Highlighted links for Wednesday, September 28, 2022

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

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

Power reshuffle in China’s energy sector
China’s two biggest power producers get new top executives / Caixin (paywall)
“China’s two largest power producers named new top executives on the same day Tuesday in a major leadership reshuffle of the state-backed electricity generation sector.”

Copyright battles over the top trending mini game in China
Developer of mini-game “Sheep a Sheep” claims infringement by GameFi version / Pandaily
“According to a white paper of the project, the GameFi version of Sheep a Sheep was developed and launched by the original programmer of Jianyou Technology. Right after it gained popularity, a GameFi version of Sheep a Sheep appeared, adding cryptocurrency concepts such as a token economy and NFTs, while retaining the original core gameplay.”
A game about sheep is going viral in China even as gaming regulation remains tight / CNBC
Last week on The China Project: ‘The same old wine in a new bottle.’

BYD expands into Jordan
BYD new energy vehicles to enter Jordanian market / Pandaily
“BYD, a leading Chinese manufacturer of new energy vehicles, announced on September 28 that it has entered into a cooperation with Bustami & Saheb Trading Company (BSTC), Jordan’s leading car dealership group.”

ByteDance to grow its board of directors
ByteDance plans for maximum of nine board directors -source / Reuters
TikTok’s owner ByteDance to add four directors to expand its board to nine amid growing US scrutiny over the app’s Beijing link / SCMP (paywall)

Are there enough skilled Chinese workers to power Xi’s tech push?
China lacks the right workers to boost Xi’s favored tech jobs / Bloomberg (paywall)
“Data from Maimai, China’s LinkedIn, show labor bottleneck[s] in emerging industries.”

Lego and Tim Ho Wan unfazed by China’s COVID curbs
Lego sales jump 17% in first half of 2022, boosted by Star Wars and Harry Potter sets / CNBC “Lego’s strong earnings results come despite a series of global headwinds including war in Ukraine, store and factory shutdowns in China due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation associated with costs of raw materials, energy and freight.”
Lego posts strong growth on robust demand, new store openings / Reuters
Jollibee cooks up Tim Ho Wan expansion in China despite COVID hit / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
“Philippine fast food chain operator Jollibee Foods on Wednesday said it will inject over $60 million into its dim sum chain, Tim Ho Wan, to expand in mainland China, where strict COVID-19 lockdowns have battered the restaurant industry.”

Leapmotor and Vanke: the biggest IPOs of the year in Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s largest IPOs for 2022 set to open in the red on Thursday / Channel News Asia
“Chinese electric vehicle maker Zhejiang Leapmotor Technology and China Vanke, unit Onewo Inc shares, two of Hong Kong’s largest initial public offerings (IPO) of 2022, are set to open in the red, according to gray market trading on Wednesday.”
Tycoons behind China surveillance giant get richer on EV listing / Bloomberg (paywall)
The China Project reported today: EV startup Leapmotor is listing in Hong Kong, but its prospects are precarious.

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT:

China’s dependence on coal power
China approves 15 GW of new coal-fired power in H1 – research / Channel News Asia
“China approved around $26-33 billion in investment in the coal power and steel sectors in the first six months, raising the risk of more stranded assets as it races to meet its carbon goals, said the report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM).”
China $30 billion coal projects threaten climate goals, may be wasted investment / Bloomberg (paywall)

POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

Xi Jinping reappears!
China’s Xi reappears on state TV amid rumors over absence / AP
China’s Xi Jinping re-emerges in public after quarantine / WSJ (paywall)
China’s Xi makes first public appearance after ‘coup’ rumors / Al Jazeera

U.S. arrests Chinese engineer on espionage charges
Former student convicted of spying for Chinese government / AP
“A former graduate student has been convicted of spying for the Chinese government by gathering information on scientists and engineers in the U.S. who had knowledge about aerospace technology and other technology.”
Chinese engineer convicted in U.S. of aiding spy agency / HKFP

Italy’s potential first female leader is far right and hard on China
Italy’s prospective PM Meloni poised to shake up ties with China / SCMP (paywall)
Italy’s far-right government is ambiguous on Russia but anti-China / Foreign Policy

Chinese authorities arrest Tibetan man for posting COVID lockdown videos online
Tibetan teacher arrested for online COVID posts / Radio Free Asia
“Chinese authorities have arrested a Tibetan man for posting online videos of harsh COVID-19 lockdown measures being carried out in Lhasa to contain the spread of the disease, RFA has learned.”

Panda diplomacy in Qatar and Taipei
China gifts two giant pandas to Qatar ahead of FIFA World Cup / Al Jazeera
“China gifts two giant pandas to Qatar ahead of FIFA World Cup Pandas ‘Suhail’ and ‘Soraya’ will arrive in October ahead of the World Cup as a ‘new symbol of China-Qatar friendship.’”
Beijing says mainland experts have offered to help treat giant panda at Taipei Zoo / SCMP (paywall)
“Mainland Chinese experts have offered to help treat a giant panda at Taipei Zoo that has developed a potentially life-threatening brain condition, according to Beijing.”

China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, and the U.S.
China ships enter Japan waters near Senkakus, day before key anniv. / Kyodo News
Diaoyu Islands: Japan claims 27th Chinese intrusion of year near disputed East China Sea islets / SCMP (paywall)
Harris says U.S. intends to deepen Taiwan ties, defying China / Bloomberg (paywall)
U.S. VP Harris condemns ‘disturbing’ Chinese actions in Japan speech / Reuters
U.S. seeks united front in Asia despite Korea, Japan tensions / AP
China repeats call for stability in Korean peninsula / Reuters
Philippines balances security and trade in U.S.-China contest / FT (paywall)

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

The history behind China’s famous folding screens
Behind the screen: A brief history of Chinese “pingfeng” / World of Chinese
“How the humble ‘pingfeng’ screen came to adorn everything from cave dwellings to the emperor’s throne.”

COVID-zero debate on Weibo
Weibo discussions: What is the way forward for China’s zero-COVID policy? / What’s on Weibo