China eases some pandemic regulations

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

China eased some pandemic regulations, but emphasized (in Chinese) that the changes were a refinement, not a relaxation, of its controversial COVID-zero policy. The news comes as some major cities reported a record number of cases over the weekend. (You can read an analysis and translation of the new rules by the Pekingnology newsletter’s Zichen Wang.)

• The new rules released on Friday include shortened quarantine times for international arrivals, and an end to Beijing’s “circuit breaker” policy, which temporarily suspended airlines from operating flights based on the number of passengers who test positive after arriving in China.

Beijing has named Yǐn Lì 尹力 as the new Party chief of the city, replacing the current Party secretary of the Politburo Standing Committee, Cài Qí 蔡奇, as the Chinese government adjusts its COVID-zero policy amid an uptick in cases and a slowing economy.

• Known for leading the nation’s response to the SARS epidemic nearly two decades ago, Yin is a prominent public health technocrat, and his appointment may signal that “Xi sees COVID as a longer-term struggle.”
• Yin was previously serving as the Party chief of Fujian, the province where Xi consolidated power during the early and formative years of his political career.
• Meanwhile, Zhōu Zǔyì 周祖翼, 57, will replace Yin as the chief of Fujian, as the youngest provincial Party leader in the country.

Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet on the sidelines at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, the first such talks between the leaders of the two countries in six years amid a intensifying trade dispute with Beijing.

• Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said that Canberra was willing to discuss “off-ramps” with the Chinese government, instead of facing a World Trade Organization arbitration on the current disagreements on trade.
• Albanese also had “positive” and “constructive” talks with Chinese Premier Lǐ Kèqiáng 李克强 on Sunday at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.

Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protest song was played instead of the Chinese national anthem at a rugby match in Incheon between South Korea and Hong Kong, drawing fierce rebukes from Beijing and the Hong Kong government.

• Despite apologies from Asia Rugby, the organizers of the event, and Seoul-based Korea Rugby Union, which claimed the wrong song was played due to human error and wasn’t politically motivated, the Hong Kong government has ordered a police investigation into the incident.

Beijing has issued a surprise policy shift to help prop up its spiraling property sector. After a long period of tightening restrictions on real estate companies’ access to credit, “quality” developers will be able to get up to 30% of “pre-sale funds,” which are the first payments from home buyers that are usually held in an escrow account.

• Bloomberg also has details on “China’s sweeping rescue package to salvage its real estate market,” which is “detailed in a 16-point playbook for finance officials across the country.”

FAW hits 10,000 in South Africa: On Saturday, FAW Group, one of China’s Big Four auto manufacturers, announced that it had assembled the 10,000th vehicle at its plant in the Coega Special Economic Zone, near Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), which began operating in 2014. FAW reportedly has about 11% of South Africa’s total auto market. See today’s Business briefs from the Chinese media, with more links and info on:

• Chinese hotel group lists on Nasdaq.
• More than 350 Chinese aircraft sold at the Zhuhai Airshow.
• A deadly Tesla accident.

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