China News - 30 March 2021
Beijing cuts Hong Kong's directly elected seats in radical overhaul. Chinese leaders have endorsed a sweeping overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system, cutting the number of directly elected seats and ensuring that a majority of the city’s lawmakers will be selected by a reliably pro-Beijing committee. BBC, The Guardian, 30 March
Chinese diplomat accuses Trudeau of making Canada 'running dog of US'. China and Canada have clashed repeatedly in recent months. Trudeau was singled out for insult by China’s consul general to Rio de Janeiro, Li Yang in a tweet blaming him for the diplomatic crisis. The Guardian, 29 March
Philippine fighters fly over Chinese flotilla in South China Sea. CNN, 30 March
Palestinians get 100,000 Chinese-donated COVID-19 vaccines. Reuters, 30 March
Covid probably passed to humans from bats via other animal, finds WHO report that dismisses lab leak theory. The Guardian, The Telegraph, 29 March
US to make it easier for diplomats to meet Taiwanese officials. FT, 29 March
National crackdown on gang crimes: Xi Jinping meets those honoured for work fighting organised and gang-related crime. CGTN, 29 March
Economy & tech
Uyghurs: Xinjiang cotton ban is self-defeating, China tells H&M. The Chinese government has warned clothing brand H&M it will not earn a penny in the country if it refuses to buy cotton from the Xinjiang region. BBC, Reuters, 29 March
Buffett-backed Chinese EV maker BYD profit up 162% in 2020. Reuters, 29 March
Xi Jinping urges Sri Lanka to work with China to develop controversial Hambantota port. SCMP, 30 March
How a deadly bomb attack on Chinese village officials highlights simmering tensions at the grassroots level. SCMP, 30 March
Longer reads & opinion
What the Chinese Communist Party wants from the United Kingdom. New paper by Charles Parton in Council on Geostrategy, 30 March
China’s aggressive strategy of divide and rule is a historic miscalculation. William Hague in The Telegraph, 29 March
An alliance of autocracies? China wants to make clear that it has alliances of its own. NYT, 30 March
Trade secrets: China’s scattergun sanctions show the limits of EU engagement. FT, 30 March
Difficult choices: Taiwan’s quest for security and the good life. Brookings event.
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