Links for Thursday, August 27, 2020

IN OTHER NEWS:

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• What will new electric vehicle darling Xpeng do with its millions?
  China’s Xpeng Motors raises $1.5 billion in bumper New York IPO / CNN
  BlackBerry makes China push as the OS for Xpeng smart cars / TechCrunch  
• Is the economy roaring back?
  China’s industrial profits grow at fastest pace since mid-2018 / Reuters
  Air travel within China is nearly at pre-pandemic levels / NYT (porous paywall)
  China’s air travel recovery shows power of vast home market / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
• Face scans on the rise across China, and now they can handle face masks
  “刷脸”，要方便更要安全 / People’s Daily 
• The American business case against a WeChat ban
  U.S. firms in China say Trump’s WeChat ban will hit them where it hurts / WSJ (paywall)
• China’s semiconductor dependency
  China to import $300 billion of chips for third straight year: industry group / Reuters
  A “sign of continuing reliance on foreign know-how despite efforts to gain local capability.”
• Instant noodle company Master Kong’s stocks are soaring
  榨菜火了，泡面也火了！这家龙头股突然暴涨近100个亿 / Tencent News
• Borrowing costs in China are spiking as central bank “holds back on aggressive easing”
  Cash shortages in China drive up funding costs, pressuring bonds / Bloomberg
• “BlackRock and JPMorgan benefit from financial opening”
  Foreign firms move in on China’s financial sector / Caixin
• Huawei isn’t out of the game yet
  Huawei nears tie with Samsung for top spot in global smartphone shipments / Caixin
• How China-India tensions are affecting business
  Alibaba halts new investments in Indian companies amid rising international tensions / Caixin
  Xiaomi shares jump on strong earnings despite China-India tensions / Caixin

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• COVID-19 hospital delays lead to TB spike
  Expert warns of surge in patients seeking delayed treatment for tuberculosis / Caixin
• How COVID-19 spreads
  Coronavirus in vacant apartment suggests toilets’ role in spread / Straits Times

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• U.S. moves on China
  Mike Pompeo renews attack on HSBC as bank walks line between U.S and China / FT (paywall)
  “Lender accused of bowing to Chinese pressure to block Hong Kong media executives from accessing accounts.”
  U.S. says China ‘bullying’ UK, cites HSBC Hong Kong-related accounts / Reuters
  The Pentagon is prepared for China / WSJ (paywall)
  An op-ed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.
  Chinese diplomats helped military scholars visiting the U.S. evade FBI scrutiny, U.S. says / WSJ (paywall)
  U.S. penalizes 24 Chinese companies over role in South China Sea / NYT (porous paywall)
• Chinese moves on U.S.
  China says it won’t be intimidated if U.S. deploys nuclear missiles in Asia / Caixin
  Why China brought out the ‘aircraft-carrier killer’ to flex its military muscle / SCMP
  China’s top diplomats in ‘unprecedented’ back-to-back Europe trips amid tensions with U.S. / SCMP
• Ministry of Agriculture dispels rumors of grain shortages, asks public to not hoard food
  农村农业部：警惕一些炒作“粮荒”舆论 不要盲目跟风囤粮 / Caijing
• Hong Kong under the national security law
  As China hits Jimmy Lai, a bitter tabloid feud may lead to jail / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
• Another lecture from Beijing for Canberra
  China warns of ‘shadow’ over ties with Australia, tells it to stop ‘whining’ / Channel NewsAsia
• Anti-Chinese sentiment in Indonesia
  Indonesian terrorists planned to attack shop owners in areas with Chinese communities / SCMP
  “Indonesian police have arrested 17 suspected members of the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah [who were] motivated by fake news and hoaxes about rise of communism.”
• Singapore newspaper reprints China Daily editorial on generosity to Southeast Asia
  China will give priority to providing COVID-19 vaccines to Mekong River countries: China Daily / Straits Times
• China’s deal for Iranian oil
  China’s Iran game / The Statesman (India)
  “China and Iran have drafted a Trade and Military Partnership Agreement. In exchange, China would receive a regular, heavily discounted supply of Iranian oil over the next 25 years.”
• American racism and Chinese autocracy
  Does racism in the U.S. help Xi? / Chinese Journal Review
  “When Chinese students read racist, anti-China commentary on online U.S. platforms, this increased the likelihood that those students would support autocracy back home.”

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• Getting Mama’s surname
  Matronymics — More Chinese children are being given their mother’s surname / The Economist
  “Chinese children with young, educated mothers from areas with normal sex ratios at birth were more likely than average to be given her surname, and such offspring were healthier and better educated than average.”
• Music and dance: A cultural battleground between Uyghurs and the state
  Interview: ‘Uyghur pop music humanizes and amplifies their hopes’ says music expert Elise Anderson / HKFP
• A sympathetic portrait of author Liú Cíxīn 刘慈欣
  Liu Cixin writes science fiction epics that transcend the moment / WSJ (paywall)