China Articles - May 15, 2022
Friends,
The first article this week, Peter Hessler’s essay in The New Yorker, deserves your attention. His account of censorship and the disintegration of intellectual inquiry while teaching at Sichuan University is haunting. It gives you a sense of how oppressive life is under the Party’s surveillance-enabled thumb and how resourceful and resilient his Chinese students are.
I was particularly struck by this line of his: “The Party had created a climate so intense that the political became physical.”
It’s a long piece, so I’ll let you get to it.
Thanks for reading!
Matt
Must Read
1. A Teacher in China Learns the Limits of Free Expression
Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, May 9, 2022
At Chinese universities, when a student reports a professor for political wrongdoing, the verb that’s used to describe this action is jubao (to report or denounce). It happens rarely, but the possibility is always there, because potential infractions are both undefined and extremely varied. A student might jubao a teacher for a comment about a sensitive historical event, or a remark that seems to contradict a Communist Party policy. Ambiguous statements about Xi Jinping, the President of China, are especially risky.
2. China unveils its vision of a global security order
The Economist, May 5, 2022
On April 21st, Xi presented a new “Global Security Initiative” to the Boao Forum for Asia. In his speech he sought to further to delegitimize collective security frameworks by calling for a security order that is “common, comprehensive, co-operative and sustainable” and declares humanity “an indivisible security community.”
Governments from Europe to Japan and Australia should take it seriously, for it is the PRC’s latest bid to divide and conquer.
3. Inside China’s Zero-Covid Fortress, Xi Admits No Doubts
Chris Buckley, New York Times, May 1, 2022
The outbreaks in Shanghai, Beijing and other cities are testing Xi’s acumen and authority before the Communist Party Congress late this year. While he is nearly certain to win a groundbreaking third term as party general secretary, Xi also wants to ensure the leadership is dominated by officials who will defend him and enforce his agenda. To secure that outcome, Xi wants to demonstrate serene political mastery, and until lately, the zero-Covid strategy has been a signature achievement: an effective, if expensive, and generally popular vow that China would avoid mass sickness and deaths… Now there is no easy way out of that fortress.
Xi’s leadership has been so invested in showing that China could handle its own pandemic needs that the government held off from introducing mRNA vaccines developed abroad, which are generally more effective than the PRC’s homegrown vaccines.
4. The Lessons Taiwan Is Learning from Ukraine
Chris Horton, The Atlantic, May 7, 2022
Russia’s invasion on the other side of the world has spurred ordinary Taiwanese to take practical steps to guard against similar action by Beijing.
5. People’s Republic of China Efforts to Amplify the Kremlin’s Voice on Ukraine
U.S. Department of State, May 2, 2022
Government officials and state and party media from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) routinely amplify Kremlin propaganda, conspiracy theories, and disinformation. This amplification rationalizes President Putin’s unjustified and unprovoked war against Ukraine while undermining trust in the United States and other countries, democratic institutions, and independent media.
Using social media platforms banned within the PRC, PRC and CCP media and PRC “wolf warrior” diplomats convey biased Kremlin talking points to audiences in multiple languages and regions across the world. Meanwhile, within the PRC, CCP and state-backed entities censor credible reporting on Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine while blaming NATO and the United States for Putin’s brutal war of choice.
The “pro-Russia neutrality” of PRC officials avoids explicit public endorsement or condemnation of Russia’s invasion of and conduct in Ukraine, and continues to insist Beijing is a neutral stakeholder that respects the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.” However, PRC and CCP media and officials’ further uncritical amplification of Moscow’s messaging demonstrates Beijing’s support for Russia.
PRC TOOLBOX TO INFLUENCE PUBLIC OPINION ON UKRAINE:
PRC and CCP media present unverified information and claims sourced from Russia’s state-run media and officials. In a feedback loop, Russia’s state-run media then cite PRC and CCP media to portray Russia’s position as widely supported.
PRC and CCP media favorably cover Russia’s false narratives, while heavily censoring and editing U.S. and other officials from democratic countries and independent media, as well as critical voices from within the PRC, regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine and atrocities committed by Russia’s forces.
PRC “wolf warrior” diplomats boost Kremlin narratives by amplifying and reposting content from fringe media outlets and anti-NATO and anti-U.S. influencers who align with Beijing’s narratives. Frequently, this content appears in PRC, CCP, and Kremlin propaganda.
