China Articles - October 3, 2021
Friends,
This week’s newsletter of articles and reports on the malign activities of the Chinese Communist Party starts with Beijing’s successful use of hostage-taking to force the United States and Canada to release the CFO of Huawei. Beijing’s harsh detention and arbitrary prosecution of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig contributed to the collapse of Canadian public opinion about the People’s Republic of China, but the Party’s leaders likely concluded that their tactics work which means that none of us should be surprised if this happens again.
To be clear, this behavior should have surprised no one three years ago when Spavor and Kovrig were snatched and held in solitary. The same scenario played out in July 2014 when the U.S. Justice Department made a request to Canadian authorities to extradite Su Bin, an individual later convicted of conspiracy to hack into the computer networks of U.S. defense contractors. Within two weeks, the Chinese Government detained Julia and Kevin Garratt, Canadian Christian aid workers living in China, and accused them of being “spies.” It wasn’t until Su Bin waived his challenge to be extradited and plead guilty in 2016, that the Chinese Government released the Garratt couple and allowed them to return to Canada.
To me, this suggests that Beijing is uninterested in Canadian public opinion, or the public opinion of China in any democracy, and simply wants to demonstrate that power trumps liberal concepts of legal procedure and due process.
Matt
MUST READ/WATCH
1. China’s Hostage Triumph
The Editorial Board
Wall Street Journal, September 27, 2021
Westerners working in China are officially on notice. You could be arrested on trumped up charges at any time and used as hostages to promote Communist Party interests. That’s the message from the humiliating U.S. surrender to China’s hostage diplomacy in the case of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou.
2. VIDEO — Gao: Nuclear subs deal means Australia will lose ‘privilege of not being targeted’
ABC Australia, September 20, 2021
Victor Gao, Vice President of the Center for China and Globalization and former translator for Deng Xiaoping, threatens Australia with nuclear attack for announcing that the country will launch nuclear powered submarines.
3. China Wields New Legal Weapon to Fight Claims of Intellectual Property Theft
Josh Zumbrun
Wall Street Journal, September 26, 2021
4. An Insider Details the ‘Black Box’ of Money and Power in China
Li Yuan
New York Times, September 24, 2021
A memoir by a well-connected businessman offers insights into the Communist Party’s thinking as it tightens its grip on the private sector.
5. What the ‘Smart Money’ Knows About China’s Evergrande Crisis
Jason Zweig
Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2021
6. Evergrande Is China’s Economy in a Nutshell
James Mackintosh
Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2021
AUTHORITARIANISM
7. New team to ask if Covid escaped from Chinese lab
Alistair Dawber
Sunday Times, September 26, 2021
8. China Evergrande Auditor Gave Clean Bill of Health Despite Debt
Jean Eaglesham
Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2021
9. Red Universities Not Red Enough, CCP Says
Kong Yuxuan
Bitter Winter, September 22, 2021
10. The Diary Duel
John Pomfret
The Wire China, September 26, 2021
11. Hong Kong Quietly Widens National Security Law with Subtle Shift
Ian Marlow
Bloomberg, September 21, 2021
12. Collapsed Blackstone deal shows that ‘everything is political’ in China
Tabby Kinder
Financial Times, September 23, 2021
13. UK warns Hong Kong security law critics of extradition risk posed by China
Helen Davidson
The Guardian, September 23, 2021
14. Cryptocurrency Exchanges Curb Trading from China After Beijing’s Warning
Elaine Yu
Wall Street Journal, September 27, 2021
15. Foreign Businesses Say They Feel Effects from China’s Turn Inward
Liza Lin
Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2021
16. China Makes Preparations for Evergrande’s Demise
Keith Zhai
Wall Street Journal, September 23, 2021
17. Ant Group shares Huabei’s credit data with China’s central bank
Jane Zhang
South China Morning Post, September 22, 2021
18. TikTok Maker Caps Screen Time for Youths in China
Sha Hua
Wall Street Journal, September 19, 2021
19. An aging China is going to make it harder for women to get abortions
Jane Li and Tripti Lahiri
Quartz, September 27, 2021
20. China’s Regulatory Storm Risks Triggering Wider Economic Damage
Stella Yifan Xie
Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2021
21. China says all cryptocurrency-related transactions are illegal and must be banned
Manish Singh
TechCrunch, September 24, 2021
22. Xi Jinping’s global vision
Phelim Kine
Politico, September 23, 2021
23. China's Xi calls for nurturing of patriotic scientists
Yew Lun Tian
Reuters, September 28, 2021
24. Hong Kong Tiananmen Square vigil organizer to disband after 32 years
Kenji Kawase
Nikkei Asia, September 26, 2021
ENVIRONMENTAL HARMS
25. Great Wall of Lights: China’s sea power on Darwin’s doorstep
Joshua Goodman
Associated Press, September 24, 2021
26. Chinese Mining and Indigenous Resistance in Ecuador
Cintia Quiliconi and Pablo Rodriguez Vasco
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, September 20, 2021
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE AND COERCION
27. Polish gene project moves to drop Chinese tech on data concerns
Joanna Plucinska
Reuters, September 22, 2021
28. Malaysia to seek China's view on Australia's nuclear sub pact
Reuters, September 22, 2021
29. Ministers close to deal that could end China’s role in UK nuclear power station
Jillian Ambrose
The Guardian, September 25, 2021
30. Another Win for China’s Hostage Diplomacy
James Palmer
Foreign Policy, September 28, 2021
31. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo Calls for The U.S. To Counter China's Economic Power
