Highlighted links for Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Below are links to other noteworthy reports published in the last 24 hours from and about China.

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

Billions and billions for high-end bikes
Premium bicycles win new fans among China’s city folk / Reuters
China has a “growing army of cycling enthusiasts…who are splashing out on premium bicycles made by the likes of Brompton, Giant and Specialized, fueling a market that consultancy Research & Markets estimates could be worth $16.5 billion by 2026.”

Chinese cars are winning over consumers in South Africa
Chinese car brands pulling ahead in South Africa / China Global South Project (paywall)
“Chinese car brands like Chery and Haval are outselling traditional favorites like Mercedes Benz and Ford in the South African market. Both brands sold more than a thousand cars in July, far beyond Western competitors.”

Tencent and ByteDance are top dogs in global app stores
Chinese tech giants Tencent and ByteDance top global mobile markets: report / TechNode

Chinese tech majors Tencent and ByteDance were the top-grossing publishers in global mobile app stores for the first half of 2022, according to a report by business insight firm Sensor Tower…

Tencent was the top-grossing publisher in game and non-game categories, earning about $3.3 billion in the first half of 2022. The figure is almost 153% larger than ByteDance, which came second on the chart with $1.3 billion in revenue.

Beijing pledges support as holiday tourism slumps under COVID zero
China’s Li pledges growth support as holiday spending falls / Bloomberg (paywall)
“China’s Premier Lǐ Kèqiáng 李克强 called for more policies to drive up consumption in the economy as latest figures show a further plunge in travel and spending over a three-day public holiday amid tight COVID controls.”
China’s Mid-Autumn Festival travel, tourism tumbles under zero-COVID, National Day holiday ‘will be even worse’ / SCMP (paywall)
Tougher COVID measures drag Mid-Autumn Festival spending / Caixin (paywall)

The world’s two biggest economies
Will China’s economy ever overtake America’s? / Economist (paywall)
“A host of difficulties besetting the Asian giant, some of which are self-inflicted, will delay the day it overtakes America to return to pole position. A growing number of economists now think that day may never arrive.”

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT:

Liaoning to move from coal to renewables
China rust belt province plans $87 billion clean energy overhaul / Bloomberg (paywall)
“A northeastern province that was once one of China’s major coal and industrial hubs has launched a 600 billion yuan ($87 billion) plan to expand clean energy production.”

Does the Moon contain more water than we thought?
Moon particles reveal more water content than earlier estimates, thanks to the sun, Chinese study suggests / SCMP (paywall)
“There may be more water than previously thought at the landing site for China’s Chang’e 5 lunar explorer, a new study of rock samples it brought back has found.”

POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

Philippines’ new president takes tougher stance on China over disputed sea
Philippines ramps up protests against China with Marcos in power / Bloomberg (paywall)
“In just over 70 days under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Philippines has lodged 52 protests against Beijing over the South China Sea, signaling pushback from the new government amid an ongoing territorial dispute.”
Chinese troops drive away fishing vessels from disputed waters / Radio Free Asia
“Soldiers repelled a boat from an area also claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.”

Chinese residents face targeted attacks in the DR Congo
Chinese embassy meets with DRC ministries about attacks / China Global South Project (paywall)
“The Chinese embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo convened a meeting this weekend with several Congolese government ministries…to discuss ongoing attacks against Chinese residents in the country.”

Lithuania’s new Taiwan office is up and running
Taiwan says new Lithuanian office in Taipei begins operations / Reuters
“Lithuania’s new representative office in Taiwan has already effectively begun operations though its physical location is still being fitted out, a senior Taiwanese diplomat said on Tuesday.”

Will Germany pivot away from China?
Germany’s new China policy will not be naive — economy minister / Reuters
“Germany is working on a new China policy that will not be naive and will aim to reduce its dependency on Beijing for raw materials, batteries and semiconductors, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Tuesday.”

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

Chinese migrants in South Africa
A Chinese textile worker’s two decades of dreams in South Africa / World of Chinese
“How two generations of a Chinese migrant family established a foothold halfway across the world.”

Ugandan woman goes viral with Chinese cooking skills
‘Marvellous rose!’ Ugandan woman teaching China how to cook Chinese food becomes online celebrity with 11 million fans / SCMP (paywall)
“A Ugandan woman who fell in love with a farmer and moved to a village in China to be with him has become an online celebrity with her posts teaching people how to cook Chinese food.”

Hong Kong’s art scene turns inward
As art capitals rise elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong’s art scene focuses on all things local / Art News
After Hong Kong’s years of civil unrest and strict COVID lockdowns damaged its reputation as Asia’s global metropolis, the city’s arts community has doubled down on the local scene.

St. Louis boy looks for BBQ in China
A hunt for American barbecue in southern China / NPR
“One man’s search for his summertime craving of American barbecue in southern China.”

Not enough dorms for university students in China
Chinese universities face a dormitory shortage problem / Sixth Tone
“Master’s students of at least five universities have complained of difficulties in securing accommodation in on-campus dormitories, as schools add more new students to their programs, according to multiple posts on social media platforms. Many students also said they were unwilling to live in the alternative dormitories provided by the school, citing poor living conditions.”