China News - 3 May 2023
International
Canadian Security Intelligence Service report details Chinese foreign interference. Top secret report prepared in July 2021 reveals how MP Michael Chong and his family were targeted by the Chinese government after he sponsored a parliamentary motion condemning Beijing’s conduct in Xinjiang as genocide. Steven Chase and Robert Fife. The Globe and Mail, 2 May
Nato plans Japan office to coordinate with partners in the Indo-Pacific region. Nato’s planned new liaison office in Tokyo – to open next year – will be the first of its kind in Asia and is likely to attract criticism from the Chinese government. Daniel Hurst. The Guardian, 3 May
Group of EU states seeks to reduce dependency on China for pharmaceuticals. A position paper reveals group of 19 European Union member states - including Belgium, France, Spain and Germany - are pushing for measures to shore up Europe’s supply of vital pharmaceutical ingredients. Julia Payne. Reuters, 2 May
China backs UN resolution that explicitly acknowledges ‘the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine.’ Prior to this, China has consistently abstained from any resolutions that condemn Russia. The reference is found in just one paragraph of a broader resolution that calls for closer cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe, a Strasbourg-based human rights organisation. Euronews, 2 May
China caught testing spy balloons at remote desert base. Images of a large blimp were taken by US satellite imaging company BlackSky in the desert of north-western China. The images are reported to have been taken three months before a spy balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina. Nicola Smith and Verity Bowman. The Telegraph, 2 May.
Shanghai police building surveillance system to track Uyghurs and foreign journalists visiting Xinjiang. The system will automatically flag when a Uyghur arrives in Shanghai, as well as monitor any foreign journalists with travel records to the region in northwestern China. IPVM, 2 May.
Democratically-elected seats to be slashed to 20 percent for local Hong Kong elections. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has announced that the number of District Council seats democratically chosen by the public will drop to around 20 per cent. Pending legislative approval, candidates will also be put through national security background checks and a new nomination system. Hong Kong Free Press, 2 May
Covid whistleblower Fang Bin released from jail after three years. The so-called citizen activist was sentenced during a secret trial in Wuhan at the height of the pandemic. Grace Tsoi. BBC, 2 May
Economy & tech
Cyberspace Administration of China has closed over 4000 websites and removed 55 apps in last three months. The announcement of its first-quarter crackdown came two weeks after Zhuang Rongwen, the director of the top internet regulator, pledged to clean up politically related content and ‘safeguard’ the security of online opinion. William Zheng. South China Morning Post, 2 May
Raids on consultancies reveal mounting risks for due diligence companies. Corporate investigators say stricter regulations are drastically narrowing their space to operate in China. Financial Times, 2 May.
China still a ‘huge market’ for US chip companies. American chip makers still want access to Chinese market despite national security concerns. US Semiconductor Industry Association calls for ‘clear rules’ from the Biden administration ahead of implementation of the CHIPS Act. Daniel Flatley. Bloomberg, 3 May
Jack Ma returns to public life with professorships in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Tel Aviv and Kigali. Ma has kept a low profile since his controversial speech in Shanghai in late 2020. The founder of Alibaba Group has stepped down from his corporate roles and ceded control of Ant Group, the fintech group affiliated with Ali Baba. Zhou Xin. South China Morning Post, 3 May
TikTok’s US trust and safety head departs role amidst growing scrutiny. Eric Han was promoted to lead trust and safety at the company’s US data operations in December. Han has been one of the most prominent officials in TikTok's effort to convince lawmakers that the app is safe for US users and shouldn't be banned. Bloomberg, 3 May
Opinion & long reads
Clearing America’s mind on Taiwan. Leading experts call for the US to resist fatalistic assumptions about the inevitability of conflict. Ryan Hass, Bonnie Glaser and Richard Bush. The Wire China, 30 April
Huawei goes local in response to US sanctions. Huawei, helped by government grants and funding from Beijing, has tried to lead the way for Chinese companies eager to reduce their reliance on western technology as geopolitical tensions rise. Qianer Liu. Financial Times, 3 May
The Renminbi’s New Role: Sanctions Busting. After the US effectively shut Russia off from the dollar-dominated global financial system, China has stepped in. Grady McGregor. The Wire China, 30 April