. Experts warned on Monday that there could be the risk of restriction on any universities with ties to US sanctioned-entities. The Telegraph, 24 November
UK government set to introduce Telecoms Security Bill today. The bill will legislate the government’s decision to ban Huawei, and also sees UK telecoms companies facing fines of up to 10% of turnover or £100,000 a day if they do not comply with rules aimed at phasing out Huawei equipment from the 5G network. The FT also reports that the law will include a new ban on the installation of Huawei equipment in the run-up to the bill to appease concerns that telecoms companies would look to circumvent the laws by using stockpiled equipment BBC, FT, The Telegraph, Gov announcement, 24 November
UK government launches website to help tech firms navigate business relations with China, citing ethical and legal risks. Reuters, gov website, 24 November
International experts expected to go to China soon: WHO. The World Health Organization said Monday it had received reassurances from Beijing that international experts would soon be able to travel to China to help investigate the animal origins of Covid-19. “We fully expect and have reassurances from our Chinese government colleagues that the trip to the field... will be facilitated, and as soon as possible,” WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a virtual press briefing. The Guardian live blog, 24 November
Daily Mail investigation into use of aid budget in China: ‘Britain's £81million giveaway’. Daily Mail, 24 November
Irresponsible 'tough talk' with China is useless, says Canada foreign minister. “Let’s not fall into the temptation of tough and irresponsible rhetoric that will generate no tangible results” for the detainees, Canadian farmers, the business community and human rights advocates, he told a special parliamentary committee on Canada-China relations. Reuters, 24 November
Trump’s US investment ban aims to cement tough-on-China legacy. New measures include banning US investment in another 89 Chinese companies, sending a navy admiral to Taiwan and expected further sanctions on persons linked to human rights abuses, and measures against illegal fishing. The Guardian, 23 November
US and Taiwan sign five-year agreement, establishing working groups on health, tech and security. Taiwan hopes the meetings will develop into something more concrete, like a trade deal. The Guardian, 24 November
'We've got your back' - Trump advisor Robert O’Brien vows U.S. support in South China Sea to Philippines and Vietnam. Reuters, 23 November
Pope says for first time that China's Uighurs are 'persecuted'. The Guardian, 24 November
Stephen Ellison: Diplomat who saved drowning woman given banner. BBC, 24 November
China watch
China removes all remaining counties from poverty list, declaring it has eliminated absolute poverty. The average annual net income of impoverished people in these nine counties has risen to $1,740, well above the Chinese government’s $600 national poverty line set this year - but below the World Bank’s global poverty line of $2,000 a year. WSJ, 24 November
Most people in China believe corruption falling, says Transparency International. China remains 80th in global index, but survey suggests Xi Jinping’s eight-year drive to root out corruption is having an effect on perceptions. The Guardian, 24 November
China tests millions after coronavirus flare-ups in 3 cities. One of the outbreaks in Shanghai has been traced to two cargo handlers who cleaned a container that had just arrived from North America. The Guardian, AP, 24 November
China’s renminbi on course for record six-month run against dollar. FT, 24 November
Economy & tech
Covid-19: Xi Jinping pushes for QR code based global travel system in comments at G20 summit. BBC, 24 November
Airbnb exec resigned last year over Chinese request for more data sharing. Airbnb hired Sean Joyce, a former deputy director of the FBI, in May of 2019 as its first “chief trust officer,” a role that entailed protecting users’ safety on the platform. He resigned six months later over concerns about how the massive rental platform shares data on millions of its users with Chinese authorities, the people said. WSJ, 24 November
China’s Surveillance State Sucks Up Data. U.S. Tech Is Key to Sorting It. Intel and Nvidia chips power the Urumqi surveillance hub in Xinjiang, raising questions about the tech industry’s responsibility. New York Times, 23 November
How SOE default wave shows state bailouts in China are over. But amid a national policy change to shift risk to markets, local governments have been unresponsive to a string of China debt defaults. Caixin, 23 November
Longer reads & opinion
Comment: Britain’s global ambitions can’t be sacrificed with aid budget cut. Ruth Davidson in The Times, 24 November
China says it remains open to the world, but wants to dictate terms. NYT, 24 November
Beijing may cut Belt and Road lending due to domestic pressure to ensure future of project. SCMP, 24 November
The ethical questions that haunt facial-recognition research. Nature, 18 November