TIMELINE OF PRC SUPPORT FOR RUSSIAN DENIALISM & BLAME-SHIFTING ONTO THE WEST:
FEBRUARY 2022 – PRC SUPPORT IN THE LEAD UP TO AND INITIAL FRAMING OF RUSSIA’S INVASION: Just prior to Russia’s February 24, 2022, full-scale invasion of Ukraine, PRC and CCP media and officials labeled U.S. and other reports of Russia’s imminent invasion a failed “disinformation” campaign and “information terrorism”– echoing Russian Federation Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s earlier statements. PRC and CCP media and officials have since conspicuously refused to call Russia’s unprovoked further invasion of Ukraine a “war,” instead calling it a “crisis” or using the Kremlin’s official term “special military operation,” while primarily using the word “invasion” in “whataboutism” rhetoric aimed at redirecting outrage at the West, NATO, and the United States.
MARCH 2022 – HEAVY AMPLIFICATION OF KREMLIN MESSAGING REGARDING U.S.-SPONSORED BIOLABS IN UKRAINE: On March 8, PRC MFA Spokesperson Zhao Lijian began amplifying Russia’s debunked disinformation alleging the United States sponsored biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine, including direct amplification of disinformation pushed by Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, a frequent contributor to U.S.-sanctioned pro-Kremlin outlets South Front and News Front. These fabricated accusations build on years of previous opportunistic messaging both by Russia and the PRC. According to a GEC research partner, PRC amplification of disinformation surrounding U.S. bioweapon laboratories in Ukraine ultimately became one of the PRC’s largest disinformation campaigns since 2018, with messaging targeting audiences in multiple languages and regions around the world.
APRIL 2022 – DENYING KREMLIN RESPONSIBILITY FOR ATROCITIES IN BUCHA: After Ukraine accused Russia of war crimes against civilians in Bucha, near Kyiv, PRC authorities suppressed discussion of the topic within the PRC and officials called for an investigation without acknowledging evidence that discredits Russia’s denialism. On April 3, Russia’s MFA and MoD claimed the “footage from Bucha [is]… a staged provocation by the [Kyiv] regime.” In the days following Russia’s statement, PRC state and party-backed media amplified Russia’s conspiracies that the United States and Ukraine may have fabricated evidence of the atrocities, even as PRC officials called for “all sides” to refrain from “politicization” and “unfounded accusations.”
APRIL 2022– DEFLECTING BLAME FROM KREMLIN FOR KRAMATORSK BOMBING: PRC officials and state media avoided reporting facts that would indicate Russia’s responsibility for attacks against civilian targets even when, on April 8, a Tochka-U ballistic missile struck the main railway station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, killing more than 50 people, including five children, and injuring hundreds. The Russian MFA denied responsibility for the strike, saying only Ukraine was known to use the missile in question, despite evidence that Russia has previously deployed these weapons. As with Bucha, PRC officials responded to the Kramatorsk bombing by calling for a full investigation and for “all sides” to refrain from “politicization” and “unfounded accusations.” PRC media and Consul General in Osaka, Japan, Xue Jian, went so far as to repost the Russian conspiracy theory that Ukraine is responsible for bombing its own civilians in Kramatorsk.
For additional information about PRC and CCP efforts to amplify the Kremlin’s disinformation, you can visit: New York Times, The Atlantic, The Diplomat, the BBC, the Alliance for Securing Democracy, and DoubleThink Lab.
6. Rebooting Europe’s China Strategy
Ian Bond, Francois Godement, Hanns W. Maull, Volker Stanzel, Institut Montaigne, May 2022
Europe’s leading foreign policy experts provide a roadmap for reforming Europe’s China Strategy given that “systemic rivalry” now forms the core of the EU-PRC relationship.
Authoritarianism
7. China will boost Russia ties in military tech and energy, top envoy says
Laura Zhou, South China Morning Post, May 9, 2022
The PRC’s Ambassador to Russia pledges strengthen cooperation between the two countries “to solve the difficulties caused by sanctions in trade settlement and logistics.”
8. Xi Moves to Silence Covid Zero Critics in Sign of Brewing Tumult
Bloomberg, May 5, 2022
China’s top leaders warned against questioning Xi Jinping’s Covid Zero strategy, striking a more defensive tone as pressure builds to relax virus curbs and protect the economic growth that has long been a source of Communist Party strength.
