China News - 8 June 2021
International
Boris Johnson presses G7 to sign climate ‘Marshall plan’. More on the ‘Clean Green Initiative’ from The Times, which reports that the PM wants to use the summit in Cornwall this week to get agreement from the world’s biggest economies to support large-scale renewable energy projects across Africa and parts of Asia. The most significant proposal is for a multibillion-pound green development bank that could directly fund projects that reduce carbon emissions in the poorest regions of the world. “One of the key things is to re-risk these projects for investors,” one Whitehall source said. The Times, 8 June
New Chinese ambassador arrives in Britain. Zheng Zeguang, who most recently occupied the position of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and previously studied at Cardiff University, announced that: "Our two sides may deepen cooperation in trade, finance, innovation, people to people exchanges in other fields and stepped-up coordination on global issues such as fighting COVID-19, spurring global recovery and tackling climate change”. CGTN, ECNS, 7 June
Scottish teachers want inquiry into Beijing involvement with Mandarin classes. Members of Scotland’s biggest teaching union have demanded an investigation into Chinese government funding for teaching Mandarin in schools. The Chinese state funds Confucius hubs at 21 high schools and 19 primary schools in Scotland. There are also three specialist hubs at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and Scottish Opera. The Times, 8 June
Hong Kong urged to appoint judges from rest of Asia to avoid relying on the West. Several legislators want Hong Kong to look to Singapore and Malaysia for Court of Final Appeal candidates rather than only Western nations, amid security law tensions. One city lawmaker said that more background checks are needed to avoid recruiting judges who are critical of Hong Kong governance. SCMP, 7 June
China moves forward with law aimed at countering foreign sanctions. State media hailed the drafting of legislation at the National People's Congress “as a necessary move to strengthen the country's legal toolkit in the face of more blatant interference and crackdowns of the US-led West against Chinese entities and individuals”. It remains unclear as to what policy changes the proposed law would precipitate. Bloomberg, The Global Times, Reuters, 7 June
US Senate poised to pass huge industrial policy bill to counter China. The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which received bipartisan support, budgets a $52 billion subsidy program for the country’s semiconductor firms and another $195 billion investment in research and development around advanced technology like artificial intelligence. NYT, Barron’s, 8 June
Climate change bigger fear than China. Britons are more concerned about the coronavirus pandemic and climate change than threats from states such as China and Russia, according to a global study. The Times, 8 June
Blue Dot Network revived with inaugural meeting of Executive Consultation Group. The Blue Dot Network, announced by the United States, Australia, and Japan in 2019, was viewed as a direct response to China’s BRI. US State Department, 7 June
Biden to launch trade framework talks with Taiwan despite Chinese protests. The Times, 8 June
Blinken says global pressure may force China to be transparent on Covid-19. SCMP, Voice of America, Reuters, Al Jazeera, 8 June
G7 coverage
Stop forced labour in China, G7 told. The independent anti-slavery commissioner has called on G7 countries to ban state-controlled forced labour and use the debate about China as a catalyst to stamp out modern slavery. President Biden is expected to push his fellow G7 leaders for action on abuses of Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang province. The Times, 8 June
China-EU investment deal ‘huge step in the right direction’, says Charles Michel. Michel, will meet Biden at this weekend’s G7 summit. SCMP, 8 June
China focus
China faces nationalist anger over US plane in Taiwan. Online debate shows pressure on Xi Jinping to handle popular nationalism and enforce ‘red lines’. Bloomberg, 7 June
China’s boast of eradicating poverty challenged by new study. The CCP’s claim that it had eliminated extreme poverty has been challenged by a new study that argues Beijing used a limited and inflexible definition of what it means to be poor. FT, 8 June
China's 2021 college entrance exam, better known as the gaokao, started on Monday. This year, a record 10.78 million high school students signed up for perhaps the world's most gruelling test. ECNS, 8 June
Economy & tech
HSBC promotes executive who backed Hong Kong security crackdown. Peter Wong, who was previously the bank's top executive in Asia, has become chairman of HSBC Asia Pacific and adviser to the bank's chairman Mark Tucker and chief executive Noel Quinn as the bank’s pivot towards China continues. The Telegraph, 7 June
Apple's new 'private relay' feature will not be available in China. Apple said on Monday that a new ‘private relay’ feature designed to obscure a user's web browsing behaviour from internet service providers will not be available in China for regulatory reasons. Reuters, Al Jazeera, CNBC, BBC, 8 June
Chinese banks urged to divest from firms linked to deforestation. Campaign group Global Witness found that between 2013 and 2020, Chinese financial institutions provided more than $22.5bn to major companies that produce and trade commodities at a high risk of driving deforestation. The Guardian, 7 June
Nvidia asks Chinese regulators to approve $40bn Arm deal. FT, 8 June
Reckitt Benckiser suffers £2.5bn loss after sale of baby formula business in China. The Times, Reuters, Caixin, 8 June
Longer reads & opinion
Opinion: Biden talks a big game on Europe. But his actions tell a different story. China is the clear, even obsessive focus of Biden’s foreign policy but his administration doesn’t believe Europe will ever be vital to this new geopolitical struggle, argues Jeremy Shapiro. Politico, 6 June
Can China still lead the world in tech without a new Jack Ma? The Chinese government’s heavy-handed approach could backfire on Beijing by stifling an entrepreneurial spirit that has proven vital to the country's rapid economic rise. Laura He and Jill Disis. CNN, 8 June
China’s firewall is spreading globally. The influence of Chinese domestic censorship is now impacting people overseas far more than before. Jane Li. Quartz, 7 June
March of tech is making conflict more likely. William Hague. The Times, 8 June
How China’s Covid-19 vaccine programme has rapidly accelerated. Michael Goodier. New Statesman, 7 June
Commentary: Indonesia is quietly warming up to China. Foreign Policy, 7 June
