China News - 4 October
International
New Liz Truss comments on China. In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times, the new foreign secretary said that Britain will strike new security alliances with democratic countries to counter the influence of China and Russia. Liz Truss also talked about creating “more economic pull so non-aligned countries aren’t pulled into the orbit of authoritarian regimes. Instead they are getting the infrastructure support, the trade and development support from pro-freedom, pro-democracy nations.” And speaking at the Conservative Party Conference yesterday, Truss also announced: “It is important we trade with China, but we must make sure it is reliable trade…that it avoids strategic dependency…and that it does not involve the violation of intellectual property rights or forced technology transfer.” The Sunday Times, The Sydney Morning Herald, City AM, Daily Mail, 3 October
Chinese planes fly over Taiwan defence zone in second day of record show of force. Taiwan’s defence ministry said 39 aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone in two sorties on Saturday, the most in a single day since Taiwan began releasing reports on the flights. The US state department called the actions "destabilizing" and reiterated its "rock solid" commitment to Taiwan. The Guardian, BBC, FT, NYT, 3 October
EDF chief urges UK to clarify future of nuclear power station. EDF has warned that it is now “urgent” for the UK government to decide on the future of the £20bn Sizewell C nuclear power station, including whether China’s CGN should remain involved in the project. Simone Rossi, head of the French utility’s UK arm, is hoping to take a final investment decision by the end of 2022 but said it needed UK ministers to settle matters such as which partners were involved and legislation on the preferred funding model. FT, 3 October
US trade chief: Biden will build from Trump-era tariffs to confront China. After a lengthy review that has frustrated US business groups, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai plans to give a major speech on the US-China trade relationship on Monday. Tai is expected to lay out some of Biden's initial steps to address the China trade policy dilemma. Politico, NPR, 2 October
‘If we fight, we both lose’: Chinese ambassador to the US says ‘smoother’ road ahead is a priority. SCMP, 2 October
War of words escalates over China bias claims against IMF chief. An independent audit commissioned by the World Bank’s board found its former chief executive Kristalina Georgieva responsible for falsifying China’s scores in three business indicators so as to move it up the rankings in the 2018 edition of the bank’s widely followed annual Doing Business report. FT, 3 October
NZ opposition leader says US and UK ‘left door open’ for China in Indo-Pacific. The Guardian, 2 October
‘I’m overjoyed’: Canadian Michael Spavor speaks out after China release. The Guardian, 2 October
Hong Kong activists stage demonstrations worldwide during China’s national day. HKFP, 4 October
Economy & tech
BBC sounds alarm on Beijing's plan to rewrite internet rules. In evidence submitted to the UK Foreign Affairs Committee, the BBC warned that Chinese proposals at the UN could lead to more censorship of the World Service by dictatorships. China’s “New IP”, or “future vertical communication networks” have been proposed at the UN’s International Telecommunication Union, which critics say would give authoritarian governments much greater control over internet traffic. The Telegraph, 3 October
China's power crunch puts global economy on red alert. Stuttering production in the 'world's workshop' will deal a fresh blow to supply chains in the run-up to Christmas, triggering stagflation fears. The Telegraph, ITV, 3 October
China’s coal miners vow to ‘go all out’ to beat power crisis. FT, 1 October
Countdown starts on Chinese company delistings after long U.S.-China audit fight. US securities regulators have started a countdown that will force many Chinese companies to leave American stock exchanges, after a long impasse between Washington and Beijing over access to companies’ audit records. WSJ, 2 October
China to block ‘core’ industrial, telecoms data from leaving the country. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has drafted new regulation to bar the transfer of crucial industrial and telecoms data outside China, a move that could significantly impact how multinational corporations operate in the world’s second-largest economy. SCMP, 1 October
Evergrande: Shares suspended as company set to update market on 'major transaction'. BBC, The Guardian, SCMP, 4 October
China focus
Reopen China’s borders when vaccination at home is high and cases overseas are low, says top doctor. Zhong Nanshan says 80 to 85 per cent of China’s 1.4 billion people should be vaccinated before border restrictions are removed. Maintaining the strictest epidemic control measures would be unsustainable, putting great stress on China, he said. SCMP, 4 October
China has administered total of 2.214 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Reuters, 4 October
China’s former justice minister under investigation for “severe violations of discipline and law”. The arrest of Fu Zhenghua, the man in charge of a special investigation that brought down the most powerful official in Xi’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign, comes just days after Sun Lijun, another former vice minister of public security, was expelled from the party and accused of corruption. China Daily, CNN, 3 October
Longer reads & opinion
Who will care for China’s ageing population? The elderly. Fan Yiying. Sixth Tone, 4 October
The end of China’s rise - Beijing is running out of time to remake the world. Michael Beckley and Hal Brands. Foreign Affairs, 1 October
Surging gas prices and fuel bills focus Tory minds on the nuclear option. Rob Davies. The Guardian, 4 October
As we in the West score points off each other, Russia and China smirk. Matthew Syed. The Times, 3 October
China’s new political risk premium. The Economist, 2 October
Will China save Evergrande? Andy Kessler. WSJ, 3 October
Trump’s exit from Asian trade pact damaged America, boosted China. Stuart Anderson. Forbes, 4 October
The scope to negotiate with China on the CPTPP. Roland Rajah and Stephen Grenville. The Lowy Institute, 4 October
The husband-and-wife duo redefining cultural architecture in China. Oscar Holland. CNN, 4 October