Highlighted Links for Tuesday, July 12, 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:

Tencent’s young gamers get a summer curfew
Tencent releases gaming time limits for minors during school summer holiday / TechNode
“Chinese gaming giant Tencent on Monday released a calendar that limits gaming time for minors during the school summer holiday. According to the calendar, minors can only play for one hour from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday each week, and will not be allowed to log in beyond this schedule.”
No summer treat for China’s young gamers: Tencent says three hours a week game time limit remains / SCMP (paywall)

The power of WeChat
WeChat is China’s most beloved (and feared) surveillance tool / Bloomberg (paywall)
“This one app became so powerful that it could have posed a real threat to Beijing’s rule, the new book Influence Empire reveals.”

Hotpot chain Haidilao mulls over Hong Kong IPO listing
Spicy hotpot chain Haidilao weighs IPO of overseas unit / Bloomberg (paywall)
“Haidilao International Holding Ltd., China’s largest hotpot restaurant chain, is considering listing its overseas business in Hong Kong by way of introduction.”
Earlier on The China Project: The downsizing of Haidilao, a much-adored Chinese hotpot brand.

Utah startup targets China’s suspected IP thieves
China’s suspected IP thieves targeted by twins’ Utah startup / Bloomberg (paywall)
“Strider Technologies scours open-source data in China to identify technologies most at risk of being stolen — and the people who might be tempted to steal them. China’s government calls IP theft allegations ‘malicious slandering.’”
Earlier on The China Project: Utah’s surprising success in China.

China buys lithium mines in Argentina
China’s Ganfeng Lithium buys lithium mines in Argentina / FT (paywall)
“The deal will give Shenzhen-listed Ganfeng rights to Pozuelos and Paston Grandes, two salt lake brines in Argentina that can produce lithium carbonate, a key material for batteries used in electric vehicles.”

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT:

COVID takes a toll on private hospitals in China
COVID Is bankrupting China’s private hospitals, media report says / Sixth Tone
“More than 100 private hospitals in China have gone bankrupt since the pandemic started two years ago, as strict government protocols on visiting medical facilities and mobility restrictions have reduced patient visits, according to financial media outlet Yicai.”

China’s deathly slow reflexes on 911 calls
Help delayed is help denied: The fatal flaw in China’s 911 / Sixth Tone
“A 120 dispatcher’s work protocol is simple but veterans point to systemic problems that plague response time.”

An update on COVID
Hong Kong suspends some hospital services as virus cases swell / Bloomberg (paywall)
China tells local governments to drop COVID tests on some goods / Reuters
Anger in Shanghai as COVID return spurs fear of new lockdown / Bloomberg (paywall)
In depth: lockdowns expose COVID’s cost on mental health in China / Caixin (paywall)

POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

Taiwan VP visits Japan to mourn Shinzo Abe, triggers Chinese complaints
China makes muted protest after Taiwan VP’s visit to Japan / Bloomberg (paywall)
China complains to Japan about Taiwan vice president at Abe funeral / Reuters
“China filed a diplomatic protest with Japan over a visit by a top Taiwanese official to mourn the death of its former leader, but refrained from firing off the sort of withering criticism that usually follows such contacts.”

United States, China, Australia, and the Pacific Islands
U.S. announces new embassies in major Pacific push as it jostles with China for influence in region / Guardian
Pacific islands struggle to find unity in face of China’s diplomatic offensive / FT (paywall)
U.S. VP Harris will join Pacific Islands meeting in push to counter China / Reuters
U.S. and Australia must boost Indo-Pacific security cooperation as China looms: deputy prime minister / SCMP (paywall)

Reactions to dwindling rights in Hong Kong
‘I don’t mind being a martyr’: Ailing Hong Kong activist defiant in court / NYT (paywall)
Hong Kong rights review marred by crackdown on civil society groups / RFA
Beijing hits back after outgoing U.S. envoy says Hong Kong’s freedoms being dismantled / HKFP
Barrister facing national security trial makes new bid to lift reporting restrictions / HKFP

U.S. effort to distance Israeli tech from China is working
The U.S. plan to turn Israel’s tech industry against China is working / Bloomberg (paywall)
“A long-running U.S. effort to steer Israel’s tech industry away from China had yielded only patchy results, but now it seems to be working.”

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

China expands list of its top tourist attractions
China adds 12 sites to its top-tier tourism list / Caixin (paywall)
“With an eye to a booming future, China’s Culture and Tourism Ministry just added a roster of new attractions to its top-ranked tourism list.”

Tradition and vague laws leave rural Chinese women without land
For rural Chinese women, a plot of land is too much to ask / Sixth Tone
“Traditional notions that brides should move in with their in-laws leaves countless women without fields to farm…The women have argued with village cadres, called on the local chapter of the Women’s Federation to intervene, and relentlessly petitioned government departments high and low.”

Volunteers helping trafficked teens fear for their future
In Cambodia, a network rescuing trafficked Chinese teens is unraveling / Sixth Tone
“Cyber criminals rely on forced labor. A recent scandal [in Cambodia] spurred authorities to crack down — not just on the gangs, but also on those trying to set their victims free.”