China Articles - December 19, 2021
Friends,
This is the last full issue of 2021 before I take a break for the holidays. I will put of a ‘Best of 2021’ and return on January 9th to start the fourth year of China Articles.
Japan announced this week that it would not send cabinet officials to the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics. Tokyo joined a growing chorus of countries which have decided to withhold government officials in protest of human rights abuses perpetrated by the CCP—from an ongoing genocide against ethnic and religious minorities, to the systematic suppression of civil liberties in Hong Kong and throughout the mainland.
Unfortunately, France joined Russia in announcing that it would not join a diplomatic boycott, which President Macron called “insignificant.” French leaders are likely seeking to avoid any potential retaliation against the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. However, as France seeks to persuade the rest of the European Union to join its position, Lithuanian diplomats were forced to abruptly leave the People’s Republic of China this week. The CCP’s efforts to economically coerce and diplomatically isolate Lithuania, a member of the European Union, underscores the extent to which the CCP remains intent on imposing its worldview in capitals around world.
In the New York Times article “How Beijing Influences the Influencers“ (#6), we see efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to shape social media discourse around issues that Beijing finds sensitive by supporting and amplifying “influencers.” While this piece highlights relatively unknown social media personalities, another example from two weeks ago highlights how the Party uses its sway over elites. Neil Bush, the son of one U.S. President and the brother of another, served as the keynote speaker for Huawei’s “Trust in Tech” Conference. Speaking in his role as Founder and Chairman of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations, Neil mouthed Party talking points while criticizing leaders of democracies around the world for “embracing a dangerous zero-sum mentality that defies common sense.”
Thanks for reading!
Matt
MUST READ
1. Xi Jinping’s New World Order
Elizabeth Economy, Foreign Affairs, December 15, 2021
Liz Economy, author of the book The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State and Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, argues in this Foreign Affairs piece that Xi Jinping’s vision for a new international order is much more expansive than many observers want to admit. Rather than make minor adjustments, Xi seeks a “radically transformed international order.”
2. Eyes Wide Open: Ethical Risks in Research Collaboration with China
Glenn Tiffert and Jeffrey Stoff, Hoover Institution, December 15, 2021
A new report published by the project on China’s Global Sharp Power “presents a case study of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Automation (CASIA), a global leader in education and research on artificial intelligence, biometrics, and neuroscience. CASIA exemplifies a class of entities—common to authoritarian nations—that simultaneously pursue beneficial and reprehensible lines of research. US research institutions and companies collaborate extensively with CASIA. Yet the ethical and integrity risks of those collaborations receive insufficient scrutiny and may compromise democratic values as well as sanctions, export controls, and other policy measures adopted by the US government in response to repression by authoritarian regimes. The US research enterprise must develop nuanced knowledge and procedures for grappling with the dilemmas that collaboration with Janus-faced entities such as CASIA entails.”
3. DoD Official Speaks to Senate on Taiwan Policy
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, December 8, 2021
Assistant Secretary of Defense Ely Ranter and Assistant Secretary of State Dan Kritenbrink testify to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the U.S. policy towards Taiwan.
4. The Growing Danger of U.S. Ambiguity on Taiwan
Richard Haass and David Sacks, Foreign Affairs, December 15, 2021
Amidst an increasingly uncertain dynamic between the Chinese Communist Party and Taiwan, “faltering credibility” in Washington risks precipitating a “dangerous Chinese miscalculation,” argue Richard Haass and David Sacks in Foreign Affairs. Writing in support of an explicit American commitment to defend Taiwan, Haass and Sacks contend that Washington can embrace “strategic clarity” without precipitating an irreconcilable rift with Beijing or thrusting President Xi Jinping towards preemptive action against the democratic island. Although doing so may cause discomfort among many in Washington, the best hope for avoiding a cross-strait conflict may be to pursue deterrence by punishment, demonstrating to Beijing that it has far too much to lose by moving against Taipei.
5. VIDEO - China vs. The WTO: Two Decades of Dissembling and Dysfunction
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), December 14, 2021
Nearly two decades after Chinese ascension to the WTO, Beijing continues to demonstrate that its economic model remains fundamentally incompatible with the principles of the international trade body. In a webinar hosted by the ITIF, Stephen Ezell, Andre Sapir, Clete Willems, and Daniel Crosby examine the first 20 years of Chinese WTO membership and discuss how the international community can work together today to push back against Beijing’s continued manipulation and exploitation of the organization.
