Links for Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Henan police crack down on rural bank fraud
Hundreds more arrested in China’s rural banking scandal / SCMP (paywall)
“Police in central China’s Henan province have arrested more than 230 people suspected of involvement in a massive rural banking scandal.”
China doles out bank scandal refunds after hundreds of arrests / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
The China Project reported in July: What exactly did the Henan protestors want from the banks? Q&A with Liqian Ren.
Also in July: Another protest erupts over the billion-dollar bank fraud in Henan.

Electric vehicle showcase shutters early over COVID
China EV makers including NIO, Xpeng, Li Auto take COVID-19 hit as outbreak closes Chengdu car show five days early / SCMP (paywall)
“One of the mainland’s largest car exhibitions has dropped its curtain five days ahead of schedule due to a COVID-19 outbreak, adding to the list of pandemic-related disruptions that have made this year difficult for electric vehicle (EV) makers.”

Are Chinese hackers targeting energy firms in the South China Sea?
Chinese hackers tied to attacks on South China Sea energy firms / Bloomberg (paywall)
“Chinese hackers likely targeted energy companies operating in the South China Sea and the Australian government, according to a U.S. tech security firm, the latest accusation of coordinated cybersnooping by the Asian nation to advance its geopolitical goals.”

Mainland Chinese tourists can now get mRNA COVID vaccines in Macau
Macao expands mRNAvaccine access to mainland tourists / Caixin (paywall)
“Maca[u] has expanded access to BioNTech’s mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines to tourists from the Chinese mainland, as Beijing seeks a variety of options to protect the world’s largest population.”

Plastic waste reform
China’s plastic problem: lack of circular economy stifling ‘necessary’ reform of high-pollution industry / SCMP (paywall)
“China’s plastic-packaging industry should move to an efficient and resource-saving circular economy from the current linear economic model, according to a report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Tsinghua University that was released last week.”

Cautious optimism on the U.S.-China audit deal
Landmark U.S.-China audit deal spurs hunt for devils in the details / FT (paywall)
“[The] two sides have different interpretations of [the] agreement that could prevent delisting of Chinese companies in [the] U.S.”
Yesterday on The China Project: Can an audit deal soften up two superpowers?

China arrests and detains suspects over assault on women in Tangshan
Chinese authorities charge 28 people months after restaurant assault on women / WSJ (paywall)
“Chinese authorities charged 28 people months after a brutal beating of several women in a restaurant in June, an incident that was captured by security cameras and prompted nationwide outrage on social media about a lack of safety protections for women.”
Yesterday on The China Project: Gang members charged and police officers detained after violent attack on woman at Tangshan restaurant.

China’s soccer ambitions
Can ex-stars save China’s soccer dreams? / Sixth Tone

Mask mandate standoff
Foreigner clashes with Chinese security guards for not wearing mask at park in Taiyuan / What’s on Weibo
“A clash between a foreigner and security guards in Taiyuan has attracted the attention of Chinese netizens this weekend, with the Weibo hashtag ‘Foreigner Expelled from Park for not Wearing Mask’ (#老外未戴口罩进公园被驱逐#) receiving over 120 million views on Sunday.”