Links for Monday, October 19, 2020

WORTH THINKING ABOUT

Pieces of news or analysis that caught our eye:

The assertion that terrorism in Xinjiang is connected to international groups has long been a foundational claim for justifying Beijing’s pervasive security presence and repeated “strike hard” crackdowns in the territory. But as Beijing doubles down on this narrative in the face of rising international criticism of its Xinjiang policies, a new book by Sean Roberts, a scholar at George Washington University, finds that this assertion “has little factual basis.” Christian Shepherd at the Financial Times has a review of the book, titled The War on the Uyghurs: China’s Campaign Against Xinjiang’s Muslims:

Perhaps Roberts’s greatest contribution to the debate over Xinjiang is his attempt to dismantle China’s assertions about a “terrorist threat” by sketching a picture of the isolated groups it deems international terrorist organizations. Through interviews in Uighur communities, he concludes that the groups have for the past two decades mostly hovered on the edge of extinction as a poorly resourced, loosely organized bunch with aspirations, but no capacity, to launch militant operations.

“China and COVID-19: what went wrong in Wuhan?” is the title of a Financial Times investigation into the early stages of the outbreak. The story builds on previous reporting of the government’s early missteps and secrecy by the FT, NYT, WSJ, AP, and Washington Post, as well as by Caixin and others.

• The central finding of the FT: “Three weeks before Mr Xi’s administration publicly acknowledged that a deadly new respiratory disease was spreading through one of China’s largest cities, doctors at Wuhan Central Hospital realised they had a problem.”
• That acknowledgement of human-to-human transmission famously came on January 20. That makes another apparently new detail in the FT reporting more significant: “On January 14, a day after coronavirus was confirmed to have spread beyond China, from Wuhan to Bangkok, the country’s top health officials convened a confidential meeting in Beijing at which they fretted about a ‘high’ risk of human-to-human transmission.”

However, the FT also quotes Dale Fisher, an infectious diseases specialist at Singapore’s National University Hospital, who points out:

Dr Fisher’s view was that “another couple of weeks” of advance notice about the pandemic would not have helped many countries. He pointed out that despite it being confirmed that the virus could be transmitted from person to person on January 20, “it’s not like [everyone] jumped up and sprang into action.”

MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• 4.9% GDP growth in Q3
  China’s economic recovery continued in third quarter, though slower than expected / Caixin (paywall)
  “Although the headline growth missed market expectations, major economic indicators for September including consumption, industrial output and fixed-asset investment generally performed in line with forecasts, if not better.”
  China economy grows 4.9% as rest of world struggles with coronavirus / WSJ (paywall)
  With COVID-19 under control, China’s economy surges ahead / NYT (porous paywall)
  China’s economy is almost over COVID-19 / WSJ (paywall)
  Yi Gang predicts China’s GDP will grow 2% in 2020 / Caixin (paywall)
  China’s headline recovery hides uglier subtext / Reuters Breakingviews
  Can China’s rebound last? A look behind the latest GDP numbers / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
• TikTok ban lifted in Pakistan
  Pakistan to unblock social media app TikTok after it vows to moderate content / Reuters
  “The move comes some 10 days after Pakistan blocked TikTok for failing to block ‘immoral and indecent’ content.”
  Context last week on CNN: Analysis: Pakistan’s TikTok ban is about censorship, not China.
• Alibaba acquires Sun Art in $3.6 billion deal
  Alibaba snaps up China’s leading Hypermarket operator / Caixin (paywall)
  In Alibaba’s latest expansion into brick-and-mortar retail, Alibaba will take over Sun Art, which “runs the China operations of the Auchan and RT-Mart hypermarket chains [and] had 484 stores across the country as of June.”
  Alibaba takes over China’s top Hypermart chain for $3.6 billion / Bloomberg via Yahoo Finance
• Expanding export controls
  Targeting overseas violations, China passes law unifying export controls / Caixin (paywall)
  The new Export Control Law, which will take effect on December 1, will allow “government agencies to control the export of dual military and civilian-use items, military-use and nuclear items, and other goods, technologies and services.” The exact list of items to be included will be determined by relevant government agencies.
  China passes export-control law following U.S. moves / Reuters
  China passes export control law with potential for rare-earths ban / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
• One-off relief deal for Evergrande in Guangzhou
  Cash-strapped Evergrande development gets helping hand from local government / Caixin (paywall)
  “Struggling property developer China Evergrande Group appears to be getting an exemption from a key restriction for new apartments being sold in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, as the company grapples with a mountain of maturing debt.”
• Pumping up pork production
  China third-quarter pork output jumps 18% year-on-year but supplies still tight / Reuters
• Market reform in Shenzhen
  China gives Shenzhen more autonomy for market reform, integration / Reuters
  Chinese banking regulator fines China Construction Bank $1m for violations / Reuters
  “Among other things, the Shenzhen branch of CCB had hidden risks, used loans for purposes than otherwise stated and money allocated for small- and medium-sized enterprise loans were used for other purposes.”
  Last week on The China Project: Xi smiles at Shenzhen while snubbing Hong Kong.

