China News - 5 April 2022
International
Bristling against the West, China rallies domestic sympathy for Russia. Officials in China have been meeting behind closed doors to study a Communist Party-produced documentary that extols President Putin as a hero. The Chinese Communist Party is pushing a domestic campaign that paints Russia as a long-suffering victim rather than an aggressor and defends China’s strong ties with Moscow as vital. Yesterday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba that Beijing continues to support peace talks and aims to play a constructive role. NYT, CGTN, 4 April
Boris Johnson accused of failing to order review into Chinese takeover of UK microchip factory. MPs on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee said that it was forced to conclude that no investigation into the sale of Newport Wafer Fab had taken place. On Tuesday, FAC and CRG chair Tom Tugendhat said the committee had written to the Government asking for clarification after there was no evidence of new takeover powers introduced in January to protect national security being used to scrutinise the deal. The Telegraph, 5 April
Opinion: The Chinese takeover of Newport Wafer Fab must be stopped. Tom Tugendhat. The Times, 5 April
FCDO investment arm formally renamed as British International Investment (BII). With the name change first announced by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, the BII has pledged to invest between £1.5 and £2 billion per year in green infrastructure, technology and other sectors to support people in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean to build better lives for themselves and their communities. BII, 4 April
John Lee: enemy of democracy protesters is favourite to replace Carrie Lam. The leading candidate to be Hong Kong’s new chief executive is is a former policeman, whose career in government has been spent exclusively on matters of security. If he is indeed chosen by the Chinese government as Hong Kong’s leader, it will reinforce the sense of many in the territory that it is already on course to become a police state. The Times, 4 April
Orban’s landslide re-election paves way for even closer Hungary-China ties. ‘Given the tense relationship between China and the EU, China needs Hungary more than ever before,’ notes an analyst in Budapest. SCMP, 5 April
US sees rising risk in ‘breathtaking’ China nuclear expansion. Bloomberg, 5 April
Sri Lanka's China-built isle beckons as economy sinks. Nikkei Asia, 5 April
China focus
Zero Covid frustration grows as Shanghai extends lockdown. Shanghai plans to extend its two-phase lockdown that began on March 28, after authorities ordered citywide COVID testing for its 26 million residents. Although 38,000 health workers have been shipped in from around China to help, medical resources are overwhelmingly diverted to combat Covid, leaving it difficult for non-Covid patients to access them. The Guardian, SupChina, 5 April
China joins race to build a better Covid-19 vaccine. China has joined the race to build a better Covid-19 vaccine using engineered circular RNA, a form of biotechnology that scientists hope can lead to cheaper and more effective shots. SCMP, 4 April
China expects sharp drop in holiday travel due to Covid outbreaks. Reuters, 4 April
Economy & tech
‘Too much uncertainty’: Chill descends on Hong Kong equity capital markets.
Hong Kong equity fundraising has dropped to the slowest pace since the global financial crisis as economic and regulatory doubts compound concerns over Chinese companies that once drove a steady drumbeat of lucrative listings. FT, 5 April
Few Chinese manufacturers have plans to curb emissions. Only 43 per cent of industrial companies in China have taken action to tackle greenhouse gas emissions even though 73 per cent believe Beijing’s carbon neutral goal will impact business, survey says. SCMP, 5 April
World Bank cuts East Asia's 2022 GDP forecast on Ukraine war. Reuters, 5 April
UK financial regulators to review LME’s handling of nickel-trading suspension. SCMP, 4 April
Opinion & long reads
Don’t assume Russia and China are on the same page. By equating Putin and Xi, Western leaders risk casting aside possibilities for international cooperation. Tobita Chow and Jake Werner. The Guardian, 4 April
Carrie Lam’s disastrous legacy in Hong Kong. Hong Kong, under Lam's watch, moved from a flawed pluralist state to one where all the opposition were now in jail, exile or on trial. Johnny Patterson. The Spectator, 4 April
Xi’s Dangerous Decade. Although Xi Jinping sits at the apex of the Chinese political system, it is important to take stock of where Chinese politics stands right now, at the dawn of this most crucial decade. Kevin Rudd. The Wire, 3 April
China faces 'difficult set of choices' as it seeks to prevent its companies being delisted in the US. Ian King. Sky News, 4 April