The Politburo’s supreme seven-member Standing Committee pledged Thursday during a meeting led by Xi to “fight against any speech that distorts, questions or rejects our country’s Covid-control policy,” state broadcaster China Central Television said. The body reaffirmed its support for the lockdown-dependent approach, noting that China has been continuously calibrating measures since the first outbreak two years ago in Wuhan.
9. Chinese Social Media Giants Launch New Campaign Against "Historical Nihilism"
Joseph Brouwer, China Digital Times, April 29, 2022
10. China is now openly preparing its people for a major war
Jonathan Saxty, Express, May 3, 2022
11. Developing Online Media Control
China Media Project, May 3, 2022
The 2021 China Online Media Development Report, released by the State Information Center last week, offers an interesting glimpse into CCP thinking on both the transformation of Party-led media and the operationalizing of private online platforms in the digital era.
12. Workers at Apple China Plant Clash with Guards Over Lockdowns
Yahoo News, May 6, 2022
The Shanghai factory, which is owned by Taiwan’s Quanta Computer Inc. and makes devices for Apple Inc. among others, has been operating under tight restrictions since the beginning of April. In a video shared on Twitter and YouTube, workers rushed through barriers and tangled with guards in white protective gear who tried to keep them inside.
Quanta employees confirmed the clash occurred Thursday evening, while the company did not immediately provide comment. One worker said that people are worried about further tightening because there are positive Covid cases on the campus. The government is taking a central role in managing the plant’s operations, said another employee on-site.
13. In China, if You’ve Got Mail, It Might Arrive With a Whiff of Sanitizer and a Covid-19 Test
Wenxin Fan, Wall Street Journal, May 6, 2022
14. As Beijing battles outbreak, China warns 'zero COVID' doubters
Eduardo Baptista, David Stanway, Reuters, May 6, 2022
15. Beijing nervously returns to work as China doubles down on 'zero-COVID' policy
Eduardo Baptista, Andrew Galbraith, Reuters, May 5, 2022
16. China to fight comments, actions denying its COVID response policy -state media
Reuters, May 5, 2022
17. Why the Chinese government has embraced morality councils
The Economist, May 7, 2022
18. China’s young elite are considering moving abroad
The Economist, May 5, 2022
19. China’s Doomed Fight Against Demographic Decline
Foreign Affairs, May 4, 2022
20. World Press Freedom Day: Hong Kong nosedives in press freedom ranking – below Cambodia, Somalia, Sri Lanka
AFP, Hong Kong Free Press, May 2, 2022
21. Has Shanghai Been Xinjianged?
Li Yuan, New York Times, May 6, 2022
Shanghai used to be the glamorous China, while Xinjiang was the dark China. Now both are casualties of authoritarian excess.
Shanghai and Xinjiang used to be the two sides of the China coin.
Shanghai was the glamorous China, with skyscrapers, Art Deco apartments and a thriving middle class that shopped in Paris and strolled around Kyoto, Japan.
Xinjiang was the dark China. The western frontier region, which is twice the size of Texas, is home to more than 10 million Muslim ethnic minorities who have been subject to mass detentions, religious repression and intrusive digital and physical surveillance.
Since April, the 25 million residents of Shanghai have gotten a small taste of the Xinjiang treatment in a strict citywide lockdown. They have been lining up for rounds of Covid-19 tests to prove they are virus-free, a pandemic corollary to Uyghurs lining up at checkpoints to prove they don’t pose any security threat.
The political slogans in the government’s zero-Covid campaign echo those in the Xinjiang crackdowns. Residents in both places are subject to social control and surveillance. Instead of re-education camps in Xinjiang, about half a million Shanghai residents who tested positive were sent to quarantine camps.
22. In a One-Man Race in Hong Kong, China Is Guaranteed to Win
Alexandra Stevenson, Austin Ramzy, New York Times, May 6, 2022
23. China’s Covid Policies Have European Companies Wary of Investing
Keith Bradsher, New York Times, May 5, 2022
24. ‘I’m Very Anxious’: China’s Lockdowns Leave Millions Out of Work
Vivian Wang, New York Times, May 5, 2022
25. Hong Kong tanks to 148th in press freedom as Beijing tightens grip
Takeshi Kihara, Nikkei Asia, May 4, 2022
26. Chinese-American author credits deleted from Zhang Yimou movie based on her novel
Radio Free Asia, May 5, 2022
27. China's COVID-19 lockdowns are a symptom of deeper problems
American Enterprise Institute, May 2, 2022
Environmental Harms
28. China’s Green Belt and Road Push Leaves Plenty of Grey Areas
Japan Times, May 10, 2022
Since China launched the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, the project has been criticized for funding polluting activities overseas. Recently President Xi Jinping pledged to stop supporting foreign coal projects. In the past months, the government has released documents laying out how it plans to make the BRI more environmentally friendly saying there must be “clear progress towards a green BRI.”
