China News - 28 May 2021
International
35,000 Hongkongers apply to live in UK under visa scheme. The Home Office released data showing that it received 34,300 applications for BN(O) visas in February and March, the first two months of the program. Almost half, 13,700, had travelled to the UK by the time they applied. The government’s mid-range expectations are of somewhere between 122,600 and 153,300 applications in the first year. The Times, Quartz, 28 May
Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai jailed again as Tiananmen vigil banned. Lai was handed another jail sentence for 14 months over his role in an unauthorised assembly in October 2019. A candlelit vigil to mark the anniversary of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square massacre has also been banned. The Guardian, The Telegraph, 27 May
Hong Kong electoral changes: lawmakers pass landmark bill to reshape political system by 40-2. SCMP, 27 May
Taiwan accuses China of interfering with Covid vaccine deals. The health and welfare minister, Chen Shih-shung claimed a deal with BioNTech to secure vaccines collapsed after the company asked to remove a reference where Taiwan called itself a country. The Guardian, 27 May
US-China ties: competition, not engagement from now on, Kurt Campbell says. The White House’s Indo-Pacific policy director said the period of US engagement with China had “come to an end”. SCMP, 27 May
Chinese vice premier stresses schedule for carbon peak, neutrality. Han Zheng, also a member of the Politburo Standing Committee was presiding over the first plenary meeting of a leading group on carbon peak and carbon neutrality in Beijing. Xinhua, 28 May
Beijing criticises EU-Japan statement as G7 raise pressure on Beijing. The EU and Japan issued a joint statement stressing the importance of peace across the Taiwan Strait, following a virtual leaders’ summit. Politico, 28 May
Friends reunion: BTS, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber censored in China. It is believed that footage of the stars were cut because they are deemed to have insulted China in the past. BBC, 27 May
Economy & tech
US-China tech war: China taps 12 top universities to rival MIT and Stanford in science and technology research. The Ministry of Education has designated universities to establish new schools focused on building China’s advantage in frontier technologies. SCMP, 28 May
Wuhan lab leak: Facebook ends ban on posts claiming Covid is man made. The social media giant said the decision responded to the “ongoing investigations into the origin of Covid-19” and came after “consultation with public health experts”.The Telegraph, 28 May
HSBC quits retail banking in US to focus on Asia. The bank will offload the lion’s share of its lossmaking business within the year. The Times, 28 May
Longer reads & opinion
Education in China is becoming increasingly unfair to the poor. Experts agree that the share of rural students at China’s best universities has shrunk, largely blamed on the hukou system. The Economist, 27 May
China’s revealing Afghan strategy. Chinese officials now call Afghanistan an area of possible co-operation with America. The Economist, 27 May
Sanctions are imposed by the sanctimonious, and achieve nothing. Sanctions are “look-no-hands” policy for armchair diplomats which only make sense in terms of domestic politics. The Guardian, 27 May
Yang Jiechi’s overlooked visits to Slovenia and Croatia. Earlier this week, he paid a visit to the two EU countries, with the 17+1 on shaky ground. The Diplomat, 28 May
Comment: If Covid leaked, China’s credibility is in tatters. The Times, 28 May
Next Monday is a Bank Holiday in the UK so this newsletter will return on Tuesday.