News Briefing for Thursday, July 14, 2022

Here’s what else you need to know about China today:

“There is no military base, nor any other military facility, or institutions in the agreement,” the prime minister of the Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, declared in a bid to ease concerns over the recent controversial security pact with China.

• Sogavare also declared Australia to be the “security partner of choice,” following his earlier comments last week, in which he hailed China as a “worthy partner” and referenced a souring relationship presumedly with Australia.

Hong Kong locks up more activists, spurring protests: Today, the police arrested four men on illegal assembly charges. In response, rights activists have launched a three-day protest outside security prisons, some refusing food in the sweltering heat.

• Under Hong Kong’s sweeping National Security Law, over 200 people have been arrested for participating in 2019 pro-democracy protests.

New plan for modern road network: On Tuesday, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Transport released a plan to expand the national road network to around 461,000 kilometers (286,452 miles) by 2035, including 30,000 kilometers (18,641 miles) of new expressways and renovation of about 58,000 kilometers (36,039 miles) of roads.

But no more skyscrapers: On the same day, the NDRC released a new urbanization plan that includes strict requirements for new buildings, including a maximum height of 500 meters (546 yards) and restrictions for buildings up to 250 meters (273 yards).

Support for home appliances consumption: Yesterday, an executive meeting of the State Council chaired by Premier Lǐ Kèqiáng 李克强 called for multiple measures to expand consumption of “green and smart” home appliances, including financial and policy support, and for home appliance trade-ins and recycling.

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