Links for Tuesday, July 7, 2020

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• “National security” means business insecurity
  Foreign firms in Hong Kong face ‘huge insecurity’ over national security law / SCMP
  “Company insiders and diplomatic sources said it was too early to assess the impact of the law on business in the financial hub. But its vague language and broad provisions have stoked fears and may result in ‘huge insecurity’ for foreign firms — particularly a clause stating any person or organization that imposes sanctions could be punished.”
• U.S. businesses urge trade deal compliance
  U.S. business groups urge China to ‘redouble efforts’ to implement trade deal / WSJ (porous paywall)
  “As senior U.S. and Chinese economic officials plan to discuss China’s compliance with a trade deal signed early this year, more than 40 American business groups called on Beijing to step up purchases of U.S. manufactured goods as well as energy and other products as part of the agreement.”
• Luckin Coffee fires chairman
  Luckin Coffee shareholders vote to oust Chairman Lu: reports / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
  “Luckin Coffee Inc.’s chairman, Charles Zhengyao Lu [Lù Zhēngyào 陆正耀], was ousted by shareholders from the scandal-plagued Chinese company, just days after surviving an effort by some directors to strip him of control, local media reports said, citing unidentified sources.”
• Bribery in banking
  Former ICBC branch head took almost $20 million in bribes / Caixin (paywall)
  Gù Guómíng 顾国明, “a former head of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd.’s (ICBC) Shanghai branch, took nearly 137 million yuan ($19.5 million) in bribes between 2008 and 2019, a Shanghai court said in a statement released on Tuesday following a hearing…”
• COVID-19 has accelerated digitization of economy
  SCMP’s China internet report 2020 / What’s on Weibo
  SCMP’s China internet report 2020 finds that COVID-19 has accelerated digitization of economy / SCMP
• Car manufacturers report sales drop
  China’s June passenger car retail sales down 8% year-on-year: CPCA / Reuters
• Tencent reaches new heights
  Tencent plays in U.S. with California game studio launch / Caixin
  “The studio, called LightSpeed LA, will be headed by Steve Martin, a former Rockstar Games veteran whose previous credits include ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ and ‘Red Dead Redemption 2.’”
  Tencent’s PUBG mobile game hits $3 billion milestone / Caixin (paywall)
  “Chinese gaming giant Tencent has hit a new milestone with its hugely popular battle royale title ‘PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ (PUBG Mobile) doubling its lifetime revenue to more than $3 billion in just over seven months.”
• Enhanced facial recognition
  You can now board the subway in China’s Harbin with a face scan, even if you’re wearing a mask / SCMP
• AI supervisors
  Chinese construction firms using AI to monitor workers’ safety but also to spot ‘loiterers’ / SCMP
• No unemployed bloggers or gamers
  Blogging and playing e-sports now count as jobs in China / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
  “China has broadened the definition of a job to include more flexible forms of work for fresh graduates, as the government struggles with high unemployment due to the coronavirus downturn.”
• Chinese companies receive U.S. bailout funds
  China’s HNA Group got U.S. bailout funds through American units / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
  “Chinese companies including conglomerate HNA Group Co. and affiliates of a state-owned defense giant were among recipients of the billions of dollars in coronavirus-relief loans handed out by the U.S. government.”
• Punishing airlines for COVID neglect
  China punishes first int’l airline over imported COVID-19 cases / Sixth Tone
  “This is the first penalty meted out to an international airline after the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on June 4 introduced a punishment and reward system for inbound international flights in a bid to contain imported infections.”

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• The vaccine race
  Sinovac to test COVID-19 vaccine on 9,000 health care workers in Brazil / Caixin (paywall)
  ‘At war time speed’, China leads COVID-19 vaccine race / Reuters
  FDA considers NT$1bn for clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines / Focus Taiwan
• Hong Kong sees a coronavirus bump
  Hong Kong local virus cases jump, alarming health officials / Bloomberg via Straits Times
  “Hong Kong reported its largest number [9 new cases] of local coronavirus transmission cases in almost three months, stumping local health officials and reflecting the difficulty of eradicating the pathogen.”
• Is Beijing’s COVID outbreak contained?
  Beijing reports zero new COVID-19 cases for first time since flare-up / Caixin (paywall)
• No need to worry about the bubonic plague
  WHO doesn’t see bubonic plague in China as high risk: spokeswoman / Reuters
• Changes for village doctor certification
  China relaxes exam requirement for village doctors / Sixth Tone
  “Fresh graduates with degrees in clinical medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and Western medicine, but without a doctor’s license, can now apply directly to be certified as village doctors, the notice said. Previously, village doctor candidates were required to pass a local medical examination and receive additional health care training before being certified.”

