China News - 7 March 2023
International
China’s leadership sets sights on joining CPTPP. China has promised to sign up to all the rules, regulations, management and standards that comes with the trans-pacific CPTPP trade deal, according to a new government work report from Beijing. With the UK reportedly in the final stages of acceding to the CPTPP, the government may be forced to be clear about whether it will veto Chinese accession. Politico, 6 March
US-China relations
China’s Xi Jinping takes rare direct aim at US in speech. Xi issued an unusually blunt rebuke of US policy on Monday, blaming what he termed a Washington-led campaign to suppress China for recent challenges facing his country. “Western countries - led by the US - have implemented all-round containment, encirclement and suppression against us, bringing unprecedentedly severe challenges to our country’s development,” Mr. Xi was quoted by state media as saying. WSJ, 6 March
Speaker Kevin McCarthy to meet Taiwan’s president in US to avoid China’s ire. Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen has convinced US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to meet in California rather than Taipei to avoid an aggressive Chinese military response, as tensions run high between Beijing and Washington. FT, 6 March
China’s new foreign minister warns of conflict with US, defends Russia ties. China’s new foreign minister warned that soaring US-China tensions risk blowing past any guardrails in the relationship. CNN, 7 March
China to create new top regulator for data governance. China is set to create a new government agency to centralise the management of the country’s vast stores of data, as Beijing seeks to address data-security practices by businesses and streamline its regulatory structure. If established, the agency would rule on whether multinational companies can export data generated by their operations in China, Wall Street Journal sources revealed. WSJ, 6 March
Canada's Trudeau launches China election meddling probes. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that an independent special rapporteur will probe alleged Chinese interference in their recent elections. The appointed investigator will review classified reports about the 2019 and 2021 federal elections and will make recommendations for future contests. BBC, 7 March
UK considers buying spy balloons fleet. Ministers signed a £100 million research deal last year with an American company to develop “stratospheric uncrewed air systems” that can fly at high altitudes over hostile states. The technology is being developed for the Ministry of Defence as part of ‘Project Aether’. The Times, 6 March
China could’ infiltrate’ UK’s weapons supply chain, warns defence minister. The Government is taking “extremely seriously” the threat from Chinese equipment, such as security cameras, that have the potential to compromise defence firms based in the UK, said Alex Chalk, Minister for Defence Procurement. The Telegraph, 6 March
China's trade with Russia surges at double-digit pace. China's exports and imports with Russia surged at a double-digit pace in January-February from a year earlier, customs data showed on Tuesday. Reuters, 7 March
China backs Sri Lanka debt plan, paving way for IMF loan. Bloomberg, 7 March
China’s Belt and Road Initiative to trade mega projects for high-quality winners. SCMP, 7 March
Economy & tech
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology launches UK Science and Technology Framework. The new Science and Technology Framework sets out 10 key action points intended to seize the potential of ground-breaking new technology. They have a range of intentions, from building the foundations to enable the UK to better leverage emerging technologies, to achieving strategic advantage for the UK, to influencing the global science and tech landscape. Tech Market Review, 6 March
Germany planning to ban Huawei, ZTE from parts of 5G networks. Germany's government is planning on forbidding telecoms operators from using certain components from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in their 5G networks, German paper Zeit Online wrote on Monday. Reuters, 6 March
TikTok launches charm offensive to assure Europeans on data. TikTok executives are rolling out what they call “Project Clover,” a charm offensive aimed at convincing European politicians that the video-sharing app is safeguarding user data on the continent. TikTok execs gathered influential SW1 figures on Monday for briefings about the measures they’re taking to protect user data, according to WSJ sources. WSJ, 6 March
Chinese companies choose Switzerland over US and UK to raise money overseas. FT, 6 March
China's new human gene-editing rules worry experts. BBC, 6 March
Long reads & opinion
China’s lowest growth target in decades signals new era of caution. FT, 7 March
The myth of China’s military might. Beijing's defence budget doesn't tell the whole story. Edward Luttwak. UnHerd, 7 March
China will get old before it gets rich and a waning Beijing is a more direct threat. John Hulsman. City AM, 7 March
Deterrence failure in a cross-strait conflict: The role of alliances, military balance and emerging technology. IISS, 28 February