China Articles - December 12, 2021
Friends,
This week’s newsletter starts with Wayne Ma’s scrutiny of Apple’s 2016 secret deal with the Chinese Communist Party. According to internal Apple documents and interviews, Tim Cook agreed to help the Party achieve its technology goals in exchange for the Party’s commitment to lay off their regulatory crackdown. In the intervening years, the iPhone has become the most popular smartphone in China and Apple preemptively acts to censor content and violate its users’ privacy in order to appease the Party. Wayne’s piece adds to the growing calls for transparency in the agreements made between multi-national companies and the Chinese Communist Party.
Officials from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Lithuania, and Canada announced this week that they would stage a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games. The decision caps months of advocacy by human rights groups.
Reporters Without Borders released a new report naming the Chinese government as the largest global “captor” of journalists. Beijing used coronavirus lockdowns and its continued degradation of civil society in Hong Kong to tighten its grasp over domestic media while isolating itself from international scrutiny. Beijing is presently responsible for the detainment of an estimated 127 journalists.
The Semiconductor Industry Association released a set of ethical guidelines for the development and sale of semiconductor products used in surveillance technology. This represents an attempt by industry to develop common benchmarks for transparency to ensure that all industry actors are evaluating these risks similarly and offers an opportunity for governments to strengthen their export controls to ensure that countries like the People’s Republic of China cannot acquire the components to perfect their abuse of human rights.
Next Sunday will be the last full issue for 2021. My plan is to do a ‘best of the year’ issue before we start back up full swing in early January 2022.
Thanks for reading!
Matt
MUST READ
1. Inside Tim Cook’s Secret $275 Billion Deal with Chinese Authorities
Wayne Ma, The Information, December 7, 2021
Apple has enjoyed nearly unparalleled success in the Chinese market. The American technology giant’s iPhone recently became the most popular smartphone in China, eclipsing devices made by Huawei, the state-supported conglomerate, and those produced by other domestic manufacturers. Newly reviewed documents and a series of interviews reveal the lengths to which Apple executives went to secure their current position. In 2016, amidst a painful Chinese regulatory crackdown against Apple products, CEO Tim Cook personally lobbied senior officials for a reprieve. Promising to support Chinese technological ambitions, Mr. Cook secured a deal estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars. In the years since, Apple has come under fire for its relationship with the CCP, including for censoring the Chinese app store by removing applications built to support Muslim prayer and worship.
2. Consumer Warning on BlackRock
William Hild, Consumers’ Research, December 2, 2012
In a letter to ten United States governors, the president of Consumers’ Research called attention to the risks of investing with BlackRock. William Hild urged state leaders from Albany to Helena to recognize the tight connection BlackRock and its chief executive Larry Fink have forged with Beijing. Highlighting the “unabashed gusto” BlackRock has displayed for the CCP and its leadership, Mr. Hild warned that the money manager has “funneled billions in U.S. capital” to China. United States governors are responsible for managing pension funds upon which millions of Americans rely and they would be well served in keeping their fiduciary and ethical responsibilities in mind when allowing their funds to invest in an economy marked by minimal legal recourse, absolute government authority and gross human rights abuses.
3. Taking Steps to Further Bolster Chip Industry’s Commitment to Ethics
Jimmy Goodrich and Meghan Biery, Semiconductor Industry Association, December 8, 2021
Members of the United States Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) issued a comprehensive set of guidelines to its members this week, recommending enhanced customer screenings and an overhaul of transparency procedures. Acknowledging that “innovative capabilities developed to improve lives” could be “exploited for questionable purposes,” the sweeping and forward-thinking notice called as well for an increased government role in promoting ethics and collaboration with allies across the industry. Semiconductor supremacy has emerged as a crucial flashpoint in the struggle for technical supremacy between the United States and China.
4. VIDEO – Defense in the Digital Age
Reagan National Defense Forum, December 4, 2021
Julian Barnes of the New York Times interviews Congressman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, Alex Karp the CEO of Palantir, General Nakasone the commander of USCYBERCOM and the Director of the NSA, and Admiral Gilday the Chief of Naval Operations. They discuss cyber operations and long-term competition with China.
