Vatican and Beijing on cusp of ‘historic breakthrough in relations,’ says report

The Vatican and Beijing, who have long endured icy relations, have created a common framework for a deal on how to appoint bishops in China, Reuters reports. A formal agreement “could be signed in a few months” and would be “an historic breakthrough in relations,” Reuters writes, citing “a senior Vatican source.”

• Who gets to decide the legitimacy of bishops is a major sticking point in previously failed negotiations between the two sides. Many Catholic leaders outside of China take issue with the existence of the Catholic Patriotic Association, a parallel church leadership structure in China with Beijing, not the Pope, at the top.
• But recently, the Vatican made some concessions on a couple difficult cases of bishop appointments. In one, “an 87-year-old prelate would retire to make way for a state-backed bishop to succeed him,” and in another, a “Vatican-recognized bishop would become an auxiliary, or assistant, to one who had been appointed by the government.”
• These two cases were harshly condemned by Joseph Zen, a retired cardinal of Hong Kong, who accused the Church of “selling out” to Beijing, and going behind Pope Francis’s back to negotiate the details of appointments. The Vatican rebuked Zen, insisting that “The Pope is in constant contact with his collaborators… on Chinese issues.”
• “An even partial resolution on the thorny issue of who gets to appoint bishops could open the way for a resumption of diplomatic relations nearly 70 years after they were cut during the Communist takeover of China,” Reuters explains.
• Taiwan is nervous, because if the Vatican goes on to revive diplomatic relations with China would mean a breaking of relations with the island’s government, which only has formal relations with 20 foreign governments. AFP reports, “Taiwan lawmakers on Vatican trip ‘hoping for audience with Pope Francis’.”

• U.K.-China relations
  Theresa May hails ‘first step’ to trade deal after Xi Jinping talks / BBC
  Theresa May presses Xi Jinping on plastic waste at Beijing talks / Guardian
  Theresa May sidesteps backing $900bn Silk Road project of China / Guardian
• Environmental regulation
  China’s steel city mulls extending winter cuts; Hebei denies / Reuters
• Plane crash
  ‘At least 12 crew members killed’ in Chinese military plane crash / SCMP
• Utter hypocrisy
  Tillerson warns Latin America against reliance on China / Reuters
  “Latin America does not need new imperial powers that seek only to benefit their own people,” the U.S. Secretary of State lectured to his neighbors to the south.
• Anxious Australia
  Australia to tighten foreign investment rules amid China concerns / FT (paywall)
  “Fears over Chinese influence prompt curbs on electricity assets and agricultural land”
• Labor
  Teachers from across China gather in Beijing to demand payment of pensions / China Labour Bulletin
• Hong Kong
  Nobel peace prize: U.S. lawmakers nominate Hong Kong protesters / Guardian
  ‘Noxious fish’ and grasshoppers unleashed as banned candidates protest at Hong Kong election briefing / Hong Kong Free Press
• Demolition
  Supreme Court sides with victims of illegal demolitions / Sixth Tone
• Yu Wensheng
  Germany calls for release of Chinese rights lawyer arrested for inciting subversion / Reuters
• Taiwan
  Taiwan says China air route dispute will determine future ties / Channel NewsAsia