China Articles - November 28, 2021
Friends,
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you were able to spend time with family and friends.
This week’s newsletter of articles and reports on the malign activities of the Chinese Communist Party includes a Chinese Coast Guard attack against a ship resupplying a Philippine island that China illegally claims as its own. Continuing calls for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics, after the IOC President played a walk-on role in Beijing’s theater to cover up the sexual assault allegations of tennis star Peng Shuai against a former member of the CCP’s Politburo Standing Committee.
Also Axios broke the story that Marriott refused to allow the World Uyghur Congress to hold their meeting at the Prague Marriott over concerns of angering the Chinese Communist Party.
Thanks for reading!
Matt
MUST READ
1. Xi’s Confidence Game
Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, November 23, 2021
Since the rise of the Chinese Communist Party, generations of American analysts have misread the trajectory of modern China, vacillating between equally flawed portraits of impending collapse and an unstoppable rise. Recently, the former assessment has is gaining prominence among many China hands yet again, argues Jude Blanchette. Heavy-handed domestic campaigns and increasingly coercive international behavior may appear to be trademarks of a leader struggling to maintain control. In truth, writes Blanchette, Chinese president Xi Jinping is acting with renewed internal strength and is intent on taking advantage of temporary strategic windows on the world stage—but he must contend with significant challenges both at home and abroad. The United States must be clear eyed about the viability of Xi and the CCP while remaining determined to confront Beijing without falling victim to the old fallacies of its inevitable success.
2. Palantir CEO says companies working with U.S. adversaries should justify their position
Samantha Subin, CNBC, November 23, 2021
Technology companies doing business with China or U.S. adversaries need to justify their position, Palantir CEO Alex Karp told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday. “If you want to work in China or in any other country that is adversarial … you should disclose it and defend it,” he said. Apple and many chip companies are among the major U.S. tech firms that continue to operate in China. The comments from Karp come as more tech companies pull out of the country amid harsher internet censorship.
3. U.S. Should Restrict Investment in China Due to Security Concerns, Panel Says
Kate O’Keeffe, Wall Street Journal, November 17, 2021
A commission of security and economic experts convened by Congress recommended that the U.S. take more aggressive steps to dial back commercial ties with China, warning of heightened national security risks. The annual report from the influential U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission called for imposing restrictions on U.S. investment in China and limiting investors’ ability to buy U.S.-listed Chinese stocks.
4. All Over the Map: The Chinese Communist Party’s Subnational Interests in the United States
Emily de La Bruyère and Nathan Picarsic, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, November 15, 2021
While American policymakers are increasingly supportive of adopting a harder line against the Chinese government, Beijing is intent of flexing diplomatic muscle beyond the immediate reach of Washington. A new report published this month by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies highlights the significant influence campaign Beijing is waging in state capitols across the United States. At events including a Sub-National Legislatures Collaboration Forum, Chinese diplomats work to systematically entangle the interests of the CCP with domestic initiatives launched by state governments. The authors argue that we must adopt a rigorous framework to identify and Chinese sub-national influence campaigns, sharing findings broadly throughout state, federal, and local government, while tightening screenings of foreign investment and involvement in United States business affairs.
5. Marriott refused to host Uyghur conference, citing "political neutrality"
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian and Dave Lawler, Axios, November 18, 2021
Approximately 200 delegates of the World Uyghur Congress were to meet at the Prague Marriott Hotel in mid-November to elect new leaders and conduct meetings politicians, academics and civil society representatives. After consulting with corporate management, the hotel’s event manager contacted the organizers and informed that “for reasons of political neutrality, we cannot offer events of this type with a political theme.”
In response, Prague mayor Zdeněk Hřib, who attended the conference, said: "I hear that China is unhappy about this conference being held here in Prague. Well, I am unhappy there's a country in 2021 that has concentration camps."
6. China Coast Guard Ships Fire Water Cannons at Philippine Vessels
John Feng, Newsweek, November 18, 2021
Chinese Coast Guard vessels illegally fired water cannons at boats delivering food supplies to a Philippine island in the South China Sea, Manila said in a statement. The latest maritime clash in the contested waters took place in the early hours of November 16th, when three Chinese Coast Guard vessels "blocked and water cannoned" two Philippine supply boats en route to Second Thomas Shoal, Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. of the Philippines said in a statement published online.
