China Articles - June 6, 2021
Friends,
I’m pleased to bring you another installment of articles and reports on the malign activities of the Chinese Communist Party.
Today marks the 77th Anniversary of D-Day and the start of Operation Overlord.
There is one additional piece I recommend for the “Must Read” category, the OpEd by the Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board titled “All the WHO’s Dictators” (#63). While Beijing has been successful yet again at preventing Taiwan from attending the World Health Assembly, while Syria and Belarus were elected to leadership positions.
Thanks for reading!
Matt
MUST READ
1. The Myth of Authoritarian Superiority: China’s Response to Covid-19 Revisited
Yanzhong Huang, China Leadership Monitor, June 1, 2021
2. BOOK REVIEW - Identity Politics with Chinese Characteristics
Review of Bill Hayton’s “The Invention of China” (2020)
Odd Arne Westad, Foreign Affairs, June 1, 2021
3. Education in China is becoming increasingly unfair to the poor
The Economist, May 27, 2021
4. VIDEO — Voices of Uyghur camp survivors: a conversation with Gülbahar Jalilova
International Service for Human Rights, May 25, 2021
5. Friends Don't Let Friends Become Chinese Billionaires
Ray Kwong, Forbes, July 25, 2011
An article from a decade ago, but one that is well worth remembering: between 2003 and 2011, 72 billionaires from the People’s Republic of China died unnatural deaths (15 murdered, 17 committed suicide, 7 from accidents, 19 from illnesses and 14 were executed).
Authoritarianism
6. RTHK: How authorities cracked down on Hong Kong's only public broadcaster
Grace Tsoi, BBC News, May 26, 2021
7. Hong Kong threatens Lai’s bankers with jail if they deal in his accounts
Greg Torode, James Pomfret, and Sumeet Chatterjee, Reuters, May 26, 2021
8. Belarus Finds a Defense Attorney: China
Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter, May 27, 2021
9. Hong Kong Passes Xi Plan to End Only Open Elections in China
Kari Soo Lindberg and Chloe Lo, Bloomberg, May 27, 2021
10. ‘Friends’ Reunion Is Censored in China, Cutting BTS and Lady Gaga
Paul Mozur, New York Times, May 28, 2021
11. From Protester to Prisoner: How Hong Kong Is Stifling Dissent
Jennifer Jett and Austin Ramzy, New York Times, May 28, 2021
12. Broken Bonds
Katrina Northrop, The Wire China, May 30, 2021
Tom Grundy, Hong Kong Free Press, May 29, 2021
14. Covid: Wuhan lab leak is ‘feasible’, say British spies
Larisa Brown, Times of London, May 30, 2021
15. China Three-Child Policy Aims to Rejuvenate Aging Population
Keith Zhai, Wall Street Journal, May 31, 2021
16. “Take Maternity Leave and You’ll Be Replaced”
