Highlighted Links for Wednesday, October 12, 2022

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

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

• China’s smart cars are leading the charge around the globe
  China is setting the rules for driverless cars / Bloomberg (paywall)
  “Unlike other parts of the world, where regulatory backing has been one of the biggest barriers, China has actively made way for driverless cars through detailed legislation, permits and special zones since 2015 when the State Council identified it as a key focus area over the following decade.”

• IMF slashes global growth forecast amid China slowdown
  ‘The worst is yet to come’: China’s slowdown weighs on global economy / SCMP (paywall)
  IMF cuts 2023 global growth forecast, citing inflation, war and China slowdown / WSJ (paywall)
  IMF warns of slowing growth, rising market risks as finance officials meet / Reuters

• Huawei to help build up Nigeria’s electronic borders
  Nigeria awards Huawei contract to build electronic border surveillance system / China-Global South Project (paywall)
  “Huawei will build a new satellite-based electronic monitoring system along sections of Nigeria’s 5,000-kilometer border in a bid to stem the flow of illegal immigrants and to provide early detection of security threats.”

• ByteDance hikes up share buyback for employees
  TikTok owner ByteDance increases price of share buyback for staff – sources / Reuters
  “TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance is initiating a second share buyback for employees this year at a higher price than the previous one, in a bid to motivate employees amid slowing growth and uncertainty over a plan to go public, two sources said.”

• Chinese cars and car tastes are spreading to the Global South
  Chinese consumer preferences now influencing Ford’s SUV sales in other Global South markets / China-Global South Project (paywall)
  With sales slowing at home, Chinese EV giant BYD looks to new markets in the Global South / China-Global South Project (paywall)

• Chinese internet regulators oust 13 crypto trading apps
  China boots out 13 cryptocurrency-trading apps, OKX included / Caixin (paywall)
  “Financial and internet watchdogs in China have removed 13 mobile apps related to cryptocurrency trading, including the leading platform OKX, from app stores on the Chinese mainland, a court in Beijing said in an announcement Saturday.”

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT:

• Snake safari in Hong Kong
  Bamboo vipers and many-banded kraits: Experiencing Hong Kong’s snake safari / CNN
  “Since 2017, Sargent, a police-approved snake expert, has been running nocturnal so-called ‘Snake Safaris’ through the verdant, biodiverse terrains of Hong Kong such as Tai Mo Shan Country Park — home to the city’s highest peak in the northern New Territories region — taking hundreds of daring visitors along every year.”

• Bitingly cold winter forecast
  After a blistering summer, China braces for a frigid winter / Sixth Tone
  “Forecasters warn of lower temperatures and less precipitation in many parts of the country.”

• Pains of childbirth more prevalent in China
  Epidural-induced births ‘far behind’ in China, says top expert / Sixth Tone
  “Medical professionals say a lack of awareness and a shortage of anesthesiologists have hindered the relatively painless delivery method.”

POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

• A rare Chinese voice of solidarity with Iran protesters
  One of China’s leading Mideast scholars expresses sympathy for Iranian protestors, testing the limits of what’s acceptable in his own country / China-Global South Project (paywall)
  “One of China’s most prominent Mideast scholars, Fan Hongda from the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai International Studies University, is expressing solidarity with anti-government protesters in Iran on social media. At the same time, he’s pushing the boundaries of what’s acceptable online speech for a Chinese academic.”

• China “concerned” about situation in Ukraine
  China expresses concern on Ukraine after Russian missile strikes / Bloomberg (paywall)
  “China said it was worried about the worsening situation in Ukraine, after Russia struck civilian targets with missiles in retaliation for a attack on a key bridge.”

• Xi’s COVID-zero and political crackdowns ahead of the Party Congress
  China’s zero-COVID policy key to Xi Jinping’s efforts to cement authority / AFP via HKFP
  “Throughout the pandemic, [Xí Jìnpíng 习近平] has dug in his heels, declaring zero-COVID China’s most ‘economic and effective’ path forward, while maintaining policies that have deepened the state’s control over the lives of its 1.4 billion people.”
  Self-isolated: China’s lonely zero-COVID battle in spotlight as Xi seeks third term / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
  China trumpets Xi’s COVID zero as the only way before Communist Party Congress / Bloomberg (paywall)
  Not ‘lying flat’: China to persist with tough COVID policies / Reuters
  The ‘age of P.C.R. prosperity’? China’s COVID-testing strategy comes under strain / NYT (paywall)
  ‘Fortress Beijing’ eliminates threats ahead of Communist party congress / FT (paywall)
  “With just days until the Chinese Communist party’s most important political meeting in a decade, President [Xí Jìnpíng’s 习近平] security lieutenants are intensifying a months-long crackdown.”

• United Nations voices concern over National Security Law in Hong Kong
  UN ‘alarmed’ by sentencing of minors under Hong Kong security law / HKFP
  “The rights office and a number of UN human rights mechanisms have repeatedly expressed concerns over the negative impact of the law on fundamental rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.”

• Taiwan scales up its defenses
  Taiwan plans to build new warships to counter China’s pressure / Bloomberg (paywall)
  Taiwan says China looking at Ukraine war to develop ‘hybrid’ strategies / Reuters

• Beijing slams West over warnings on China’s development
  China denies its technological advances are a global threat / Radio Free Asia
  China has rejected warnings from Britain’s cyber spy chief that Beijing’s exploitation of important technologies is threatening global security, with a Chinese media outlet claiming GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming “talked rubbish.”
  China’s development not about ‘contesting’ against the U.S.: Global Times editorial / Global Times

• China’s research universities are topping global charts
  American universities continue to falter in world rankings as China rises / WSJ (paywall)
  “The U.S.’s pre-eminence among the world’s top research universities continues to diminish, according to a new global ranking, while Chinese universities are on the rise, producing a greater quantity and higher quality of research than ever before.”

• Life of a Chinese dissident
  A dissident escapes Xi Jinping’s China and a life ‘made up of lies’ / WSJ (paywall)
  “Rights groups say the detention of Ms. Li, along with her then-boyfriend, was symptomatic of how Chinese leader [Xí Jìnpíng 习近平] has relentlessly suppressed dissent since taking power a decade ago.”

• China and Solomon Islands deepen ties through police training
  First Solomon Islands police head to China for training amid deepening security ties / Guardian
  “​​A delegation of more than 30 Solomon Islands police officers has traveled to China to undergo training for the first time, in a sign of deepening ties between the two countries, which signed a controversial security deal earlier this year.”
  Solomon Islands police officers fly to China for training / SCMP (paywall)

• Indian students return to China
  1,300 Indian students get China visas after two-year COVID-19 wait / SCMP (paywall)
  “More than 1,300 Indian students have received visas to return to China to resume their courses, after being unable to do so for over two years due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.”

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

• Boy bands are losing their shine in China
  Is China’s boy band boom over? / World of Chinese
  “Ten years ago, TFBoys spurred a boom in Chinese boy bands. But now fan fatigue, investor apathy, and the pandemic threaten to burst the pop star bubble.”

• Mental health for domestic abusers
  Inside the minds of abusive husbands / Sixth Tone
  “A Jiangsu court has begun taking counseling for abusers seriously.”