News briefing for Tuesday, October 4, 2022

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

Another Washington crackdown on chips to China: The Biden administration is planning to roll out new limits on China’s access to U.S. semiconductors, as Washington and Beijing seek to shore up their domestic production on the critical technology.

Two mysterious ringing pay phones in Beijing that have confused residents since the unknown calls began in early July actually comprise a piece of performance art intended to “highlight the irony of a hotline in a city hundreds of miles away that has been ignoring cries for help from its own residents,” NPR reports. Nut Brother (坚果兄弟 jiānguǒ xiōngdì), a Chinese artist known for his environmental activism through absurd performance pieces, had decided to turn the old pay phones into a hotline for pollution victims.

• Some curious pedestrians who picked up were immediately connected to distressed residents of Huludao, a city in Liaoning Province more than 400 kilometers (186 miles) away, where many have suffered from toxic air that has caused nosebleeds, sore throats, and other health issues.
• “The air is constantly laced with a stinging, almond-like smell. We can barely breathe freely at home. My throat aches, as if someone is grasping it,” said a caller who lives on Gourd Island and is one of the many residents who claim that a zinc factory and other chemical firms have polluted their home.

Are Portuguese-speaking countries the next prime candidates for Chinese funds? Brazil, Angola, and Portugal were the top-ranked Lusophone countries in the 2022 Belt and Road Infrastructure Development Index (BRIDI) — a list that measures investment climate in 71 countries jointly issued by China International Contractors Association and China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation — though all eight Portuguese-speaking states in the world have trended upward.

• Indonesia ranked first on the index, followed by the Philippines and Malaysia.
• Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were also ranked in the top 10 countries.

Qinghai’s salmon and trout export boom: As the only Chinese province permitted to export salmon and trout, Qinghai Province’s 27 farms have produced more than 150,000 tons of the two types of fish in the past 10 years, and exported a total of 7,840 tons since 2018. See today’s Business briefs from the Chinese media, with more links and info on:

• A new scrap motor vehicle dismantling standard.
• High holiday home appliance demand at Suning stores.

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