China News - 29 November 2022
International
Security tightened in China after widespread Covid protests. The authorities in China are seeking to end protests against Covid restrictions that spread to its biggest cities over the weekend. Large crowds took to the streets in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere after a building fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang killed at least 10 people. Protesters used blank sheets of A4 paper to symbolise the lack of freedom of speech, with some even calling for Xi Jinping to resign. BBC journalist Ed Lawrence was beaten and briefly detained in Shanghai while he was covering the protests. Today, China’s National Health Commission unveiled measures to boost vaccination rates among the elderly. BBC, 29 November
Key analysis:
China's protests: harbinger or passing storm? Jordan Schneider. ChinaTalk, 28 November
Experts react: What this wave of protests means for the future of the Chinese Communist Party. Atlantic Council, 28 November
CRG chair Alicia Kearns MP on the protests and UK-China policy. BBC (via Twitter), 29 November
Podcast - Echoes of 1989: where the protests go next. Cindy Yu. Chinese Whispers - The Spectator, 29 November
Rishi Sunak signals end of ‘golden era’ of relations between Britain and China. In his first major foreign policy speech, the British prime minister suggested a hardening of diplomatic relations and called China a “systemic challenge to our values and interests”, while also confirming the UK’s Integrated Review would be updated in the new year. Sunak used language that opens the door to more engagement and dialogue with Beijing, which he argues is essential on matters of security, human rights and climate change. The Guardian, Beijing to Britain, 29 November
Hong Kong leader asks Beijing to rule on 'blanket ban' on foreign lawyers in national security cases. Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, asked Beijing to rule on its bid to block foreign lawyers from working on national security cases after the city's top court ruled that a British lawyer could represent jailed pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai. Meanwhile, 90-year-old former bishop and outspoken critic of China’s ruling Communist Party, Cardinal Zen, was found guilty on national security charges along with five others on Friday. Reuters, CNN, 28 November
Taiwan's Tsai quits as party leader after heavy local election losses. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as leader of her ruling party after the opposition Kuomintang retook its traditional strongholds in local elections held on Saturday. She will remain Taiwan's president until her second term expires in early 2024. Nikkei Asia, 27 November
US bans Huawei, ZTE telecom equipment on data-security risk. Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. were banned from selling electronics in the US by regulators who say they pose a security risk, continuing a years-long effort to limit the reach of Chinese telecommunications companies into US networks. Bloomberg, 25 November
Washington steps up pressure on European allies to harden China stance. According to people briefed on conversations between the US and its NATO allies, Washington has in recent weeks lobbied members of the transatlantic alliance to toughen up their language on China and to start working on concrete action to restrain Beijing. FT, 29 November
Showdown looms over China’s new ‘super-embassy’. Tower Hamlets councillors will decide on Thursday whether to approve the building of the world’s largest Chinese embassy, on the site of the nation’s old Royal Mint. According to the planning application, complaints include concerns that the building could become ‘a secret police station’ and that residents will see a repeat of the ‘violent assault of protesters at the Manchester Chinese Consulate.’ The Spectator, 28 November
Ministerial Taskforce meets to tackle state threats to UK democracy. The first meeting of the new Defending Democracy Taskforce took place yesterday, chaired by Security Minister and former CRG chair Tom Tugendhat. Its primary focus will be to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference. Gov.uk, 28 November
UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific sets out Global Britain's Indo-Pacific tilt in Australia. Gov.uk, 28 November
Evidence grows of forced labour and slavery in production of solar panels, wind turbines. The Guardian, 29 November
Economy & tech
Global stocks fall sharply after China’s zero-Covid protests. Global stocks fell sharply on Monday after protests in China against the government’s strict Covid-19 policies prompted investor worry over the outlook for the world’s second-largest economy. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng China Enterprises index dropped as much as 4.5 per cent before pulling back to shed 1.6 per cent. FT, 28 November
China improves equity financing to underpin housing market. The China Securities Regulatory Commission introduced five measures to make it easier for real estate and related firms to raise money, the latest in a series of steps designed to mitigate the major risks from an uncontrolled deleveraging. Xinhua, 28 November
Djibouti suspends China and other loan repayments, banks on forgiveness. The strategically important Horn of Africa nation is struggling under mounting financing pressures. SCMP, 29 November
China seeks economic cooperation with Japan, welcomes investment, Li Keqiang says. SCMP, 29 November
Long reads & opinion
Rishi Sunak must stand up to China’s bullying. Mark L. Clifford and Damian Green. The Times, 29 November
What does Rishi Sunak’s “robust pragmatism” mean for China? Freddie Hayward. The New Statesman, 28 November
Editorial: Chinese takeovers become a geopolitical frontline. FT, 27 November
Once again, KMT scores big in Taiwan’s local elections. The election results maintained the status quo of pan-Blue dominance over local politics. Brian Hioe. The Diplomat, 28 November
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