Links for Tuesday, December 22, 2020

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• Toys R Hot
  Tencent-backed Chinese budget retailer Miniso launches Toptoy, a store chain for toys / Bloomberg via DealStreetAsia  
  “Miniso Group Holding Ltd., the newly New York-listed Chinese budget retailer, is making its first foray into the $86 billion global toy market.”
  See also: Lego plans physical store expansion in China / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
  Chinese toy maker Pop Mart surges nearly 80% in Hong Kong debut / Reuters
• An unusually public spat about bonds
  Ex-finance minister’s call for bond market reform sparks central bank pushback / Caixin (paywall)
  “A row over how to overhaul China’s bond market has spilled over into the public domain after former Finance Minister Lóu Jìwěi 楼继伟 launched a broad-brush attack on the country’s regulators and warned that if reforms aren’t speeded up, the market could well be the source of another buildup of financial risk.”
• Keystone Cops do espionage
  A Chinese Communist Party think tank staffer offered to pay for sources / Axios
• Big bets on cancer biotech
  Temasek-backed Chinese cancer biotech firm Gracell files for $100 million U.S. IPO / Caixin
  Tencent, Jeneration Capital lead $305 million Series E1 round for Medbanks / Caixin
• Gender inequality and the economy  
  Where are China’s female CEOs? / The Wire China (paywall)
  Nü problems for China’s economic growth / The Wire China (paywall)
• Can Chinese ecommerce streamers sell to foreigners?
  From factory towns to Facebook, China’s livestreamers take on exports / Sixth Tone
  “With COVID-19 disrupting traditional sales channels, Chinese producers of everything from wigs to wireless headphones are hiring livestreamers to hawk goods directly to global buyers.”
• Chinese electric cars for Norway  
  Tesla rival Xpeng cruises into export lane with first overseas sales / Caixin
• Huawei looks for growth outside phones and networking gear
  Seeking to escape grasp of U.S. sanctions, Huawei launches in-car screens for smart vehicles / Caixin (paywall)  
• Huge demand for U.S. soy
  China’s soy imports to top 100 million tons as U.S. supply jumps / Bloomberg (porous paywall)  
• Energy sector consolidation
  China’s pipeline giant buys Kunlun Energy Assets for $6 billion / Bloomberg (porous paywall)  

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• One new COVID-19 case in Taiwan
  Pilot blamed for first Taiwan virus transmission since April / AFP via HKFP
• Satellite launches and rockets
  China’s new Long March-8 rocket makes first flight / Phys.org
  “The new medium-lift carrier rocket sent five satellites into planned orbit, blasting off from the Wenchang launch site on the southern Hainan island at 12:37 pm Beijing time (0437 GMT) on Tuesday.”

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• The machinations of exiled con man Guō Wénguì 郭文贵  
  Chinese dissidents say they’re being harassed by a businessman with links to Steve Bannon / Washington Post
  Context on The China Project:
  • Who is Guo Wengui?
  • The extraordinary tale of a Chinese billionaire turned dissident, told by Mike Forsythe and Alexandra Stevenson (Sinica Podcast)
• Canada’s growing suspicion of China 
  Justin Trudeau shuts out China again by rejecting Arctic Gold takeover / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
• The not-yet-signed China-EU trade deal
  Biden camp adds pressure on EU to hit brakes on China deal / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
• U.S. government moves against China
  Tibetan leader welcomes U.S. bill that reaffirms rights, angering China / Reuters
  Commerce Department will publish the first military end user list naming more than 100 Chinese and Russian companies / U.S. Department of Commerce  
• Detained Australian Yáng Héngjūn 杨恒均 gets a message out 
  Australian Yang Hengjun sends Christmas message to family from Chinese prison / ABC Australia
• Huawei out of luck in Sweden
  Huawei and China frozen out in Sweden after appeals court upholds 5G ban / SCMP (porous paywall)

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• Television
  The whole country is currently trashing an all-male version of hit show “Sisters Who Make Waves” / RADII China 
• Fashion industry
  China’s most controversial fashion incidents in 2020 / Jing Daily