6. How Beijing Influences the Influencers
Paul Mozur, Raymond Zhong, Aaron Krolik, Aliza Aufrichtig and Nailah Morgan, New York Times, December 14, 2021
The Chinese government has worked hard to dominate the realm of online propaganda. In a striking investigative piece, The New York Times uncovers how Beijing has helped build the social media personalities, offering lucrative financial incentives for digital creators to whitewash grim realities with a stream of content that is carefully designed by the CCP while promoting their work through an army of party-state controlled accounts. Many of these influencers are foreign born, long-term Chinese residents. While they maintain that they have editorial freedoms, paper trails between themselves, their families, and the state entities paint an opposite picture. Seemingly independent videos are featured prominently on the social media pages of Chinese embassies around the world as this “homespun” content conceals a coordinated effort to disseminate pro-Beijing narratives far beyond Chinese borders.
AUTHORITARIANISM
7. China declares initial victory in cleaning up mobile apps
Xinmei Shen, South China Morning Post, December 11, 2021
8. VIDEO — Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19
Hudson Institute, December 13, 2021
In this video, John Walters, President and CEO of the Hudson Institute, speaks with Alina Chan and Matt Ridley about Viral, their recently released book documenting the ongoing search for answers about the origins of COVID-19. Speaking with the duo alongside David Asher, who led the State Department’s 2020 coronavirus origins investigation, Walters discusses the timely book, which assesses the outbreak and examines government studies of coronaviruses prior to the pandemic.
9. Xi Jinping’s Leadership Style: Micromanagement That Leaves Underlings Scrambling
Josh Chin, Wall Street Journal, December 15, 2021
10. Six-monthly report on Hong Kong: January to June 2021
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, December 14, 2021
11. Decoding Xi Jinping
Yuen Yuen Ang, Foreign Affairs, December 9, 2021
12. China’s global hybrid war
Brahma Chellaney, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, December 9, 2021
13. Evergrande Declared in Default as Huge Restructuring Looms
Rebecca Choong Wilkins, Bloomberg, December 9, 2021
14. Bloomberg News China Staffer Haze Fan Still Detained One Year On
Madeleine Lim, Bloomberg, December 6, 2021
15. Matteo Maggiori on Who Really Owns Listed Chinese Companies
David Barboza, The Wire China, December 13, 2021
16. China offshore listings clampdown threatens Wall Street
Hudson Lockett, Stephen Morris, and Joshua Franklin, Financial Times, December 15, 2021
