China News - 9 February 2021
Government frustrates vote on genocide amendment. A Conservative backbench rebellion designed to give the UK courts a role in determining whether a country is committing genocide appears to have been frustrated. Ministers arranged Tuesday’s vote so that if the rebels back an amendment passed by the Lords giving the court a role, they will also be backing a separate Labour-sponsored amendment passed in the Lords imposing human rights audits before trade deals are signed. The vote will take place at roughly 4:30pm this afternoon. The Guardian, BBC, The Telegraph, 9 February
WHO team brief media on Wuhan findings. A press conference took place this morning. The Chinese delegation head has declared that work in China is complete and now the origin tracing work will proceed to rest of the world, and "will not be bound to any location." WaPo tweet, BBC tweet, 9 February
UK says Hong Kong authorities no longer recognise dual nationality. The UK has warned Britons in Hong Kong that the territory has stopped recognising dual nationality and it might no longer be able to help citizens who also hold a local passport. FT, 9 February
Today’s 17+1 summit: Baltic vs. Beijing: Lithuania, Estonia snub Xi’s eastern summit. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday lauded the cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC), saying that "17 plus 1 could make more than 18." At least two Baltic countries were planning to snub China's invitation for leaders to attend President Xi Jinping's "17+1" summit, sending lower-level ministers instead. Politico, Global Times, 8 February
Amid Biden pressure, China calls for EU autonomy. Politico, 8 February
Chinese involvement in UK university research is 'inadequately' monitored. A new report by the Civitas think tank found that companies sponsoring UK-based research centres include China’s largest weapons manufacturers and military-linked Chinese universities. The Telegraph, Civitas report, 8 February
Oxford renames 120-year-old Wykeham professorship for Tencent, Chinese software company. Chinese tech behemoth Tencent paid £700,000 to rename the Physics professorship. The Times, 9 February
French submarine patrols South China Sea, likely angering Beijing. Two US carrier groups also conducted exercises in South China Sea on Tuesday. Reuters, France 24, 9 February
Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai denied bail in high-profile national security case. Reuters, 9 February
Vince Cable tells CBBC "the British u-turn on Huawei was undignified and taken under pressure of American sanctions rather than by choice....”. Beijing to Brit, 9 February
China watch
Beijing 2022: ‘China will seriously sanction’ any country that boycotts Winter Olympics, says state-backed media chief. SCMP, 7 February
N.China's Inner Mongolia passes first local regulation to promote ethnic unity. Global Times, 8 February
Deloitte whistleblower alleges auditing violations in China. Nikkei Asia, 8 February
Number of newborns registered in China drops 15% amid population decline fears. CNN, 8 February
Economy & tech
Tesla summoned by Chinese regulators on quality issues. Five regulators instructed Tesla to abide by Chinese laws and regulations and strengthen internal management to ensure the quality and safety of its products. China is Tesla's largest market after the US and the electric carmaker sold 120,000 units there in 2020. BBC, WSJ, 8 February
China tech firms look to bolster legal defence amid regulatory crackdown: sources. Reuters, 8 February
Longer reads & opinion
Why the Anglosphere sees eye to eye on China. A group of English-speaking nations is taking a more confrontational approach to Beijing. Gideon Rachman in the FT, 8 February
China’s dominance of monkey supply for animal testing leaves British life sciences dependent. Unherd, 8 February
Replicating the literature on meritocratic promotion in China. Michael Wiebe, 8 February