Links for Wednesday, September 23, 2020

WORTH THINKING ABOUT

Pieces of news or analysis that caught our eye:

Another poll has found increased approval for the Chinese government since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. NPR reports that a survey in April of nearly 20,000 people, conducted by Cary Wu, a sociology professor at Canada’s York University, and “several hundred Chinese student volunteers,” found:

Nearly half of respondents said they had become more trusting of their national government since the outbreak. Only 3.3% said they had less trust in national leaders after the epidemic. The remainder said their levels of trust had not changed.

Overall, more than 90% of respondents said they were satisfied with how China’s national leaders managed the outbreak.

Of course, as with any survey conducted in China, it is important to keep the data in context and with plenty of caveats. For that, see Chang Che on The China Project: Do Chinese people support their government? Here’s why it’s hard to tell.

MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• State media cast doubt on TikTok deal
  Editorial: No disguising proposed TikTok deal is a dirty and underhanded trick / China Daily
  This follows an editorial in the Global Times yesterday: TikTok extortion deal is unpalatable gambit.
  See also, in the SCMP: Oracle chairman says SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son likely to join TikTok board.
• Ninebot to list with variable-interest structure and sell CDRs
  Segway owner set to make history with STAR market IPO / Caixin (paywall)
  Ninebot’s IPO highlights Beijing’s eagerness to lure home listings / Reuters
• Huawei and TSMC speak out against supply chain disruptions by U.S.
  TSMC warns China-U.S. deleveraging will drive up costs / Reuters
  Huawei chairman urges U.S. to reconsider ‘attack’ on global supply chain / Reuters
  Huawei says it has enough chips for equipment businesses but not for its smartphones / SCMP
• Alibaba in Southeast Asia
  Alibaba subsidiary Cainiao pushes into Malaysia with cross-border delivery service / Caixin
• The business of recycling
  JD.com-backed recycling operator Wanwu Xinsheng nets over $100m / Caixin
• JinkoSolar plans to list subsidiary
  Jumping on the China IPO bandwagon, solar-panel maker plans unit’s Shanghai listing / Caixin (paywall)
• Former Everbright executive under investigation
  Former China Everbright bank branch head falls under corruption probe / Caixin (paywall)
• Zhonggu Logistics raises a boatload of money
  Chinese container shipping giant eyes $218 million Shanghai IPO / Deal Street Asia via Caixin

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• Manufacturing COVID-19 tests in Africa
  China’s BGI wins 1.5 million coronavirus test kit order from Ethiopia / Reuters
• Pig-to-human organ transplants
  Gene editing: Chinese scientists bring safer pig-to-human organ transplants one step closer to reality / SCMP

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• Analysis of Xi’s speeches at the UN
  “His Highness” Xi Jinping? / China Media Project
  “For a reason as yet unknown, Xi Jinping was identified for the General Debate session on the webpage of the Journal of the United Nations as ‘His Highness Xi Jinping,’ while others, including Trump, were identified (with the exception of a king and a sheikh from Jordan and Qatar respectively) as ‘His Excellency.’”
• International pressure on Xinjiang and forced labor
  U.S. House passes China forced labor bill near unanimously / Reuters
  France’s Macron urges U.N. mission to visit China’s Xinjiang region / Reuters
• Anti-misinformation moves by Facebook
  Facebook removes Chinese accounts active in Philippines and U.S. politics / Reuters
  Facebook takes down fake pages created in China aimed at Trump, Biden / NYT (porous paywall)
• NBA is still pro-engagement with China
  NBA commissioner Adam Silver addresses league’s relationship with China / Yahoo Sports
  NBA-China engagement is positive for United States – Commissioner / Reuters
• Pompeo tells local U.S. officials to distrust Chinese diplomats
  Mike Pompeo urges U.S. states to beware of China’s ‘sinister’ attempts at engagement / SCMP
• China’s involvement in UN peacekeeping operations
  China to increase support for peacekeeping operations according to new white paper / China Africa Project
  China issues white paper on its armed forces’ participation in UN peacekeeping operations / Global Times

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• Giving grandparents an elevator 
  As China ages, a push to add elevators offers a new kind of economic relief / NYT (porous paywall)
  “China’s premier wants to retrofit three million older apartment buildings all over the country, but he still needs political buy-in at the top.”
• Yuan dynasty antique expected to sell for more than $10 million
  Rare 700-year-old Chinese scroll goes under the hammer in Hong Kong / Reuters
• Vocational school in Shandong tries to force students to use canteen
  School throws away students’ food deliveries to force use of canteen / Caixin
• Students who had hoped to study abroad
  For many young Chinese, studying abroad was Plan A. There was no Plan B. / Sixth Tone
  “Young people whose plans to study abroad this semester were scuttled by the pandemic are now left with four options, each with its own drawbacks.”