China News - 30 June 2021
International
Stung by pandemic, G20 foreign ministers urge greater cooperation. At their first face-to-face meeting in years in the southern Italian city of Matera, foreign ministers called for multilateral cures for global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and climate emergency. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi suggested ulterior motives in the rhetoric as he called on the G20 to show "true multilateralism". Yahoo, DW, The Australian, CGTN, 29 June
Coal will no longer be burnt for electricity from 2024. The UK government will confirm today that coal will no longer be burnt to produce electricity from October 2024. The move coincides with a report revealing that five Asian countries plan to build 600 new coal-generating units. The Times, The Guardian, 30 June
Hong Kong’s judiciary should uphold country’s will and advance its interests, says Beijing’s national security chief in city. Zheng Yanxiong says the city’s courts derive power from Beijing and that rule of law is only ‘castles in the air’ if national security is not defended. SCMP, 29 June
China pressure 'undermining Australian universities'. A report by Human Rights Watch found that Chinese pro-democracy students in Australia fear punishment for their families back home if they speak out on sensitive issues. Academics teaching China courses say they have also felt pressure to censor themselves. BBC, The Guardian, 29 June
Japan minister says it’s necessary to 'wake up' to protect Taiwan. Japan’s deputy defence minister warned of a growing threat posed by Chinese and Russian collaboration and said it was necessary to "wake up" to protect the island "as a democratic country." China’s Foreign Ministry responded by accusing the minister of violating the One China principle. Reuters, The Times, The Guardian, Independent, 29 June
China wants howling diplomats to quiet down, but nationalism gets in the way. High-level meetings about moderating China’s aggressive diplomacy date to April, motivated by concern that the strategy has alienated other countries in ways that risk isolating the Chinese economy. WSJ, 29 June
Former Chinese Party insider calls U.S. hopes of engagement ‘naive’. Regime critic Cai Xia urges Washington to take ‘hardheaded defensive measures’, while warning that the country’s leadership is more fragile than it appears. WSJ, 29 June
American efforts to reshore supply chains blasted as ‘empty talk’ by former minister. Wei Jianguo, a former Chinese vice commerce minister, says the US will become increasingly dependent on China in economic and trade terms in the next five years. SCMP, 28 June
China initiates WTO dispute against Australian duties. After Australia filed a formal complaint over Chinese wine duties earlier this week, China has initiated a dispute at the WTO over Australian duties imposed on imports of wind towers, deep drawn stainless steel sinks and railway wheels. Reuters, 29 June
Huawei lawyers claim emails prove US has no grounds to extradite CFO from Canada. The Guardian, 30 June
China focus
Chinese economist Gao Shangquan’s death a blow to pro-market camp within Communist Party. Gao was one of the architects behind China’s opening up in the late 1970s and Hong Kong’s handover and is said to have influenced top Chinese economic officials. SCMP, 29 June
Chinese provinces curb private schools, encourage public education. Multiple Chinese provinces are prohibiting the expansion and establishment of private primary and secondary schools in a bid to create a more equitable education for all. Sixth Tone, 29 June
It’s official: China has eliminated malaria. The WHO today is certifying China as free of malaria after a decades-long effort drove an estimated annual toll of 30 million cases in the 1940s to zero. Science Magazine, 30 June
Shanghai leads way in China’s carbon transition. Sixth Tone, 29 June
Economy & tech
World Bank raises China growth outlook to 8.5%. The World Bank raised its forecast of China’s economic growth this year to 8.5% from 8.1% and said Tuesday that a full recovery requires progress in vaccinations against the coronavirus. World Bank, Independent, 29 June
PBOC official tapped to be next IMF deputy managing director. The IMF has proposed making Li Bo, a financial industry veteran who has spent 14 years in several positions at China’s central bank, its next deputy managing director. Caixin, 29 June
Chinese state-backed chip designer Loongson eyes $0.5bn Shanghai IPO. The Beijing-based entity, founded by the China Academy of Science, has filed for an IPO to raise more capital in the hopes of accelerating China’s chip self-sufficiency. Verdict, 29 June
China is facing its worst power shortage in a decade - that's a problem for the whole world. CNN, 30 June
Chinese apps TikTok, Tencent Video, iQiyi among world’s top-earning apps in first half of 2021. SCMP, 29 June
Longer reads & opinion
Hong Kong’s Security Law: One year later, a city remade. NYT, 29 June
Hong Kong: How life has changed under China's national security law. BBC, 30 June
Introducing ‘Hong Kong Silenced’: a new Telegraph podcast documenting Beijing's crackdown. 30 June
Xi Jinping’s message to China: I am heir to Mao Zedong. The Communist Party is celebrating its centenary and after amassing more power than his recent predecessors the country’s president has no intention of stepping aside. Didi Tang. The Times, 29 June
The Emerging Biden Doctrine. Democracy, autocracy, and the defining clash of our time. Hal Brands. Foreign Affairs, 29 June
Biden needs an international organisations strategy. A U.S. State Department czar should lead a campaign to stop China and Russia from gaining control of multilateral agencies. Foreign Policy, 29 June
Opinion: The US will prefer a China contest to the forever wars. Great-power politics suits America more than nation-building. Janan Ganesh. FT, 29 June
China’s economic approach to protecting its ecology. Ecotourism could provide an alternative income for those who risk losing their livelihoods when areas are given national-park status. Sarah O’Meara. Nature, 29 June
The Chinese Communist Party kicked off celebrations of its 100th anniversary with a cultural performance at Beijing’s Olympic Centre. Watch highlights here.