Highlighted links for Wednesday, October 19, 2022

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

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

Has China’s economy taken second place under Xi’s agenda?
China’s shock GDP delay shows Communist Party trumps economy / Bloomberg (paywall)
“During a week when investors are scrutinizing every utterance by officials in Beijing, the government’s unprecedented silence on key economic indicators is one of the clearest signs yet that the COVID-zero policy and politics trumps all else in [Xí Jìnpíng’s 习近平] China.”

Foxconn’s dreams of making Tesla EVs
Apple iPhone maker Foxconn says it wants to make cars for Tesla as it ramps up EV push / CNBC
“Foxconn, the biggest assembler of Apple’s iPhones, wants to one day build cars for Tesla, the company’s CEO said, as it pushes further into electric vehicle manufacturing.”

Battery startup beefs up
Chinese battery startup Hithium raises $278 million to boost output / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
“Chinese battery startup Hithium has raised over 2 billion yuan ($278 million) in a Series B funding round led by ABC International, the investment banking unit of the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), as it looks to expand its production capacity.”

Dutch chipmaker ASML relatively unscathed by U.S. export curbs to China
ASML shrugs off slowdown, U.S. China sanctions, reports strong Q3 / Reuters
“ASML Holding NV, a key equipment supplier to computer chip manufacturers, on Wednesday reported better-than-expected third-quarter sales and profit along with record new bookings, boosting its shares. ASML said the impact of the new U.S. regulations appears limited given that it is a European company with few U.S. parts used in its machines.”

New iPad Pro users in China miss out on peak Wi-Fi data speeds
Apple’s new iPad Pro won’t feature Wi-Fi 6E in mainland China / TechNode
“The new iPad Pro is the first model from Apple to support the latest Wi-Fi 6E standard, according to media outlet MacRumors. However, according to the notes on Apple’s product spec pages, the feature won’t be available in mainland China or Japan.”

Is Russia receiving faulty chips from China?
China dumps dud chips on Russia, Moscow media moans / Register
“The failure rate of semiconductors shipped from China to Russia has increased by 1,900 percent in recent months, according to Russian national business daily Коммерсантъ (Kommersant).”

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT:

Death in COVID quarantine center sparks outrage
Reports of teenager dying in COVID quarantine cause outcry in China / Guardian
“Reports that a 16-year-old girl has died in a COVID quarantine center after pleas from her family for medical help were ignored have caused anger in China, where ongoing tight pandemic controls have started to take their toll on a weary population.”

COVID-zero China: Cases surge, a new quarantine facility, and curbs in coal hub
Beijing cases at four-month high / Bloomberg (paywall)
Shanghai island to host 3,250-bed COVID quarantine facility / Reuters
COVID in China’s coal hubs crimps supply as winter demand looms / Bloomberg (paywall)

Earthquake in northern China
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake hits Qinghai, China – USGS / Reuters
“An earthquake of magnitude 5.5 struck northern Qinghai region of China on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said.”

Is climate change falling off people’s radar?
Concern about climate change shrinks globally as threat grows / Reuters
“Only 20% of people in China, the world’s biggest polluter, said they believed that climate change was a very serious threat, down 3 percentage points from the previous poll in 2019, the survey by Gallup World Risk Poll showed on Wednesday.”

POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

Women and ethnic minorities in Chinese politics
For women in China’s Communist Party, it’s lonely at the top / NYT (paywall)
“Mao’s phrase that ‘women hold up half the sky’ rings hollow as China’s most powerful female politician readies for retirement with few others in line.”
Do ethnic minorities add more than just a dash of color on China’s political stage? / SCMP (paywall)
“Experts say ethnic minority representation in the senior leadership will continue to weaken as Beijing places more focus on integration in one national identity.”

Kenya seeks help repaying debt-ridden China-funded railway
Kenya wants China to extend repayment period for $5 billion debt / Bloomberg (paywall)
“Kenya plans to ask China for a longer repayment period on $5 billion of loans it used to build a new railway line, Transport Secretary-designate Kipchumba Murkomen said.”
What Kenya’s embattled standard gauge railway tells us about the future of China’s Belt and Road Initiative / China-Global South Project (paywall)

#MeToo facts uphill battle on online recruitment platforms
On China’s job platforms, a furious struggle over sexual harassment / Sixth Tone
“China’s women are waging a determined campaign to get sexual predators blacklisted from major job sites. But the growing restrictions on feminist discourse present enormous obstacles.”

Seoul sandwiched in U.S.-China tensions
‘Yankees, go home!’: Seoul gets squeezed between the U.S. and China / NYT (paywall)
“The intensifying rivalry between Washington and Beijing is causing jitters in South Korea, where security ties and economic priorities are not always aligned.”

A tipping point in Taiwan tensions
U.S.-China status quo on Taiwan is eroding, Carnegie official says / Bloomberg (paywall)
“Asia Society panel warns of weakening of pillars of stability.”
China’s top military brass vow to be on high alert and ready for war amid mounting tension with U.S. / SCMP (paywall)

Australia wants China’s funds, but none of the politics
China to remain a key trade partner for Australia, official says / Bloomberg (paywall)
“China is an ‘important trading partner’ for Australia and will remain so in the face of headwinds ranging from COVID lockdowns to supply-chain disruptions, a senior government official said Wednesday.”

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

Hong Kong’s big spenders primp their pads
Asian art and luxury buying boom / FT (paywall)
“Across Hong Kong, the wealthy are renovating their homes with expensive fittings, buying luxury goods and putting money into expensive art.”

Will a camping boom lead to a camping crackdown?
Camping is a fad in China. Now authorities seek to regulate it. / Sixth Tone
“Local authorities across China are rolling out new rules for camping amid growing safety and environmental concerns, as the outdoor activity has attracted a new wave of holidaymakers amid tight coronavirus-related travel restrictions.”

Protest art against COVID zero in New York
Chinese artist speaks out against zero-COVID policy by wearing 27 hazmat suits in Times Square / CNN
Zhisheng Wu, a Chinese artist, wore 27 hazmat suits in Times Square, New York City, as part of a staged street performance to criticize China’s unrelenting zero-COVID policy.

Italian astronaut wins Chinese hearts with ancient poem
‘This is true happiness’: Italian astronaut quotes ancient Chinese poem, becomes social media darling for excellent Mandarin / SCMP (paywall)
“An Italian astronaut’s Twitter post of an ancient Chinese poem about space suggested to her by a sinologist friend has gone viral on mainland social media.”