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• China CDC says it isolated COVID-19 on frozen food packaging
  China adds evidence to theory COVID-19 can spread via frozen food / Caixin (paywall)
  “According to the China CDC, the active viruses were found on the outer packaging of frozen cod products in the coastal city of Qingdao.”
• New law targets infectious diseases
  China passes biosecurity law to prevent infectious diseases / Reuters
  “The law would establish systems for biosecurity risk prevention and control, including risk monitoring and early warning, risk investigation and assessment, and information sharing.”  

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• USAID to provide telecom loans in developing countries
  U.S. to offer loans to lure developing countries away from Chinese telecom gear / WSJ (paywall)
  “USAID this month signed an agreement with the Federal Communications Commission to jointly counter 5G deployments using Chinese equipment in developing countries, combining the FCC’s technical and policy expertise and the aid agency’s network of some 10,000 employees in about 100 countries.”
• India-China border standoff
  India says Chinese soldier apprehended in Ladakh, to be returned / Reuters
  “The People’s Liberation Army soldier was apprehended in the Demchok area of eastern Ladakh, and would be returned after the completion of formalities, the Indian army said in a statement.”
• Diplomatic fistfight in Fiji?
  Taiwan says diplomat sent to hospital after China spat in Fiji / Reuters
  “Taiwan’s foreign ministry said the incident happened on the evening of Oct. 8 at a Taiwan national day reception organised by Taiwan’s representative office in Fiji, where two Chinese diplomats tried to force their way in to take pictures and collect information on who was attending.
  “Violence ensued after Taiwanese diplomats tried to prevent them from entering, and a Taiwanese diplomat was sent to hospital with a head injury, the ministry said.”
  China and Taiwan exchange jabs over diplomats’ dustup in Fiji / WSJ (paywall)
• New rules for digital content targeted at kids
  China revises laws to strengthen protection of minors online / Reuters
  China approves landmark revision to child protection law / Sixth Tone
  China’s revamped law bans online services that ‘induce addiction’ in kids / Engadget
  “The updated law will take effect on June 1st, 2021.”
• Southeast Asia diplomacy
  Japan, Vietnam to step up defense and economic ties amid China’s growing influence / SCMP
• Is China causing a schism in the Catholic Church?  
  Ex-Hong Kong bishop calls Vatican line on China ‘sickening’ / Crux
• ‘Something close to’ genocide
  Detecting slave-made goods from China is growing harder, U.S. says / Reuters
  U.S. “Ambassador-at-Large John Richmond said reports that forced labor by the Chinese government had spread beyond Xinjiang to other provinces complicated the process of due diligence for global firms.”  
  ‘Something close’ to genocide in China’s Xinjiang, says U.S. security adviser / Reuters
• Hong Kong updates
  Climate activist Greta Thunberg joins campaign to release Hong Kong fugitives detained in China / HKFP
  Hundreds swarm History Museum to capture ‘Hong Kong Story’ before controversial revamp / HKFP
  Hong Kong protester ‘Grandma Wong’: I was held in mainland China for 14 months / Guardian
  Germany grants asylum to Hong Kong student arrested for ‘rioting,’ activist group says / HKFP

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• Zoos and the treatment of animals
  Bear attack killing keeper sparks debate over animal cruelty / Caixin
• Being Taiwanese
  Searching for Taiwanese identity through narrative: A conversation with K-Ming Chang / New Bloom
  K-Ming Chang (張欣明 Zhāng Xīnmíng) is a Taiwanese-American poet and the author of the novel Bestiary.
• The victims of online loan sharks
  ‘Black mirror,’ real lives: Documenting China’s digital underclass / Sixth Tone