Uyghurs: 'Being young' or phoning relatives abroad leads to detention in Xinjiang. A big data platform helped Chinese authorities in Xinjiang to identify individuals deemed suspicious by association that facilitated mass detention of Muslims in the region, a leaked government document has shown. A rare leak of a prisoner list of more than 2,000 ethnic Uyghur detainees shows that government database IJOP targets Uyghurs for detention over transgressions that include simply being young, or speaking to a sibling living abroad. The Guardian, Human Rights Watch, Reuters, FT, 9 December
Huawei tested AI facial recognition software in 2018 that could automatically recognise Uyghurs and trigger a “Uyghur alarm” that alerted police. Washington Post, Business Insider, 9 December
Germany blocks Chinese takeover of satellite firm on security concerns. Germany has blocked the takeover of satellite and radar technology firm IMST by a subsidiary of state-controlled missile maker China Aerospace and Industry Group (CASIC) due to national security concerns, a government document showed on Tuesday. Reuters, 8 December
Andrew Heyn: Hong Kong dissidents too scared to contact UK envoy. In an interview marking the end of his four-year posting as British Consul General to Hong Kong and Macao, Andrew Heyn spoke of a dramatic “stifling of dissent” that had left Hong Kong’s opposition too afraid even to share their views privately with British diplomats. The Times, 9 December
Pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow denied bail after appeal. The Times, 9 December
Australia accuses China of undermining trade agreement. In his strongest comments yet, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham said China had "targeted" a dozen Australian goods amid tensions between the countries. BBC, 9 December
Majority of UK businesses still investing in China, according to British Chamber of Commerce in China’s sentiment survey. SCMP, Quartz, 8 December
Biden: Incoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan accuses China of ‘assault’ on freedom in Hong Kong. Biden is also said to be considering possible China ambassadorship for Pete Buttigieg, according to Axios. FT, Reuters, 9 December
Australian newspapers including Sydney Morning Herald and Australian Financial Review quietly quit carrying state media China Watch supplement. The Guardian, 9 December
US targets North Korea coal shipments with new sanctions against Beijing for failing to adequately enforce UN sanctions against Pyongyang. Reuters, WSJ, 9 December
Canadian detainees in China in good mental and physical state - Canadian envoy says. Reuters, 9 December
China watch
Mount Everest is higher than we thought, say Nepal and China in joint announcement. Reuters, Xinhua.
Chengdu enters 'wartime mode' after 7 domestic COVID-19 cases in two days. Global Times.
Once-in-a-generation change in PLA guidelines: intelligentization added, mechanization declared "basically accomplished". Pekingnology, 8 December
Economy & tech
China’s vaccines: Sinopharm vaccine has 86% efficacy, says UAE, Morocco to use Chinese vaccine to kick off mass vaccinations and Indonesia receives first 1.2m doses from China’s Sinovac. AP, Bloomberg
Sinovac: What do we know about China's Covid-19 vaccine? BBC, 9 December
Chinese consumer prices show first annual decline since 2009, driven by volatile food prices. Wall Street Journal, 9 December
Volkswagen opens new R&D center for e-mobility in east China as part of expansion of operations in China. Xinhua, 8 December
Brazil looking for legal options to ban China’s Huawei from 5G, insiders say. SCMP, 8 December
Longer reads & opinion
Comment: New Zealand must build bridges with China but show independent foreign policy. The Guardian, 9 December
Long read: China shadows the rise of Hong Kong's next tycoons. Nikkei Asia, 9 December
China’s history: The legacy of Yuan Shikai, China’s disastrous first president. SupChina, 9 December