AUTHORITARIANISM
7. China's iron grip threatens Hong Kong's financial future
Lucy Burton, The Telegraph, November 20, 2021
8. Data analysis: China’s sixth plenum veers in a new direction
Nat Rubio-Licht, Protocol, November 19, 2021
9. Hong Kong to set up polling booths at border checkpoints; Lam evades question over legality of protest votes
Kelly Ho, Hong Kong Free Press, November 23, 2021
10. Xi's need to overtake Deng poses big risk for Taiwan
Katsuji Nakazawa, Nikkei Asia, November 18, 2021
11. China’s Quest for Greater ‘Discourse Power’
Hugo Jones, The Diplomat, November 24, 2021
12. China to crack down on celebrity culture and limit stars’ presence online
Peony Hirwani, The Independent, November 23, 2021
13. Agility Over Stability: China’s Great Reversal in Regulating the Platform Economy
Angela Huyue Zhang, Harvard International Law Journal, November 4, 2021
14. China’s Birth Rate Lowest in 43 Years, Official Data Shows
Luo Meihan, Sixth Tone, November 22, 2021
15. Hong Kong says it could criminalise spreading of ’fake news’
Tim Wyatt, The Independent, November 17, 2021
16. Why Is China’s Growth Rate Falling So Fast?
Shang-Jin Wei, The Wire China, November 22, 2021
17. Trust Games
Anastasiia Carrier, The Wire China, November 22, 2021
18. The AP Interview: Meng Hongwei's wife slams 'monster' China
John Leicester, Associated Press, November 18, 2021
19. Pro-democracy activist Tony Chung jailed under security law
BBC, November 24, 2021
20. Meet China's new National Anti-Monopoly Bureau
Lizzy Lawrence, Protocol, November 18, 2021
21. How Xi Jinping became the world’s most powerful man
Michael Sheridan, Sunday Times, November 20, 2021
22. China Targets Corporate Backers of Taiwan’s Ruling Party
Debby Wu, Bloomberg, November 22, 2021
23. Women’s Tennis Takes on China with Threat to Pull Its Business
Joshua Robinson, Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2021
24. Cargo Pilots Leave Hong Kong, as Covid Rules Collide with Supply Chains
Dan Strumpf, Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2021
25. Hong Kong under-24s beg to come to Britain
Caroline Wheeler, Sunday Times, November 21, 2021
26. Chinese tutoring companies struggle to reinvent themselves
Cissy Zhou, Nikkei Asia, November 19, 2021
ENVIRONMENTAL HARMS
27. A Power Struggle Over Cobalt Rattles the Clean Energy Revolution
Dionne Searcey, Michael Forsythe, Eric Lipton, and Ashley Gilbertson, New York Times, November 20, 2021
28. How the West tried to shift China on climate
Karl Mathiesen and Zack Colman, Politico, November 17, 2021
29. COP26: China and India must explain themselves, says Sharma
Malu Cursino and Doug Faulkner, BBC, November 14, 2021
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE AND COERCION
30. Wall Street and the Chinese military industrial complex
Rana Foroohar, Financial Times, November 22, 2021
31. Huawei, Alibaba sponsorship overshadows European cloud Gaia-X’s summit
Clothilde Goujard, Politico, November 17, 2021
Scott Morris, Rowan Rockafellow, and Sarah Rose, Center for Global Development, November 18, 2021
33. China condemns opening of Taiwan office in Lithuania as ‘egregious act’
The Guardian, November 19, 2021
34. Dimon Regrets Quip JPMorgan to Outlast China Communist Party
Cathy Chan, Denise Wee, and Hannah Levitt, Bloomberg, November 24, 2021
35. Chinese propagandists court South-East Asia’s Chinese diaspora
Economist, November 20, 2021
36. Big fish in small ponds: China’s subnational diplomacy in Europe
Roderick Kefferpütz, Mercator Institute for China Studies, November 4, 2021
37. Biden administration invites Taiwan to the Summit for Democracy, a move likely to anger China
CNBC, November 24, 2021
38. Chinese firms are quietly pursuing a new global strategy
Don Weinland, The Economist, November 8, 2021
39. China downgrades diplomatic ties with Lithuania over Taiwan
Norihiko Shirouz and Andrius Sytas, Reuters, November 21, 2021
40. Lithuania to get U.S. trade support as it faces China fury over Taiwan
Andrius Sytas, Reuters, November 19, 2021
41. Report shows China's growing clout at World Bank, global institutions
Andrea Shalal, Reuters, November 18, 2021
42. Top EU China critic: German companies act as "lobbyists" for Beijing
Zachary Basu, Axios, November 23, 2021
HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
43. Beijing’s propagandists flounder as the world asks, ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’
Fergus Ryan, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, November 19, 2021
44. Interpol election raises rights concerns about fair policing
Barbara Surk, Associated Press, November 22, 2021
45. MPs pile pressure on Boris Johnson to boycott Beijing Winter Olympics
Lucy Fisher, The Telegraph, November 17, 2021
46. Laundering Cotton: How Xinjiang Cotton is Obscured in International Supply Chains
Laura T. Murphy, et. Al, Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice, November 2021