5. An unprecedented RSF investigation: The Great Leap Backwards of Journalism in China
Reporters Without Borders, December 7, 2021
The NGO, Reporters Without Borders, published a report on the acceleration of China’s violations of international commitments to freedom of expression by waging a campaign of repression against journalists.
6. VIDEO — The rollback of free market policies in China
Leslie Stahl, CBS News, December 5, 2021
60 Minutes aired a segment on the deterioration of market economy policies in the PRC and how that is being spearheaded by Xi Jinping as he seeks to reassert state control over the Chinese economy, in particular the collect and use of data.
AUTHORITARIANISM
7. Hong Kong Issues a Threat to the WSJ [Published as an Opinion Piece]
[Hong Kong Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs] Erick Tsang
Wall Street Journal, December 5, 2021
8. Biggest pro-democracy party stiffens stance on Hong Kong’s ‘patriots-only’ election
Candice Chau, Hong Kong Free Press, December 7, 2021
9. China to Close Loophole Used by Tech Firms for Foreign IPOs
Bloomberg, December 1, 2021
10. Beijing Reins In China’s Central Bank
Lingling Wei, Wall Street Journal, December 8, 2021
11. The end of Evergrande may finally be here
Change Che, SupChina, December 6, 2021
12. Angela Huyue Zhang on How China Regulates
David Barboza, The Wire China, December 6, 2021
13. China's Double Fault?
Katrina Northrop, The Wire China, December 6, 2021
14. Ahead of Biden’s Democracy Summit, China Says: We’re Also a Democracy
Keith Bradsher and Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, December 7, 2021
15. China is the world’s 'biggest captor of journalists’ with 127 detained, report says
Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, December 8, 2021
16. How China is reclaiming history
David Reynolds, The New Statesman, December 6, 2021
17. China’s Cultural Crackdowns: A guide
Chang Che, SupChina, December 2, 2021
18. Small Steps for “Xi Thought”
David Bandurski, China Media Project, December 6, 2021
19. The 3 ways China blocks access to lawyers
Safeguard Defenders, December 7, 2021
20. China’s Didi to delist from New York and switch to Hong Kong
Ryan McMorrow, Sun Yu, and Tom Mitchell, Financial Times, December 3, 2021
21. Hong Kong public broadcaster to ‘pause’ social media pages of 12 shows
Kelly Ho, Hong Kong Free Press, December 2, 2021
22. Doubts over efficacy of Chinese vaccines stoke anxiety at home and abroad
Edward White, Michael Pooler, and Gideon Long, Financial Times, December 7, 2021
23. China national security laws: Students quit Hong Kong schools in record numbers
Didi Tang, Sunday Times, December 3, 2021
24. Sham election will make Hong Kong ‘just another Chinese city’
Philip Sherwell, Sunday Times, December 5, 2021
25. Journalists in China face ‘nightmare’ worthy of Mao era, press freedom group says
Helen Davidson, The Guardian, December 8, 2021
26. China Aims to ‘Revise the Global Rule Set,’ Top U.S. General Says
Nancy A. Youssef, Wall Street Journal, December 7, 2021
27. China Moves to Boost Slowing Economy
Stella Yifan Xie, Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2021
28. China Increasingly Obscures True State of Its Economy to Outsiders
Liza Lin and Chun Han Wong, Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2021
ENVIRONMENTAL HARMS
29. Explaining China’s Climate Cop Out
William Hurst, The Diplomat, December 8, 2021
30. China ‘modified’ the weather to create clear skies for political celebration – study
Helen Davidson, The Guardian, December 6, 2021
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE AND COERCION
31. China urges Southeast Asia to join united front against new cold war
Simone McCarthy, South China Morning Post, December 5, 2021
32. Lithuania asks EU for ‘strong reaction’ to Chinese pressure
Stuart Lau, Politico, December 6, 2021
33. President Xi of China lures Commonwealth with military diplomacy
