China News - 8 February 2021
International
UK-China: UK universities investigated over weapons links to China. The Times reports that almost 200 British academics are being investigated on suspicion of unwittingly helping the Chinese government build weapons of mass destruction. They are suspected of violating the UK’s Export Control Order 2008, intended to prevent intellectual property in highly sensitive subjects being handed to hostile states. “We could be seeing dozens of academics in courts before long,” a source said. Similarly, The Mail on Sunday splashed yesterday that more than a dozen British universities are under investigation over commercial relationships with the Chinese government, with the investigation led by MI6 officers seconded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Times, Mail on Sunday, 8 February
Separately, a new report set to be published today by think tank Civitas alleges that 20 British universities have dealings with 29 Chinese universities and nine companies that have military links, including with Chinese weapons conglomerates. The Times, Mail on Sunday, Tom Tugendhat op-ed in Mail on Sunday, 7 February
Last week, Manchester University cancelled an agreement with CETC after being warned by the Foreign Affairs Committee that it supplied technology platforms and apps used for mass surveillance in Xinjiang. And last Friday, The Telegraph revealed that three Chinese spies posing as journalists were quietly expelled from Britain last year.
Genocide amendment: MPs set to vote tomorrow, new legal opinion from UK barristers says ‘very credible case of genocide’. Around three dozen Conservative MPs are expected to rebel and vote for the amendment. The government is backing an alternative proposal where human rights recommendations are issued by a select committee. Dolkun Isa, President of the World Uyghur Congress, issued a strongly-worded letter to the Prime Minister calling the government amendment “tantamount to spitting into the faces of Uyghurs survivors” (The Telegraph). The BBC reports a newly published formal legal opinion, written by senior barristers at Essex Court Chambers in London, that says there is a "very credible case" that the Chinese government is carrying out the crime of genocide against the Uyghur people. BBC, The Telegraph, 8 February
New Chinese embassy in London: New report that Boris Johnson’s aide Edward Lister linked to both sides of the deal. The new £750m complex on the old Royal Mint site will become one of the largest diplomatic headquarters in the world. Boris Johnson’s closest adviser helped broker China’s purchase of its new embassy in London on behalf of the UK government — while being paid both by the property firm representing Beijing and the developer that sold the site for £255m. Sunday Times, 8 February
Covid testing: ‘DNA-harvesting’ Chinese firm supplies Covid-19 testing for UK. The Telegraph reports that MGI Tech is providing equipment and chemicals for Covid-19 testing in the UK. MGI Tech is a subsidiary of Chinese genomics firm BGI, last year accused by US intelligence officials of attempting to use DNA collected in Covid testing labs for genetic research. Separately, the FT reports that the UK has spent £130m on air freight to transport LDF tests from China. The Telegraph, FT, 8 January
Beijing charges Australian journalist with leaking state secrets. Beijing has charged an Australian journalist who worked for CGTN with illegally supplying state secrets overseas, six months after she was detained. FT, 7 February
MPs urge British Olympians to boycott 2022 Beijing Winter Games. Lib Dem leader Ed Davey and Labour MP Chris Bryant urge officials and athletes to protest against oppression of Uighur communities. The Guardian, 6 February
Pressure grows on HSBC over Hong Kong activist Ted Hui. A group of more than 50 IPAC politicians including Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, has written to Mark Tucker, chairman of HSBC, demanding that he unfreeze the accounts of Ted Hui and his family. The Times, 8 February
Biden warns China will face ‘extreme competition’ from US. In their first call, Antony Blinken told Yang Jiechi the US would press China over its rights record in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. The US is also said to be planning a first Quad summit with leaders of Japan, Australia and India, in a move to consolidate the group. FT, SCMP, 7 February
G7 closes door to anti-China members. Any suggestion that the Group of Seven could be formally expanded to include Australia and others as permanent members has been deferred. The Australian, 7 February
Li Wenliang: 'Wuhan whistleblower' remembered one year on. BBC, 7 February
China watch
China finalises new anti-monopoly rules for tech companies. Tech in Asia, 8 February
Ex-Aston Villa chairman Tony Xia spends months in China detention centres before his arrest last month. Nikkei Asia, 6 February
Vaccine diplomacy: China to give first batch of COVID-19 vaccine aid for Nepal, pledges to deepen cooperation with Indonesia. Reuters, 6 February
Economy & tech
Chinese users flock to Clubhouse app to debate Xinjiang and Taiwan. Chinese internet users have flocked to Clubhouse for uncensored discussions on political and human rights subjects, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the persecution of Uyghurs. FT, The Guardian, 7 February. Stay tuned for a CRG Clubhouse discussion this week…
From lightbulbs to 5G, China battles West for control of vital technology standards. Industrial standards, created by the U.S. and its allies over decades, form an invisible matrix of rules that underpin the global marketplace. Beijing plans to soon unveil China Standards 2035, an ambitious blueprint for leadership in the field. WSJ, 8 February
UK-based electric car fuel cells maker Amte Power to float on London Stock Exchange. EVs are essential to the UK’s green transition; China is a key player. But it is unclear whether the UK would accept significant investment from a Chinese battery supplier. The Times, 8 February
Longer reads & opinion
Short of War. A thoughtful essay on how to keep US-China confrontation from ending in calamity. Former Australian PM Kevin Rudd in Foreign Affairs, 7 February
Regimes that commit genocide must not be rewarded with trade deals. Nus Ghani writes in The Telegraph ahead of tomorrow’s genocide amendment vote.
Our government has left Britain at the mercy of Beijing – and time is running out. Juliet Samuel in The Telegraph, 7 February
Comment: It’s time to trust China’s and Russia’s vaccines. Mounting evidence of efficacy and Western supply shortages means we should take them seriously. NYT, 7 February
British investors should keep a wary eye on Chinese delisting in the Caymans. City AM, 6 February.
The week ahead
Tuesday
China hosts virtual 17+1 summit to discuss economic and pandemic cooperation.
Commons: Commons debate on Lords amendments to the Trade Bill, including a vote on the revised genocide amendment. A debate on the publication of the Integrated Review follows, led by Tobias Ellwood.
Committee action: At 2:30pm, the Foreign Affairs Committee hears further evidence on its inquiry into Xinjiang detention camps, including from the Better Cotton Initiative.
Thursday
WHO set to finish two-week Wuhan investigation. Lunar new year holiday begins in China.
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