China News - 5 October
International
China jets continue flights in Taiwan defence zone. Taiwan has urged Beijing to stop "irresponsible provocative actions" after a record number of Chinese warplanes entered its air defence zone. Monday's incursion marks the fourth straight day of incursions by Chinese aircraft, with almost 150 aircraft sent into Taiwan's defence zone in total. BBC, FT, The Times, 5 October
Taiwan president warns of ‘catastrophic consequences’ if island falls to China. The Guardian, 5 October
US urges China to fully honour trade pact signed with Trump. Katherine Tai, US trade representative, said she would hold “frank” talks with Liu He, her Chinese counterpart, in the coming days to discuss the “phase 1” deal reached in 2020 and other trade concerns. She criticised China for not adhering to all the purchase commitments it had made. NYT, FT, Xinhua, 4 October
Lack of specifics on US’ China policy frustrates those seeking change from Trade Representative Katherine Tai. SCMP, 5 October
Helena Morrissey calls on investors to ditch China because of human rights abuses. Baroness Morrissey, a high-profile City financier, criticised HSBC, BlackRock and the City of London Corporation for not treating human rights abuses as seriously as climate change. The Times, The Telegraph, 4 October
Chinese detective in exile reveals extent of torture against Uyghurs. In a three-hour interview with CNN, an ex-detective turned whistleblower revealed rare details on what he described as a systematic campaign of torture against ethnic Uyghurs in the region's detention camp system, claims China has denied for years. CNN, 5 October
China to shelve anti-sanctions law in Hong Kong, Carrie Lam says. The announcement on Tuesday comes after concerns were expressed by financial institutions over the impact the law could have on their operations. Bloomberg, Reuters, 4 October
Next German leader should put aside ideological differences to work with China, says ambassador. China’s ambassador to Germany, Wu Ken, tells state media that Germany will be an important partner no matter who forms the next government and praised Chancellor Angela Merkel for ‘open mind’ towards China. SCMP, 4 October
Japan's Kishida, Biden agree to cooperate on China, North Korea. Independent, 5 October
Xi congratulates Kishida on election as Japanese PM. Xinhua, 5 October
Malaysia summons China envoy over South China Sea ‘encroachment’. Al Jazeera, SCMP, 5 October
Seoul watches on as US corrals allies to counter China. FT, 5 October
Economy & tech
Fantasia, another debt-laden Chinese property developer, defaults on US$205 million bond. The missed payment on Monday will add to fears about the financial health of the Chinese property sector. SCMP, Reuters, CNBC, 5 October
Empty buildings in China’s provincial cities testify to severity of Evergrande situation. WSJ, 4 October
Evergrande: Investors kept waiting over 'major' deal. On Monday, Evergrande's shares were suspended ahead of "an announcement containing inside information about a major transaction". BBC, 5 October
China unloads Australian coal despite import ban amid power shortage. Nick Ristic, lead dry cargo analyst at Braemar ACM Shipbroking, said a handful of Australian cargoes waiting outside Chinese ports since a ban came into force a year ago had headed into berth last month and draft change had been observed, indicating that the coal had been unloaded. FT, 5 October
Shein exemplifies a new style of Chinese multinational. The fast-fashion label has adapted to a more digital and less open world. The Economist, 3 October
Chinese investment to account for over half of assets under management in Hong Kong in five years. SCMP, 4 October
China focus
Xi shuffles the pack ahead of 20th Party Congress. There has been a string of new CCP appointments and expulsions in recent days. Further details and analysis can be found through this insightful Twitter thread:
Targeted COVID-19 containment allows China to enjoy Golden Week holiday. Xinhua, 4 October
China PCR purchases spiked in months before first known Covid cases, reports Internet 2.0. Bloomberg, 5 October
China’s war epic grosses $203m in opening weekend. The Times, 4 October
Longer reads
Chinese intellectual ecology. David Ownby. Palladium, 21 September
Why is China sending so many warplanes near Taiwan? Colm Quinn. Foreign Policy, 5 October
Taiwan and China: line that Biden must tread is finer than ever. Julian Borger. The Guardian, 5 October
Xi threatens Taiwan because he’s weak. Ian Williams. The Spectator, 4 October
The West has handed China the world on a platter. Andrew Orlowski. The Telegraph, 4 October
Making sense of China’s pledge to stop building coal-fired power plants abroad. Jennifer Hillman and David Sacks. Council on Foreign Relations, 4 October
Belt and Road meets Build Back Better. Keith Johnson. Foreign Policy, 4 October
China’s Bubble Operation Olympics: What is the “Closed Loop Management System”? Manya Koetse. What’s on Weibo, 4 October
One Belt One Voice: Chinese media in Italy. Francesca Ghiretti and Lorenzo Mariani. Instituto Affari Internazionali, 4 October