Links for Friday, October 2, 2020

WORTH THINKING ABOUT

Pieces of news or analysis that caught our eye:

Is Tesla screwed once cars go autonomous? One analyst says that Tesla has a decade at most before cars become too high-tech for the comfort of national-security-obsessed authorities in Beijing or Washington, per Yahoo Finance:

Morgan Stanley’s (MS) Adam Jonas says that CEO Elon Musk’s high-tech automotive company will likely see sales in China plummet to zero by 2030… With data privacy and security between U.S. and Chinese tech companies top of mind, Jonas said, it’s unlikely the U.S. would allow a network of Chinese-made autonomous vehicles to drive around any major U.S. city in the future. Naturally, the flip side would also be true.

Related, on The China Project: Tesla and GM dominate electric car sales in China.

MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• TikTok tries to avoid November 12 ban deadline
  TikTok will ask judge to stop broader U.S. ban scheduled for next month / SCMP
• Tesla cuts prices for third time this year to compete with cheaper Chinese rivals
  Tesla further slashes price of China-made Model 3 / Caixin
• Hinrich Foundation predicts continued bumps for China tech global expansion
  China tech to face even closer scrutiny from global governments / Bloomberg via Caixin
• Semiconductor manufacturing challenges
  SMIC supplier moves China one small step closer to chip self-sufficiency with purchase of used ASML system / SCMP
• U.K. still suspicious of Huawei  
  Britain found ‘critical’ weakness in Huawei equipment / SCMP
• “Business is booming for campaign paraphernalia”
  China’s factories pull in the profits by making Trump merchandise / FT (paywall)

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• Massive 2.2 GW solar farm in Qinghai connected to grid
  China’s biggest-ever solar power plant goes live / CNET
• Betel nut in Hunan
  A risky stimulant thrives in China’s capital of chewing / Economist (porous paywall)

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• Backlash against U.S. investigations of Chinese scholars and scientists
  U.S. probes of Chinese researchers draw more organized opposition / WSJ (paywall)
  “The Justice Department’s effort to prosecute some Chinese researchers in the U.S. accused of hiding their ties to the Chinese government is facing increasing pushback from some academics and Chinese-American groups.”
• Beijing: Patriotism is not optional
  Love and obligation / China Media Project
  Luò Huìníng 骆惠宁, director of the Central Liaison Office in Hong Kong, said at a gala yesterday, “For those who are Chinese, love for the country is not a choice but an obligation.”
• Reactions to Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis
  China says it hopes U.S. president Trump will recover soon / Reuters
  Trump allies complain about China literally infecting Trump with COVID-19 / Daily Beast
  Trump coronavirus diagnosis means tougher U.S. line on China, analysts say / SCMP
  Banter and doubts on Weibo after Trump tests positive for COVID-19 / What’s on Weibo
• U.S. pushes conservative abortion views at UN
  U.N. chief urges equality fight, U.S. slams China for ‘murder’ of baby girls / Reuters
  U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos: “Since 1995 the Chinese Communist Party has been responsible for the murder of millions of baby girls through brutal population controls on industrial scale. Unfortunately, with the support from U.N. agencies.”
• Deadly fire at ice lantern exhibition in Taiyuan
  Fire kills 13 at Chinese theme park at start of long holiday / AP
• Death of China Daily contributor Andre Vltchek
  Death of pro-China U.S. journalist sparks grief and conspiracy theories on Weibo / SCMP
• Two Japanese Bilibili broadcasters get suspended after displaying Taiwan flag
  Virtual YouTubers suspended after calling Taiwan a country / Quartz
• China remembers the Korean War
  Korean War shows how an underdog China can win in armed conflict against U.S.: Chinese general / SCMP
  China is celebrating 70 years since it entered the Korean War / Economist (porous paywall)
• China at the UN and in other international spaces
  China’s campaign for diplomatic influence gains clout / China Digital Times
  How China is taking over international organizations, one vote at a time / WSJ (paywall)
• Uyghur internment camps
  China confirms death of Uyghur man whose family says was held in Xinjiang camps / Guardian

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• Murder on livestream
  Chinese vlogger dies after ‘set on fire by ex during live stream’ / BBC
  Livestreamer’s horrific death sparks outcry over domestic violence / Sixth Tone
• Animated Chinese mythological adventure films
  “Jiang Ziya” breaks record for animated movie in China, releases in North America / Radii China