Highlighted links for Wednesday, December 14, 2022

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

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

Tech firms are filling the void left by China’s now-shuttered health code app
As China relaxes zero-COVID, tech firms assume a larger role in fighting the virus / TechCrunch
“As the virus is expected to spread in the upcoming weeks with people left to their own devices, Chinese tech firms are coming forth with initiatives to help navigate a new wave of infections.”

Beijing clamps down on AI
China’s generative AI rules set boundaries and punishments for misuse / TechCrunch
“As text-to-image generators and intelligent chatbots keep blowing people’s minds, China has swiftly moved to lay out what people can do with the tools built on powerful AI models.”

China doesn’t want foreigners snooping in its industrial sector data
China restricts industrial data export as Beijing tightens grip on data security / SCMP (paywall)
“China’s industry ministry has passed new rules mandating that important industrial data be stored within the country, as Beijing expands its web of regulations governing data security in a drive to tighten control over domestic data.”

Economic gloom
ADB cuts developing Asia’s 2023 growth forecast again / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
“Developing Asia’s economic expansion next year is expected to be slower than previously projected as a global slowdown and the prolonged war in Ukraine weigh on the region, the Asian Development Bank said in a new report.”
China to hold meeting on economic targets despite COVID / Bloomberg (paywall)
“Chinese leaders are planning to proceed with a closely watched economic policy meeting in Beijing this week, opting not to postpone the gathering as Covid infections surge across the capital, according to people familiar with the matter.”

HSBC tries to poach primo staff amid industry job cuts
HSBC sends recruitment emails to rival bankers facing cuts / Bloomberg (paywall)
“As global banks from Credit Suisse Group AG to Goldman Sachs Group Inc. prepare for a fresh wave of job cuts, HSBC Holdings Plc is going on the offensive.”

Embattled Hong Kong airline fights to survive
Court approves HK Airlines’ $6 billion debt restructuring / Bloomberg (paywall)
“Hong Kong’s High Court approved Hong Kong Airlines Ltd.’s HK$49 billion ($6.3 billion) debt restructuring plan, boosting the carrier’s chance of survival after years of financial turmoil.”

Is time running out for TikTok in the U.S.?
U.S. lawmakers unveil bipartisan bid to ban China’s TikTok / Reuters
“Republican Senator Marco Rubio on Tuesday announced bipartisan legislation to ban China’s popular social media app TikTok, ratcheting up pressure on owner ByteDance Ltd amid U.S. fears the app could be used to spy on Americans and censor content.”

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT:

China’s healthcare system is under strain
Medical staff in China’s hospitals say COVID-19 ripping through their ranks / Reuters
Hospitals in China are beginning to feel strain after China’s sudden rollback of COVID restrictions as a growing number of doctors and nurses catch COVID.
China’s care homes scramble to protect elderly from COVID surge / Bloomberg (paywall)
“As COVID spreads rapidly across China, elderly care homes are barricading their doors in an attempt to save their vulnerable patients.”
China launches second round of COVID boosters for high-risk groups / Caixin (paywall)
China has set a target for 90% of people over 80 years old to have gotten at least one vaccination dose by the end of January 2023 and their second round of vaccination boosters for people over 60 started Wednesday.
Chinese mainlanders rush to Macau for mRNA vaccinations / Caixin (paywall)
“Chinese mainland residents are rushing to Macao to get BioNTech’s messenger RNA-based Covid-19 vaccines as infections surge amid the government’s easing of pandemic controls.”

Musk’s new rocket rival
China startup hopes methane-powered rocket will beat Elon Musk’s SpaceX to orbit / Bloomberg (paywall)
“A Chinese startup seeking to be the country’s answer to SpaceX is preparing a satellite launch that could beat Elon Musk’s company and other rivals by relying on the next generation of rocket fuel.”

POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

Trade booms despite tense border between China and India
India-China trade jumps thwarting modi’s self-reliance drive / Bloomberg (paywall)
“India’s bilateral trade with China rose by a third in the year to March, throwing a spanner in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s drive to wean the South Asian nation from relying on its larger neighbor for cheap imports and promote a thriving domestic industry.”
India-China border skirmish signals volatile ‘new normal’ / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
“The latest clash between Indian and Chinese troops along their disputed Himalayan border underscores the precarious nature of efforts to de-escalate tensions between the nuclear-armed Asian giants, analysts say, warning of the danger of more flare-ups.”

• Yesterday on The China Project: Chinese and Indian border troops clash for the first time since 2020.

Will China’s blank paper protesters face jail time?
China protesters face possible criminal charges / WSJ (paywall)
“Nearly three weeks after demonstrations against strict Covid-19 controls exploded across China, some protesters remain in detention and are now facing the prospect of criminal charges.”

Former top lawmaker dies from brain hemorrhage while in custody for graft
Former Chinese lawmaker dies in detention awaiting corruption verdict / SCMP (paywall)
Yú Zhìgāng 于志刚, “a former member of China’s top legislature and a former vice chancellor of the China University of Political Science and Law, the country’s top legal university, died in May while awaiting a verdict on corruption charges against him, according to the announcement.”

Pursuing a career in journalism? Steer clear of China, Myanmar, and Vietnam
Asian countries top list for worst jailers of journalists: report / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
Asian nations, with China, Myanmar, and Vietnam standing out as some of the worst offenders, “were the worst jailers of journalists this year as the number of imprisoned reporters globally hit a new record,” according to a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

China’s COVID narrative jumps through a lot of hoops
In COVID U-turn, China’s message to the people shifts from war to self-care / Reuters

Taiwan warns WTO action against Beijing over import bans
Taipei, Beijing trade barbs over latest import bans as Taiwan plans WTO case / SCMP (paywall)
“Taipei and Beijing have traded accusations over mainland China’s latest import bans on Taiwanese food and drink products, with Taiwan saying it will take the case to the World Trade Organization.”

Philippines warns of China vessels in South China Sea
Philippines concerned over Chinese vessels ‘swarming’ in disputed waters – defense chief / Reuters
“The Philippines’ defense chief on Wednesday said the reported presence of dozens of Chinese vessels in disputed waters in the South China Sea was an ‘unacceptable’ action that violates the country’s sovereignty.”
Philippines says Chinese vessels in reef, shoal ‘great concern’ / Bloomberg (paywall)

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

Artist live-tweeted China protests from Italy
Chinese tweeter ran protest-info hub in exile / WSJ (paywall)
“As protests flared across China, a 30-year-old artist in Italy was glued to his computer, broadcasting how demonstrations spread, with real-time scenes sent to him by his Twitter followers.”
The painter who shared China’s COVID protests with the world / Reuters

Tutoring crackdown roils on
China is cracking down on ‘hidden’ tutoring schools / Sixth Tone
“Authorities are adamant on getting rid of private after-school classes, which they say add an academic and financial burden on students and parents, respectively.”

Can naturalized athletes win over China online?
Two star athletes have chosen to represent China. Netizens are furious. / Sixth Tone
“Champion speed skaters Liu Shaolin Sandor and Liu Shaoang have become the targets of unexpected vitriol after switching allegiances from Hungary to China — a sign of Chinese fans’ growing skepticism toward naturalized athletes.”