47. China In Eurasia Briefing: Is the World Giving Beijing A Pass Over Xinjiang?
Reid Standish, Radio Free Europe, November 17, 2021
48. Kazakh Voices from Camps and Jails in Xinjiang. 2. Abikesh Samenuly
Serikzhan Bilash, Bitter Winter, November 18, 2021
49. Kazakh Voices from Camps and Jails in Xinjiang. 3. Bakytgul Ramazan
Serikzhan Bilash, Bitter Winter, November 19, 2021
50. Kazakh Voices from Camps and Jails in Xinjiang. 4. Gulguina Toktagazy
Serikzhan Bilash, Bitter Winter, November 22, 2021
51. Peng Shuai: China says tennis star case maliciously hyped up
BBC, November 23, 2021
52. Chinese prisons for clampdown on Muslim minorities caught on video
Ian Birell, Daily Mail, November 20, 2021
53. Nathan Law on Keeping Hong Kong Relevant
Eliot Chen, The Wire China, November 22, 2021
54. Videos Said to Be of Peng Shuai Don’t Resolve Questions About Her Safety
Matthew Futterman and Christopher Clarey, New York Times, November 20, 2021
55. China Can’t Censor Away Growing Anger Over Athlete’s #MeToo Accusation
Alexandra Stevenson and Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, November 18, 2021
56. China making example of jailed Wuhan Covid journalist, says lawyer
Helen Davidson, The Guardian, November 18, 2021
57. Chinese Tennis Star’s Disappearance Is Warning for Olympics
Minky Worden, Human Rights Watch, November 18, 2021
INDUSTRIAL POLICIES AND ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE
58. Priti Patel pledges spying laws to tackle Beijing
Matt Dathan, Sunday Times, November 20, 2021
59. How Hunter Biden’s Firm Helped Secure Cobalt for the Chinese
Michael Forsythe, Eric Lipton, and Dionne Searcey, New York Times, November 20, 2021
60. The Refrigerator Revolution
Eliot Chen, The Wire China, November 22, 2021
61. Chinese Govt. Asks Contract Chipmakers to Prioritize Local Clients
Anton Shilov, Tom’s Hardware, November 18, 2021
62. Chinese Spy Boss’ Conviction Marks New Chapter in War on Espionage
Shannon Vavra, Daily Beast, November 15, 2021
63. US pressure on SK Hynix adds to China’s chip woes
Che Pan and Park Chan-kyong, South China Morning Post, November 23, 2021
64. Semiconductor talent shortage slows China’s chip self-sufficiency drive
Tracy Qu, South China Morning Post, November 18, 2021
65. Italy's Draghi vetoes third Chinese takeover this year
Giuseppe Fonte and Ella Cao, Reuters, November 23, 2021
CYBER AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
66. China blocks access to shipping location data
Eleanor Olcott, Harry Dempsey, and Steven Bernard, Financial Times, November 23, 2021
67. Beware the Chinese Ransomware Attack with No Ransom
Tim Culpan, Bloomberg, November 17, 2021
68. Huawei doubles down on cloud services in Asia amid US sanctions
Che Pan, South China Morning Post, November 18, 2021
69. Hikvision and Dahua Surveillance Cameras: Global Locations Report
Simon Migliano and Samuel Woodhams, Top 10 VPN, November 16, 2021
70. UK spy bosses hiring Mandarin speakers in bid to repel cyber threats from China
Kate Ferguson, The Sun, November 22, 2021
71. RAMP Ransomware’s Apparent Overture to Chinese Threat Actors
Flashpoint Intelligence, November 16, 2021
72. British Chamber of Commerce warns China's data policies could slow innovation
Josh Horwitz, Reuters, November 23, 2021
MILITARY AND SECURITY THREATS
73. China’s missile turducken
Alexander Ward, Politico, November 22, 2021
74. China’s Hypersonic Missile Test Does Not Change the Nuclear Calculus
Ananmay Agarwal and Ryan J. A. Harden, Royal United Services Institute, November 18, 2021