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• Fear and loathing in Hong Kong
  Fearful of China’s new security law, Hong Kongers scramble for safe havens / Reuters
  “Immigration lawyers and consultants, property agents and recruitment groups from Australia to Canada all told Reuters they were inundated with enquiries from Hong Kong residents.”
  Hong Kong national security law: city’s leader Carrie Lam denies she was ever kept in dark by Beijing over new legislation / SCMP
  “Hong Kong’s leader has said…central government officials had briefed her and sought her opinion on the legislation.”
  Hong Kong’s richest man is losing friends in China and the West / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
  “To some he [Li Ka-shing 李嘉誠 Lǐ Jiāchéng] is the ‘Cockroach King,’ accused of being a closet supporter of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and a traitor to China. To others — namely the Trump administration and its allies — he is a Chinese Communist Party loyalist who can’t be trusted with critical infrastructure.”
  China launches political policing task force: state media / Reuters
  Hong Kong, changed overnight, navigates its new reality / NYT (porous paywall)
  Why Hong Kong cannot be another Singapore / FT (paywall)
  Foreign journalists warned on H.K. independence reporting / FT (paywall)
  Hong Kong press freedom assured if media give 100% guarantee they will not commit security offences, says Lam / HKFP
• TikTok, Apple and other tech companies deal with the new Hong Hong
  TikTok to quit Hong Kong over national security law / FT (paywall)
  “TikTok, the video app that is owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, has chosen to exit the city entirely, saying in a statement it had decided to stop operations ‘in light of recent events.’”
  Apple under pressure to act after TikTok pulls out of Hong Kong / Guardian
  Tiktok to cut off Hong Kong users ‘within days’ / TechNode
  In Hong Kong, a proxy battle over internet freedom begins / NYT (porous paywall)
• Will Hong Kong officials pressure Taiwan to hand over information?
  Taiwan’s presidential office spokesperson on Twitter: “It’s happening fast. Starting today [the national security law] is being used to pressure TW officials in HK into turning over information on politically prosecuted HKers. Taiwan will lock arms and resist this, we stand with HK on the front lines. Democratic countries must stand for our shared values.”
  Global Times on Twitter: “Under approval, the Commissioner of Police, if reasonably believes it’s for preventing or investigating crimes of harming national security, could demand overseas or Taiwan-based political organizations and their agencies to hand in information including activities in Hong Kong.”
• Feuding with the U.K.
  China rebukes U.K. for its ‘gross interference’ over Hong Kong / Reuters
  U.K. set to start Huawei 5G phase-out as soon as this year / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
  Britain jeopardising China relationship, says Huawei’s U.K. boss / Reuters
  Chinese ambassador: U.K. ban on Huawei would damage trust / Guardian
  Rush Doshi on Twitter: “This statement from China’s ambassador to the UK amounts to saying, “Accept Huawei or you’ll become our enemy.” If this kind of threat is common *before* the PRC is deeply embedded in the UK’s critical infrastructure, it’s pretty clear how they’ll act *after*.”
  U.K. imposes sanctions, with focus on Saudis accused of killing Khashoggi / NYT (porous paywall)
  “Conservative lawmakers pressed Mr. Raab about why the list did not include any Chinese officials, and he replied that the government would continue to add names. But analysts said they did not expect Britain to designate Chinese officials, given the complex commercial ties between the two countries.”
  Stephen McDonell on Twitter: “#China’s CGTN (the english-language service of CCTV) has gone down. In the #UK OFCOM ‘has upheld Mr Humphrey’s complaint of unjust or unfair treatment and unwarranted infringement of privacy…’”
• FBI director speaks out on China threat
  Director Wray discusses threat posed by China to U.S. economic and national security / FBI
  FBI director Christopher Wray said in an address today, “The greatest long-term threat to our nation’s information and intellectual property, and to our economic vitality, is the counterintelligence and economic espionage threat from China.”
  FBI director says China aims to become “world’s only superpower” / Axios
  FBI chief says China threatens families to coerce overseas critics to return to China / Reuters
  FBI director: Nearly half of all counterintelligence cases relate to China / NBC
• Pompeo considers following India’s app ban
  Pompeo says U.S. looking at banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok / Reuters
  TikTok maker seeks to strike balance as China, U.S. step up geopolitical pressure / WSJ (porous paywall)
• Australia warns citizens in China
  Australians at risk of arbitrary arrest in China, DFAT travel advice warns / Australian ABC
  “The Federal Government has issued new travel advice warning Australians they may face ‘arbitrary detention’ if they go to mainland China.”
  Context on The China Project: Beijing says Australians are spying on China as Canberra investigates P.R.C. influence allegations.
• China alleges “violent actions” by Canadians
  China warns its citizens to exercise caution in traveling to Canada / Reuters

China warned its citizens on Monday to exercise caution in travelling to Canada, citing “frequent violent actions” by law enforcement, amid ongoing tensions between Beijing and Ottawa.

The warning, published by the Chinese embassy in China on the WeChat messaging app platform, said Chinese citizens should pay close to the local security situation. It did not give specific examples on the violent actions.

