Links for Thursday, September 3, 2020

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• Chinese School Dubai opened on September 1
  First Chinese public school outside China opens in Dubai / Gulf News (UAE)
  The school is primarily meant to provide resources for the estimated 300,000 Chinese nationals living in Dubai. Around 200 students have enrolled initially for classes up to Grade 5, and the goal is to eventually have “at least 1,800” students enrolled for K-12. The school’s curriculum is based on “the glorious tradition and advanced education concept of Hangzhou No. 2 High School,” according to Chinese Consul-General Li Xuhang.
• Five-year plan for semiconductors
  China said to plan broad chip sector support to fight Trump / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
• Tencent and Beijing are upset at India app bans
  Tencent to engage with Indian authorities to ensure continued availability of apps / Reuters
  China strongly opposes India banning Chinese mobile apps: commerce ministry / Reuters
  Yesterday on The China Project: India bans more than 100 Chinese apps after latest border escalation.
• Government-subsidized homes in Shenzhen
  Pricey Shenzhen aims to put 60% of its people in public housing / Caixin (paywall)
• Special-purpose vehicle to save pharmaceutical giant in Guangdong
  South China province conjures up white knight to save Kangmei Pharmaceutical / Caixin (paywall)
• Commerce Ministry is coy about its intentions for TikTok
  China says its new tech export rules do not target any specific company / Reuters
  Related on The China Project: Beijing threatens to yank TikTok out of Trump’s reach.
• 39% of soon-to-be retirees are worried about healthcare: Survey
  Credit Suisse: China’s aging population will benefit healthcare, insurance / Reuters
• New licensing requirements for non-bank financial companies unlikely to affect Ant Group IPO
  China raises scrutiny of financial holding groups ahead of Ant IPO / FT (paywall)
• Scrutiny of online education company
  Online tutor GSX reports staggering revenue growth as it faces U.S. fraud probe / Caixin
  SEC probes China’s GSX Techedu after short sellers’ pleas / WSJ (paywall)
• Electric vehicles
  Electric vehicle startup Li Auto hits monthly delivery record / Caixin (paywall)
  Drive I/O | Big bets on battery swap / TechNode
  VIDEO | TechNode visits a Nio battery swap station / TechNode

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• Vaccinations of essential workers
  China offers coronavirus vaccine candidates to aviation industry workers: notice / Reuters
  Related, on The China Project: China has been vaccinating essential workers since July 22.
• The dammed Mekong
  U.S. claims China’s ‘manipulation’ of Mekong is ‘urgent challenge’ for Southeast Asia / SCMP

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• Inner Mongolia language protest updates
  China’s drive to boost the use of Mandarin in schools angers ethnic Mongols / Economist (porous paywall)
  Chinese police offer cash rewards in hunt for Inner Mongolia protesters / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
  Inner Mongolia doubles down on teaching key subjects in Mandarin / SCMP
• Details on latest India-China border clash, and Chinese response
  India captured strategic outposts in stealth move against China / Bloomberg via Yahoo
  “In what [anonymous Indian officials] called India’s first offensive move since the conflict began in May, thousands of soldiers climbed up mountain peaks for about six hours to claim the vantage points along the south bank of Pangong Tso — a glacial lake roughly the size of Singapore. The action was taken to counter what India saw as an intrusion by Chinese forces, the officials said.”
  China says responsibility for border tensions ‘lies entirely with India’ / The Hindu
• Death of Indian soldier confirmed by family
  Tibetan soldier’s death near tense India-China border sheds light on covert unit / Reuters
  The soldier was at the border, but reportedly died in a “mine blast,” not in the clash with Chinese soldiers. “Tenzin Nyima, 53, was killed and another commando critically wounded in the blast near the shores of the Pangong Tso lake in the western Himalayas, three Indian government officials and two members of his family told Reuters.”
• The India-to-China cancer drug underground trade
  The silent victims of China-India travel bans: cancer patients / Sixth Tone
  Related, on The China Project in 2018: ‘Dying to Survive,’ a comedy about illegally importing drugs, might be China’s best movie of the year.
• Australian opposition party fears worsening trade dispute
  China’s trade tariffs could be ‘just stage one’ of broader response to Australian diplomatic tensions / Guardian
• Hong Kong’s new legal reality — updates
  Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai cleared of criminal intimidation against reporter / HKFP
  Hong Kong Bar Assoc. says leader Carrie Lam’s stance on separation of powers ‘unfounded, inconsistent’ / HKFP
• Various China-U.S. tensions
  South China Sea: Beijing warns Asean members against backing ‘troublemaker’ U.S. in region / SCMP
  China demands U.S. reverse new restrictions on diplomats / Caixin
  China foreign ministry will make ‘legitimate responses’ to U.S. curbs on diplomats / Reuters

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• Homophobia in textbooks
  Chinese activist loses legal battle over homophobic textbooks / AFP via HKFP
  “A Chinese LGBT activist has lost her legal bid to get a university textbook corrected for describing gay people as suffering from a ‘common psychosexual disorder.’”
• Illegal columbarium
  Tianjin cracks down on condos for the dead / Sixth Tone
  “Resembling an ordinary apartment complex, Jing’an Cemetery had been operating as a popular but illegal business for the last decade.”
• Property dispute over Jackie Chan’s Beijing homes
  Action star Jackie Chan’s luxury downtown Beijing homes put up for auction / SCMP
  Jackie Chan’s million-dollar Beijing mansions seized in ownership dispute / VICE
• Racism in New York City and Mississippi
  Man attacks Asian duo in NYC while ranting about China / New York Post
  Mississippi governor defends his use of phrase ‘China virus’ / AP