China Articles - June 20, 2021
Friends,
This week’s newsletter of articles and reports on the malign activities of the Chinese Communist Party starts with the New York Times’ “Daily” podcast in which Sabrina Tavernise interviews the investigative reporter Jack Nicas about the Faustian bargain that Apple has made with the People’s Republic of China.
Also this week, comedian Jon Stewart spoke at length on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert about the likelihood of the pandemic originating from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. You can watch the YouTube segment here.
Happy Father’s Day and thanks for reading!
Matt
MUST READ/LISTEN
1. AUDIO – Apple’s Bet on China
Sabrina Tavernise and Jack Nicas, New York Times, June 14, 2021
I think that Apple’s relationship with the Chinese government reflects a new reality in which the world’s soon to be number 1 economy is run by an increasingly authoritarian government that is willing to squash pro-democracy protesters and also commit human rights abuses when it comes to the Uyghurs, which is the Muslim ethnic minority in the country.
2. VIDEO – Inside Xinjiang - The cultural erasure of the Uyghurs
Sophia Yan, The Telegraph, June 12, 2021
3. The Soviet Origins of Xi’s Xinjiang Policy
Christopher Vassallo, The Diplomat, June 12, 2021
Ever since the Soviet Union unceremoniously imploded and dissolved, China’s leaders have parsed the collapse for lessons to inform strategy and mistakes to avoid repeating. Over the course of a year of research, I have examined the powerful sway the Soviet analogy has had on Chinese leaders in the 30 years since. Tracking the Chinese Communist Party’s understanding of the lessons of this collapse has revealed the preoccupations of CCP leadership in crucial periods of crisis and change.
One finding struck me: Chinese narratives about the Soviet collapse have been marshalled to justify the escalating horrors of ethnic assimilation in Xinjiang. Xi’s reading of Soviet history will not dissuade him from cultural genocide in Xinjiang. It will only steel his belief in the urgency of the endeavor.
4. China Enacts Anti-Sanctions Law
Lester Ross, Jeffrey Kessler, Kenneth Zhou and Tingting Liu, Wilmer Hale, June 11, 2021
Significantly, the ASL creates new vectors of risk for those who have been attempting to delicately balance compliance requirements under conflicting bodies of law.
5. The Implications of the Lab-Leak Hypothesis
David Wallace-Wells, New York Magazine, June 12, 2021
Authoritarianism
6. A Year Since Galwan: 'Chinese have ensured we cannot trust them'
Anish Kumar, Asianet Newsable, June 8, 2021
7. German industry group criticises China over new sanctions law
Michael Nienaber, Reuters, June 15, 2021
8. China Passes Law to Counter Foreign Sanctions
Chun Han Wong, Wall Street Journal, June 10, 2021
9. What the World Wants China to Disclose in Wuhan Lab Leak Probe
Kwan Wei, Kevin Tan and Jason Gale, Bloomberg, June 11, 2021
10. VIDEO – Uncovering the origins of the virus that sparked a pandemic
Sanjay Gupta, Nadia Kounang, Amanda Sealy and Andrea Kane, CNN, June 10, 2021
11. Here’s why you should care about the coronavirus lab leak theory
Emily Baumgaertner, Los Angeles Times, June 10, 2021
Eric Cheung, CNN, June 17, 2021
13. AUDIO – The Lab Leak Hypothesis, the U.S. China Bill, and More
Octavian Report, June 8, 2021
14. Biden’s China Policy Is Emerging—and It Looks a Lot Like Trump’s
Alex Leary and Bob Davis, Wall Street Journal, June 10, 2021
15. Hong Kong to Censor Films Under China’s Security Law
Raymond Zhong, New York Times, June 11, 2021
16. China's attacks on 'foreign forces' threaten Hong Kong's global standing -top U.S. envoy
Greg Torode, Anne Marie Roantree and James Pomfret, Reuters, June 11, 2021
Melvyn B. Krauss, Project Syndicate, June 3, 2021
