China News - 28 March 2022
International
Shanghai: China announces largest city-wide Covid lockdown. China has announced its biggest city-wide lockdown since the Covid outbreak began more than two years ago. The city of Shanghai will be locked down in two stages over nine days while authorities carry out Covid-19 testing. BBC, The Guardian, 28 March
UK: Lobbyists for hostile states such as Russia and China to be registered. The Times reports that the Government will use the the Queen’s speech in May to introduce further measures to bolster the Economic Crime Bill and introduce the long-awaited Counter States Threat Bill. The Government ran the Counter States Threat Bill consultation stage in May 2021, but it has been frequently delayed. It is now expected to appear “before summer”. The Times, 28 March
China's Sinopec pauses Russia projects, Beijing wary of sanctions - sources. China's state-run Sinopec Group has suspended talks for a major petrochemical investment and a gas marketing venture in Russia, according to Reuters. Sinopec has suspended discussions to invest up to $500 million in the new gas chemical plant in Russia, one of the sources said. Reuters, 28 March
Chinese foreign minister makes first visit to India since deadly border clashes. After Friday’s meeting with Wang, Jaishankar said while some progress had been made, India was not willing to resume normal relations with China while it continued to deploy soldiers and heavy weapons in the border area. FT, The Independent, 25 March
PM call with Xi. On Friday afternoon, the UK and China sides issued a readout of the call between Boris Johnson and Xi Jinping, a “frank and candid conversation lasting almost an hour”. Gov.uk, MOFA, 25 March
US and Australia boost space and cyber co-operation to counter China. Admiral John Aquilino, head of US Indo-Pacific Command, said the nations wanted to accelerate what the Pentagon called “integrated deterrence”, combining all the elements of the military power of the US and its allies. FT, 27 March
Spectre of ‘Indo-Pacific Nato’ accelerates China’s decoupling from the west. Some Chinese diplomats have gone on a rhetorical offensive, arguing that the Indo-Pacific strategy is as dangerous as the Nato strategy of eastward expansion in Europe. FT, 28 March
China Eastern plane crash: both black boxes found, all 132 on board dead. The Guardian, 27 March
Economy & tech
China's DJI rejects claim that Russian military uses its drones in Ukraine. The denial came after German electronics and home appliances giant MediaMarkt removed DJI drones. Reuters, 28 March
China, U.S. working hard on solution to audit dispute - state media. Reuters, 28 March
Opinion & editorial
China-Russian relations carry deep memories of mutual respect... and scorn. The post-cold war trajectory of Putin’s Russia and Xi’s China has diverged. Rana Mitter. The Observer, 28 March
China is less likely to back Russia while facing troubles of its own. But to an extent that is widely under-appreciated, China faces perils too and risks great damage to its vulnerable economy if it does anything that cancels foreign capital. Ruchir Sharma. FT, 28 March
A security agreement between China and Solomon Islands could impact stability in the whole Pacific. It could trigger perceptions of infringements on Solomon Islands’ sovereignty, and may also cause concern among other Pacific nations, not just Australia. Mihai Sora. The Guardian, 25 March
How Kissinger became an asset of China. The Party expects friends to silence their criticism, so as not to ‘embarrass’ or ‘offend’ China, and to praise and advance the Party’s policies. Isaac Stone Fish. The Spectator, 27 March