Links for Tuesday, October 6, 2020

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• Nio, Li Auto, and Xpeng report record sales in September
  China’s homegrown electric-car makers charge ahead in September / Caixin (paywall)
• Brazil ride sharing: Didi pairs up with WhatsApp to compete with Uber
  China’s Didi Chuxing partners with WhatsApp for ride-hailing in Brazil / Reuters
• Bilibili prepares for secondary listing after Nasdaq
  Chinese video site Bilibili prepares Hong Kong IPO of up to $1.5 billion / Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)
• Is China trying to curb currency appreciation?
  China triples Japan government bond purchases / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
  “The Chinese bought 1.46 trillion yen ($13.8 billion) in medium- to long-term JGBs on a net basis between April and July, figures from Japan’s Finance Ministry and the Bank of Japan show — 3.6 times the amount from a year earlier.”
• Seven in 10 Korean firms have no interest in returning home
  South Korean firms reluctant to bring production back from China / Bloomberg via Caixin
• Coal industry consolidation in Shanxi Province
  Five miners tapped to create coal powerhouse in North China / Caixin (paywall)
• Chinese investment in Kenya
  Kenyatta aims to diversify infrastructure finance and development away from dependence on China / China-Africa Project
  Kenya keen to renegotiate debt, fees with China as coronavirus hits unprofitable Mombasa-Naivasha rail line / SCMP
• The failing trade war
  U.S. trade deficit up to $67.1 billion in August, 14-year high / AP

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• U.S. expert says China’s low COVID-19 numbers are not a conspiracy
  ‘Raging epidemic is not inevitable’ — Dr. Scott Gottlieb believes China case count and rips U.S. response / CNBC
  Gottlieb, the former Food and Drug Administration commissioner, said: “The entire Pacific Rim has less than 1,000 infections a day. Having a raging epidemic is not inevitable… People want to say China is lying about the two dozen cases that they’re reporting a day, which I don’t believe they are [lying]. Certainly, the entire Pacific Rim isn’t in on the conspiracy.”
• COVID-19 in Hong Kong
  Hong Kong untraceable local infection emerges, sparking community outbreak fears / HKFP
• Pandemic toll and vaccine timeline projections
  Coronavirus could kill more than 2 million people by the end of the year, researchers say / SCMP
  COVID-19 vaccine may be ready by year-end, says WHO’s Tedros / Reuters
  COVID-19 vaccine may not be ready until the end of 2021, WHO says / SCMP
  China in talks with WHO over assessing its COVID-19 vaccines for global use / Reuters
• Coral reef diversity loss
  Coral reef diversity losses in China’s Greater Bay Area were driven by regional stressors / Science
  Experts raise alarm over destruction of coral reefs in South China Sea / Radio Free Asia

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• U.S.-China competition in Southeast Asia
  Cambodia caught in the middle of US-China clash over South China Sea military bases / SCMP
  Cambodia denies new speculation about Chinese base plans / AP
  U.S. rush to Bangladesh revs up economic race with China / Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)
  Xi says ready to bring China-Bangladesh ties to new heights / Xinhua
• Top U.S. official calls China “most long-term strategic threat to…our way of life”
  China, Russia and white supremacy top DHS’ first public threat assessment / CBS News
• Xinjiang and Uyghurs
  Saving Uyghur culture from genocide / The Atlantic (porous paywall)
  Uyghur lawyer describes brother’s imprisonment in China / The Hill
  Exiled Uyghurs are plotting a quiet counter-surveillance revolution / Rest of World
  Raab says UK boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics possible over Uyghur abuses / Guardian
• Taiwan
  Taiwan hopes Trump gets better so he can keep resisting China / Reuters
  Vice defense minister urges U.S. arms sales amid rising China threat / Focus Taiwan
  To stop a Chinese invasion, Taiwan needs a stronger army / LA Times
  Taiwan’s opposition KMT calls for official ties with U.S. in bid to outflank President Tsai Ing-Wen / SCMP
• Hong Kong
  Hong Kong primary teacher deregistered ‘for talking about independence’ / Guardian
  Lam says Hong Kong police played no part in detention of 12 Hongkongers at sea after report of air surveillance / HKFP
• Zambia’s debt to China
  Bondholders reject Zambia’s request to delay repayments due to concerns over how much government owes China / China-Africa Project
  China-Africa arms trade: Zambia largest recipient of Chinese loans for military gear, study says / SCMP
• Germany’s confidential 2018 report on Chinese influence
  Exclusive: German official quashed intelligence report on China’s influence / Axios
• More on Trump’s Chinese supporters
  Why China’s liberals like Trump / Inkstone

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• Interview with the maker of Netflix’s Flavorful Origins Chinese food documentary
  Celebrating Chinese food in film: Meet Chén Xiǎoqīng 陈晓卿 / TIME
• Pingyao International Film Festival scheduled for October 10–19
  Pingyao International Film Festival lineup revealed / Variety
• Guangxi protects family planning policy offenders from job discrimination
  Another Chinese province says 3 children not a fireable offense / Sixth Tone