18. Back-to-Back Rebukes of China Mark a Turning Point
James Areddy, Wall Street Journal, June 15, 2021
19. China Repackages Its History in Support of Xi’s National Vision
Chun Han Wong and Keith Zhai, Wall Street Journal, June 15, 2021
20. Der erste Gipfel der Anti-China-Koalition [The first summit of the anti-China coalition]
Heribert Dieter, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, June 10, 2021 – ORIGINAL IN GERMAN
21. WHO Chief Urges China to Cooperate with Probe into Covid-19 Origins
Max Colchester, Wall Street Journal, June 12, 2021
Environmental Harms
22. China Has Promised to Go Carbon-Neutral by 2060, But Coal is Still King
Emily Feng, NPR, June 14, 2021
23. Chinese boats caught up in suspicions of illegal fishing in Argentina’s waters
Linda Lew, South China Morning Post, June 5, 2021
Foreign Interference and Coercion
24. China state TV channel CGTN enlists UK student influencers
Charlie Parker, Times of London, June 16, 2021
25. UK Parliament panel warns of China's 'bullying' in multilateral arena
Economic Times, June 17, 2021
26. Report: In the room: the UK’s role in multilateral diplomacy
UK Parliament, June 17, 2021
The report found evidence of China’s increasing use of aggressive means, including exploiting bilateral economic leverage, to coerce states to back their position or their candidates and then using the organisations to shift policies away from the cooperation the organisations were created to promote. The use of aggressive diplomacy by China, or 'bullying', can be seen in operation at the United Nations Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) as well as the World Health Organisation (WHO).
27. China Asserts Broad Power to Seize Assets in Anti-Sanctions Law
Bloomberg, June 10, 2021
28. China accuses G7 of ‘manipulation’ after criticism over Xinjiang and Hong Kong
The Guardian, June 14, 2021
29. Op-eds in a Chinese state tabloid slammed U.S. policy. The author works at the Pentagon.
Michael E. Miller, Washington Post, June 11, 2021
30. European companies have no intention of decoupling from China
Annabelle Timsit, Quartz, June 10, 2021
31. AUDIO – Watch This Space: Beijing’s Push to Close Off Taiwan’s International Space and the U.S. Response
Kharis Templeman and Alex Wong, Hoover Institution, May 27, 2021
32. Line in the sand: Chinese dredgers are stealing Taiwan, bit by bit
Louise Watt, Nikkei Asia, June 16, 2021
33. Tom Tugendhat Is the British MP China Hates Most
David Patrikarakos, Foreign policy, June 13, 2021
Human Rights and Religious Persecution
Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA), Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, June 10, 2021
“CBP has yet to take a single enforcement action, even though it received allegations more than seven months ago and suggested imminent enforcement action nearly three months ago,” wrote the Ways and Means members. “CBP has had sufficient time to review the disturbing facts regarding forced labor and polysilicon production in Xinjiang—we believe it is time to act.”
35. Beijing wants more children, but only a certain kind
Yaqiu Wang, The Interpreter, June 15, 2021
36. China: Draconian repression of Muslims in Xinjiang amounts to crimes against humanity
Amnesty International, June 10, 2021
37. AUDIO – New Report Details Firsthand Accounts of Torture from Uyghur Muslims in China
Ailsa Chang, Anna Sirianni and Patrick Jarenwattananon, NPR, June 10, 2021
38. China Still Buys American DNA Equipment for Xinjiang Despite Blocks
Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, June 11, 2021
39. Hilton hotel to be built in Xinjiang after China bulldozes mosque
Sophia Yan, The Telegraph, June 12, 2021
Representative Michael McCaul, U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, June 15, 2021
