Highlighted Links for Monday, July 11, 2022

Below are links to other noteworthy reports published in the last 24 hours from and about China. Click through to our China NewsBase to see all the other stories we collected today.

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

China secures LNG contracts
China locks in record long-term LNG deals to bolster energy security / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
“As global competition for liquefied natural gas intensifies in response to the Ukraine war, China is increasingly turning to long-term contracts of a decade or more to ensure the country’s growing needs will continue to be met years into the future.”

Autos: Baidu’s driverless fleet in Beijing, Huawei enters the fray, and more
Baidu’s self-driving taxis now a common sight in Beijing / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
Huawei enters ride-hailing service business in China: report / TechNode
The ‘nutty’ professor behind rise of China’s electric vehicle giant / FT (paywall)

Alibaba, Tencent stocks dip as tech giants are handed new fines
China tech stocks sink as Alibaba, Tencent suffer fresh fines / Bloomberg (paywall)
“The losses came after China’s State Administration for Market Regulation fined the two tech giants for not properly reporting past deals, indicating how fragile investor mood remains toward the sector despite signs of easing regulatory headwinds.”
Alibaba and Tencent stocks plunge after latest fines / AP
China regulator fines Alibaba, Tencent for disclosure violations / Reuters
Tencent, Alibaba and Didi fined by China antitrust watchdog for unreported merger deals as early as 2011 / SCMP (paywall)
China orders four logistics platforms, including Didi, to fix unfair competition practices / TechNode

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT:

COVID treatments in China
After backlash, Beijing drops COVID vaccination mandate for crowded venues / Reuters
The persistent vaccine hesitancy of China’s elderly / Bloomberg (paywall)
Where COVID vaccine development is going / Caixin (paywall)
Brii Bio launches China’s first domestically developed COVID-19 drug / Caixin (paywall)

China orders partial lockdowns in three cities following new COVID cases
Three cities in China impose partial lockdowns as new COVID cases are reported. / NYT (paywall)
“At least three Chinese cities put in place partial lockdowns and the gambling hub of Macau shut its casinos for the second time since the start of the pandemic, as authorities tried to stamp out the latest coronavirus outbreaks.”

POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

China-Pakistan joint naval drills
China and Pakistan launch naval drills aimed at countering US Indo-Pacific strategy / SCMP (paywall)
“China and Pakistan have launched a joint naval exercise in Shanghai, with an eye on countering the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy and responding to security threats in the Indian Ocean.”
Sino-Pakistan naval exercise raises concern in India / RFA

Fear grows as Chinese dissident continues hunger strike
Fears grow for Guo Feixiong, on hunger strike in a Guangzhou detention center / RFA
Guō Fēixióng; 郭飞雄 “has been detained and held incommunicado since writing an open letter to Chinese premier Lǐ Kèqiáng 李克强, asking him to lift a travel ban and allow him to visit his critically ill wife Zhang Qing in the United States.”

Four people stabbed at major Shanghai hospital
‘Very shocking’: four stabbed by assailant at major Shanghai hospital / Reuters
“Four people at a renowned Shanghai hospital were wounded by a knife-wielding assailant on Saturday, in the second reported stabbing incident after a COVID-19 lockdown of the financial hub was lifted early in June.”
Shanghai Ruijin Hospital stabbing incident / What’s on Weibo
Knife-wielding attacker injures five people at Shanghai hospital / Caixin (paywall)

U.S. and U.K. jointly warn of China espionage threats
FBI director warns China espionage is greatest threat to U.S. and allies / FT (paywall)
FBI director Christopher Wray often uses U.S. speeches and congressional testimony to warn about Chinese espionage, but in a rare move last week, he took his message to the U.K. to raise global awareness of the threat.
Americans in the crosshairs of China’s spy game / BBC
China rejects U.S.-U.K. espionage claims / WSJ (paywall)

Myanmar’s junta installs Chinese surveillance systems across country
Exclusive: Myanmar’s junta rolls out Chinese camera surveillance systems in more cities / Reuters
“Myanmar’s junta government is installing Chinese-built cameras with facial recognition capabilities in more cities across the country…The plans are described as safe city projects aimed at maintaining security and, in some cases, preserving civil peace.”

Australia’s foreign minister meets with Chinese counterpart as a “first step”
Australia’s Wong says China meeting a “first step” in stabilizing relationship / Reuters
“Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said a meeting with her Chinese counterpart was ‘a first step towards stabilizing the relationship’ but it would take time for Beijing to remove trade ‘blockages’ on Australia.
Australia, New Zealand say Pacific must discuss China / AP
China’s Wang Yi tells Australia to act as partner, not opponent / Reuters
China’s foreign minister says Coalition government was ‘root cause’ of hostility to Australia / Guardian
Australia, China envoys reopen delicate dialog at G-20 / Bloomberg (paywall)
Australia ‘doesn’t respond to demands’, Anthony Albanese tells China / Guardian

African countries owe much more to non-Chinese private lenders
African states’ private debts three times that owed to China / Reuters
“African countries’ debts with China are a third of what they owe non-Chinese private lenders, while interest rates are just over half, according to a report published on Monday amid a debate about the role of the world’s largest bilateral creditor.”

Peng Shuai activist removed from Wimbledon
Activist removed from Wimbledon for Peng Shuai protest / AP
“An activist who shouted ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’ and held up a sign with the same message that was removed from Centre Court during the Wimbledon men’s final on Sunday.”
Activists preparing to hand out ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’ t-shirts at Wimbledon / Reuters

China’s top diplomat visits Zimbabwe
Visit by China’s top diplomat underscores importance of Zimbabwe ties / SCMP (paywall)
“A trip to Harare this month by China’s top diplomat has underscored the importance of Beijing’s relationship with Zimbabwe, its firmest economic and diplomatic ally in Africa.”

Recent Chinese grads flock to the countryside for state jobs
The Communist missionaries spreading the party gospel in the Chinese countryside / FT (paywall)
Facing a hostile job market, tens of thousands of recent graduates in China have chosen to work for the government in the countryside.

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

Women’s rights in China
The exposure of China’s ‘bought wives’ / WSJ (paywall)
Head of China’s top court orders crackdown on ‘abhorrent’ crimes amid public outcry over attack on women in Tangshan / SCMP (paywall)

Sports, nationalism, and Eileen Gu
Chinese fans are embracing naturalized athletes — on one condition / Sixth Tone
After the recent popularity of American-born Eileen Gu (Gǔ Àilíng 谷爱凌), who won a gold medal for Team China in freestyle skiing, netizens seem more willing to support foreign-born athletes — as long as they show sufficient respect and loyalty for Chinese culture.

How racist videos about Africans became a multimillion-dollar industry in China
Racist videos about Africans fuel a multimillion-dollar Chinese industry / Rest of World
“On the afternoon of May 24, a beauty pageant took place at an apartment in Kitwe, Zambia. The contestants, numbered from one to seven, took turns walking in front of the camera to loud music from a hit Chinese matchmaking show.”