17. Why China Is Freaking Out Over Biden’s Democracy Summit
Mareike Ohlberg and Bonnie S. Glaser, Foreign Policy, December 15, 2021
18. Xi wants lawyers to ‘follow and embrace’ the Communist Party’s leadership
Guo Rui, South China Morning Post, December 9, 2021
19. Jimmy Lai among three Hong Kong democracy activists convicted over Tiananmen vigil
The Guardian, December 9, 2021
20. UK report on Hong Kong published every 6 months since 1997 aims to ‘disrupt’ legislative polls, Beijing claims
Selina Cheng, Hong Kong Free Press, December 15, 2021
21. China’s Economic Activity Slowed in November on Property Slump, Weak Consumption
Stella Yifan Xie, Wall Street Journal, December 15, 2021
22. What’s Behind China’s Regulatory Storm
Barry Naughton, Wall Street Journal, December 12, 2021
23. Hong Kong Court Sentences Jimmy Lai to Prison Over Tiananmen Vigil
Vivian Wang and Austin Ramzy, New York Times, December 13, 2021
24. China’s Big New Idea
Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, December 14, 2021
ENVIRONMENTAL HARMS
25. Carbon Border Adjustment is China’s Worst Nightmare
Elettra Ardissino, The Wire China, December 13, 2021
26. Caution on carbon as ‘China realises key role of coal’
Echo Xie, South China Morning Post, December 13, 2021
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE AND COERCION
27. China says Australia, UK and US will ‘pay price’ for Winter Olympics snub
Vincent Ni, The Guardian, December 9, 2021
28. Lithuanian diplomats leave China as relations sour over Taiwan
Yew Lun Tian and Andrius Sytas, Reuters, December 15, 2021
29. Nicaragua’s Flip to China: What Does It Mean for the Region?
Evan Ellis, Global Americans, December 10, 2021
30. China to ‘reconsider’ bilateral relations if Japan takes action on Taiwan
Catherine Wong, South China Morning Post, December 9, 2021
31. China targeted Taipei's allies while U.S. hosted democracy summit -Taiwan foreign minister
Sarah Wu, Reuters, December 15, 2021
32. Lithuania braces for China-led corporate boycott
John O'Donnell and Andrius Sytas, Reuters, December 9, 2021
33. Nicaragua receives China vaccines after cutting ties with Taiwan
BBC, December 13, 2021
34. Taiwan ally Guatemala fends off Beijing overtures
Michael Stott, Financial Times, December 13, 2021
35. Nicaragua cuts diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognises Beijing
Demetri Sevastopulo and Kathrin Hille, Financial Times, December 10, 2021
36. China courts global capital, on its own terms
Economist, December 11, 2021
37. Lithuania shows China’s coercive trade tactics are hard to counter
Kathrin Hille, Financial Times, December 15, 2021
HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
38. US to blacklist Chinese AI company SenseTime over Xinjiang ahead of IPO
Demetri Sevastopulo, Hudson Lockett, and Ryan McMorrow, Financial Times, December 9, 2021
39. Alibaba fires female employee who accused her manager of rape
Lizzy Lawrence, Protocol, December 13, 2021
Tibet Action Institute, December 7, 2021
41. Vast colonial boarding school system uncovered in Tibet
East Mojo, December 8, 2021
42. Japan won't send Cabinet ministers to attend Beijing Olympics
Japan Times, December 11, 2021
Maximilian Rieger, Deutschlandfunk, December 11, 2021 — ORIGINAL IN GERMAN
44. Fact Sheet: Export Controls and Human Rights Initiative Launched at the Summit for Democracy
The White House, December 10, 2021
45. Joe Biden to Sign Bill Punishing China for Uyghur Forced Labor in Xinjiang
John Feng, Newsweek, December 15, 2021
46. Rubio demands Airbnb de-list rentals on Chinese land owned by sanctioned group
Zachary Basu, Axios, December 7, 2021
47. VIDEO — Held in chains for using WhatsApp
Samantha Everett, Lorna Acquah, and Zoë Slater, BBC, December 13, 2021
48. China committed genocide against Uyghurs, independent tribunal rules
Joel Gunter, BBC, December 9, 2021
49. U.S. and Others Pledge Export Controls Tied to Human Rights
Ana Swanson, New York Times, December 10, 2021
50. Its Human Rights Record in Question, China Turns to an Old Friend
Li Yuan, New York Times, December 14, 2021
51. Uyghur Tribunal: And the Verdict Is—Genocide
Ruth Ingram, Bitter Winter, December 10, 2021
52. House Votes to Ban Imports from China’s Xinjiang on Forced-Labor Concern
Natalie Andrews, Wall Street Journal, December 15, 2021
53. Kazakhstan: Bilash Threatened with Arrest After Acclaimed Bitter Winter Series
Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter, December 11, 2021
54. The Uyghur Tribunal Verdict: Where Do We Go from Here
Ruth Ingram, Bitter Winter, December 14, 2021
INDUSTRIAL POLICIES AND ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE
55. U.S. to Bar Investment in Chinese AI Giant, Considers Banning Key Exports to Top Chip Maker
Kate O’Keeffe, Wall Street Journal, December 10, 2021
56. The Great Rivalry: China vs. the U.S. in the 21st Century
Graham Allison, Harvard Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, December 7, 2021
57. Ante Up: Going All in on the Global Chips Race
Silverado Policy Accelerator, December 7, 2021
58. US to blacklist eight more Chinese companies including dronemaker DJI
Demetri Sevastopulo and William Langley, Financial Times, December 15, 2021
59. Harvard Professor Goes on Trial on Charges of Lying About China Ties
Aruna Viswanatha in Washington and Byron Tau in Boston , Wall Street Journal, December 14, 2021
60. US blocks Chinese fund’s US$1.4 billion takeover of Korean chip maker
Che Pan, South China Morning Post, December 14, 2021
61. How the West invited China to eat its lunch
Faisal Islam, BBC, December 10, 2021
62. Biden Team Mulls New Clampdown on China’s Largest Chipmaker
Jenny Leonard and Ian King, Bloomberg, December 14, 2021
63. Help Wanted
Anastasiia Carrier, The Wire China, December 13, 2021
CYBER AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
64. China builds undersea cable bases amid digital infrastructure rivalry
Laura Zhou, South China Morning Post, December 12, 2021
65. Documents link Huawei to China’s surveillance programs
Eva Dou, Washington Post, December 14, 2021
66. Cyber review warns UK and west in ‘clash of values’ with Russia and China
Dan Sabbagh, The Guardian, December 14, 2021
67. Borrowing mouths to speak on Xinjiang
Fergus Ryan, Ariel Bogle, Nathan Ruser, Albert Zhang, and Daria Impiombato, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, December 2021
