China Articles - October 31, 2021
Friends,
Happy Halloween!
Below is this week’s edition of articles, podcasts, videos and reports documenting the malign activities of the Chinese Communist Party.
I’ve just finished reading two new books which deserve your attention.
The first is China’s Leaders: From Mao to Now by David Shambaugh, the Gaston Sigur Professor of Asian Studies and Director of the China Policy Center at George Washington University. David provides a group biography of CCP leadership over the past seven decades, as well as insight into the motivations and worldview of the Party’s elite. The first piece below is a podcast interview of Professor Shambaugh by Michael Auslin and John Yoo on the Hoover Institution’s Pacific Century podcast that aired two weeks ago.
The second book is Wilful Blindness: How a Network of Narcos, Tycoons and CCP Agents Infiltrated the West by Sam Cooper, a Canadian investigative journalist. Over years of detailed reporting, Cooper uncovered how Chinese Communist Party elite use narcotics and opioid traffickers to launder money and facilitate international criminal networks in Canada through what has become known as the “Vancouver model” of money laundering. His book has led to demands by Canadian transparency advocates to reform how Ottawa investigates these crimes and treats vast sums of money that CCP elites move through Canadian casinos.
This week, Boston Celtics center, Enes Kanter doubled down on his condemnation of the Chinese Communist Party, criticizing Beijing for its widespread human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims. Even as television providers and streaming platforms across China pulled their coverage of the team, Kanter remained steadfast in his activism, denouncing Nike this week for its exploitation of Chinese slave labor and silence in the face of an ongoing genocide.
Tensions remain high along the China-India border following a provocative policy directive from Beijing regarding the governance of the land border it shares with five countries. Although the notice did not single one out, provisions regarding strengthened border defenses were received by officials in New Delhi as being connected to the ongoing dispute.
A series of stories this week examine the persisting energy crisis facing China and highlight the deep structural weakness of the Chinese economic system. While Xi Jinping seems likely to skip the COP26 climate summit, the international community remains focused on the challenges facing Beijing as it seeks to chart course towards a carbon neutral future and convince world leaders that its promises are not as hollow as they currently seem.
Thanks for reading!
Matt
MUST READ
1. AUDIO — From Mao to Now: David Shambaugh on China’s Leaders
Michael R. Auslin, John Yoo and David Shambaugh, Pacific Century, October 15, 2021
Speaking with Michael Auslin and John Yoo, George Washington University professor David Shambaugh examines each Chinese leader, assessing their effectiveness and offering his perspective on how successive American administrations dealt with each ma n. Shambaugh is author of China’s Leaders: From Mao to Now, a new book examining the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party since 1949.
2. The Chinese Companies Polluting the World More Than Entire Nations
Bloomberg, October 24, 2021
As world leaders prepare to convene for the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Bloomberg News examines the Chinese companies responsible for the country’s mammoth greenhouse gas emissions. While Xi Jinping appears likely to forgo attending the summit in-person, Chinese firms remain the world’s leading emitters. State-owned oil giant Sinopec and steelmaker China Baowu, for example, were responsible last year for more carbon pollution than Canada and Pakistan, respectively.
3. How China Keeps Getting Away with It
Jim Geraghty, The National Review, October 26, 2021
Writing for the National Review, Jim Geraghty discusses the landscape of United States media coverage of the Chinese Communist Party. Drawing upon Ashley Rindsberg’s forthcoming book, The Gray Lady Winked, examining a history of fabrication and falsehoods at The New York Times, Geraghty argues that the oversight and willful ignorance of contemporary newsrooms continues to enable a range of Chinese misconduct—from an ongoing genocide to the potential that COVID-19 leaked from a Wuhan laboratory.
4. China blamed for cancellation of events for German book on Xi Jinping
Guy Chazan, Financial Times, October 26, 2021
Citing instances of “Chinese pressure,” the German publisher of a soon to be released biography of Xi Jinping announced that several events for the upcoming book would be cancelled. Confucius institutes at two German universities planned to host online presentations for the release of Xi Jinping — The Most Powerful Man in the World but reversed course after intervention from Chinese diplomats in the country. The incident casts new light on the role Confucius institutes play in promoting political narratives favored by Beijing and offer yet another example of how China remains willing to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
5. The Distracted Defense Department
Nadia Schadlow, Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2021
The United States Defense Department must narrow its gaze and remain focused on strategic and adaptive adversaries including China, writes former Deputy National Security Advisor Nadia Schadlow for the Wall Street Journal. Combatting climate change and arresting the spread of COVID-19 remain worthy priorities for Government official, but their progress must not come at the cost of distracting the military from its primary mission: deterring conflict and prevailing if America must go to war.
