Links for Wednesday, March 3, 2021

WORTH THINKING ABOUT

Pieces of news or analysis that caught our eye:

The importance of “science solidarity”: Joy Y. Zhang, a sociologist at the University of Kent, U.K., writes in Nature:

Two decades ago, global scepticism about Chinese science arguably spurred the nation’s burgeoning life-sciences community to raise its standards. In 2015, I founded an international group of experts to promote transparency in the life sciences in China. Most of the scientists, ethicists and policymakers I’ve interviewed there value candid talk with global peers.

But what they see as an uptick in China-bashing has riled them and, I fear, made them more sympathetic to Chinese nationalist propaganda. To promote openness in Chinese science, it’s more important than ever that Chinese scientists feel valued within the global community.

MORE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• Group punishment for group buying
  China fines tech superstars’ group-buying platforms for ‘deceptive pricing’ / Caixin (paywall, or see Reuters report)
  “Alibaba-invested Nice Tuan, Didi’s Chengxin Youxuan, Pinduoduo’s Duo Duo Maicai, and Meituan Select all copped the maximum penalty of 1.5 million yuan [$232,000], while Tencent-backed Shixianghui was fined 500,000 yuan [$77,000].”
  On The China Project in December: Consumers love cheap groceries, but can community group buying withstand government scrutiny?
• Electric vehicles go, go, go!
  BAIC BluePark to debut first electric vehicle powered by Huawei Lidar technology in April / Caixin
  Baidu completes registration of new electric vehicle venture with Geely / Caixin
  Geely urges scrapping of costly ban on rail transport of electric vehicle batteries / Caixin (paywall)
  “CEO Li Shufu makes plea to government as China’s EV makers look to boost overland exports to booming European market.”
• Growth slows in both services and manufacturing
  Caixin services PMI adds to evidence of faltering economic recovery / Caixin (paywall, or see Reuters report)
  “Index fell to 51.5 in February as new export orders shrunk and inflation pressure mounted.”
• UBS wants two-thirds control over China venture
  UBS seeks to raise stake in China joint venture to 67% / Bloomberg via Caixin
  “UBS, which in 2018 became the first foreign bank to win approval for majority control of a securities venture in the nation, is planning to snap up another 16% of the firm.”
• Ports on the Red Sea
  DP World, China Harbour vie for roles in Sudanese ports / Bloomberg via Caixin
• Hacking Microsoft’s flawed mail servers
  Microsoft says Chinese hackers targeted groups via server software / Reuters
  “A China-linked cyber-espionage group has been remotely plundering email inboxes using freshly discovered flaws in Microsoft mail server software, the company and outside researchers said on Tuesday — an example of how commonly used programs can be exploited to cast a wide net online.”
• China wants students for AI
  AI is among 37 undergrad majors added by China’s universities / YiCai
  Artificial intelligence and three dozen other new majors have been added as undergraduate disciplines at higher-education institutions in China.
• Chinese fried chicken chain Dicos to IPO
  Ting Hsin weighing $800 million IPO of KFC’s Chinese rival / Bloomberg via Caixin
  “Dicos operates about 2,600 outlets across China and has more than 70,000 employees serving 600 million customers annually.”
• Another Clubhouse clone, from hot smartphone maker Xiaomi
  Xiaomi revamps instant messenger miliao into Clubhouse clone / YiCai
  Miliao, a failed social messaging app from Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi, has been resuscitated and converted into a clone of Clubhouse, joining a handful of Clubhouse imitators.
• China spends big on R&D, tops U.S. in patent applications
  China beats U.S. in patent filings for second straight year / Caixin
  China extends lead over U.S. in global patents filings, U.N. says / Reuters
  China’s R&D spending rises 10% to record $378 billion in 2020 / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
• A gambling revival in Macau
  Macau sees nascent rebound in gambling, but still faces stacked deck / Caixin (paywall)
  “Former Portuguese colony posts first gambling revenue gain in more than a year, but faces uncertainties from new cross-border restrictions and looming license renewals.”
• Chipmaking machine for China’s top chipmaker
  Chinese chipmaker SMIC reveals $1.2b deal with ASML / Global Times
  SMIC reportedly gets US license to purchase chip-making equipment / Global Times

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND THE ENVIRONMENT:

• Vaccine diplomacy
  U.S. and Asia allies plan COVID vaccine strategy to counter China / FT (paywall)
  “The U.S. is working with Japan, India and Australia to develop a plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to countries in Asia as part of a broader strategy to counter China’s influence.”
  Citing lack of data, Polish health minister does not recommend Chinese shot / Reuters
  Ukraine COVID-19 hospitalizations rise to record as Chinese vaccine faces delay / Reuters
  Iraq receives first batch of COVID-19 vaccines from China / Reuters
• Vaccine passport proposal
  Support for COVID-19 vaccine passports grows, with European, Chinese backing / WSJ (paywall)
  Chinese delegates to propose vaccine passports at annual meetings: Global Times / Reuters
  China, U.S. should lift COVID-19 travel bans if herd immunity reached, Chinese epidemiologist says / Reuters
• Chinese vaccine efficacy and production
  Turkish trials show China’s Sinovac shot to be 83.5% effective / Bloomberg (porous paywall)
  Sinovac to lift yearly production capacity to 2 billion doses by June as China expands vaccination program / Global Times
• China denies hacking Indian vaccines
  Beijing dismisses alleged Chinese hacking of Indian vaccine makers / Reuters
• Global cooperation on COVID
  钟南山对话福奇：疫情防控需要全球合作 / Xinhua
  A top article on Xinhua today covers a conversation between top epidemiologist Zhōng Nánshān 钟南山 and Anthony Fauci about the need for global cooperation on COVID response and vaccines.
• Fake vaccine network foiled
  Police break up ‘fake vaccine network’ in China and South Africa / BBC
  Interpol: Fake COVID-19 shots smuggled from China to Africa / Time
• Space rockets and launchers
  China enters heavy rocket race with planned 100-tonne launch vehicle / SCMP (porous paywall)
  China to develop two super-heavy launchers for moon missions / SpaceNews

POLITICS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS:

• Xinjiang and Uyghurs
  ‘If the others go I’ll go’: Inside China’s scheme to transfer Uyghurs into work / BBC
  “China’s policy of transferring hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang to new jobs often far from home is leading to a thinning out of their populations, according to a high-level Chinese study seen by the BBC.”
  Eva Dou on Twitter: “This really is an extraordinary video that BBC has unearthed. On state TV, a young Uyghur woman tells local officials she does not want to work at the factory. They continue to pressure her on camera until, weeping, she agrees to go ‘if others also go.’”
  Chinese labor schemes aimed to cut Uyghur population density – report / Guardian
  Family disappears amid China’s detention of mostly ethnic Uyghurs / NPR
  China says door to Xinjiang ‘always open,’ but U.N. rights boss should not prejudge / Reuters
  Australian senator calls to recognize China’s treatment of Uyghurs as genocide / Guardian
• U.S. views of China hit all-time low
  China, Russia images in U.S. hit historic lows / Gallup
  “Americans’ favorable ratings of China have plummeted to a record low 20%, following a 13-percentage point drop in favorability from 33% a year ago…Last year’s 33% favorability tied readings in 1997 and 2000 as the lowest in Gallup’s trend dating back to 1979. It was also in line with a 34% favorable rating in August 1989 following the Chinese government’s crackdown on protestors in Tiananmen Square.”
  U.S. public turns against China in worst poll savaging since last year’s record / SCMP (porous paywall)
  Last year on The China Project: American views of China hit record low.
• Taiwan copes with China’s pineapple ban
  Prickly problem: Taiwan says won’t be beaten by China pineapple ban / Reuters
  “Since Friday when China announced the ban, orders for more than 41,000 metric tons of pineapples have come in, including 5,000 metric tons from Japan.”
  Related The China Project reporting: Pineapple becomes new symbol of prickly Taipei-Beijing relations after China bans imports.
• Hong Kong
  Former Hong Kong chief C.Y. Leung does not rule out return to post / Reuters
  林郑月娥：香港国安法是香港的“定海神针” / Xinhua
  A top article on Xinhua right now says, “Carrie Lam: The National Security Law is the ‘stabilizing force’ of Hong Kong.”
  Jerome Cohen on Twitter: “Without even reaching the crucial decisions regarding the grant or denial of bail, the process itself seems outrageous and a violation of due process of law. Awaiting the fate of the Hong Kong 47.”
• South and East China Sea and maritime issues
  Surge in Chinese incursions leaves Japan scrambling on Senkakus / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
  “Tokyo weighs how to legally respond, including direct shots at offending vessels.”
  European navies build Indo-Pacific presence as China concerns mount / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
  Beijing to Berlin: Respect South China Sea sovereignty during frigate visit / SCMP (porous paywall)
  China’s opaque shipyards should raise red flags for foreign companies / Center for Strategic and International Studies
  Bonnie Glaser on Twitter: “My CSIS colleagues argue that the lines between commercial and military activities at Chinese shipyards are becoming increasingly blurred, raising concerns about whether foreign capital is helping to support China’s ongoing naval modernization.”
• Australia-China relations are not getting any better
  Australian media made ‘panda hugging’ a sin: Chinese diplomat Wang Xining / SCMP (porous paywall)
  Read the transcript of the speech.
  Opinion: China’s ‘panda huggers’ speech preys on Australian divisions / Australian Financial Review

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• The lives of aspiring livestreaming stars
  Love Factory: The price of being a social media star / NYT (porous paywall)
  A 13-minute mini-documentary following Jin He, a professional livestreamer in China.
• Street food in Chengdu
  How street food returned to Chengdu, China / Eater
  Lauren Teixeira on Twitter: “I reported this piece remotely with the help of my friend, photographer Mia Zhang last summer; obviously a lot has changed since then. Hard to convey the acute longing in my taste buds as I wrote this!”