Catherine Philp, Bernard Lagan, and Jonathan Clayton, Sunday Times, December 4, 2021
34. Beijing warns China-linked US businesses: you cannot ‘make a fortune in silence’
Helen Davidson, The Guardian, December 2, 2021
35. ‘Anonymous boss’ offering £10,000 bounty threatens exiled Hong Kong freedom fighters
Henry Bodkin, The Telegraph, December 3, 2021
36. EU flexes geopolitical muscle with new trade weapon
Barbara Moens and Jakob Hanke Vela, Politico, December 6, 2021
37. Block Chinese takeover of lithium miner, ministers told
Matthew Field and Matt Oliver, The Telegraph, December 6, 2021
HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
38. US plans diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics
Aamer Madhani and Alexandra Jaffe, Associated Press, December 6, 2021
39. Australia to Stage Diplomatic Boycott of 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing
Rhiannon Hoyle, Wall Street Journal, December 8, 2021
40. China tightens control of religion, with focus on national security
Amber Wang, South China Morning Post, December 6, 2021
41. AUDIO — On technology and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang
Darren Byler, SupChina, December 7, 2021
42. Nike, Patagonia named in Dutch lawsuit on Xinjiang forced labour
Finbarr Bermingham, South China Morning Post, December 2, 2021
43. U.K. Won’t Send Top Officials to Beijing Winter Olympics
Megan Specia, New York Times, December 8, 2021
44. Trudeau announces diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics
John Paul Tasker, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, December 8, 2021
45. U.S. wants private sector to operate with full information about China's Xinjiang
Reuters, December 6, 2021
46. VIDEO — Uyghur Tribunal - Virtual Third Hearing
Professor Ton Zwaan and Dr. Adrain Zenz, Uyghur Tribunal, November 27, 2021
47. The Tennis Chief Taking on China Over Peng Shuai
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, December 3, 2021
48. China: First CCP National Conference on Religion Held Since 2016
Hu Zimo, Bitter Winter, December 8, 2021
49. Bill to Punish China Over Uyghur Oppression to Get House Vote
Daniel Flatley, Bloomberg, December 6, 2021
50. BBC has invested more than £150million in Chinese state-owned firms
Sam Merriman, Daily Mail, December 5, 2021
51. A residential school system in China is stripping Tibetan children of their languages and culture, report claims
James Griffiths, The Globe and Mail, December 7, 2021
INDUSTRIAL POLICIES AND ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE
52. China Set to Create New State-Owned Rare-Earths Giant
Keith Zhai, Wall Street Journal, December 3, 2021
53. U.S. SEC mandates Chinese companies detail ownership structure, audits
Katanga Johnson, Reuters, December 2, 2021
54. Europe Warned of National Security Risk from China Chip Advances
Alan Crawford, Bloomberg, December 7, 2021
55. Chinese Tariffs Fuel Boom in U.S. Trade with Tech Exporter Taiwan
Josh Zumbrun and Stephanie Yang, Wall Street Journal, December 5, 2021
56. VIDEO — 60 Minutes Archive: Stealing America's Secrets
CBS News, December 5, 2021
57. China’s rise in semiconductors and Europe
Jan-Peter Kleinhans and John Lee, Stiftung Neue Verantwortung, December 8, 2021
58. Expert Warns China Calling Shots on EV Battery Materials
Roger Schreffler, WardsAuto, December 8, 2021
59. U.S. Strikes India Deal in Bid to Loosen China’s Grip on Solar Panels
Stu Woo and Phred Dvorak, Wall Street Journal, December 7, 2021
60. Green Upheaval
Meghan L. O'Sullivan, Foreign Affairs, November 30, 2021
61. Chinese mining groups scour Afghanistan for opportunities
Edward White and Fazelminallah Qazizai, Financial Times, December 4, 2021
CYBER AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
62. Facebook uncovers Chinese network behind fake expert
BBC, December 2, 2021
63. Why the FCC Expelled a Chinese Telecom for National Security Risks
Justin Sherman, Lawfare, December 7, 2021
