China Articles - May 16, 2021
Friends,
I’m pleased to bring you this week’s collection of articles and reports on the malign activities of the Chinese Communist Party.
First on the list this week is a video of an event at the United Nations sponsored by 18 countries which denounced the PRC’s crimes against Uyghur and other Turkic Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. This isn’t the first time that countries have gotten together to shine a light on Beijing’s treatment of their Uyghur citizens (for example this event in July 2019, this event in October 2019 or this one in March 2020). In a related article, Wayne Ma in The Information revealed that multiple suppliers for Apple use forced labor from Xinjiang with factories and industrial parks established within detention compounds.
Also, the International Federation of Journalists released a report on Beijing’s use of global media during the pandemic to boost its image across developing countries (#4). Their report finds:
As the pandemic started to spread, Beijing used its media infrastructure globally to seed positive narratives about China in national media, as well as mobilising more novel tactics such as disinformation. Beijing appears to be stepping up its news offerings, providing domestic and international content tailored for each country in non-Anglophone languages. At the same time, Beijing has weaponized foreign journalist visas, forcing resident journalists out of China. The vacuum in coverage is increasingly being filled by state-approved content, which is sometimes offered for free, to these countries.
Thanks for reading!
Matt
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MUST READ/WATCH
1. VIDEO — High-level virtual event on the situation of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
United Nations, May 12, 2021
2. The Party on the Inside: The CCP and Chinese Companies
Nicholas Borst, The Wire China, May 9, 2021
3. China increases spending 500% to influence America
Lachlan Markay, Axios, May 11, 2021
4. The COVID-19 Story: Unmasking China’s Global Strategy
Louisa Lim, Julia Bergin, and Johan Lidberg, International Federation of Journalists, May 12, 2021
5. Seven Apple Suppliers Accused of Using Forced Labor from Xinjiang
Wayne Ma, The Information, May 10, 2021
Authoritarianism
6. AUDIO — Decoding China's Diplomacy Discourse: A Conversation with Malin Oud
Bonnie Glaser, Center for Strategic and International Studies, April 16, 2021
7. Bloomberg forum moves back to Singapore amid concerns over press treatment in China
Reuters, May 6, 2021
8. Inquiry into Early Covid-19 Response Finds WHO Delays but Spares China
Drew Hinshaw and Betsy McKay, Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2021
9. Meituan shares slide after chief posts ancient poem
Ryan McMorrow, Financial Times, May 10, 2021
10. How a Sexual-Harassment Suit May Test the Reach of #MeToo in China
Han Zhang, The New Yorker, May 12, 2021
11. China deletes 2 million online posts for ‘historical nihilism’ as Communist Party centenary nears
Jun Mai, South China Morning Post, May 11, 2021
Marcel Schliebs, Hannah Bailey, Jonathan Bright, and Philip N. Howard, Oxford Internet Institute, May 11, 2021
13. Huawei CEO tells staff to keep fewer records, write shorter memos
Eva Dou, Washington Post, May 10, 2021
14. Corruption in China: Worse Under Xi Jinping
Massimo Introvigne, Bitter Winter, May 11, 2021
15. China’s ‘wolf warrior’ diplomats like to talk tough
Yaoyao Dai and Luwei Rose Luqiu, Washington Post, May 12, 2021
16. China to restrict mobile app news notifications in internet clampdown
Reuters, May 12, 2021
17. Thousands in China join mother’s call for transparency over son’s death at school
William Zheng, South China Morning Post, May 11, 2021
Environmental Harms
18. China’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Exceeded the Developed World for the First Time in 2019
Kate Larsen, Hannah Pitt, Mikhail Grant, Trevor Hauser, Rhodium Group, May 6, 2021
