Highlighted links for Wednesday, November 9, 2022

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

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

China’s state-owned aircraft maker is gunning for Boeing and Airbus
Chinese maker announces 300 orders for new jetliner / AP
“A state-owned Chinese commercial jet manufacturer set up to try to compete with Boeing and Airbus says it has secured orders for 300 of its first long-range jetliners from Chinese leasing companies.”
China’s COMAC secures 330 aircraft orders, boosts demand outlook at air show / Reuters
China’s COMAC says it has secured orders for 300 homegrown jets / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
The China Project reported in July: COMAC is building Chinese jetliners and wants to take on Airbus and Boeing.

German automakers aren’t backing away from China
German auto giants VW and BMW make strong vow to double down on China / TechNode
“Despite increasing calls in Europe for an economic decoupling from China amid rising geopolitical conflict, Volkswagen and BMW have committed to long-term development in China and will continue to invest in the world’s biggest car market, according to senior executives from the German automakers.”

Xi speaks at China’s World Internet Conference
Xi Jinping opens China’s internet conference, attended by U.S. tech CEOs / SCMP (paywall)
“The Chinese leader issued a congratulatory letter to the World Internet Conference, which also saw the debut of the Communist Party’s new propaganda chief.”

Chip wars on China are dividing Europe
China conflicts prompt chip manufacturing battles in Europe / Register
“China is at the center of two conflicts in Europe as the continent strives to shore up domestic chip manufacturing capabilities.”

World’s chipmaking giant TSMC plans for second U.S. plant
TSMC prepares for another U.S. plant as China tensions simmer / Bloomberg (paywall)
“Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is laying the groundwork for a second U.S. plant next to a $12 billion complex it’s building, a major expansion that will boost American efforts to bring advanced chipmaking home if it goes ahead.”

Agritech is booming in China
Companies promote digital and smart agriculture in China / Sixth Tone
“From vegetable factories to fishery-solar hybrid projects, Chinese agriculture companies have been showcasing agri-tech solutions at the CIIE.”
The China Project reported in February: China is stepping up its agritech industry.

Lackluster medical device maker IPO
China’s Lepu Scientech makes muted Hong Kong debut / Caixin (paywall)

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT:

Can China clean up its dirty steel industry?
Can scrap steel solve China’s climate dilemma? / Sixth Tone
“The key to China’s ambitious climate plan? Turning trash into treasure.”

No end to lockdowns as COVID cases spread in China
Lockdowns spread as new Omicron variants evade China’s zero-COVID net / WSJ (paywall)
“Guangzhou orders four million to stay home as the country fights record outbreaks across multiple fronts.”
Virus lockdowns hit China economic powerhouse Guangzhou / AP
China extends COVID restrictions on world’s biggest iPhone plant / Bloomberg (paywall)
“The world’s biggest iPhone factory will continue to be subject to COVID restrictions, after authorities in China lifted a lockdown in the district where the plant is located but said some areas were still regarded as high risk.”
Chinese iPhone plant still under strict COVID curbs despite lift of lockdown / Reuters
Earlier on The China Project: Workers flee Apple’s biggest iPhone factory in China in fear of COVID lockdown.

No one knows what’s happening with COVID zero
China’s great ‘zero-COVID’ guessing game / NYT (paywall)
“Companies, investors and global policymakers are trying to divine when the Chinese government will drop its strict restrictions. It comes down to one man: the country’s top leader, [Xí Jìnpíng 习近平].”

POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

Australia’s PM wants to meet Xi
Australian PM hopes for meeting with China’s Xi at summit / AP
“Albanese leaves Australia on Friday for an East Asia Summit in Cambodia, followed by a Group of 20 meeting in Indonesia, then an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meeting in Thailand. Albanese said his office was organizing a ‘range of meetings’ with ‘various leaders,’ which would be announced when details were finalized.”

Taiwan deepens trade ties with U.K. and U.S.
U.S., Taiwan kick off talks to deepen trade, economic ties / WSJ (paywall)
“China has condemned the initiative, which comes ahead of a possible Biden-Xi summit.”
Taiwan’s President looks forward to Britain supporting its CPTPP bid / Reuters
“Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文 (Cài Yīngwén) told visiting British minister of state for trade Greg Hands on Wednesday that she looks forward to Britain joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and supporting Taiwan’s membership.”
Taiwan aims for British trade deal as minister meets president / Reuters

Military defenses ramp up on both sides of the Taiwan Strait
Xi tells China’s military to be ready for war in uncertain and unstable times / SCMP (paywall)
Taiwan rallies drone makers to prepare military for China threat / FT (paywall)

China courts Cambodia
Li Keqiang meets Asian leaders in Cambodia / Caixin (paywall)
“Chinese Premier [Lǐ Kèqiáng 李克强] arrived in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh Tuesday evening to attend meetings of East Asian leaders on regional cooperation, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.”

Xi steps up diplomacy to kick off third term
With power secure at home, China’s Xi looks to project strength abroad / WSJ (paywall)
“The Chinese president’s renewed foreign diplomacy gives him an opportunity to counter Washington’s efforts to enlist allies to isolate Beijing.”

Are women not working in Xi’s China?
Under Xi Jinping, women in China have given up gains / WSJ (paywall)
“Women’s labor-force participation has fallen since Xi took power in 2012, and China has dropped 33 places in a global gender-gap report.”

Nanjing University investigates sexual abuse case
Nanjing University probes academic staff accused of rape / Sixth Tone
“One of China’s leading universities on Tuesday opened an investigation against an administrative leader accused of plagiarism and raping a former undergraduate student, adding to the list of sexual abuse claims at academic institutions reported this year.”

China-mongering heats up in U.S. politics
Anti-China rhetoric on U.S. campaign trail alarms Asian Americans / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
“Both Republican and Democratic candidates single out Beijing.”

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

Young climate activists in China
In China, a new generation of climate activists suddenly emerges / Sixth Tone
“Young Chinese are increasingly moving into environmental campaigning — a reaction to the growing impact of global warming on China, but also the shrinking space for feminist and labor rights groups.”

Banned WeChat users beg Tencent to restore their accounts with handwritten notes
“Please give me a chance”: WeChat users are handwriting apologies to get their banned accounts back / Rest of World
“The Tencent app is so essential to life in China that banned users will go to great lengths to be reinstated.”

Was China’s only female emperor a feminist?
Wu Zetian and the quest for feminism in all the wrong places / Sixth Tone
“Some modern Chinese feminists have sought to reclaim [Wǔ Zétiān 武则天’s] legacy from the politically motivated attacks of male historians and position her as a trailblazer in the field of women’s rights.”
The China Project reported in 2020: Wu Zetian, the most controversial woman in Chinese history.