Links for Thursday, September 24, 2020

WORTH THINKING ABOUT

Pieces of news or analysis that caught our eye:

What is Xi’s plan for science and technology? “Six specialists untangle the past, present, and future in Xi’s vision for leading-edge development” in this analysis by the DigiChina project from New America.

To understand the significance of Xi’s message, DigiChina asked a range of specialists for their thoughts on the historical, policy, and international context for the speech [to a gathering of scientists and technology workers on September 11]. They describe the speech as a both doubling down on and adjusting the direction of longstanding efforts to strike the right balance between state control and S&T vitality, and they note the ways the 2020 context sets China’s situation apart from an earlier seminal speech by Deng Xiaoping in 1978.

“China’s emissions target is a leap forward,” the Financial Times editorial board writes today, referring to Xi’s pledge at the UN that China would achieve “carbon neutrality” by 2060. Many other pieces have recently been published about what China’s path toward this goal could look like, and what it means:

• China’s carbon neutral pledge could curb global warming by 0.3°C – researchers / Reuters
• China’s pledge to be carbon neutral by 2060: What it means / NYT (porous paywall)
• China wants to be carbon neutral by 2060. Is that possible? / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
• China’s pledge to be carbon neutral by 2060, explained / Sixth Tone
• China’s 2060 carbon neutral pledge is a big deal but is it big enough? / New Scientist
• China’s surprise climate pledge leaves Australia ‘naked in the wind,’ analysts say / Guardian

MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• ByteDance applies for export license as state media continues to bash Oracle deal
  ByteDance applies for tech export licence in China amid TikTok deal talks / Reuters
  Judge orders U.S. to delay TikTok ban or file arguments supporting it by Friday / SCMP
  Commentary: The TikTok deal, a brazen heist / Xinhua
  “TikTok交易”之一：披着羊皮，狼还是狼! / People’s Daily Online
  Xiàng Lìgāng 项立刚, director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance, writes an op-ed for the People’s Daily Online, titled, “One of the TikTok deals: The wolf in sheep’s clothing is still the wolf!”
  See also in the China Daily, No disguising proposed TikTok deal is a dirty and underhanded trick, and in the Global Times, TikTok extortion deal is unpalatable gambit.
  On The China Project earlier this week: TikTok and WeChat both in limbo in U.S. after Trump ‘blessing’ and court ruling.
• China’s new richest person: Bottled-water and vaccine tycoon Zhōng Shǎnshǎn 钟睒睒
  China has a new richest person, dethroning Jack Ma / Bloomberg via Caixin
  “The initial public offering of bottled-water company Nongfu Spring Co. — which turned out to be Hong Kong’s most popular among retail investors — propelled Zhong to China’s top three richest earlier this month. That came after the April listing of vaccine-maker Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy Enterprise Co. pushed his net worth to $20 billion by early August.”
• Trustbridge to pay $200 million to take control of WeWork China
  WeWork hands local partner keys to China venture / Caixin (paywall)
• Jail time for Chén Xǔyīng 陈许英
  Former Citic Bank vice president sentenced to 15 years for bribery / Caixin (paywall)
• Take-private proposal for Hong Kong–listed Brilliance Automotive
  Exclusive: Chinese state investors to take BMW partner Brilliance private – sources / Reuters
• Tesla disputes tariffs on electric car parts
  Tesla files lawsuit to stop Trump administration’s China import tariffs / InsideEVs
• Huawei in Japan
  Huawei brings new smartwatches to Japan, despite handset woes / Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)
• COVID-19 recovery
  China’s post-pandemic recovery has severe regional imbalances – survey / Reuters
  China’s retail recovery still rests on richer consumers / Bloomberg (porous paywall)

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• Natural Resources Defense Council urges China to reduce coal consumption
  China should slash raw coal usage by 150 million tons, new report says / Caixin (paywall)
• Macau eases border controls
  Mainlanders allowed to visit Macau again in sign China is easing COVID-19 border controls / Caixin (paywall)
• Distribution of vaccines to essential workers
  China’s CNBG to donate 200,000 coronavirus vaccine doses to medics in Wuhan / Reuters

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• India-China tensions
  India seeks naval edge as China penetrates Indian Ocean / WSJ (paywall)
  Indian soldiers at LAC have go-ahead to open fire in self-defense, India tells China / ThePrint (India)
• Clive Hamilton and Alex Joske reportedly barred from China
  China bans two Australian ‘anti-China’ scholars: Global Times / Reuters
  “China’s foreign ministry did not confirm the entry bans, but said during a regular briefing on Thursday that the country has the right to bar any foreign national and blamed Australia for difficulties in relations.”
  Related, on The China Project: Beijing accuses Canberra of ‘barbaric’ treatment of Chinese citizens.
• Citizen journalist Chén Qiūshí 陈秋实 has resurfaced
  Wuhan COVID journalist missing since February found, says friend / Guardian
  Missing Chinese citizen journalist Chen Qiushi with parents under close watch / SCMP
• Crackdown in Inner Mongolia
  In Inner Mongolia, China works to erase its ‘model minority’ / LA Times
• Brazil has mixed success in pivoting away from China
  For Brazil’s Bolsonaro, China-U.S. rivalry is a challenge and an opportunity / World Politics Review
• Hong Kong press and political freedom
  Hong Kong press club criticizes police accreditation rules as Beijing accuses it of ‘whitewashing fake journalists’ / HKFP
  China says it supports Hong Kong government in strengthening management of media / Reuters
  China accuses foreign correspondents of meddling in Hong Kong / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
  West, legal experts press China on case of 12 detained Hong Kong citizens / Reuters
  Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong arrested for ‘illegal assembly’ / FT (paywall)
  National security law: Hong Kong civil servants worried over planned loyalty pledge, with union asking bureau to define ‘red line’ / SCMP
• Duterte can’t decide what position to take on South China Sea
  Duterte gets rare praise for raising sea feud ruling at UN / AP
  Duterte gov’t still setting aside arbitral ruling, Palace says / CNN Philippines
• Vaccine diplomacy in Africa
  Following President Xi’s UNGA speech, Chinese diplomats in Africa double-down on vaccine accessibility pledge / China-Africa Project
• Threatening Taiwan
  Taiwan: China’s military flew surveillance planes on 3 days / AP
• The Edgar Snows of YouTube
  Western influencers boost their careers by embracing Chinese nationalism / Coda Story
• A border dispute with Nepal?
  A missing border pillar in Humla creates row between Nepal and China / Kathmandu Post
• The detention of Gěng Xiāonán 耿瀟男
  The Kafkaesque trials of Geng Xiaonan / China Heritage

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• Protests against college campus lockdowns
  China’s students protest campus lockdowns, reduced national holidays / Sixth Tone
  Coronavirus: students protest against China university lockdowns citing lack of virus cases, lack of consistency / SCMP
• Milk tea marketing
  Autumn milk tea — cynical marketing strategy or true friendship? / Caixin
  “September 22 is the Autumn Equinox according to the Chinese traditional calendar and the idea of giving a friend an online money transfer for their ‘first cup of milk tea in autumn’ trended heavily” on Weibo.
• “Boys’ Love” subculture in China
  Rotten Girls: China’s thriving online Boys’ Love culture / What’s on Weibo