Human Rights Watch, June 1, 2021
17. Beijing Is Trolling Biden Over Gaza
Michael Singh, Foreign Policy, May 26, 2021
18. Hong Kong Plans Law to Tie Mobile-Phone Numbers to User’s Identity
Elaine Yu, Wall Street Journal, June 1, 2021
19. Beijing pushes podcast app Ximalaya to list in Hong Kong over US
Naoki Matsuda, Nikkei Asia, June 2, 2021
20. Xi Seeks ‘Lovable’ Image for China in Sign of Diplomatic Rethink
Bloomberg, June 1, 2021
Environmental Harms
Elizabeth Economy, China Leadership Monitor, June 1, 2021
22. South Korean spy drones ready to reel in China’s crab poacher fleet
Richard Lloyd Parry, Times of London, May 27, 2021
23. The $3bn bargain: how China dominates Pacific mining, logging and fishing
Josh Nicholas, The Guardian, May 30, 2021
24. Climate cooperation between China and the West may be a mirage
David Uren, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, June 2, 2021
25. China drives rise in coal-fired power plants
Rachel Millard, The Telegraph, June 2, 2021
Foreign Interference and Coercion
26. Taiwan accuses China of interfering with Covid vaccine deals
Helen Davidson, The Guardian, May 27, 2021
Nicola Smith, The Telegraph, May 29, 2021
28. VIDEO — Dollars VS Decency: Is China taking over New Zealand?
60 Minutes Australia, May 30, 2021
29. Time Magazine Takes Chinese Cash To Promote Controversial Drone Business
Chuck Ross, Washington Free Beacon, June 1, 2021
30. China-backed AIIB leaves door open to lending to Myanmar’s junta
Edward White and John Reed, Financial Times, June 2, 2021
31. Universities fight scrutiny of foreign funding in Senate China bill
Michael Stratford, Politico, May 27, 2021
32. In Plain Sight: Beijing’s unrestricted network of foreign influence in Canada
Alliance Canada Hong Kong, May 31, 2021
33. China says Taiwan's 'scheme to gain independence through vaccines won't succeed'
Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, May 31, 2021
Human Rights and Religious Persecution
34. Australia’s ambassador to China barred from citizen’s spy trial
Christian Shepherd and Jamie Smyth, Financial Times, May 27, 2021
35. US resident sought by China for comments freed in Dubai
Jon Gambrell, Associated Press, May 27, 2021
36. A Christian Congregation Fled Xi Jinping’s China, but Escaping Control Had a Price
Chun Han Wong and Josh Chin, Wall Street Journal, June 2, 2021
37. Chairs Urge NBA Players to End Endorsement Deals with Chinese Forced Labor Companies
Jeff Merkley and James P. McGovern, Congressional Executive Committee on China, June 1, 2021
Industrial Policies and Economic Espionage
38. Threading the Needle: Balancing Security and Development in the 14th Five-Year Plan
Minxin Pei, China Leadership Monitor, June 1, 2021
39. China taps 12 top universities to rival MIT and Stanford in science and technology research
Iris Deng, South China Morning Post, May 27, 2021
Tracy Qu and Celia Chen, South China Morning Post, June 1, 2021
41. Chinese President Xi Jinping seeks to rally country’s scientists for ‘unprecedented’ contest
Coco Feng, South China Morning Post, May 29, 2021
Cyber and Information Technology
42. Polish trial begins in Huawei-linked China espionage case
Alicja Ptak and Justyna Pawlak, Reuters, June 1, 2021
43. The Weaponized Web: The National Security Implications of Data
Lindsay Gorman, Bret Schafer, Clara Tsao, and Dipayan Ghosh, Alliance for Securing Democracy, Harvard Kennedy School for Government, May 26, 2021
Military and Security Threats
44. China could soon outgun the U.S.
Jaqueline Deal, Politico China Watcher, May 27, 2021
45. China promises economic support for sanctions-hit neighbour North Korea
Shi Jiangtao, South China Morning Post, May 28, 2021
46. China’s PLA Upgrades Its Forces Along Disputed Border With India
Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, The Diplomat, May 28, 2021
47. Update: Rapid Construction at Cambodia’s Ream Points to China
Center for Strategic and International Studies, May 21, 2021
Jake Ryan, Daily Mail, May 29, 2021
Jonathan W. Greenert, et al., National Bureau of Asian Research, May 25, 2021
50. Malaysia to summon Chinese envoy over 'suspicious' air force activity
Joseph Sipalan, Reuters, June 2, 2021
Jenni Fink, Newsweek, June 1, 2021
52. U.S. agency not doing its job to halt tech to China's military -congressional report
Karen Freifeld, Reuters, June 1, 2021
One Belt, One Road Strategy
53. Beijing faces scrutiny over clout at Latin American development bank
Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times, May 26, 2021
54. Yang Jiechi’s Overlooked Visits to Slovenia and Croatia
Eleanor Albert, The Diplomat, May 28, 2021
Gonazlo Torrico, América Economía, May 31, 2021 — ORIGINAL IN SPANISH
Joan Tilouine, Le Monde, April 26, 2021 — ORIGINAL IN FRENCH
Opinion Pieces
57. Why does everyone assume that Russia and China are friends?
Isaac Stone Fish, Washington Post, May 26, 2021
58. Eight reasons I think Covid escaped from the lab
Peter Jennings, The Australian, May 28, 2021
59. Advancing a Liberal Digital Order in the Indo-Pacific
Lisa Curtis, Joshua Fitt, and Jacob Stokes, Center for New American Security, May 27, 2021
60. Understanding China Is Getting Harder Every Month
James Thorpe, Foreign Policy, May 27, 2021
61. Hollywood just can’t stop groveling to China
Max Boot, Washington Post, May 31, 2021
62. Wolf Warriors Killed China’s Grand Strategy — and we’ll all come to miss it.
Sulmaan Wasif Khan, Foreign Policy, May 28, 2021
The Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal, June 1, 2021
64. China: Account for Tiananmen Massacre
Human Rights Watch, June 3, 2021