Links for Wednesday, December 30, 2020

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• The EU-China investment deal
  China and EU announce agreement on investment pact / Caixin (paywall)
  “Under the agreement, China will reportedly open up multiple industries to EU firms, including manufacturing, construction, advertising, air transport, maritime services and telecoms.”
  France’s Macron says dialogue between EU and China now stronger / Reuters
  EU seeks to rebalance China ties with investment deal / Reuters
  Factbox-Whats and whys of the EU-China investment agreement / Reuters
  China says EU investment deal gives legally binding market-access commitments / Reuters
  Xi says China, EU investment deal will offer better business environment / Reuters
  China-EU investment deal: Draft text shows Beijing to broadly open market to European firms, but some sectors remain off limits / SCMP
• GDP statistics adjustment
  China revises 2019 GDP growth lower to 6.0% / Reuters
  “The pre-revision 2019 GDP growth rate was 6.1%.”
• China-made ARJ21 takes to the skies
  China Eastern unit completes maiden passenger flight with domestically built plane / Caixin (paywall)
  “OTT Airlines plans to operate fleet of mostly Chinese-made aircraft in boost to state-owned COMAC’s bid to challenge Boeing and Airbus.”
• Health sector fundraising
  Nasdaq-Listed digital healthcare firm 111’s unit eyes STAR IPO after $79 million fundraiser / Caixin
  Tencent backs Chinese healthcare portal DXY in $500M round / TechCrunch
• Antitrust enforcement
  China fines JD.Com, Alibaba’s Tmall, Vipshop for irregular pricing / Reuters
• Toy maker scandal
  For mystery box maker Pop Mart, scam opens up world of trouble / Sixth Tone
  A customer in Jinan, Shandong, “published a video mid-December showing how blind boxes she’d recently bought in an official store seemed to be previously opened…it seemed many more of the boxes on display had been similarly opened and resealed… The store’s employees, it transpired, had been swapping out rare figurines which could be sold at a premium online, and replacing them with less desirable models.”
• The continuing troubles with Brilliance Auto
  BMW’s Chinese partner cancels Hong Kong share pledge amid debt-dodging complaints / Caixin (paywall)
  “Brilliance Auto pulls the plug after defaulting on debts totaling $1 billion as investors decry offloading of assets.”
• Foreign investors use new securities tools
  China sees first margin financing, securities borrowing deals under QFII program / Caixin (paywall)
  “UBS executed several securities borrowing and subsequent short-selling transactions through its QFII account on Tuesday.”
• Digital currency
  China’s latest digital currency test doubles down on previous trial, nudging merchants and consumers to embrace e-yuan / SCMP
• Overseas investments
  Turkey, Iran, Pakistan rail link to enhance China’s Belt and Road / Caixin (paywall)
  “The immense route stretches 6,540 kilometers — more than a sixth of the world’s circumference.”
  China Datang in $394 million deal for Indonesian power projects / Caixin (paywall)
• NBA still in the doghouse
  China drops 76ers NBA broadcasts as Hong Kong row rumbles on / AFP via HKFP

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• COVID-19 spreading in Beijing, Liaoning, and Heilongjiang
  From low base, China sees surge in locally transmitted COVID-19 cases / Caixin (paywall)
  “Hu Qiangqiang, a spokesperson for the epidemic control branch of the State Council, said at a press conference that China recorded 104 locally transmitted Covid-19 infections since Dec. 1, a 76% increase on the figure for all of November.”
  Amid virus fears, China urges workers to skip holiday travel / AP
  China meat assoc calls for exporters to disinfect shipments to prevent COVID-19 / Reuters
• Vaccine developments
  Sinopharm says COVID shot 79% effective and seeks general use in China / Caixin (paywall)
  A Chinese COVID-19 vaccine has proved effective, its maker says / NYT (porous paywall)
  China has all it needs to vaccinate millions, except any approved vaccines / NYT (porous paywall)
  Fosun will partner with Germany’s BioNTech to make COVID vaccine in China / Caixin (paywall)
  Ukraine signs up for China’s Sinovac vaccine, with doses expected soon / Reuters
  ‘Vaccine diplomacy’ sees Egypt roll out Chinese coronavirus jab / Guardian
  Turkey expects China COVID-19 vaccine in days, as doctors seek more data / Reuters
  Turkey facing delayed China vaccine amid controversial extradition deal / Arab News
• Alarm in Taiwan over new COVID cases
  Taiwan confirms first case of COVID-19 patient with U.K. variant / Focus Taiwan
  Taiwan to tighten border control, quarantine measures in January / Focus Taiwan
• Ivory smugglers given lengthy prison sentences
  17 sentenced in China’s largest ivory smuggling case / Sixth Tone

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• Hong Kong
  Hong Kong protesters who fled by boat are sentenced to prison in China / NYT (porous paywall)
  China sentences HK activists to up to three years in jail for border crossing / Reuters
  Two youngest of 12 HK activists held in China will not be charged / Reuters
  Detainee may face additional security law charges for scrawling Hong Kong pro-independence graffiti inside cell / HKFP
  Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai resigned from media firm as court releases judgement on bail decision / HKFP
  China blocks U.S. government’s $332 million sale of Hong Kong luxury apartments / WSJ (paywall)
• Xinjiang and Uyghurs
  Japan gave key intel on China’s Uyghur crackdown to U.S. and Britain / Kyodo via Japan Times
  ‘Because there were cameras, I didn’t ask any questions’ / ChinaFile
  China uses tourism to smother Xinjiang’s culture / Economist (porous paywall)
  Pressure on Turkey to protect Uighurs as China ratifies extradition treaty / Guardian
• India-China border standoff
  India says talks with China yet to make progress to end border standoff / Reuters
  South China Sea: India, Vietnam to conduct military ‘passing exercise’ in sign of closer ties / SCMP
• U.S. influence in Southeast Asia
  Resist China and stop abuses: US aid to Cambodia has conditions / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
  “U.S. budget bill includes $85 million for nation if it complies with terms.”
  Singapore arrests man who spied for China in United States / Reuters
• Popular phrases in 2020, according to Chinese media
  The top 10 buzzwords in Chinese online media in 2020 (咬文嚼字) / What’s on Weibo

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• The contemporary dance choreography of Xiè Xīn 谢欣
  Touching the untouchable / Neocha
• Vincent Ni tells his family’s story
  What my grandfather’s life taught me about China and America / BBC
• Self-censorship, and censorship, in China’s booming podcast industry
  China’s podcasters wary of censors as popularity grows / SCMP