James Doubek
NPR, September 28, 2021
32. China’s Xi warns of ‘grim’ situation with Taiwan, urges opposition party to seek ‘unification’
Hong Kong Free Press, September 26, 2021
33. Cotton Calls for Investigation of Chinese Stock Trading App
Senator Tom Cotton
Office of United States Senator Tom Cotton, September 23, 2021
34. China Is Choking Civil Society at the United Nations
Rana Siu Inboden
Foreign Policy, September 29, 2021
35. Shots in the dark: China sends Covid aid to Myanmar rebels
France 24, September 22, 2021
36. Central and eastern Europe turn to Taiwan as China relations cool
Richard Milne
Financial Times, September 22, 2021
37. Concern over ‘censorship’ rules of NZ-Chinese news site
Emanuel Stoakes and Sam Sachdeva
Newsroom New Zealand, September 22, 2021
38. In the West, China holds growing sway over Chinese-language media
The Economist, September 23, 2021
39. China Says Xi Personally Gave Orders on Handling of Huawei Case
Bloomberg, September 27, 2021
40. What Europeans think about the US-China Cold War
Ivan Karatsev and Mark Leonard
European Council on Foreign Relations, September 22, 2021
41. Italy's Drone Drama
Eliot Chen
The Wire China, September 26, 2021
42. Chinese tech firm accused of human rights violations sidesteps sanctions
Lachlan Markay
Axios, September 29, 2021
43. Investor ‘hypocrisy’ on China and ESG, ex-US Navy boss says
Matthew Cranston
Australian Financial Review, September 24, 2021
44. Taiwan blasts 'arch criminal' China for Pacific trade pact threats
Reuters, September 24, 2021
HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
45. Chinese Journalist, Rights Activist Incommunicado, Likely Detained, in Guangzhou
Man Hoi Yan, Yitong Wu, and Chingman
Radio Free Asia, September 21, 2021
46. Buddhists Falsely Accused of Being Falun Gong Members in Hong Kong
Gladys Kwok
Bitter Winter, September 27, 2021
47. British parliamentarians launch ‘full inquiry’ into whether UK banks in Hong Kong suppressed human rights
Selina Cheng
Hong Kong Free Press, September 24, 2021
48. China’s Xinjiang Crackdown Reaps Millions of Dollars in Assets for the State
Eva Xiao and Jonathan Cheng
Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2021
49. Afghan Uyghurs Fear Deportation as Taliban Cozy Up to China
Sui-Lee Wee and Muyi Xiao
New York Times, September 23, 2021
INDUSTRIAL POLICIES AND ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE
50. Top Tories want UK universities to register China connections
Oliver Wright
Sunday Times, September 26, 2021
51. Power Outages Are Putting Lives at Risk in China’s Energy-Rich Northeast
Chen Xuewan, Zhao Xuan, and Zhang Yukun
Caixin Global, September 28, 2021
52. How ‘wonder material’ graphene became a national security concern
Jasper Jolly
The Guardian, September 27, 2021
53. Zoom’s Nearly $15 Billion Deal for Five9 Under U.S. Government Review Over China Ties
Kate O’Keeffe, Aaron Tilley, and Dawn Lim
Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2021
54. Business groups are divided as China seeks self-reliance.
Keith Bradsher
New York Times, September 23, 2021
The Drilldown, September 21, 2021
56. Power Outages Hit China, Threatening the Economy and Christmas
Keith Bradsher
New York Times, September 27, 2021
CYBER & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
