Links for Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Extra links (for web post only to feed into NewsBase, not for newsletter):

TikTok owner ByteDance ventures in healthcare

ByteDance takes over private hospital operator for $1.5 billion / Caixin (paywall)

“The business registration system showed an ownership change for Amcare Healthcare, a private hospital for women and children known for high-end services. Shareholder Xiaohe Health (Hong Kong) Ltd. increased its stake from 41.49% to 69.5%. Xiaohe Health Technology (Beijing) Ltd. owns the remaining 30.47%. The pair are subsidiaries of ByteDance, the owner of TikTok.”

ByteDance pays $1.5 billion for China hospital chain in health foray / Bloomberg (paywall)

China supports 276 breeders and seed producers to alleviate food insecurity

China’s food-security push gets a boost with new list of 276 state-supported breeders, seed producers / SCMP (paywall)

“China is ratcheting up its push toward agricultural self-sufficiency by publishing a list of 276 state-supported breeders, including dozens that will help the nation cultivate a stronger and more independent seed industry.”

Scientists unearth portrait that might depict an ancient king

Scientists find what could be the face of a king at an ancient pyramid in China / SCMP (paywall)

“A team of archaeologists say they have found what could be the portrait of a king carved into stone at the foot of a huge prehistoric pyramid in northwest China.”

U.S. complains about China’s suspension of counternarcotics cooperation

U.S. slams China’s ‘unacceptable’ disruption in countering fentanyl / Reuters

“China’s move to suspend cooperation with the United States to combat narcotics trafficking, including illicit fentanyl, is ‘unacceptable,’ the White House said on Monday, as Beijing continued to protest a visit to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.”

China, Russia, and the U.S. vie for influence in Africa

In move to counter China and Russia, US says it has alternative for African nations / SCMP (paywall)

U.S. takes aim at Chinese and Russian influence in Africa strategy / Nikkei Asia (paywall)

“The US will not force African countries to choose between it and its rivals, particularly China and Russia, but will offer a more constructive alternative, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.”

Chinese social media users criticize U.S. engagement in Africa

Many Chinese netizens are framing the Blinken visit and the new U.S. strategy in the context of Great Power competition / China Global South Project (paywall)

After Blinken unveiled the new U.S. strategy for Africa, most online commentators “echoed the prevailing government and media narratives that the U.S. regards Africa in strictly geopolitical terms and is not interested in the continent’s welfare and development (the implication, of course, is that China is more engaged on these counts).”