AUTHORITARIANISM
6. China’s Xi Flexes Power with Plan to Rewrite Communist Party History
Chun Han Wong and Keith Zhai, Wall Street Journal, October 18, 2021
7. Many still heading for exit despite a 'more livable HK'
Michael Shum, The Standard, October 21, 2021
8. Evergrande Group and China’s Debt Challenges
Congressional Research Service, October 21, 2021
Xibai Xu, Jude Blanchette, Maya Wang, and Fergus Ryan, China File, October 20, 2021
10. A Year of 'Crackdowns'
Eliot Chen, The Wire China, October 24, 2021
11. The China Bull
Brent Crane, The Wire China, October 24, 2021
12. Chinese Regulators Nudge Didi Toward Hong Kong Listing
Keith Zhai and Liza Lin, Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2021
13. Communist Party number 3 hails superiority of ‘Chinese democracy’
Guo Rui, South China Morning Post, October 24, 2021
14. Chinese Developer Defaults Pile Up as Evergrande Contagion Spreads
Frances Yoon, Quentin Webb, and Elaine Yu, Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2021
15. Hong Kong’s Media Under Siege
Angeli Datt , The Diplomat, October 22, 2021
16. Tiananmen vigil pair refuse bail, saying there is no liberty without free speech
Brian Wong, South China Morning Post, October 22, 2021
17. Beijing’s list of approved news media grows fourfold, but control tightens
Xinmei Shen, South China Morning Post, October 21, 2021
18. Property Crisis Underpins China’s Economic Slowdown
James Palmer, Foreign Policy, October 27, 2021
19. Beijing targets top financial news outlet Caixin in media crackdown
Edward White, Financial Times, October 21, 2021
20. As Hong Kong’s Civil Society Buckles, One Group Tries to Hold On
Austin Ramzy, New York Times, October 24, 2021
21. How Hong Kong’s Elite Turned on Democracy
Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic, October 20, 2021
22. Chinese Pianist Is Held on Prostitution Suspicion, State Media Says
Javier C. Hernández, New York Times, October 22, 2021
23. Celtics Games Are Pulled in China After Enes Kanter’s Pro-Tibet Posts
Raymond Zhong and Sopan Deb, New York Times, October 21, 2021
24. As Chinese Women Seek to Crack Male Professions, Schools Stand in the Way
Joy Dong, New York Times, October 21, 2021
25. Hong Kong court convicts man under security law for inciting secession with chants and speech
Selina Cheng, Hong Kong Free Press, October 25, 2021
26. 16 more Hong Kong democratically elected district councilors ousted over loyalty oaths, as democrats left in the minority
Selina Cheng, Hong Kong Free Press, October 21, 2021
27. She Is Breaking Glass Ceilings in Space, but Facing Sexism on Earth
Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, October 23, 2021
ENVIRONMENTAL HARMS
28. China Takes the Brakes Off Coal Production to Tackle Power Shortage
Chuin-Wei Yap, Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2021
29. China’s Energy Crisis Complicates Its Plans for Climate Announcements Ahead of COP26
Sha Hua and Keith Zhai, Wall Street Journal, October 26, 2021
30. Indonesia becomes China’s biggest coal supplier amid power crisis
South China Morning Post, October 21, 2021
31. Will Xi show at COP26? Probably not
David Stanway, Reuters, October 26, 2021
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE AND COERCION
32. ‘We are so divided now’: how China controls thought and speech beyond its borders
Lauren Hilgers, The Guardian, October 26, 2021
33. China warns Slovaks, Czechs of retaliation for Taiwan minister visit
Reuters, October 22, 2021
34. ‘Leverage your role’: China tried to sway EU-Taiwan vote
Finbarr Bermingham, South China Morning Post, October 21, 2021
35. Taiwan Gains Favor in Europe’s East, Angering China
Georgi Kantchev and Stu Woo, Wall Street Journal, October 26, 2021
36. New U.S. Rule Would Limit Sales of Hacking Tools to Russia and China
David Uberti, Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2021
37. Liz Truss: Britain cannot be dependent on China
Ben Riley-Smith, The Telegraph, October 22, 2021
38. U.S. Blasts China’s Harmful Industrial Policies in WTO Review
Bryce Baschuk, Bloomberg, October 20, 2021
39. Biden’s China-U.N. influence challenge
Phelim Kine, Politico, October 21, 2021
40. Borrell: China’s threats to Taiwan pose risk to EU
Stuart Lau, Politico, October 20, 2021
41. China's Perception of the German Federal Elections