68. CCTV – A TROJAN HORSE IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS DISSEMINATION?
Øystein Bogen, Stockholm Free World Forum, December 9, 2021
69. Chinese government deploying online influencers amid Beijing Olympics boycotts
Anna Massoglia, Open Secrets, December 13, 2021
70. How much censorship is ‘enough’ for Beijing?
David Wertime, Protocol, December 15, 2021
71. Chinese nationalists have a new target: Lenovo
Zeyi Yang, Protocol, December 14, 2021
72. Will China’s Regulatory ‘Great Wall’ Hamper AI Ambitions?
Ellen Lu and Ryan Fedasiuk, The Diplomat, December 13, 2021
73. UK spy chief raises fears over China’s digital renminbi
Roula Khalaf and Helen Warrell, Financial Times, December 11, 2021
MILITARY AND SECURITY THREATS
74. China’s Quest for Space Power Starts with Moon Dust
Natasha Khan, Wall Street Journal, December 13, 2021
75. America worries about China’s military ambitions in Africa
Economist, December 9, 2021
76. Taiwan fears Chinese invasion by 2025
Didi Tang, Sunday Times, December 13, 2021
77. The Middle Kingdom Meets Higher Education
Craig Singleton, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, December 9, 2021
78. Pentagon Worries About Chinese Buildup Near India
Jack Detsch, Foreign Policy, December 15, 2021
ONE BELT, ONE ROAD STRATEGY
79. China donates new mosque and wells for Taliban ministry
Rod Sweet, Global Construction Review, December 13, 2021
OPINION PIECES
80. Beijing turns inward as US decoupling gathers pace
The Editorial Board, Financial Times, December 14, 2021
81. The Guardian view on China’s Winter Olympics: remember the Uyghurs
The Guardian, December 14, 2021
82. China policy will test Germany’s coalition
The Editorial Board, Financial Times, December 8, 2021
83. How America Can Keep Its Lead in Technology
David P. Goldman and Paul M. Dabbar, Wall Street Journal, December 12, 2021
84. Cai Xia on why China’s one-party system holds back the country
Cai Xia, Economist, December 8, 2021
85. Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? China
The Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal, December 10, 2021
86. Russia and China’s Dangerous Decline
Andrew A. Michta, Wall Street Journal, December 14, 2021
87. China is using our own technology against us – this is how we fight back
John Katko, Fox News, December 5, 2021
88. Is MIT’s Research Helping the Chinese Military?
Michelle Bethel, Wall Street Journal, December 10, 2021
89. The West’s nightmare: a war on three fronts
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, The Telegraph, December 9, 2021
90. Why young Chinese have so little interest in democracy
Zhou Xin, Nikkei Asia, December 12, 2021
91. To prevent the next Olympic embarrassment, the world needs to take a stand
Kevin B. Blackistone, Washington Post, December 12, 2021
92. The US won’t fight to save Taiwan or Ukraine
Gerard Baker, Sunday Times, December 10, 2021
93. Boycotting Winter Olympics is the right move
Alicia Kearns, Sunday Times, December 9, 2021
94. The U.S. Has Mismanaged China Policy for 20 Years. Time to Fix It.
Scott Paul, Newsweek, December 10, 2021