However, aside from this signaling, the BRI still lacks strict regulations and effective mechanisms to prevent the worsening of climate change, and China has not clarified penalties for continued financing of coal overseas, shielding information on the BRI.
29. China's Iranian oil imports ease on poor margins, lure of Russian oil
Chen Aizhu, Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, Reuters, May 9, 2022
Foreign Interference and Coercion
30. Sony Refused to Censor ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ For China, Sacrificing Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars
The Daily Wire, Megan Basham, May 6, 2022
Major movie studios censoring or altering content to appease China has been one of the biggest stories in Tinseltown for several years now. A new report, however, reveals that at least one entertainment company wasn’t willing to play that game.
Multiple unnamed sources told the Hollywood trade publication, Puck, that Sony Pictures refused to make changes to its 2021 blockbuster “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in order to secure a release in the Middle Kingdom.
According to the outlet, “Chinese regulators” (China’s National Film Administration answers to the Chinese Communist Party) were bothered by “patriotic” scenes in the movie’s climactic action sequence at the Statue of Liberty. The CCP asked Sony to cut shots that clearly showed Peter Parker and his squad of good guys battling villains on top of Lady Liberty. When the Japanese-owned company rebuffed that request, censors then asked producers to minimize the statue or darken scenes that included it so it would be less noticeable.
Once again, Sony said no. As a result, China banned the film.
31. China meets banks to discuss protecting assets from US sanctions
Sun Yu, Financial Times, April 30, 2022
32. Debate sparks over China's interest in Australian election
Rod McGuirk, Associated Press, May 5, 2022
Australia’s defense policy debate heated up when the defense minister said there was evidence that the Chinese Communist Party wanted Australia’s government to change at the May 21 election because a center-left Labor Party administration would attempt to appease Beijing.
Defense Minister Peter Dutton said Thursday the evidence included communication on the Chinese social media platform WeChat and how editors of Chinese-language newspapers in Australia had been pressured.
There were also “other elements, obviously, that I can’t go into publicly,” Dutton said in an apparent reference to classified security briefings.
Dutton made his allegation of a Chinese preference for Labor in answer to a reporter’s question during a defense policy debate at the National Press Club with opposition defense spokesperson Brendan O’Connor.
33. China’s US ambassador decries ‘political virus’ hurting economic ties
Wendy Wu, Frank Tang, South China Morning Post, May 6, 2022
34. China's vaccine diplomacy spoiled by omicron variant
Shin Watanabe and Kentaro Takeda, Nikkei Asia, May 8, 2022
35. Biden Accuses China Trying to Meddle with Competition Bill
Jenny Leonard, Bloomberg, May 3, 2022
36. 'Pretty Gross': How a Network of Retired Lawmakers Boosts CCP Influence in Washington
Chuck Ross, Washington Free Beacon, May 6, 2022
As Beltway institutions cut ties with Chinese Communist Party front groups, a group of former congressmen has kept a close relationship with a think tank that oversees Beijing’s foreign influence efforts.
The Association of Former Members of Congress, a networking hub for former lawmakers, has hosted multiple events since 2020 for the China-United States Exchange Foundation, the CCP’s leading foreign influence think tank. The Exchange Foundation sponsors the association’s annual awards gala, which will be held next month, and it has worked hand-in-glove with the Exchange Foundation’s lobbyist to host policy events where pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong have been blamed on "foreign forces" and the United States has been accused of directing "vitriol" toward China.
37. China hits out at Japanese PM’s five-nation ‘confrontation’ tour
Shi Jiangtao, South China Morning Post, May 6, 2022
38. China Should Lead Zambia’s Debt Talks, Minister Says
Matthew Hill, Taonga Clifford Mitimingi, Bloomberg News, May 7, 2022
China should head the creditors committee being formed to renegotiate Zambia’s foreign debt because that will help accelerate the resolution process, the southern African country’s finance minister said.
The Asian nation, whose lenders account for more than one-third of Zambia’s total external public liabilities of about $17.3 billion, in April indicated that it would join the official creditors committee, breathing life to a process that had stalled.