64. U.S. to Lead Global Effort to Curb Authoritarians’ Access to Surveillance Tools
Yuka Hayashi and Alex Leary, Wall Street Journal, December 2, 2021
65. Beijing’s Strategic Blueprint Is Changing as Tensions Grow
Ryan Fedasiuk and Emily Weinstein, Foreign Policy, December 8, 2021
66. How TikTok Reads Your Mind
Ben Smith, New York Times, December 6, 2021
67. Beijing Silenced Peng Shuai in 20 Minutes, Then Spent Weeks on Damage Control
Paul Mozur, Muyi Xiao, Jeff Kao and Gray Beltran, New York Times, December 8, 2021
68. Microsoft seizes control of websites used by China-backed hackers
Carly Page, Techcrunch, December 6, 2021
69. Xinjiang: Twitter closes thousands of China state-linked accounts spreading propaganda
Helen Davidson, The Guardian, December 3, 2021
70. China's quantum leap plunges West into a race to protect its secrets
James Titcomb, The Telegraph, December 3, 2021
MILITARY AND SECURITY THREATS
71. The China-Iran Strategic Partnership: 40 Years in the Making
Satgin Hamrah and Alexander Eliasen, The Diplomat, December 4, 2021
R. Evan Ellis, Global Americans, December 8, 2021
73. Bhutan Struggles to Defend Territory in India-China Border Spat
Sudhi Ranjan Sen and Archana Chaudhary, Bloomberg, December 7, 2021
74. Taiwan invasion would threaten Japan, Shinzo Abe tells China
Richard Lloyd Parry and Didi Tang, Sunday Times, December 1, 2021
75. China Seeks First Military Base on Africa’s Atlantic Coast, U.S. Intelligence Finds
Michael M. Phillips, Wall Street Journal, December 5, 2021
ONE BELT, ONE ROAD STRATEGY
76. How Nairobi’s ‘road for the rich’ resulted in thousands of homes reduced to rubble
Ed Ram, The Guardian, December 8, 2021
77. Argentina and China strengthen cooperation on several issues
MercoPress, December 2, 2021
78. China calls on citizens to leave eastern Congo after attacks
Associated Press, December 1, 2021
79. How Uruguay’s trade talks with China threaten Mercosur
Lucinda Elliott, Financial Times, December 7, 2021
80. China-Pakistan Belt and Road Initiative hits buffers
Adnan Amir, Financial Times, December 7, 2021
81. Laos-China railway to launch as debt to Beijing mounts
Joe McDonald, Sam McNeil, and Elaine Kurtenbach, Associated Press, December 2, 2021
82. Africa’s ties to China and the West are starting to look more alike
Economist, December 2, 2021
83. Inside Dostum’s Mansion: Afghanistan’s Inequality Laid Bare
Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska, The Diplomat, December 6, 2021
84. How China wrested control of the Congo’s critical minerals
David Uren, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, December 6, 2021
85. FOCAC 2021: China’s retrenchment from Africa?
Yun Sun, Brookings Institution, December 6, 2021
OPINION PIECES
86. Biden’s Democracy Conference Is About Much More Than Democracy
Farah Stockman, New York Times, December 7, 2021
87. Containment Can Work Against China, Too
Hal Brands, Wall Street Journal, December 3, 2021
88. The Dutiful Company
David Hoffman, The Wire China, December 6, 2021
89. Congress needs to act on Xi Jinping’s genocide now
Josh Rogin, Washington Post, December 2, 2021
90. Keeping the Wrong Secrets
Oona A. Hathaway, Foreign Affairs, December 7, 2021
91. Betting on democracy: Biden’s big idea for US foreign policy
Edward Luce, Financial Times, December 8, 2021
92. The Biden administration is right to include Taiwan in the Summit for Democracy
Richard C. Bush and Ryan Hass, Brookings Institution, December 1, 2021
93. China’s Environmental Threat to Antarctica
Alexander B. Gray, Wall Street Journal, December 1, 2021
94. China Will Soon Lead the U.S. in Tech
Graham Allison and Eric Schmidt, Wall Street Journal, December 7, 2021
95. Hong Kong’s National Security Law Made Amnesty International’s Departure All But Inevitable
William Nee, The China NGO Project, December 6, 2021
96. Why it matters that tennis is standing up to Beijing
Ian Williams, Spectator, December 2, 2021