57. Beijing wants to build the next big-name blockchain companies
Zeyi Yang
Protocol, September 27, 2021
58. “Mini-programs” took over Chinese platforms. Now they’re being used to contact trace — and undermine user privacy.
Mengyu Dong
Rest of World, September 28, 2021
59. Chinese web users muzzled for talking about landmark #metoo case
Shen Lu
Protocol, September 16, 2021
60. China goes on an intellectual property offensive
Maki Sagami
Nikkei Asia, September 22, 2021
61. Experts say China’s low-level cyberwar is becoming severe threat
Dan Sabbagh
The Guardian, September 23, 2021
MILITARY AND SECURITY THREATS
62. China Airlift Mission Shows Off Capabilities in Disputed Sea
Feliz Solomon
Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2021
63. Second line of defence: Taiwan’s civilians train to resist invasion
Helen Davidson
The Guardian, September 22, 2021
64. China’s new aircraft carrier underlines need for the Aukus pact
Dan Sabbagh
The Guardian, September 29, 2021
65. A US Coast Guard patrol unexpectedly encountered Chinese warships near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands
Melody Schreiber
Arctic Today, September 16, 2021
66. China sends 24 fighter jets toward Taiwan in show of force
Associated Press, September 23, 2021
67. China urges end to sanctions on Afghanistan underscoring divide with west
Edward White and Amy Kazmin
Financial Times, September 23, 2021
68. China says Asia needs jobs over submarines in fresh AUKUS salvo
Edward White
Financial Times, September 22, 2021
69. China unveils new drones in race for air superiority
Wendy Tang, Beijing
Sunday Times, September 28, 2021
70. China should be ready to make first nuclear strike, says envoy
Didi Tang and Richard Lloyd Parry
Sunday Times, September 23, 2021
ONE BELT, ONE ROAD STRATEGY
71. Europe’s Global Gateway Plans to Counter China, But Questions Remain
David Sacks
Council on Foreign Relations, September 21, 2021
72. ‘Hidden debt’ on China’s Belt and Road tops $385bn, says new study
Edward White
Financial Times, September 28, 2021
73. Why Washington Should Pay More Attention to Uruguay. (Yes, Uruguay.)
Eric Farnsworth and Carlos Mazal
Barrons, September 23, 2021
OPINION PIECES
74. Evergrande's Fall Shows How Xi Has Created a China Crisis
Niall Ferguson
Bloomberg, September 25, 2021
75. How to respond to China’s bid to join the CPTPP
Dominic Meagher
Australian Strategic Policy Institute, September 29, 2021
76. Afghanistan is the Graveyard of Great Power Competition
Michael Sobolik
Newsweek, September 27, 2021
77. Xi’s designs on Taiwan will outlast US resolve
Roger Boyes
Sunday Times, September 21, 2021
78. Xi Jinping Makes China a Dangerous Place for Investment
Dennis Kwok and Johnny Patterson
Wall Street Journal, September 22, 2021
79. Why the head of the IMF should resign
Economist, September 25, 2021
80. Why my hero Keating is wrong on China and our national security
Peter Khalil
Sydney Morning Herald, September 22, 2021
81. China’s Leaders Are Having Fun with Us. Who Can Blame Them?
Thomas L. Friedman
New York Times, September 21, 2021
82. China is filling an American vacuum in Pacific trade
Sholto Byrnes
The National News, September 21, 2021
83. China Is a Declining Power—and That’s the Problem
Hal Brands and Michael Beckley
Foreign Policy, September 29, 2021