China News - 6 October 2020
Event
Human Rights Briefing: Xinjiang and Tibet. What do we know about human rights violations against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China? With Adrian Zenz. Monday 12 October, 6pm - 7pm. Sign up here.
International
UK must be “realistic and hard-headed” in relationship with China - Sunak in Conservative conference speech. “I think with China we also need to be realistic and hard-headed and I’d say probably transactional in our approach to that relationship, rather than being starry-eyed about it,” Sunak told the Conservative Party’s annual conference. “China is going to be a significant feature of the global economy, and only increasing in significance, so it would be wrong to ignore that.” Reuters, 5 October
Hong Kong primary school teacher banned for talking about independence. A Hong Kong primary school teacher has been de-registered after using pro-independence materials in class, reportedly to teach students about the concepts of freedom of speech and independence. The education bureau accused the teacher of a premeditated act in violation of Hong Kong’s mini constitution, the Basic Law, by having “spread a message about Hong Kong independence”. The Guardian, 6 October
China watch
Chinese mainland reports no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases. Xinhua, 6 October
China, on behalf of 26 countries, criticizes US, other Western countries for violating human rights including racial discrimination. "We also express our deep concern over the health situation of migrants at immigration detention centers in certain countries that reflects a contemporary form of racial discrimination," China’s UN envoy said. People’s Daily, 6 October
China's Golden Week offers potential to boost economy as 425m people travelled within the country during the first four days of holiday alone. BBC, SCMP, 6 October
Economy & tech
UK Government considers taking equity stakes in nuclear plants, after it was criticised over Hinkley Point C project with EDF and Chinese state nuclear group, CGN. The Times, 6 October
Hong Kong will stay a key financial hub say experts, citing stock exchange raised $11bn from 59 new listings in the first half of 2020. BBC, 6 October
China says US and Indian bans on TikTok, WeChat broke WTO rules. SCMP, 5 October
Longer reads & opinion
Watching China in Europe: Xi’s multilateralism, Röttgen rises and export controls. Noah Barkin in GMF, 4 October
The great uncoupling: one supply chain for China, one for everywhere else. FT, 6 October
What China's plan for net-zero emissions by 2060 means for the climate: a rapid acceleration of clean tech. Barbara Finamore in The Guardian, 5 October
Top China critic, Robert E. Lighthizer, the US trade representative, becomes staunch defender of US-China relations over risk to trade agreement. NYT, 5 October
Today’s agenda
FAC: Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab appears at the foreign affairs committee from 2.30 p.m. Watch here.
Tokyo: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to hold talks with ‘Quad’ counterparts from Australia, India and Japan.