19. Reducing the forest footprint of Chinese soft-commodity financing
Ward Warmerdam and Tom Picken, Dialogo Chino, May 12, 2021
20. Is China's Belt and Road Really ‘Green’?
Polygraph.info, April 23, 2021
21. The potential climate consequences of China’s Belt and Roads Initiative
Jan Ellen Spiegel, Yale Climate Connections, February 17, 2020
Foreign Interference and Coercion
22. Bangladesh rebuffs China on Quad warning
Ananth Krishnan, The Hindu, May 12, 2021
23. Japan’s Muji Appeals to China by Advertising Use of Xinjiang Cotton
Megumi Fujikawa, Wall Street Journal, May 18, 2021
24. Taiwan fights to attend WHO meeting, but China says no
Reuters, May 10, 2021
25. Biden Team Likely to Proceed With Trump China Investment Ban
Saleha Mohsin and Jennifer Jacobs, Bloomberg, May 6, 2021
26. China Threatens Retaliation Against Ericsson if Sweden Doesn’t Drop Huawei 5G Ban
Stu Woo, Wall Street Journal, May 12, 2021
27. When Covid Hit, China Was Ready to Tell Its Version of the Story
Ben Smith, New York Times, May 9, 2021
28. China tries to scupper UN talk on plight of Uyghurs
The Guardian, May 8, 2021
29. University plays down links to China rocket firm
Mark Macaskill, Times of London, March 9, 2021
30. Germany slams Hungary for blocking EU criticism of China on Hong Kong
Hans von der Burchard and Jacopo Barigazzi, Politico, May 10, 2021
31. Adam Silver Can’t Explain Away the NBA’s Cozy Relationship with China
Isaac Schorr, National Review, May 4, 2021
Human Rights and Religious Persecution
32. U.S., UK, Germany clash with China at U.N. over Xinjiang
Michelle Nichols, Reuters, May 12, 2021
33. UN: Governments Should Urge Xinjiang Inquiry
Human Rights Watch, May 12, 2021
34. Hong Kong court jails three on riot charges despite no evidence of rioting
Helen Davidson, The Guardian, May 6, 2021
35. How China turned a prize-winning iPhone hack against the Uyghurs
Patrick Howell O’Neill, MIT Technology Review, May 6, 2021
36. Ramadan in China: Faithful dwindle under limits on religion
Ken Moritsugu and Dake Kang, The Diplomat, May 7, 2021
37. Chinese activists who posted censored Covid-19 articles face court
Linda Lew and Amber Wang, South China Morning Post, May 11, 2021
38. Leading House Churches Targeted in China
Qi Junzao, Bitter Winter, May 10, 2021
39. A Uyghur Daughter, and Journalist
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, May 4, 2021
40. China Targets Muslim Women in Push to Suppress Births in Xinjiang
Amy Qin, New York Times, May 10, 2021
41. VIDEO — Ms. Tursunay Ziyawudun’s Opening Remarks to Foreign Affairs Committee
House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans, May 6, 2021
42. US accuses China of operating ‘open-air prison’ in Xinjiang
Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times, May 12, 2021
43. Kerry: US weighs sanctions on China solar over forced labor
Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press, May 11, 2021
Industrial Policies and Economic Espionage
44. Airbus Sees China Muscling in on Rivalry With Boeing by 2030
Charlotte Ryan, Bloomberg, May 6, 2021
45. China’s provinces fall deeper into local government debt mire, study finds
He Huifeng, South China Morning Post, May 9, 2021
46. Chinese Manufacturers Sidestep Trade Barriers by Buying Factories Overseas
Matthew Dalton, Wall Street Journal, May 6, 2021
47. US-China tech war helps drive Taiwanese semiconductor investment in mainland, despite tensions
Karen Yeung, South China Morning Post, May 12, 2021
Cyber and Information Technology
48. UK spies warn local authorities over ‘smart city’ tech risks
Helen Warrell and Nic Fildes, Financial Times, May 6, 2021
49. China Targets ‘Chaotic’ Online Fan Groups to Tame Teen Culture
Yuan Ye and Liu Mengqiu, Sixth Tone, May 10, 2021
50. UK accuses Russia and China of using cyberattacks to ‘ransack’ West
Cristina Gallardo, Politico, May 12, 2021
51. China swoops on London-listed lithium miner
Alan Tovey, The Telegraph, May 6, 2021
Military and Security Threats
52. China Is Planning An Airbase On America’s Doorstep
Caleb Larson, 19FortyFive, May 6, 2021
53. Great Power Competition in the Final Frontier: How to Keep the Peace in Space
Kevin O’Connell and Alexander William Salter, National Review, May 4, 2021
54. China Is Building Entire Villages in Another Country’s Territory
Robert Barnett, Foreign Policy, May 7, 2021
55. China and Iran: Resurging Defense Cooperation?
Hiddai Segev, Institute for National Security Studies, May 10, 2021
Elena Yi-Ching Ho and Malcolm Davis, Australian Strategic Policy Institute
57. China Says Debris from Its Rocket Landed Near Maldives
Steven Lee Myers and Kenneth Chang, New York Times, May 8, 2021
58. Biden Looks for Defense Hotline with China
Jack Detsch, Foreign Policy, May 10, 2021
59. Philippines flags 'incursions' by nearly 300 Chinese militia boats
Reuters, May 12, 2021
One Belt, One Road Strategy
60. Chinese engagement in the Dominican Republic: An update
Evan Ellis, Global Americans, May 7, 2021
61. Authoritarian states are using COVID vaccines to subvert democracy
Ken Schieves and Ryan Arick, Nikkei Asia, May 8, 2021
62. Chinese jabs dominate Latin American vaccination campaigns
Michael, Bryan Harris, Michael Pooler, Gideon Long, Benedict Mander, and Jude Webber, Financial Times, May 9, 2021
Opinion Pieces
63. ‘Chaos Under Heaven’ Review: How to Ride a Wild Dragon
Dan Blumenthal, Wall Street Journal, May 11, 2021
64. Why China Wants the Spratlys
Phillip Orchard, Geopolitical Futures, May 10, 2021
65. China wants the world to know that resistance to its rise is futile
The Economist, May 8, 2021
66. The Long Arm of the Strongman
Christopher Walker and Jessica Ludwig, Foreign Policy, May 12, 2021
67. The Limits to US-China Climate Cooperation
Minxin Pei, Project Syndicate, May 6, 2021
68. The China model: why is the West imitating Beijing?
Niall Ferguson, The Spectator, May 8, 2021
Jimmy Quinn, National Review