Human Rights and Religious Persecution
39. U.S. ambassador to UN vows to raise Uyghur's case with China
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, Axios, May 3, 2022
40. Hong Kong’s axed Human Rights Press Awards to be hosted by Arizona State University from 2023
Almond Li, Hong Kong Free Press, May 3, 2022
41. China razes Kashgar’s iconic Grand Bazaar
Radio Free Asia, May 6, 2022
42. Hong Kong ex-opposition lawmaker Fernando Cheung migrates to Canada
Lilian Cheng, South China Morning Post, May 4, 2022
Industrial Policies and Economic Espionage
43. China Orders Government, State Firms to Dump Foreign PCs
Bloomberg News, May 6, 2022
China has ordered central government agencies and state-backed corporations to replace foreign-branded personal computers with domestic alternatives within two years, marking one of Beijing’s most aggressive efforts so far to eradicate key overseas technology from within its most sensitive organs.
44. Pentagon’s China Warning Prompts Calls to Vet U.S. Funding of Startups
Kate O’Keeffe, Wall Street Journal, May 8, 2022
45. US to probe claims that top Chinese chipmaker violated ban on Huawei
Kathrin Hille, Financial Times, April 27, 2022
46. Two firms quit auditing China’s developers amid Covid-19 controls
Cheryl Arcibal, South China Morning Post, April 30, 2022
47. SEC adds more than 80 Chinese firms to list liable under auditing law
Bloomberg, South China Morning Post, May 5, 2022
48. Russia’s lost alumina supply from Ukraine is now coming from China
Mary Hui, Quartz, May 5, 2022
China’s alumina exports to Russia have skyrocketed since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out.
That may bring Moscow a degree of relief. Russia’s two key suppliers of the metal, Ukraine and Australia, have halted shipments, knocking out a big chunk of Russian alumina imports. Russia needs alumina, also known as aluminum oxide, to make aluminum. Aluminum is a crucial component in everything from soda cans to automobiles to military products.
China’s increased exports will help Russia plug this significant hole in alumina supplies. In March, Russia bought 9,950 metric tons of alumina from China, according to Chinese customs data. That’s nearly 10 times more than what it purchased in the same period a year earlier. And China’s first-quarter exports of alumina to Russia are nearly six times the volume of all of 2021.
49. Hikvision shares plunge again after report of potential new sanctions
Yaling Jiang, South China Morning Post, May 6, 2022
50. U.S. Threat to Sanction Hikvision Shows China Ties Near a Tipping Point
Bloomberg News, May 6, 2022
The fate of a Chinese technology giant at risk of unprecedented U.S. sanctions will show whether the Biden administration intends to significantly ramp up tensions with the world’s second-biggest economy.
The U.S. is weighing whether to add Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., which makes cameras and surveillance systems, to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, according to people familiar with the situation. The company’s shares tumbled by the 10% daily limit on Thursday on news of the potential sanctions tied to alleged human-rights violations by China against mostly Muslim minorities in its far-Western region of Xinjiang. They fell again on Friday by as much as 10%.
51. China’s EV darling Nio turns to Hong Kong and Singapore amid US delisting risk
Techcrunch, May 5, 2022
52. Selloff shows China’s lack of investment traction
Jennifer Hughes, Reuters, May 6, 2022
53. Running on hope, China markets want action, not more policy pledges
Tom Westbrook, Reuters, May 5, 2022
54. Beijing orders ‘stress test’ as fears of Russia-style sanctions mount
Vincent Ni, The Guardian, May 4, 2022
55. China’s Covid Policy Will “Exact A Very High Cost on the Economy”
Russell Flannery, Forbes, May 9, 2022
56. USTR Tai says China tariff review will have 'robust' industry consultations
Steve Scherer, David Lawder, Reuters, May 5, 2022
57. China's central bank pledges to step up policy support for slowing economy
Reuters, May 9, 2022
58. China’s Economic Troubles Won’t Stay at Home
Jacky Wong, Wall Street Journal, May 6, 2022
China’s slowdown—the worst since the early days of the pandemic—risks spilling over its borders. Its neighbors in Asia look particularly vulnerable.
The country’s economic outlook has darkened rapidly as it grapples with Covid-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and other cities on top of continuing woes in the all-important housing market. In April China’s purchasing managers index sank to its lowest level since early 2020 as both manufacturing and services took a hit from pandemic restrictions. But the country’s top leaders are sticking to their “dynamic zero-Covid” strategy, according to a meeting memo released Thursday.