Tim Caspers, Jonathan Lehrer, and Nora Tenta, European Guanxi, October 20, 2021
42. Helena Morrissey criticises HSBC and City of London as she calls for dump of China stock
Millie Turner, City A.M., October 5, 2021
43. China’s Recent Trade Measures and Countermeasures: Issues for Congress
Karen M. Sutter, Congressional Research Service, September 20, 2021
Uwe Ritzer, Süddeutsche Zeitung, September 19, 2021 — ORIGINAL IN GERMAN
45. Russian-Chinese Crisis Alliance in the Balkans
Julia Petrovskaya, Riddle, October 21, 2021
46. FCC member targets Chinese drone giant as national security threat
Lachlan Markay, Axios, October 20, 2021
47. Rosemary Foot on What China Gets Out of the UN
Andrew Peaple, The Wire China, October 24, 2021
48. Blacklisted Chinese tech giant Huawei paid Tony Podesta $500,000 to lobby the White House
Brian Schwartz, CNBC, October 21, 2021
49. Burns calls for a mix of competition and cooperation with China
Michael Crowley, New York Times, October 20, 2021
50. Federal Research: Agency Actions Needed to Address Foreign Influence
Candice N. Wright, U.S. House of Representatives, October 5, 2021
51. EU leaders signal alarm over Chinese magnesium crunch
Stuart Lau and Sarah Anne Aarup, Politico, October 22, 2021
Captain Scott Tosi, Military Review, October 2021
53. How Can State Legislatures Counter Chinese Influence in American Higher Education?
Rachelle Peterson, Testimony before the Wisconsin State Senate, October 20, 2021
54. Prosecutor: Chinese government at center of espionage case involving GE Aviation
Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, October 19, 2021
55. NYT’s coverage of India is almost Orientalist: Ashley Rindsberg
Joyeeta Basu, Sunday Guardian Live, October 23, 2021
HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
56. In the Camps: Life in China’s High-Tech Penal Colony
Christian Shepherd, Financial Times, October 25, 2021
57. Wang Junzheng, “Butcher of Xinjiang,” Becomes Party Secretary of Tibet
Lopsang Gurung, Bitter Winter, October 21, 2021
58. “Xizang”: China Is Stealing from Tibet Even Its Name
Lopsang Gurung, Bitter Winter, October 26, 2021
59. China hits out at 'irresponsible' Liz Truss over remarks on Hong Kong rights
Louise Watt, The Telegraph, October 25, 2021
60. US retail giants pull Chinese surveillance tech from shelves
Zack Whittaker, TechCrunch, October 25, 2021
61. NBA’s Enes Kanter Calls for a Free Tibet, Sparks Chinese Backlash
Eva Xiao, Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2021
62. Enes Kanter says Nike is 'scared to speak up' against China and wears 'Modern Day Slavery' shoes in protest of Uyghur treatment
Ben Church, CNN, October 26, 2021
63. In U.N. showdown over Xinjiang, China says 'lies still lies'
Michelle Nichols, Reuters, October 21, 2021
64. Rubio, Smith to IOC: Move Winter Olympics from Beijing and Ban Chinese Team from Participating
Marco Rubio and Christopher H. Smith, October 21, 2021
65. Amnesty International to close its Hong Kong offices
Amnesty International, October 25, 2021
Industrial Policies and Economic Espionage
66. China to create rare-earths giant by joining three state companies
Shunsuke Tabeta, Nikkei Asia, October 24, 2021
67. Officials warn 5 key tech sectors will determine whether China overtakes U.S. as superpower
Zachary Basu, Axios, October 22, 2021
68. Counterintelligence Head Narrows Focus to Five Technologies Critical to U.S. Dominance
Kate O’Keeffe, Wall Street Journal, October 22, 2021
69. Xi Says China Must Secure Energy Supply in ‘Its Own Hands’
Bloomberg, October 21, 2021
70. Huawei, SMIC suppliers received billions worth of licenses for U.S. goods
Karen Freifeld and Alexandra Alper, Reuters, October 22, 2021
71. UK’s first ‘Gigafactory’ set for huge expansion
Eleanor Olcott and Henry Sanderson, Financial Times, October 25, 2021
CYBER AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
72. Seagate Broke Export Curbs by Supplying Huawei, Senate Republicans Say
Dan Strumpf, Wall Street Journal, October 26, 2021
73. China is pushing a new Covid origin theory: Maine lobsters
Olivia Solon, Keir Simmons, and Amy Perrette, NBC, October 22, 2021
74. TikTok dodges questions about biometric data collection in Senate hearing
Sarah Perez, Techcrunch, October 26, 2021
75. AUDIO — How China spreads misinformation around the world; A look at 'The Facebook Papers'
