China News - 6 June 2022
International
Arrests in Hong Kong as world marks Tiananmen Square anniversary. Hong Kong authorities on Saturday arrested six people as they pounced on any attempt at public commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, while around the world tributes were paid to the victims of the tragic event. The arrests were made near Victoria Park, where tens of thousands of residents have typically lit candles to commemorate the event. Candles appeared in the windows of several foreign countries’ missions to Hong Kong and on various street corners around the city. FT, 4 June
Commentary:
The Guardian view on Hong Kong’s freedoms: gone, but not forgotten. Editorial. The Guardian, 3 June
What the Tiananmen Square massacre teaches us about Xi’s China. Benedict Rogers. The Spectator, 4 June
US lobbies UK to reconsider Chinese chip factory deal. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng recently triggered a national-security review of the takeover of Newport Wafer Fab by a Chinese-owned company. Behind the scenes, a diplomat from the US Embassy in London told British officials in recent weeks that the factory—if back in British hands—could help the UK become a hub for making chips crucial to electric vehicles, according to people familiar with the conversations. WSJ, 3 June
Britain buys Chinese drones blacklisted by America. The MoD placed a £132,337 order for drones and accessories made by DJI, the world’s largest consumer drone company, in March, according to a recently published contract notice. American businesses have been barred from exporting technology to the company after the US government put it on an “entity list” following claims that it has helped the Chinese government with surveillance technology at detention camps for Uyghur Muslims. The Telegraph, 4 June
National Security Bill to have second reading House of Commons today. The Bill would would existing counter-espionage laws with a comprehensive framework for countering hostile state activity analogous to the counter-terrorism framework established since 2000. Parliament, 6 June
Australia accuses China of intercepting surveillance plane. Australia has complained to China over its interception of a maritime surveillance flight in international airspace in the South China Sea region, which Canberra has labelled “very dangerous”. The Royal Australian Air Force P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft was intercepted on 26 May by a Chinese J-16 fighter aircraft, during what was a routine maritime surveillance activity, Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese said. BBC, 5 June
China says Canadian military jets increased reconnaissance, provocations. Reuters, 6 June
US and Taiwan unveil new trade initiative. The new initiative - the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade - covers 11 key areas, including digital trade, labour rights, the environment, standards, state-owned enterprises and non-market practices and policies. Taiwan's trade representative John Deng said it is a precursor to signing a free trade agreement. CNN, 1 June
West demands publication of UN’s long-awaited Xinjiang report. Pressure to release a long-awaited Xinjiang report, which UN human rights commissioner Michelle Bachelet said was being finalised late last year, is mounting after her recent six-day visit to China left activists, western governments and commentators unsatisfied. The Guardian, 2 June
China’s international school sector threatened by Covid and crackdown. FT, 5 June
China put the Pacific Islands on the geopolitical map. What comes next? SCMP, 5 June
Economy & tech
Investors return to Chinese stocks after sell-off; services activity contracts for third straight month. International money managers are betting that the worst is over: offshore investors using Hong Kong’s Stock Connect trading scheme bought a net Rmb28bn ($4.2bn) of mainland Chinese equities over the past week. Meanwhile, China's services activity contracted for a third straight month in May, pointing to a slow recovery ahead despite the easing of some COVID lockdowns in Shanghai and neighbouring cities, a survey showed. FT, Reuters, 3 June
China launches 800bn yuan credit quota for infrastructure projects after Covid hit. Premier Li Keqiang approved a near-£100 billion credit quota for infrastructure projects in an attempt to restart its economy after coronavirus restrictions threw its growth ambitions off course. The funding will help local governments to raise output across the country, analysts said. The Times, 3 June
Amazon to pull Kindle out of China. Amazon announced the decision on its official WeChat account, saying it was adjusting the strategic focus of its operations and that its other business lines in China would continue. The company said the closure of Kindle's China business was not due to government pressure or censorship. Reuters, 2 June
Xiaomi-linked companies halt IPOs after Chinese regulator scrutiny. FT, 2 June
China focus
Xi Jinping bans grumbling inside the Communist Party. At preparatory meetings for the 20th Party Congress, provincial party bosses are busy declaring fealty to the “two establishes”: clunking party-speak for establishing Xi Jinping as the core of the party leadership and for establishing Xi Jinping Thought as China’s guiding ideology. The Economist, 2 June
Ex-ambassador and corruption-buster takes over as head of Chinese Communist Party’s diplomatic arm. Liu Jianchao, a diplomatic veteran who studied at Oxford University, previously spearheaded efforts to hunt down graft suspects overseas and will now take over as head of the International Liaison Department, a body that plays a central role in China’s dealings with North Korea. SCMP, 2 June
Beijing to allow indoor dining, further easing COVID curbs. Reuters, 5 June
China’s Covid-19 era students prepare for gaokao college exams in record numbers. SCMP, 4 June
Opinion & editorial
The closing of the Chinese mind. Cindy Yu. The Spectator, 4 June
Rumours that Xi Jinping is losing his grip on power are greatly exaggerated. Evidence is thin that past episodes of factional strife in a’s communist party are repeating themselves. Christopher Johnson. FT, 5 June
Dust off that dirty word detente and engage with China. Joe Biden's grand strategy is setting the US and Beijing on a collision course. It's bad foreign policy and terrible domestic politics. Niall Ferguson. Bloomberg, 5 June
Cambridge still can’t bring itself to confront the rot at the heart of its China Centre. Juliet Samuel. The Telegraph, 4 June
Long reads
Documenting life inside a ‘China-Africa Factory’. Director Zhang Yong on his documentary “Bobby’s Factory” and challenging stereotypes about Chinese-African relations. Flair Donglai Shi. Sixth Tone, 4 June
Lawyer Michael Vidler reflects on 19 years of equal rights advocacy in Hong Kong, and his reasons for leaving. Almond Li. HKFP, 2 June
China's plans to go to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Wanyuan Song and Jana Tauschinski. BBC, 6 June