China News 29 April 2020
International
Australia called 'gum stuck to China's shoe' by China’s state media, as row grows. Hu Xijin, the editor of the state-run Global Times continued Chinese government criticisms of Australia, writing on Weibo that: “Australia is always there, making trouble. It is a bit like chewing gum stuck on the sole of China’s shoes. Sometimes you have to find a stone to rub it off.” Guardian, 28 April
PRC scrambles sea and air patrols, expelling USS Barry from Paracel Islands. Accusing the USS Barry of intruding into “waters around the Paracel Islands without permission”, the People’s Liberation Army Tuesday scrambled air and sea patrols to expel the destroyer from the area according to the South China Morning Post. SCMP, 28 April and USNI News 28 April
Ambassador to the UK defends “open, transparent” Chinese government. Liu Xiaoming writes in the FT arguing that that accusations the government has covered up reflect a “campaign of stigmatisation” against the “Chinese people”. FT, 28 April
Human Rights Watch appeals to Chinese government to free coronavirus journalists. Yaqiu Wang, China researcher at Human Rights Watch said, “While Beijing is ramping up its global propaganda extolling its ‘success’ in containing Covid-19, it is also forcibly disappearing those independently reporting on the pandemic… The lack of free flow of information about Covid-19 in China has contributed to a global pandemic”. Human Rights Watch, 27 April
MEPs press on disinformation. 58 MEPs have now signed a letter to the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, asking for an account of Chinese government pressure to water down EU criticisms of Chinese disinformation. Josep Borrell will speak the European Parliament on Thursday. Twitter
Economy / tech
China’s new cybersecurity rules could hit foreign service providers. New rules in force from June will affect operators of “critical information infrastructure”, requiring them to undergo a cybersecurity review process. The move could broadly affect energy, transport, finance, health care, science and technology industries. It will include an evaluation of the potential for supply chain disruption due to “political, diplomatic or trade factors.” South China Morning Post, 28 April
Imagination Technologies preferably to be listed in Shanghai, insider says. Reuters, 28 April
Now 900 million internet users in China as crisis boosts net use. 700 million also shop online, making it the worlds biggest market. Xinhua & ECNS, 28 April
Long reads
Detailed Politico briefing on how the new US controls on tech exports will work. “It will act as a de facto export ban since most Chinese companies, for better or worse, have ties with the military” says one analyst. Politico, 28 April
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