China News - 25 October 2021
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International
Liz Truss on China: Britain cannot be dependent. In an interview with The Telegraph over the weekend, Truss warned that Britain must not become “dependent” on China, and said critical national infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants, should be built only with “like-minded” partners. Truss also held a call with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Friday. The Chinese readout of the call highlighted Wang’s warning to Britain to ‘think twice’ about AUKUS. The Telegraph, SCMP, 22 October
UK’s first ‘gigafactory’ set for huge expansion. Envision and Nissan are set to start production at the Sunderland gigafactory in 2024. Zhang Lei, chief executive of Envision, said the Sunderland facility’s annual capacity would eventually rise to 38 gigawatt hours, enabling the site to produce batteries for hundreds of thousands more electric cars each year. FT, 25 October
China to cut fossil fuel use to below 20% by 2060. China is targeting a clean energy goal of reducing fossil fuel use to below 20% by 2060, according to an official plan published by state media on Sunday. The guidelines also reiterated an earlier aim for carbon emissions per unit of GDP to fall 18% in 2025, from 2020 standards. The Guardian, Xinhua (CN), 25 October
G7 says there is no place for ‘state-sponsored’ forced labour. Trade ministers from the G7 have agreed to eliminate forced labour and shared their concern over such state-sponsored practice on minorities. SCMP, Politico, NHK, 23 October
Taiwan
US wants to help Taiwan participate ‘meaningfully’ in UN. Taiwanese and US officials discussed how Taiwan can participate in the WHO and UN framework convention on climate change. The Guardian, SCMP, Reuters, Nikkei Asia, 24 October
China warns Slovaks, Czechs of retaliation for Taiwan minister visit. Reuters, 25 October
Japan defence minister warns of Crimea-style invasion of Taiwan. "An invasion may begin without anyone realizing it, and a war may be fought without the use of military forces." Nikkei Asia, 23 October
Australia trade minister wants deeper energy ties to help Taiwan decarbonise. The Guardian, 23 October
North Korea condemns Biden’s pledge to defend Taiwan if China invades. SCMP, The Japan Times, NHK, 23 October
Hong Kong court convicts man under security law for inciting secession with chants and speech. Ma Chun-man is the second person to be convicted under the security law. HKFP, 25 October
Amnesty International to close Hong Kong offices due to national security law. The Guardian, 25 October
Russian, Chinese warships wrap up the first joint patrols in the Pacific. Reuters, Bloomberg, ChinaDaily, NHK, 24 October
Ceann comhairle ‘praised’ China’s human rights record during a meeting with its ambassador He Xiangdong. The Times, 24 October
Economy & tech
China expands property tax trials in next step of ‘common prosperity’ drive. China has expanded trials for a property tax, a decision that pitches President Xi against deeply entrenched vested interests across an economy fuelled for decades by real estate development. FT, SCMP, Reuters, WSJ, NHK, 24 October
HSBC announces $2bn share buyback as profits surge 74 per cent. Separately, Asia’s largest financial lobby group called on Hong Kong to produce a timeline for relaxing its ‘highly restrictive’ travel restrictions. FT, 25 October
US intelligence warns American firms to protect 5 key technologies from China. US intelligence officials issued a warning to American technology firms against working with China in AI, quantum computing, bioscience, semiconductors, and autonomous systems. SCMP, FT, 22 October
EU leaders warn of risk to industry over shortage of magnesium from China. FT, Politico, 22 October
Digicel Pacific: Australia's Telstra buys Pacific firm 'to block China'. The Australian government and telecoms giant Telstra are buying a Pacific telecoms company in a joint venture. BBC, 24 October
Evergrande resumes work on projects in southern China after paying missed dollar bond coupon. Reuters, FT, NHK, 22 October
China moves to ease rules on government procurement for CPTPP. Nikkei Asia, 25 October
China focus
China president Xi Jinping marks 50th anniversary at UN. Xi repeated calls for global cooperation at the UN, adding that issues like terrorism, climate change and cyber security required multilateral solutions. He did not mention Taiwan. BBC, 25 October
Communist Party No 3 hails superiority of ‘Chinese democracy’ and warns against Western influences. China should resolutely resist “erosive” political Western influences such as multi-party elections and an independent judiciary and “tell the story of China’s democracy” well, the chairman of the country’s top legislative body said on Saturday. SCMP, 24 October
China passes law to lift homework and tutoring pressures on schoolchildren. BBC, SCMP, The Guardian, Reuters, NHK, 23 October
Coronavirus: northern China battens down to contain outbreaks, with the Wuhan Marathon being cancelled. SCMP, The Japan Times, Bloomberg, CGTN, 24 October
China passes law to strengthen border security, permitting the use of blockades and “police apparatus and weapons” against illegal trespassers. SCMP, Reuters, NHK, 24 October
Opinion & editorial
Liz Truss is right to question China's reliability. Ms Truss’s comments are bound to infuriate Beijing, which is sensitive to charges of unreliability. Telegraph View. The Telegraph, 23 October
Avoiding the next nuclear arms race. The world needs China and the US to find a framework for managing tensions. The Editorial Board. FT, 22 October
Xi’s a likely no-show at Glasgow but it doesn’t matter much. Climate action is in China’s national self-interest. Sam Geall. SMH, 25 October
Longer reads
How China’s past shapes Xi's thinking - and his view of the world. Rana Mitter. BBC, 25 October
China’s sham meritocracy has created a burned-out generation. Helen Gao. Foreign Policy, 23 October
She is breaking glass ceilings in space, but facing sexism on Earth. Chinese astronauts’ six-month stay aboard the country’s space station has revealed conflicting cultural values toward gender. NYT, 23 October
Book review: In the Camps: Life in China’s High-Tech Penal Colony — a damning account. FT, 25 October
Book review: Cleaning up the mess of post-Trump China strategy. Bryce C. Barros. Foreign Policy, 22 October