China News - 8 October 2020
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International
US national security adviser warns China against Taiwan attack, stresses 'ambiguity' around how the US would respond over any attempt to take Taiwan by force. Speaking at parliament earlier this week, Taiwan Defence Minister Yen De-fa said Taiwan’s air force had scrambled 2,972 times against Chinese aircraft this year - at a cost of almost $900m. The United States last year approved an $8 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan. Reuters, Reuters, Al Jazeera, NYT, 8 October
Huawei: MPs claim 'clear evidence of collusion' with Chinese Communist Party in new report released by Defence Committee. "It is clear that Huawei is strongly linked to the Chinese state and the Chinese Communist Party, despite its statements to the contrary," the committee concludes. "This is evidenced by its ownership model and the subsidies it has received." BBC, 8 October
Beijing wrestles for control of Hong Kong’s classrooms as authorities investigate schoolteachers for infringing the new security law and discussing pro-independence parties. Lawrence Tang, of the pro-establishment Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, said liberal studies had focused too much on “critical thinking” and missed out on “national identity and patriotism”. FT, 6 October
UK defence secretary: UK looking to expand Five Eyes alliance to 'send message to China, intends to “explore new working with new partners in Asia". The Telegraph, 8 October
Three Uyghurs wrongly held at Guantanamo Bay for years plead to be with families, Canada refuses to grant asylum. The Guardian, 7 October
Two Hong Kong protesters who claimed UN refugee status are given asylum in Canada, in a sign that it is willing to accommodate those fleeing the crackdown on dissent. The Times, 8 October
Chinese-Australian billionaire says he was defamed by TV report which suggested he was a spy, takes legal action against ABC and journalist. The Guardian, 7 October
Plan for largest mine in Papua New Guinea history, backed by Chinese state-owned enterprise, 'appears to disregard human rights' and risks environmental destruction, UN says. The Guardian, 7 October
China watch:
On human rights, Western countries not eligible to judge others, says Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson. China firmly opposes any person, any country or any force creating instability, division or unrest in China, Hua stressed (Xinhua).
Residents in 98% of China’s poor villages now have access to fibre-optic internet, overall 52% internet penetration rate in rural areas - new report on China's internet development. Xinhua
Economy & tech
Booming demand for Chinese assets boosts renminbi’s global role. The FT reports that foreign investors have increased their holdings of Chinese debt this year, lured by relatively high yields (2.7% on 10-year Chinese government bonds vs 0.8% on equivalent US Treasury) and the country’s strong economic recovery. Analysts expect the increase in size and liquidity of the bond market to boost the renminbi’s prospects as a reserve currency. FT, Michael Pettis analysis, 8 October
U.S. explores restrictions on Ant Group, Tencent payment platforms over concerns their digital payment platforms threaten national security. Any move may threaten Ant’s expected $35bn IPO - potentially the world’s largest ever, and would be likely to seriously antagonise Beijing. Bloomberg, 6 October
Genshin Impact players say Chinese game censors 'Taiwan' and 'Hong Kong' chat. It is one of the biggest games ever released by a Chinese developer. The Guardian, 7 October
Longer reads & opinion
Long Read: The inside story of how the US elite became hawks on Xi’s China, marking the end of the “responsible stakeholder” era. FT, 8 October
Opinion: Phasing out high-risk vendors from our 5G system is right, but that should be just the start. China is not the mature global citizen we all want – instead, it's leveraging its colossal economic growth to undercut Western competition. Tobias Ellwood in The Telegraph, 8 October
Opinion: Trump is losing his new ‘Cold War’ with China; hostility does not hide a lack of genuine strategy. Washington Post, 7 October
'Quad' meeting in Tokyo prizes symbolism over substance. India, Australia and Japanese ministers refused to explicitly mention China; analysts suggested the move was intended to avoid being termed as a military alliance. Japan Times, 7 October
Behind China’s ‘pork miracle’: how AI is transforming rural hog farming in China - with pork producers including gaming companies. The Guardian