Links for Thursday, October 22, 2020

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• Ant Group IPO gets final approvals
  Ant Group clears last hurdle for dual IPO / Caixin (paywall)
  “Ant Group obtained the blessing for its listing on Shanghai’s new Nasdaq-style STAR Market from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), according to a statement (link in Chinese) released by the regulator on Wednesday. On the same day, the company got the nod for its Hong Kong listing from the city’s stock exchange, the bourse’s website showed.”
  Ant Group to launch $35 billion IPO after final nod from China regulator / Reuters
  “For the Hong Kong leg, Ant plans to start a brief pre-marketing period this week before opening order books next week. Its shares are likely to start trading a few days after the November 3 U.S. presidential election, sources have said.”
• Yet another fast-food chain starts selling artificial meat products
  Dicos, China’s rival to KFC, unveils imitation chicken burgers / Sixth Tone
• Chinese chips are down 1 — China Resources Microelectronics  
  Investors hack 15% off semiconductor’s value in three days / Caixin (paywall)
• Chinese chips are down 2 — Huawei and the global semiconductor supply
  New Huawei phone comes at crucial time for Chinese company / AP
  Thanks to Trump, Huawei’s cool new phones might be limited edition / NYT (porous paywall)
  Huawei outhustles Trump by stockpiling chips needed for China 5G / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
  The U.S.-China conflict over chips is about to get uglier / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
• Capital controls in Greater Bay Area
  China wealth link with Hong Kong to be capped at $23 billion each way / Bloomberg via Caixin
• Billions for online tutoring company
  Chinese online tutoring start-up Yuanfudao raises $2.2 billion, values firm at $15.5 billion / Reuters
• Green stocks get a boost
  Carbon pledge lifts wind and solar stocks in China / WSJ (paywall)
• Another stress test for China-dependent Australia
  Australian exporters should brace for more pressure from China / Australian Financial Review (paywall)
• IPR infringements
  U.S.’ Panda Express says it’s black and white: eaterie bearing resemblance in China is fake / SCMP

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• Mekong River data sharing
  China commits to share year-round water data with Mekong River Commission / Reuters
• Tour group restrictions to remain through winter
  China says will maintain ban on outbound tours due to virus risk / Reuters
• U.S.-China science collaboration and recognition
  Chinese, U.S. scientists still working together despite Donald Trump’s hostility / SCMP
  Ex-Google AI chief Fei-Fei Li among Chinese honored by U.S. Academy of Medicine / SCMP
• Distribution of experimental vaccines
  Queues in China for experimental COVID-19 vaccine / BBC

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• Italy sours on the Belt and Road
  Lucrezia Poggetti on Twitter: “Vincenzo Amendola, Italian Minister for European Affairs: ‘the BRI MoU with China was a mistake. China under Xi is no longer what it used to be.’”
  Related The China Project coverage: Brouhaha over Italy-China BRI deal may be overrated.
  See also, in the Diplomat: Demystifying China’s role in Italy’s port of Trieste.
• China criticizes Canadian parliament report that calls Uyghur treatment “genocide”
  Parliamentary committee calls China’s mistreatment of Uyghurs ‘genocide,’ urges Ottawa to sanction Beijing officials / Globe and Mail
  China warns Canada to halt ‘blatant interference’ as feud continues / Guardian  
  Related:
  Better Cotton Initiative finally cuts all ties with Xinjiang / Apparel Insider
  As Uyghurs exit Indonesian jail, China-Turkey repatriation tussle brews / SCMP (porous paywall)
• Putin weighs in on global power competition
  China and Germany heading for superpower status as U.S. influence wanes, says Putin / Reuters
  President Vladimir Putin says Russia and China don’t need a military alliance now but a future one can’t be ruled out / Washington Post (porous paywall)
• Vatican says it will push Beijing for “more fruitful exercising of religious freedom”
  Vatican to push for religious freedom as China deal extended / Reuters
  Vatican, China extend bishop agreement over US opposition / AP
• Beijing balks at Pompeo’s moves against Chinese media
  China vows retribution against U.S. for labeling Chinese media outlets arms of the state / Caixin
• South Korea caught in the middle
  South Korea is caught between China and the United States / Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• U.S. pressure on Chinese students
  China-U.S. relations: 300 foreign exchange students ‘interrogated’ as they left America, Beijing says / SCMP
  U.S. calls Chinese visa offenders spies without showing evidence / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
  “Stranded in China”: U.S.-China relations leave hundreds of Yale students waiting for visas / Yale Daily News
  Homeland Security will pull 1,100 OPT permits from international students / Politico

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• Fertility
  Is education to blame for China’s falling fertility rate? / Caixin
  “The team ‘involution’ (内卷化 nèijuǎnhuà) is trending on Chinese social media and is being ‘blamed’ for why ‘too much education’ is leading to young people not wanting to have children.”
• Trippy bookstore in Chengdu
  A surreal new bookstore has just opened in China / Architectural Digest
• Cruelty to animals
  CCTV calls for Chinese animal abuse laws / What’s on Weibo
  Pregnant cat’s cruel death prompts calls for animal abuse law / Sixth Tone
  See also on The China Project: College student expelled for cat torture videos.
• People’s Liberation Army teams will not participate in civilian sports 
  Winning fewer games and more battles? PLA ends sporting tradition / Caixin