75. As China threat rises, can Aukus alliance recover from rancorous birth?
Patrick Wintour, The Guardian, November 23, 2021
76. Secret Chinese Port Project in Persian Gulf Rattles U.S. Relations with U.A.E.
Gordon Lubold and Warren P. Strobel, Wall Street Journal, November 19, 2021
77. U.S. ‘not as advanced’ as China and Russia on hypersonic tech, Space Force general warns
Paul McLeary and Alexander Ward, Politico, November 20, 2021
78. U.S. Pushes Arms-Control Talks as China’s Nuclear Arsenal Grows
Chao Deng and Alastair Gale, Wall Street Journal, November 18, 2021
79. China, Russia move closer to de facto military alliance amid US pressure
Laura Zhou, South China Morning Post, November 24, 2021
80. Chinese hypersonic weapon fired a missile over South China Sea
Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times, November 21, 2021
81. Monkey-brain study with link to China's military roils top European university
Kirsty Needham and Stine Jacobsen, Reuters, November 18, 2021
82. Pulling Back the Curtain on China's Maritime Militia
Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, November 18, 2021
83. Whitehall security scare after discovering CCTV that comes from China
Jake Ryan, Daily Mail, November 21, 2021
ONE BELT, ONE ROAD STRATEGY
84. Little England? Not any more — Barbados is becoming little China
Matthew Campbell, Sunday Times, November 20, 2021
85. Greenland strips Chinese mining firm of licence to iron ore deposit
Reuters, November 22, 2021
86. African nations mend and make do as China tightens Belt and Road
Duncan Miriri, Reuters, November 22, 2021
OPINION PIECES
87. The U.S. Navy’s Range Has Diminished Dangerously
Jerry Hendrix, Wall Street Journal, November 18, 2021
88. Hong Kong’s Universities Have Fallen. There May Be No Turning Back.
Shui-yin Sharon Yam and Alex Chow, New York Times, November 24, 2021
89. Lessons from the Cold War on Preventing a U.S.-China Arms Race
Rose Gottemoeller, Politico, November 23, 2021
90. Biden’s Search for ‘Guardrails’ May Make China More Dangerous
Hal Brands, Bloomberg, November 23, 2021
91. It’s a danger to the world that the precise origins of Covid-19 remain a mystery
Matt Ridley, The Telegraph, November 21, 2021
92. Expat exodus is bad for China, bad for the US and bad for the world
Ker Gibbs, South China Morning Post, November 19, 2021
93. The Chinese Communist Party Still Thinks It Owns the Future
Nathaniel Sher and Sam Bresnick, Foreign Policy, November 24, 2021
94. Xi Jinping’s War on Tibetan Buddhism
Dhondup T. Rekjong, Wall Street Journal, November 18, 2021
95. China’s Peng Shuai Goes ‘Missing’
William McGurn, Wall Street Journal, November 22, 2021
96. The Coddling of American Children Is a Boon to Beijing
Habi Zhang, Wall Street Journal, November 21, 2021
97. Taiwan’s defence is vital for Australian security
Peter Jennings, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, November 19, 2021
98. The Campaign to Distract Biden from Asia
Walter Russell Mead, Wall Street Journal, November 22, 2021