41. Xinjiang’s Han Chinese growing faster than Uyghurs
AsiaNews.it, June 15, 2021
Industrial Policies and Economic Espionage
42. The CCP’s Next Century: Expanding economic control, digital governance and national security
Katja Drinhausen, Mikko Huotari, John Lee, Helena Legarda, MERICS, June 2021
43. Biden wants the G-7 to unite against China. Beijing’s trade wars are helping.
Gavin Bade, Politico, June 11, 2021
Brian Platt, National Post, June 16, 2021
Outlook, June 9, 2021
46. U.S. and E.U. End Aviation Trade Spat and Turn to China’s Rise
Steven Erlanger and Michael D. Shear, New York Times, June 15, 2021
47. Florida moves against foreign theft of intellectual property
Bobby Caina Calvan, Associated Press, June 7, 2021
Cyber and Information Technology
48. China’s firewall is spreading globally
Jane Li, Quartz, June 7, 2021
49. China’s New Power Play: More Control of Tech Companies’ Troves of Data
Lingling Wei, Wall Street Journal, June 12, 2021
50. Biden Prods UAE to Dump Huawei, Sowing Doubts on Key F-35 Sale
Nick Wadhams and Sylvia Westall, Bloomberg, June 11, 2021
51. China Promulgates Data Security Law
Lester Ross, Kenneth Zhou and Tingting Liu, Wilmer Hale, June 15, 2021
52. House Republicans zero in on Big Tech’s relationships with China
Lauren Feiner, CNBC, June 16, 2021
53. U.S. Fight Against Chinese 5G Efforts Shifts from Threats to Incentives
Stu Woo and Drew Hinshaw, Wall Street Journal, June 14, 2021
54. China Issued Draft Provisions on the Management of Automobile Data Security
Lester Ross, Kenneth Zhou and Tingting Liu, Wilmer Hale, June 11, 2021
55. FCC Proposes Ban on Chinese Surveillance Cameras, Other Products
Todd Shields, Bloomberg, June 16, 2021
Military and Security Threats
Timothy Heath, Derek Grossman and Asha Clark, RAND, June 2021
57. U.S. Needs ‘Combat-Credible’ Forces to Deter China, Nominee Says
Peter Martin, Bloomberg, June 16, 2021
58. NATO says China presents ‘systemic’ challenges
Al Jazeera, June 14, 2021
59. Cold war or uneasy peace: does defining US-China competition matter?
Vincent Ni, The Guardian, June 10, 2021
60. Biden fears what 'best friends' Xi and Putin could do together
Nahal Toosi, Politico, June 14, 2021
61. After massed plane incursion near Taiwan, China says must respond to ‘collusion’
Reuters, June 16, 2021
62. 'Prepare for War,' China Military Warns in New Propaganda Poster for Taiwan
John Feng, Newsweek, June 10, 2021
63. The PLA Beyond Borders: Chinese Military Operations in Regional and Global Context
National Defense University Press, June 2021
One Belt, One Road Strategy
64. Greece is not abandoning China even though others are, ambassador says
Silvia Amaro, CNBC, June 14, 2021
65. Relations between China and the Gulf States: Opportunities and Risks for Israel
Yoel Guzansky and Galia Lavi, INSS, June 13, 2021
66. China reminds us why the Caribbean is vital to US strategic interests
Evan Ellis, The Hill, June 12, 2021
67. G-7 agrees on infrastructure plan to counter China's Belt and Road
Rhyannon Bartlett-Imadegawa, Nikkei Asia, June 12, 2021
68. Snubbing China’s Belt and Road Initiative could be disastrous, expert tells Mario Draghi
Tom Kington, Times of London, June 16, 2021
Agatha Kratz, Max Zenglein and Gregor Sebastian, MERICS, June 16, 2021
Opinion Pieces
70. How Xi’s China came to resemble Tsarist Russia
Jamil Anderlini, Financial Times, June 15, 2021
But according to its own statistics and the IMF, China is one of the most unequal places on earth, with far worse inequality than most capitalist societies.
…
In reality, the last ruling Communist party of a major country has morphed into a conservative reactionary party bent on preserving the power of state capitalist elites and advancing a distinctly 19th century form of ethno-nationalist imperialism.
Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Democracy: A Journal of Ideas, June 2021
72. Joe Biden Worries that China Might Win
Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, June 9, 2021
73. Rising China hovers over G-7 summit
Tom Tugendhat, Politico China Watcher, June 10, 2021
74. G7 summit reveals a consensus emerging on challenging President Xi of China
Lord Owen, Times of London, June 15, 2021
75. Biden must get tough on China's forced-labor industries, including solar
Emily de la Bruyere and Nathan Picarsic, The Hill, June 10, 2021
76. To compete with China, Washington must fix its own dysfunction
Josh Rogin, Washington Post, June 3, 2021