Highlighted Links for Wednesday, July 13, 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:

• Homebuyers across China won’t pay their mortgages
  Chinese homebuyers across 22 cities refuse to pay mortgages / Bloomberg (paywall)
  “Across China, homebuyers are refusing to pay mortgages as property developers drag on construction projects, escalating the country’s real estate crisis and risks of bad debt for banks.”

• India accuses Oppo of $550 million in tax evasion
  India says China phone maker Oppo evaded $550 million in tax / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
  “Indian authorities on Wednesday accused the local unit of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo of evading around 44 billion rupees ($550 million) in customs duty.”
  India says China’s Oppo evaded $551 million in import tax / Reuters

• Will the U.K. soften on Chinese steel?
  Britain proposes dropping anti-dumping measures against Chinese steel / Reuters
  “Britain’s Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) on Wednesday proposed dropping anti-dumping measures on Chinese reinforcement steel, saying more imports were needed to meet a fall in supply from other countries because of the war in Ukraine.”
  UK TRA proposes anti-dumping measures on HFP Rebar from China be removed / UK Gov

• Leading Alibaba executives quit board of company’s sports unit
  Top Alibaba executives Daniel Zhang and Joe Tsai quit board of e-commerce giant’s sports unit: Tianyancha / SCMP (paywall)
  “Alibaba Group Holding CEO Daniel Zhang (张勇 Zhāng Yǒng) and vice-chairman Joe Tsai (蔡崇信 Cài Chóng Xìn) have both quit the board of sports subsidiary Alibaba Sports, according to corporate registration records on Tianyancha, an online commercial database.”

• Foxconn laps up chip investments in mainland China
  Taiwanese iPhone maker arm backs top China chipmaker after $9 billion rescue / Bloomberg (paywall)
  “A Shanghai-listed arm of Foxconn Technology Group acquired a stake in China’s top chipmaker during its $9 billion bailout, people familiar with the matter said, the latest in a series of investments the Taiwanese-run firm has made in the mainland’s semiconductor industry.”

• Morningstar fires hundreds of Shenzhen workers in China restructuring
  Morningstar cuts hundreds of Shenzhen jobs in China shift / Bloomberg (paywall)
  “Morningstar Inc. is slashing a significant portion of its workforce in Shenzhen and relocating jobs to other countries as part of a restructuring exercise in China, a retreat that reflects a growing global ambivalence over doing business in the world’s second largest economy.”

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT:

• Hong Kong leader defends city’s new health code system
  Hong Kong leader defends health code plan to combat COVID-19 / AP
  “Hong Kong leader John Lee on Tuesday defended the city’s plan to implement health codes that would more accurately restrict the movements of inbound travelers and those infected with COVID-19, dismissing concerns that the system could be used as a political or social control tool.”

• Public anxiety over new COVID surge in Shanghai
  In Shanghai, a surge in cases raises fears of another lockdown. / NYT (paywall)
  “Barely six weeks after Shanghai fully lifted a prolonged and harshly enforced lockdown, China’s biggest city is again grappling with a surge of coronavirus cases.”
  Shanghai records new wave of COVID cases as BA.5 subvariant spreads / Caixin (paywall)

• Overseas travelers may soon return to China
  China cranks up international flights as COVID limits ease / Caixin (paywall)
  “China plans to allow airlines to gradually increase international flights after health authorities eased quarantine requirement for overseas travelers last month, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said Tuesday.”

POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

• China hits back at U.S. ship that sailed near disputed islands
  U.S. destroyer sails past Chinese-held South China Sea islands / AP
  U.S. sends destroyer near Paracel Islands angering China / Al Jazeera
  China says it ‘drove’ away U.S. destroyer near Paracel Islands / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
  U.S. Ronald Reagan carrier strike group operating in South China Sea / Reuters
  South China Sea: Beijing says U.S. ‘seriously infringed’ on its sovereignty after warship sails near Paracels / SCMP (paywall)

• China refuses to ditch its support for Russia despite U.S. warnings
  In divide over Ukraine, China stakes a position further from U.S. / NYT (paywall)
  Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken pressed China this weekend to ditch its support of Russia’s war in Ukraine and was met with resistance by Chinese Foreign Minister Wáng Yì 王毅, who doubled down on his country’s position.

• Anger simmers on and offline over the Henan bank protests
  Henan bank protests: duped depositors to receive advanced payment, but anger remains / What’s on Weibo
  “After mass protests in front of the Zhengzhou People’s Bank of China, it has been announced that duped depositors will get some of their money back soon. But Chinese netizens are still expressing anger about the violent crackdown on Sunday’s demonstration and the censorship surrounding it.”
  China bank scandal protesters report harassment, restrictions / SCMP (paywall)

• U.S. steps up engagement in the Pacific islands, with an eye on China
  U.S. announces new embassies in major Pacific push as it jostles with China for influence in region / Guardian
  “The U.S. has announced a major step-up in its engagement with the Pacific region, including the establishment of new embassies in Kiribati and Tonga, in moves that will be seen as attempts to counter China’s growing influence in the region.”
  U.S. reveals Pacific strategy to counter China’s influence / Bloomberg (paywall)
  Harris vows U.S. will strengthen its Pacific islands relations / AP
  U.S. employs ‘tuna politics’ to resist China’s Pacific push / FT (paywall)
  Pacific island leaders welcome U.S. pledge to triple funding for region / Reuters

• Pacific islands, Australia, New Zealand, and China
  Solomon Islands PM meets Australian, NZ leaders over China pact / Reuters
  Palau maintains Taiwan ties despite Chinese pressure / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
  Micronesia president frets over China’s regional security goals / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
  ‘We are family’: Anthony Albanese meets Solomon Islands PM amid tension over China deal / Guardian

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• China’s “996” workers face massive layoffs
  The dream is over for China’s tech workers / Rest of World
  “A government crackdown and economic downturn have led to massive layoffs, but some are relieved to exit the grueling ‘996’ work life.”

• Job seekers turn to livestreaming to find employers
  First for fun, now for recruitment: live streams help jobseekers in China find new employers / SCMP (paywall)
  “China’s livestreaming platforms have emerged as a new channel for employers to meet prospective employees, as job candidates go online to search for opportunities amid Covid-19 travel restrictions and what economists call the country’s most challenging job market ever.”

• Video of domestic abuse reignites outrage over women’s safety in China
  Another video of violence against woman sparks outcry in China / Sixth Tone
  “​​Police in the eastern Shandong Province have detained a man accused of assaulting his former wife after surveillance footage of the incident surfaced online, according to a statement published Tuesday. The incident has once again sparked discussions on women’s safety in the wake of the brutal attack against a group of female diners that shocked the country last month.
  People in China shocked by man accused of barging into ex-wife and daughter’s home before raping former partner / SCMP (paywall)
  Terrifying video shows mother and daughter attacked by man in raincoat / What’s on Weibo