China News 5 June
International
Hong Kong:
Police make arrests and pepper spray people at Tiananmen Square vigils. Tens of thousands of people defied the rules in Hong Kong on Thursday to mark the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. FT, SCMP, 4 June, HKFP, CNN, BBC, 5 May
“China will crush dissent in Hong Kong, just as it did in Tiananmen Square” - Ma Jian, Guardian, 5 May
Chinese embassy in London responds to UK marking anniversary by attacking UK over coronavirus deaths and Grenfell Tower. Twitter, 4 June
Does Beijing care about backlash? The NY Times quotes veteran democracy supporter Martin Lee, saying: “We have to persuade them that it is ultimately and eminently in the interest of China that they win the confidence of the rest of the world.” However, it also quotes John L. Thornton, a former president of Goldman Sachs who has longstanding ties with China’s leadership: “There will be some unhappy people for some time. But the drum rolls, the dogs bark and the caravan moves on. That’s the political judgment. They have had a fair amount of empirical evidence that the concerns will disappear.” NY Times, 3 June
Cross-party backlash over HSBC support for repressive law. MPs hit out at the bank after it indicated support for Beijing’s National Security law for Hong Kong. Lisa Nandy MP, the shadow foreign secretary, said: “HSBC has folded to obvious pressure from the Chinese administration and issued a direct challenge to the position taken by the UK government.” Tom Tugendhat, the Tory chairman of the Commons foreign affairs select committee, asked: “Where does this fit in their definition of corporate social responsibility?” Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael wrote to HSBC’s chief executive officer, saying the bank’s move had caused alarm in the House of Commons. Neil O’Brien MP said UK customers could change to a different bank. Times, City AM, Bloomberg, 5 June
Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China launched. An international cross-party group of legislators working to reform the approach of democratic countries to China has been launched. In the Telegraph Iain Duncan Smith MP writes that, “The passing of Hong Kong’s National Security Law in Beijing’s National People’s Congress last week surely marks the end of the naive optimism that has underpinned the West’s policy towards China over the last four decades.” Telegraph, Times, Sydney Morning Herald, Twitter, 4 June
Facebook to start labeling state-controlled media. Facebook will label Xinhua and the People's Daily, among others, warning people these are state-controlled outlets. The BBC will not be affected. Politico, Facebook, 4 June
Chinese Hackers Target Email Accounts of Biden Campaign Staff, Google Says. NY Times, 4 June
India and Australia sign military pact as China tensions rise. Nikkei, 4 June
Singapore PM says China can’t take over US security presence in Southeast Asia. SCMP, 5 June
Xi Jinping’s September meeting with EU leaders in Germany postponed, but EU hope to strike investment treaty remains. According to the EU, there is still no breakthrough on the topic China’s state-backed enterprises. Spiegel takes a long look at Germany-China relations, noting Angela Merkel’s 12 visits to China. SCMP, Xinhua, SCMP, Spiegel, 5 June
Retired Chinese soccer star calls for ouster of Communist Party. The comments are part of a campaign by fugitive billionaire Guo Wengui. On Wednesday, a group of propeller planes trailing banners that read “New Federal State of China” flew over New York. SCMP, NYTimes, 5 June
Economy/Tech
Chinese coronavirus test maker agreed to build a Xinjiang gene bank. U.S. officials are worried that widespread coronavirus testing may provide an opportunity for state-connected companies to compile massive DNA databases for research as well as genetics-based surveillance. Axios, 3 June
U.S. to impose restrictions on additional Chinese media outlets. The United States is expected to designate at least four additional state-run Chinese media outlets including China Central Television (CCTV), the top state-owned network, and China News Service, the country's second-largest state-owned news agency. Reuters, 4 June
China’s Belt and Road urged to take green route. Financial Times, 5 June
Legal Experts Slam Beijing’s Plan to Make Defaming Traditional Chinese Medicine a Crime. Caixin, 4 May
Jaguar Land Rover raises $705 million loan from Chinese banks. Reuters, 5 June
Longer reads & Opinion
Wendy Wu: China ‘needs to win over Europe’ after loss of trust and impact of US rivalry. SCMP, 4 June
Yang Jiaanjli and Aaron Rhodes: Hong Kong Is Not Dead, National Review, 4 June
Events
18 June: How to decouple Europe from dependence on China? With Edward Lucas and Ferdinand Schaff from BDI - European Values
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