Links for Tuesday, October 27, 2020

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• New targets for new energy vehicles
  China’s NEV sales to account for 20% of new car sales by 2025, 50% by 2035 / Reuters
  China plans to phase out conventional gas-burning cars by 2035 / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
  “Latest goals call for all new vehicles to be either ‘new-energy’ or hybrid.”
• More auto industry news
  BMW’s Chinese venture partner defaults on 1 billion yuan bond / Caixin (paywall)
  Chinese auto tech startup closes $194 million series A funding round led by Baidu / Caixin (paywall)
  Are German carmakers too dependent on China? / DW
  Tesla is reportedly shipping 7,000 made-in-China cars to Europe / CNBC
• Shenzhen SME board to be absorbed into main board
  Exclusive: Shenzhen bourse plans to merge main board with upstart that supplanted it / Caixin (paywall)
  “The merger would leave the Shenzhen bourse with the same structure as the Shanghai Stock Exchange, which has a main board and yet another ‘Nasdaq-style’ board dedicated to tech startups, the STAR Market.”
• Pakistan completes subway line in Lahore, but ML-1 railway project financing tightens
  Thanks to China, Pakistan’s first metro hits the tracks / Caixin (paywall)
  Pakistan Belt and Road railway hits snag as China nixes low rate / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
• Will China’s growth bounce next year?
  China’s economic growth seen hitting 44-year low in 2020, bounce 8.4% in 2021: Reuters poll / Reuters
• Ant Group prepares for IPO
  Ant Group picks 29 strategic investors for Shanghai leg of record IPO / Caixin (paywall)
  Ant Group to close IPO to institutions early due to heavy orders / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
• WeChat ban blocked, again
  U.S. appeals court rejects immediate WeChat ban / Reuters
• China Fashion Week in Beijing
  Packed bars and mask-less catwalks: With COVID curbs fading, China set for consumption rebound / Reuters
• Drugs and biotech
  In generic drug reform, China walks tightrope between innovation and affordability / Caixin (paywall)
  Chinese biotech startup Genecast bags $149 million in series E funding round / Caixin

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• Policy to combat pollution and climate change
  China environment ministry calls for end to aluminium sector’s move west / Reuters
  China sketches out rules for green finance / Caixin
• Easing COVID restrictions in Hong Kong
  Hong Kong residents no longer need to quarantine on return from mainland / Caixin
• More COVID-19 cases in Kashgar
  China’s Kashgar reports five new confirmed COVID-19 cases / Reuters
  Yesterday on The China Project: China reports over 100 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases linked to Xinjiang garment factory.

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• More Taiwan arms sales
  U.S. announces planned $2.37 billion weapon sale to Taiwan / AP
  China says will take necessary measures on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan / Reuters
  Related The China Project coverage: Trump administration approves $1.8 billion in Taiwan arms sales as Joe Biden praises Taiwanese democracy.
• Update on one Chinese researcher who U.S. accused of hiding military ties
  Citing safety threats, Chinese scientist Tang Juan asks to be moved to new housing in U.S. as her house arrest continues / Tribune New Service via SCMP
  Related The China Project coverage: China threatens to detain Americans in response to crackdown on military-affiliated researchers.
• Censorship on mobile web browsers
  China launches crackdown on mobile web browsers, decries ‘chaos’ of information / Reuters
• Taiwanese pushing back on Beijing
  Hundreds rally in Taiwan, call for release of 12 Hong Kong people arrested by China / Reuters
  Taiwan’s ‘cat warriors’ counter attacks from China’s ‘wolves’ / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
• Baseless allegations about Biden family Chinese business dealings
  Questions and answers about the Bidens and a deal in China / NYT (porous paywall)
  Trump had one last story to sell. The Wall Street Journal wouldn’t buy it. / NYT (porous paywall)
  Hunter Biden’s ex-business partner alleges father knew about venture / WSJ (paywall)
  “Anthony Bobulinski said that in 2017 Hunter Biden consulted his father about a planned venture with Chinese oil company CEFC China Energy Co. to invest in the U.S. and elsewhere… The venture — set up in 2017 after Mr. Biden left the vice presidency and before his presidential campaign — never received proposed funds from the Chinese company or completed any deals, according to people familiar with the matter. Corporate records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show no role for Joe Biden.”
• Visa clampdown in Philippines
  Philippines orders nearly 3,000 overstaying Chinese to leave / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
• Paying the price for speaking out about Uyghurs
  The erasure of Mesut Özil / NYT (porous paywall)

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• Story of Chinese Moon goddess Chang’e is a Netflix hit
  Chinese co-production “Over the Moon” becomes Netflix’s most-streamed release / Radii China
• The mechanics of poverty relief in Yunnan
  This year, remote Lüeyang beat poverty. Now comes the hard part. / Sixth Tone
• The challenges of natalist policy
  China wants a baby boom. Its parents aren’t interested. / Sixth Tone
• A “sanitary pads mutual assistance box” at East China University of Political Science and Law
  Female student fights ‘period-shaming’ – social media discusses the pros and cons / Caixin