China News - 27 September
International
China, Japan and South Korea to hold meeting of leaders at a time convenient for all. The three countries agreed that they should push forward new progress and contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity via trilateral cooperation. Reuters, 26 September
Biden pledges more aid to Pacific islands to counter growing Chinese influence. The president has promised to work with Congress to provide $200m more in funding for the region. The US has also formally recognised two new island nations, the Cook Islands and Niue. Siosifa Pomana and Julian Borger. The Guardian, 25 September
US exploring potential space force hotline with China. The chief of space operations said a direct line of communication between them and the Chinese would be valuable in de-escalating tensions. The US has not yet engaged with China to establish one. Sakura Murakami and Nobuhiro Kubo. Reuters, 25 September
Macron is pushing Europe into a $900bln fight with China. Paris is behind the push to turn Europe’s $900bln trading relationship with China into a level playing field. Their aim is not to create a head-to-head trading battle like Beijing has with the US. William Horobin and Ania Nussbaum. Time, 26 September
South China Sea: Philippines coast guard cuts barrier. The Philippines says it has removed the floating barrier installed by the Chinese that violated fishing rights. BBC News, 25 September
Chinese TV presenter linked to the missing foreign minister had a surrogate child in the US. Fu Xiaotian, a high-profile Chinese TV presenter, was in a relationship with Qin Gang and had a child last year with the help of a surrogate mother in the US. Surrogacy is illegal in China. Ryan McMorrow, Sun Yu, Joe Leahy and James Kynge. Financial Times, 26 September
Economy & Tech
Hong Kong fraud probe tests city’s pro-crypto stance. The police have opened an investigation into alleged fraud and arrested JPEX staff. The Securities and Futures Commission has also accused the company of misleading investors. William Langley and Chang Ho-him. Financial Times, 26 September
Dollar hits 10-month high as US yields spike and the yen slides. On Tuesday, the dollar rose to a 10-month peak as US bonds yields surged to their highest since October 2007, it is expected to stay “higher for longer”. The Japanese yen slid, putting traders on alert for signs of government intervention. Harry Robertson and Tom Westbrook. Reuters, 26 September
EU trade chief says Tesla to face anti-subsidy probe over China exports. Vladis Dombrovskis said there was “sufficient prima facie evidence” to justify the probe into imports from China of EVs. Joe Leahy. Financial Times, 26 September
Opinion & long-reads
British government needs to stand up to Chinese oppression. For 26 years, Jimmy Lai’s Apple Daily was at the heart of free speech in Hong Kong and became a symbol of its struggle for democracy. The authorities shut it down and Lai has now spent 1,000 days in prison. Lai was only demanding the same freedoms and rights we have in the UK. Sebastien Lai. thetimes, 25 September
A hidden US-China decoupling. Private equity firms are becoming the arbiters of a competing set of demands from investors with political interests. Kaye Wiggins. Financial Times, 26 September
Beijing should be cautious about going too far on China’s public security, academic tells forum. Xu Jin says excessive measures could result in “wasted resources, panic among the public and inappropriate policies”. Vanessa Cai. South China Morning Post, 26 September
Millions take to the skies as China gears up for a long Golden Week. As the Golden Week holiday arrives, more than 21 million people are expected to take flights over the duration of the 8 days. Popular destinations include the UK, Thailand and Singapore. Bloomberg, 24 September
“A jealous god”: China remakes religions in its own image. A Chinese Catholic said “the government is trying to control everything about our religion- how our churches look, who our priests are, the way we pray”. Frederik Kelter. Al Jazeera, 26 September