Sarah Fischer and Bret Schafer, National Public Radio, October 25, 2021
76. Apple Will Face Pressure to Store More Customer Data in China Under New Laws
Wayne Ma , The Information, October 21, 2021
77. Protect your passwords, warns spy chief, as ransomware cyber attacks double
Ewan Somerville, The Telegraph, October 25, 2021
78. US revokes licence of top Chinese telecoms company
BBC, October 26, 2021
79. FBI Raids Chinese Point-of-Sale Giant PAX Technology
Brian Krebs, Krebs on Security, October 26, 2021
80. DJI drones could be banned from the US due to alleged risk to national security
Hannah Rooke, Digital Camera World, October 25, 2021
MILITARY AND SECURITY THREATS
81. Japan defense minister warns of Crimea-style invasion of Taiwan
Eri Sugiura, Nikkei Asia, October 23, 2021
82. China’s hypersonic weapon test close to ‘Sputnik moment’, says top US general
Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times, October 27, 2021
83. Philippines protests Beijing's 'provocative acts' in South China Sea
Reuters, October 20, 2021
84. China warns against ‘wrong signals’ as Biden suggests US would defend Taiwan
Vincent Ni, The Guardian, October 22, 2021
85. Chinese Warplanes Lead Taiwanese to Think About What to Do in an Attack
Chao Deng, Wall Street Journal, October 21, 2021
86. Iran Turns East
Zakiyeh Yazdanshenas, Foreign Policy, October 27, 2021
87. The New Cold War
John Lewis Gaddis, Foreign Affairs, October 22, 2021
88. Does Taiwan’s Military Stand a Chance Against China? Few Think So
Joyu Wang and Alastair Gale, Wall Street Journal, October 26, 2021
89. There and Back Again: Chinese Militia at Iroquois Reef and Union Banks
Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, October 22, 2021
90. Biden vows to defend Taiwan from Chinese military action
James Politi, Demetri Sevastopulo, and Andy Bounds, Financial Times, October 22, 2021
91. China conducted two hypersonic weapons tests this summer
Demetri Sevastopulo, Financial Times, October 20, 2021
92. War fears intensify as Britain issues warning to China over ‘dangerous’ Taiwan tactics
Bill McLoughlin, Express, October 21, 2021
93. To Help Counter China, Bolster Bhutan
Matthew F. Ferraro, The SCIF, October 21, 2021
94. Russian warships enter Sea of Japan after circling archipelago with Chinese vessels
The Japan Times, October 25, 2021
95. China passes new law to strengthen land border protection amid ongoing impasse with India
Scroll India, October 25, 2021
Reid Standish, Radio Free Europe, October 27, 2021
97. India Criticises China's 'Unilateral Move' for New Land Border Law
News 18 India, October 27, 2021
ONE BELT, ONE ROAD STRATEGY
98. Hamburg Is at the Heart of Germany’s Growing Dilemma Over China
Alan Crawford, Bloomberg, October 23, 2021
99. China is taking on the US in its own back yard with billion-dollar investment across Latin America
Simeon Tegel, The Telegraph, October 21, 2021
100. China Vows to Help Taliban ‘Rebuild’ Afghanistan in Doha Meeting
Bloomberg, October 25, 2021
101. China provides $1mn to Afghanistan after Wang Yi, Mullah Baradar meet in Doha
The Hindustan Times, October 26, 2021
OPINION PIECES
102. When Will Europe See Russia and China As True Threats?
Andrew A. Michta, 1945, October 25, 2021
103. Is China in Big Trouble?
Paul Krugman, New York Times, October 22, 2021
104. The World Bank needs a new age of transparency
Gillian Tett, Financial Times, October 21, 2021
105. China’s Sham Meritocracy Has Created a Burned-Out Generation
Helen Gao, Foreign Policy, October 27, 2021
106. Nirupama Rao on America’s need for wisdom and allies in Asia
Nirupama Rao, The Economist, September 27, 2021
107. The confidence of China’s Communist Party is striking
Economist, October 21, 2021
108. The risks Americans face in traveling to China
Morgan Ortagus and David Stilwell, CNN, October 26, 2021
109. Evergrande Isn’t China’s Only Economic Worry
Arthur Kroeber, New York Times, October 20, 2021
110. America’s political and business elites no longer agree on China
Janan Ganesh, Financial Times, October 19, 2021
111. What are China and Russia up to in Afghanistan?
Raffaello Pantucci, Nikkei Asia, October 23, 2021
112. Wall Street thinks China will never invade Taiwan – but accidents happen
Jeremy Warner, The Telegraph, October 20, 2021
113. Have we reached peak China?
Maximilian Mayer and Emilian Kavalski, Politico, October 21, 2021