China News - 27 April 2023
International
President Xi calls Zelenskyy for the first time since Russian invasion. Xi has urged his Ukrainian counterpart to negotiate with Moscow, and will send a special representative to Ukraine to work with both parties to secure ‘political settlement’. Christopher Miller and Yuan Yang. Financial Times, 26 April
19 countries, including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, and Egypt, express interest in joining BRICS. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will meet in Cape Town in early June to discuss potential expansion of the bloc. Paul Vecchiatto. Bloomberg, 25 April
Chinese police question employees at Bain & Co’s office in Shanghai. Chinese authorities visit premises of US management consulting group, confiscating computers and phones. The reasoning behind the visits remains unclear. Demetri Sevastopulo, Ryan McMorrow and Leo Lewis. Financial Times, 26 April
China passes revised counter-espionage law. All ‘documents, data, materials, and items related to national security and interests’ are under the same protection as state secrets following the revisions. Laurie Chen. Reuters, 27 April
Call on UK government to help restore pre-pandemic pork exports to China. Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee asks DEFRA what actions are being taken to help UK pork exporters regain access to the key Chinese market. UK Parliament, 26 April
MEPs call for coordinated EU strategy against foreign interference ahead of 2024 elections. Report proposes funding to tackle disinformation and uphold democratic processes; as well as the exclusion of equipment and software from high-risk countries such as China, Russia or Iran. European Parliament, 26 April
Taiwan maintains ‘real-time’ intelligence sharing with Five Eyes alliance partners. Taiwan’s intelligence chief appears in front of lawmakers to report on what measures the intelligence services were taking in preparation for next year’s presidential election, including countering Chinese electoral interference. Focus Taiwan, 26 April
Biden to visit Australia in May for Quad summit. Leaders from the US, India and Japan are set to meet on 24 May at Sydney Opera House. It will be Biden’s first visit to Australia as US president. Daniel Hurst. The Guardian, 26 April
Economy & tech
China rolls out plans to boost trade amid weakening global demand. China's cabinet on Tuesday issued a plan to stabilise its vital trade sector, including supporting exports of automobiles and facilitating visas for overseas businesses. Reuters, 25 April
China Evergrande faces more than 1,300 lawsuits with combined claims of US$45bn. The heavily-indebted property group disclosed an overview of pending litigation, most of which is likely from builders and materials suppliers demanding payment. Yusuke Hinata. Nikkei Asia, 26 April
China boosts rare-earth production to meet EV and wind power demand. SOEs expand production as government increases quotas. Shunsuke Tabeta. Nikkei Asia, 26 April
Tencent targets overseas gaming studios. The Chinese tech group is investing in European assets as it seeks to diversify away from the domestic market. Eleanor Olcott and Qianer Liu. Financial Times, 26 April
Opinion & long reads
China’s ‘wolf warrior’ envoy threatens Xi Jinping’s plan to woo EU. Remarks by Chinese ambassador to France undermine Beijing’s efforts to play peacemaker in Ukraine. Joe Leahy, Yuan Yang and Henry Foy. Financial Times, 26 April
Gaming public opinion. Empirical research into the CCP’s clandestine online networks on social media platforms. Albert Zhang, Tilla Hoja and Jasmine Latimore. ASPI, 26 April
Could the UK’s new China policy prevent a second cold war? A response to foreign secretary James Cleverly’s recent speech on China. Cindy Yu. The Spectator, 25 April
Europe should regulate TikTok, not ban it. Analysts at the Mercator Institute for China Studies suggest Europe should rely on its robust internet regulation regime. Antonia Hmaidi and Kai von Carnap. Euractiv, 26 April
Ping An to tighten screws on HSBC in push for structural reform. Shareholder dispute likely to play out in the public arena again at HSBC’s annual meeting next week. Emma Dunkley. Financial Times, 27 April
The US wants a rare-earths supply chain. Here’s why it won’t come easily. Analysis of the Rare Earth Magnet Manufacturing Production Tax Credit Act of 2023, a bipartisan bill set to be introduced in Congress this week. Yusuf Khan. Wall Street Journal, 25 April