China News 4 May 2020
International
China sending Muslims from re-education camps to work in other parts of country - report lists western firms using Uygur forced labour. The South China Morning Post reports that the Chinese government has started up a relocation scheme for tens of thousands of Uygur Muslims who have already been through “re-education” camps. The paper notes that “Critics have said the camps are a move to eradicate cultural and religious identity but Beijing has defended them as way of boosting job opportunities.”
The scheme follows a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute listing 83 foreign and Chinese companies benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers outside Xinjiang. The report notes that this could lead to legal action in democratic states: “Companies using forced Uyghur labour in their supply chains could find themselves in breach of laws which prohibit the importation of goods made with forced labour.” In the US a group of Democrat members of the House of Representatives have written to some of the firms involved asking questions. SCMP & Radio Free Asia, 2 May; “Uyghurs for sale” report & Podcast, 24 April; Letters to firms
Intelligence dossier on COVID-19 cover-up. Australian newspaper The Saturday Telegraph has obtained an intelligence research paper prepared by Western governments scrutinising the Communist Party of China’s role in the spread of COVID-19. In addition to silencing medics, the dossier highlights further cover-ups through the destruction of evidence in genomics labs, bleaching of wildlife market stalls, and refusals to provide international scientists working on a vaccine with live samples of the virus. The Daily Telegraph, 2 May
EU Commission chief backs investigation into coronavirus origin. Asked if she wanted to see the Chinese government work with an international inquiry, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “I think for all of us this is important.” CNBC, 1 May
Borrell says EU has been “a bit naive with China” which seeks “technological domination.” In an interview the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borell, says China is “a negotiating partner, with which the EU must find a balance of interests. It is an economic competitor with an ambition of technological domination. Finally, it is a systemic rival seeking to promote an alternative model of governance. The relationship is therefore complex… we have been a bit naive in the past.” Le Journal Du Dimanche, 2 May
“Inside the Early Days of China’s Coronavirus Coverup”. Wired reports on censorship of news about the Covid-19 outbreak. Wired, 1 May
Chris Patten: Beijing in “flagrant breach” of commitments on Hong Kong. Patten also said there is an “overwhelming case” to send a multilateral mission to Wuhan to investigate the coronavirus’s origins and spread. Guardian & Radio Free Asia, 30 April
China’s Mission to the UN criticises US over Taiwan. Bloomberg, 2 May
Canadian MPs vote to summon WHO official, after WHO refuses to let him testify. MPs voted to summon Canadian adviser Bruce Aylward the next time he sets foot in Canada. Globe and Mail, 30 April
Allegations of doctored films fuel concerns about Beijing propaganda. Chinese state media appeared to show Italians on their balconies and in the streets applauding the Chinese national anthem. FT, 3 April
Economy / tech
CRG Secretary Neil O’Brien writes for Conservative Home about Beijing’s unfair economic policies. Conservative Home, 4 April
US bans power equipment from firms controlled by “adversaries”. The US has banned the use of equipment for the power grid that was manufactured by a company under the control of a foreign adversary. The US said that “malicious actors” had sought to gain unauthorized access to the bulk power system for over a decade. The Hill, 1 May
State-owned Chinese investment firm CITIC has bought a controlling stake in the Czech media group Medea. The Prague Business Journal argues “the acquisition opens the way for the Chinese state firm to influence Czech media.” PBJ, 20 April
Mobile Giant Xiaomi Recording Millions Of People’s ‘Private’ Web And Phone Use. Forbes, 30 April
Long reads
IFRI report on the state of relations with Beijing for 18 different countries across Europe. IFRI
China’s propaganda campaign in Sweden 2018-2019, Swedish Institute of International Affairs
“Options for Reducing U.S. Overdependence on Chinese-supplied Materials and Medications.” Baker Institute
Events
CSIS book talk with Dexter Roberts, “The Myth of Chinese Capitalism.” 5 May
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