China News 26 June 2020
International
Huawei:
Tony Blair says UK must ultimately side with US on Huawei 5G decision. “I think we do need to make a call and I think it has got to be pro-US in the end," Mr Blair said about the issue at a Reuters event. “It is very hard for us not to be with the US on anything that touches US security.” Telegraph, 26 June
Ericsson: We can replace all of Huawei's equipment in the UK's 5G networks. Pulse 1, 25 June
Local council gives planning permission for £1bn Huawei Cambridge facility. The Global Times says “The US’ campaign against Huawei has suffered another blow” after permission was granted, and suggests the facility will help beat the “US tech blockade”. The FT says the US has expressed concerns about the facility. FT, Global Times, Cambridge Independent, 25 June
Trudeau says no to pressure to release Meng. “We cannot allow political pressures or random arrests of Canadian citizens to influence the functioning of our justice system” he said. “If the Chinese government concludes from this exchange and this situation that it is an effective way to gain leverage over Canadians and the Canadian government – to randomly arrest Canadians – then no Canadian will be safe going forward.” SCMP, 26 June
Tony Blair’s Institute for Global Change published a report on China, with a poll showing increasingly sceptical attitudes to China across the west. Reuters, Global Institute, 25 June
MP's Sydney home raided as counter-espionage agency probes China links. Counter-espionage agency ASIO is conducting a sweeping investigation into allegations Chinese government agents have infiltrated the office of a NSW Labor politician to influence Australian politics. SMH, 26 June
Concerns over opaque China lobbying in Germany. The group “China Bridge” has been criticised for not releasing names of its members. CDU politician Michael Brand described it as having “conspiratorial” structures that are “extremely problematic, even dangerous”. If the China Bridge did not want to run the risk of "becoming the 5th column in Beijing," it would have to “quickly put the cards on the table.” he said. “We are very concerned that the network is not acting transparently,” says Ulrich Delius, director of the Society for Threatened Peoples, in a letter to Bärbel Kofler, the Federal Government's Human Rights Commissioner. Handelsblatt, 25 June
Hidden Back Door Embedded in Chinese Tax Software, Firm Says. Bloomberg, 25 June
Economy / tech
Senate Passes Sanctions Bill on China Over Hong Kong Law. The U.S. Senate passed by unanimous consent a bipartisan bill that would put sanctions on Chinese officials who erode Hong Kong’s limited autonomy from Beijing, as well as the banks and firms that do business with them. WSJ, 25 June
Would anything stop us handing over data to Chinese apps? A Telegraph feature argues that: “For years Western consumers have opened their private lives to Silicon Valley. Now that habit could threaten American power.” It notes the case of Zynn, an app which paid users to post photos: which was an “opportunity to gather up a grab bag of personal data including – according to its privacy policy – location, financial account numbers and purchasing habits. It was a perfect illustration of why some British and American spies, politicians and cybersecurity experts are worried about any technology sold or run from within rival nations.” Telegraph, 25 June
China's Net City poses one major headache for the West. The Telegraph looks at Tencent’s plans for a smart city in Shenzhen. It notes “The smart city will adopt technologies such as artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles – but involves harvesting vast sums of data… The smart city is not a place where residents will be able to maintain their privacy.” It notes rival Alphabet has dropped plans for a similar pilot in Toronto. Telegraph, 26 June
Inside China’s race to beat poverty. FT, 26 June
Longer reads and comment
China's strategic blunders - Fareed Zakaria. “Thanks to its actions over the past few years under Xi, China today finds itself in the same strategic situation as the Soviet Union did during the Cold War - surrounded by countries that are growing increasingly hostile to it.” Washington Post, 25 June
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