• Merkel’s party demands a harder line on China
  Merkel comes under fire at home for China stance / FT (paywall)

“What the German government said about Hong Kong was the absolute minimum, and it just wasn’t enough,” said Norbert Röttgen, head of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee and a leading figure in Ms Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union.

• Op-ed: A win for Trump is a win for China
  Why China wants Donald Trump to win / The Atlantic
  Michael Schuman, author of Superpower Interrupted, writes, “Four more years of Trump—though likely packed with annoyances and disputes—might present tantalizing opportunities for China to expand its influence around East Asia and the world.”
• Op-ed: Confronting Uyghur genocide
  What’s happening in Xinjiang is genocide / Washington Post (paywall)
  The Washington Post editorial board writes, “China’s treatment of the Uighurs is so reprehensible that it calls into serious question whether China should be permitted to proceed as host of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Why should the world sports community honor a country that has committed genocide?”
• Shenzhen’s controversial elder care law
  Shenzhen thinks only children should get paid leave to look after their parents – cue heated debate / Caixin
• Flood warning in Wuhan
  Flood threat puts China’s former COVID-19 epicenter back on alert / Caixin (paywall)
  “Authorities in the central city of 11 million people, which lies on the banks of the Yangtze River, issued the second-highest alert after the national weather office warned of sustained heavy rain.”
• A tragic bus crash in Guizhou
  Bus plunges into reservoir in China, 21 dead / Reuters
  “A bus carrying students to an exam plunged into a reservoir in China on Tuesday after making a sudden swerve across five other lanes of traffic, leaving 21 dead and 16 injured.”
• China picks up U.S.’s slack on global arms treaty
  China condemns ‘bullying’ as it joins U.N. arms trade treaty snubbed by Donald Trump / SCMP
  “Zhang Jun, China’s UN ambassador, said he had deposited China’s instrument of accession to the treaty, which regulates a $70 billion global cross-border trade in conventional arms and seeks to keep weapons out of the hands of human rights abusers.”
• Pirates in Nigerian waters
  China says five sailors kidnapped off Nigeria from Singapore-flagged ship Kota Budi, Africa / AFP via Straits Times
  “Five Chinese sailors were abducted by pirates last week from a cargo ship in Nigerian waters, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday (July 6).”
• A Saudi-Chinese alliance
  Saudi Foreign Minister urges action against ‘subversive’ regional interventions / Saudi Gazette

Saudi foreign minister [Prince Faisal Bin Farhan] reaffirmed the Arab countries’ support for Chinese sovereignty, territorial integrity and the one-China principle. He said Arab countries strongly value the supportive Chinese position toward the rights of the Palestinians, the Arab peace initiative and the two-state solution as well as Beijing’s stated positions on respecting the independence and sovereignty of states and the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of countries.

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• China prepares for the college entrance exam…
  Dancing aunties dance in silence to avoid disturbing students taking the gaokao / Shanghaiist
  In China, crunch time for 10.7 million students as university entrance exams are held / SCMP
  “The next few days will be nerve-racking for many families across mainland China, with a record number of students about to sit the national university entrance exams after they were delayed by a month because of the coronavirus pandemic.”
  ‘Gaokao’ 2020: The rights and wrongs of China’s dreaded exam / Sixth Tone
  “It’s a meritocratic system designed to give every child an equal shot at an elite education. But as Sixth Tone explores in this series, some gaokao candidates are more equal than others — and this is especially true in 2020.”
• …And a photographer reflects on its past
  A time capsule from ‘Gaokao’ gone by / Sixth Tone
  “I photographed the exam on several occasions over the course of the early 1980s, and every time was unique.”
• Tibet’s Cultural Revolution in photographs
  Stephen Jones on Twitter: “Now public! A remarkable collection of images of Cultural Revolution Tibet, with detailed reflections on the whole modern history of trauma there”
• #MeToo verdict upheld
  China court upholds landmark #MeToo sexual harassment verdict / SCMP
  “On July 1, the Wuhou District People’s Court in Chengdu maintained its 2019 ruling that Liu Meng, director general of a nonprofit organization in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, had to apologize to social worker ‘Xiaoli.’”
• Weibo’s role in the feminist movement
  How Weibo sold China on ‘commercially correct’ feminism / Sixth Tone
  “As China’s feminist movement grows and expands, it’s natural for new interests to emerge and splits to occur. But these divides tend to be exacerbated by how Weibo works: platforming polarizing clickbait and making it hard to bridge gaps in personal experience and ideology.”
• A suicide and a Go champ’s deleted Weibo
  Chinese Go champion abruptly quits Weibo / Sixth Tone

Ke’s abrupt decision to quit Weibo has puzzled many fans. Two days earlier, however, domestic media had reported that a student at a vocational secondary school in the central Hubei Province killed himself after being caught secretly filming his female classmates in a women’s toilet. According to the report, the student’s parents found a note their son had tossed in the trash just before his death. Scrawled on it were ‘scared,’ ‘Ke Jie,’ and the boy’s own name.