China News - 8 April 2022
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International
NATO and Asia-Pacific partners agree to step up cooperation. NATO announced it will step up practical and political cooperation with Asia-Pacific partners in cyber, new technology, and countering disinformation, with ministers agreeing the alliance must take account of how China’s growing influence and coercive policies affect global security. Meanwhile, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said China's failure to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine represents a "serious challenge" to the entire North Atlantic alliance. NATO, Newsweek, 7 April
Xi, Zelenskyy consider bilateral phone call. According to Bloomberg, expectations are rising that Xí Jìnpíng and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are planning their first bilateral phone call since the invasion began. A bilateral phone call between the two figures could represent Beijing’s way of telling Moscow to wrap up its “special military operation” in Ukraine. Bloomberg, 7 April
Mystery of alleged Chinese hack on eve of Ukraine invasion. Allegations of Chinese cyber activity as the recent conflict broke out in Ukraine have been emerging. The details appear unusually murky but Western intelligence officials believes the aim looks to have been espionage, rather than the kind of sabotage operations which Russia was accused of carrying out just before the invasion, and when it started. BBC, 8 April
China opposes UN resolution to unseat Russia from Human Rights Council. Nikkei Asia, 7 April
Manufacturers grind to a halt in China as Covid lockdowns expand. Suppliers to Apple and Tesla among companies struggling to keep some of their China operations going as extended and widening Covid-19 lockdowns choke off supplies and clog up truck routes and ports. Shanghai is further tightening its closed-loop management of container trucks entering and leaving the world’s largest container shipping port amid the worsening flare-up. Shipping lines have warned that a lack of trucks to shift cargo is making it impossible to clear imported goods, leaving some vessels unable to deliver their loads. WSJ, The Telegraph, 7 April
Beijing city authorities tighten Covid controls to stop Omicron surge reaching Chinese capital. The municipal authorities have introduced their strictest measures since early 2020, including more curbs on arrivals and wider quarantine regulations. SCMP, 8 April
When China worries about food, the world pays. The conflict in Ukraine adds another layer of concern about China’s food supply: the government is stockpiling and diversifying its suppliers to keep the world’s most populous country fed. The Economist, 8 April
Japan, Philippines to step up security ties amid China worry. The defense ministers of Japan and the Philippines agreed Thursday to bolster security cooperation and expand joint drills, as Japan remains concerned about Chinese military and coast guard activity in the East China Sea near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands. Independent, 7 April
China energy goals a problem as UN report calls for deeper coal cuts. Reuters, 7 April
Property tycoons throw support behind John Lee to be Hong Kong’s next leader. Caixin, 8 April
Economy & tech
'Tip of the iceberg': Taiwan's spy catchers hunt Chinese poachers of chip talent. Taiwan has launched probes into around 100 Chinese companies suspected of illegally poaching semiconductor engineers and other tech talent, a senior official at the island's Investigation Bureau told Reuters. Accounting for 92% of the world's most advanced semiconductor manufacturing capacity, Taiwan possesses what China needs - chip expertise in spades. Reuters, 8 April
Huawei pushes semiconductor packaging innovation to ease disruptions caused by US sanctions. Huawei has filed a patent application on the mainland for ‘a type of chip stacking package and terminal device’, which industry analysts describe as a potential way to ease the disruptions caused by US chip sanctions on the firm’s operations. SCMP, 7 April
China amends regulations to further cut red tape for foreign investors. Xinhua, 7 April
China developer rally fuelled by fear and greed tests policy vow. Bloomberg, 8 April
Opinion & long reads
Making sense of China’s interests in the war in Ukraine. Sophia Gaston and Rana Mitter work through the implications of the war in Ukraine for our choices in the Indo-Pacific and the evolving strategic calculations being made in Beijing. BFPG, 7 April
Don’t underestimate Xi Jinping’s bond with Vladimir Putin. Shared security concerns bring China and Russia close. But so do similar views of history. Chaguan. The Economist, 8 April
How the Ukraine crisis is hurting China’s soft power ambitions. Lijia Zhang. SCMP, 8 April
The resignation of Britain's judges is the final blow to Hong Kong. Timothy McLaughlin. The Atlantic, 7 April