The plunge in domestic demand will hurt exporters to China, and lockdowns could disrupt supplies to manufacturers in other countries, particularly in Asia.
59. Chinese hackers cast wide net for trade secrets in US, Europe and Asia, researchers say
Sean Lyngaas, CNN, May 4, 2022
60. China’s erratic policies are terrifying investors
The Economist, May 7, 2022
61. Foreign business urges China to change course on Covid
Laura He, CNN, May 9, 2022
62. China faces 'complex and grave' job market, warns Premier Li
Laura He, CNN, May 9, 2022
Cyber & Information Technology
63. SEC warns 80 more Chinese companies of impending U.S. delisting
Nikkei Asia, May 5, 2022
64. China’s Biomedical Data Hacking Threat: Applying Big Data Isn’t as Easy as It Seems
Kathleen Vogel, Sonia Ben Ouagrham-Gormley, Texas National Security Review, April 2022
Concerns have developed in recent years about the acquisition of U.S. biomedical information by Chinese individuals and the Chinese government and how this creates security and economic threats to the United States. And yet, China’s illicit acquisition of data is only one aspect of what is required to produce an enhanced science and technology capability that would pose a security threat. Current assessments fail to account for the heterogeneity of big data and the challenges that any actor (state or nonstate) faces in making sense of this data and using it.
In this context, current law enforcement and policies that focus on the Chinese acquisition of biomedical big data should expand to other important aspects of China’s science and technology capabilities, including the country’s ability to interpret, integrate, and use the acquired data for its economic or military benefit. This article provides new socio-technical frameworks that can be used to provide greater insights into Chinese threats involving biomedical big data.
65. Preserving the Chokepoints
Andre Barbe Will Hunt, Center for Security and Emerging Technology, May 5, 2022
66. TikTok’s Work Culture: Anxiety, Secrecy and Relentless Pressure
Georgia Wells, Yoree Koh, Salvador Rodriguez, Wall Street Journal, May 6, 2022
Military and Security Threats
67. EU and Japan to forge united front against China and Russia at summit
Finbarr Bermingham, South China Morning Post, May 9, 2022
68. Stealth fighters at PLA naval base spark talk of fourth aircraft carrier
Minnie Chan, South China Morning Post, May 1, 2022
69. China wants to increase its military presence abroad
The Economist, May 5, 2022
70. How the West should respond to China’s search for foreign outposts
The Economist, May 7, 2022
71. Ukraine plight could be replicated in East Asia, Japan's Kishida warns
Reuters, May 6, 2022
72. Taiwan jets scramble as China air force enters air defence zone
Reuters, May 6, 2022
73. How Chinese loans help fuel African military spending
Jevans Nyabiage, South China Morning Post, May 9, 2022
74. Japan, U.K. agree on defense pact amid China's rise in Indo-Pacific
Nikkei Asia, May 6, 2022
75. U.S. Presses Taiwan to Buy Weapons More Suited to Win Against China
Edward Wong and Amy Qin, New York Times, May 7, 2022
76. Testing Taiwan
Jordyn Haime, The Wire China, May 8, 2022
77. Does the China-Solomon Islands security pact portend a more interventionist Beijing?
Patricia M. Kim, Brookings Institution, May 6, 2022
One Belt, One Road Strategy
78. China calls for 'resolute' action from Pakistan against terror attacks on Chinese nationals
Jack Lau, South China Morning Post, May 12, 2022
Opinion Pieces
79. TikTok May Be More Dangerous Than It Looks
Ezra Klein, New York Times, May 8, 2022
80. Central Asia Could Be the Key to Driving a Wedge Between Russia and China
Ian Morris, Time, May 12, 2022
81. Triumphalism returns to haunt Xi Jinping
Gideon Rachman, Financial Times, May 2, 2022
82. ‘We are now living in a totally new era’ — Henry Kissinger
Edward Luce, Financial Times, May 9, 2022
83. Good U.S.-China Strategic Competition
Michael Spence, The Wire China, May 8, 2022
84. Deter China by Turning Taiwan into a Porcupine
Phil Gramm and Roger Wicker, Wall Street Journal, May 4, 2022
85. Putin’s Information War Is Far From Over
Serge Schmemann, New York Times, May 5, 2022
86. China’s Tech Companies Get a Reprieve, not a Pardon
Tim Culpan, Bloomberg, May 3, 2022