China News - 8 November 2021
International
Foreign Secretary visits Southeast Asia to build ties with fastest-growing parts of the world. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrived in Malaysia yesterday as she embarks on a week-long mission to strengthen economic links and boost security cooperation in the key region. The visit follows the agreement of a new partnership between the UK and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Gov.uk, Reuters, 7 November
COP26
China's deafening silence speaks loudest at global climate talks. With Xi Jinping choosing not to attend, China sent a much smaller delegation than usual to COP26 and was uncharacteristically quiet during the first week of meetings. The world's second-biggest economy also stayed out of pacts to tackle methane, a super-potent greenhouse gas, and reduce funding for fossil fuel. Bloomberg, 6 November
PM warms up for a climate deal rescue mission. Boris Johnson is considering returning to Glasgow this week amid growing concern that the COP26 summit will fail to do enough to prevent dangerous global warming. The UK is trying to secure agreement that countries which declined to submit more ambitious emissions pledges for 2030 will be asked to do so within two years. China is among the countries expected to resist that idea. The Times, The Telegraph, 8 November
Excluded from COP26, Taiwan seeks to engage from the sidelines. A delegation led by deputy environment minister Shen Chih-hsiu is holding events and meetings in Glasgow as optimism grows that Taiwan will be allowed to attend future COP summits as an observer. SCMP, Bloomberg, 6 November
Chinese nuclear reactor run by Sizewell and Hinkley developers still shut over leaking rods. Inspections are ongoing at the Taishan plant, which is owned by CGN and EDF, and uses the same reactor designs as at Suffolk and Somerset. The Telegraph, 7 November
China says Taiwan independence backers will be blacklisted. China’s Taiwan Affairs office has named the island’s premier, Su Tseng-chang, the parliamentary speaker, You Si-kun, and the foreign minister, Joseph Wu, as being among those who will be stopped from entering mainland China and Hong Kong. The Guardian, Reuters, 6 November
Beijing sends 16 fighter jets towards Taiwan. Saturday’s sorties come a day after European Parliament group ends three-day visit to the island. SCMP, 7 November
Chinese intelligence officer convicted of stealing secrets from General Electric. The justice department said a federal jury had found Xu Yanjun, a senior Ministry of State Security officer from Jiangsu province, guilty on five counts, including two counts of attempting to commit economic espionage. FT, BBC, 6 November
China uses fake US aircraft carrier for missile target practice. The Japan Times, Reuters, Independent, 8 November
German engine technology found in Chinese warships - report. DW, 7 November
US and China urged to collaborate on cancer drugs through new initiative. FT, 7 November
China focus
Sixth Plenum: Xi lays groundwork for third term by adopting Mao and Deng’s power ploy. A meeting of hundreds of members of China’s political elite, which is expected to further consolidate the power of president Xi Jinping, has opened in Beijing. The closed-door, four-day meeting of the ruling CCP’s central committee will produce a resolution on the history of the Communist party for only the third time in 100 years. The Guardian, FT, NYT, Independent, 8 November
12,000-word Xi homage cements personality cult at top in Beijing. The six-chapter official tribute to Xi, released by the state news agency Xinhua, lauds his record as the leader of a great power who has defeated a pandemic, bested foreign rivals and dragged China into the 21st century. The Times, Xinhua, 8 November
China's President Xi Jinping mulling over new succession system to pick heir. Straits Times, 6 November
CCP makes China the last redoubt for 'zero-Covid' lockdowns. China remains determined to completely eradicate the coronavirus at home - with local party officials blamed for cases on their patch. The Telegraph, 6 November
Hong Kong national security police hotline received over 200,000 tips in first year. HKFP, 5 November
China opens first clinic for transgender children. The Times, 7 November
Economy & tech
British firms suffer as China shuts down its factories again. An energy crisis, part-time working restrictions, and China’s zero-tolerance towards Covid are all leading to severe supply chain disruption for companies waiting for Chinese-manufactured goods to arrive. The Sunday Times, 7 November
Electric cars to get more expensive as battery costs soar. The cost of lithium battery cells is rising for the first time after years of decline - with strained lithium supplies adding to rising prices of other cell materials - in a blow to Britain’s green ambitions. Chinese battery producers are said to be writing to customers looking to renegotiate contracts, including moving away from fixed pricing structures. The Telegraph, 7 November
PwC to boost headcount in China by 20,000 with $1.25bn investment. The Big Four accounting firm laid out its expansion plans for China on Monday, unveiling a strategy that would make its presence almost twice the size of its UK operations. FT, 8 November
Fast-fashion giant Shein hooks children with casino games. The Times, 7 November
Goldman’s top banker says many Chinese IPO clients considering shift to Hong Kong from US exchanges. SCMP, 8 November
HSBC instructs all 30,000 staff in Hong Kong to get vaccinated against coronavirus as city pushes to reopen China border. SCMP, 5 November
Opinion & editorial
More hot air than progress at COP26. A lack of leadership shown by the biggest polluters is hampering decisive action. Editorial Board. FT, 5 November
Don’t be so quick to doubt China’s climate change dedication. Angel Hsu. NYT, 7 November
China’s great log forward. This week’s announcement that China has signed up to a deal to end deforestation by 2030 together is no great surprise. Cindy Yu. The Spectator, 5 November
Hong Kong’s stage-managed election process will be tested by turnout. Matthew Brooker. Bloomberg, 7 November
Longer reads
China turns inward: Xi Jinping, COP26 and the pandemic. Responding to acute domestic pressures and hostility abroad, Beijing appears to be slowly decoupling from the west. FT, 5 November
China’s energy conundrum. Chinese President Xi Jinping is battling a trade-off between short-term goals and long-term ambitions. Melinda Liu. Foreign Policy, 5 November
Chinese people think China is popular overseas. Americans disagree. The widening perception gap between the Chinese and Western publics points to long-term divergence. Brian Wong. The Diplomat, 4 November
Knowns and unknowns about China’s new draft cross-border data rules. How far will China's cross-border data rules go in preventing transfers abroad? DigiChina - Stanford University, 5 November
How China’s tech bosses cashed out at the right time. FT, 7 November
Central Asia is turning back to Moscow. With the United States out of the scene, Russia is more appealing than China. Lindsey Kennedy and Nathan Paul Southern. Foreign Policy, 7 November