Highlighted links for September 6, 2023

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

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

Gaming industry
China’s mobile gaming revenue surged 51.09% y-o-y in July / TechNode
“The Chinese game market reached revenue of RMB 28.61 billion ($3.92 billion) in July, an increase of 37.49% year-on-year, as reported by the Chinese research institute Gamma Data.”

Economic gloom or boom
China’s economic pain is a test of Xi’s fixation with control / NYT (paywall)
“The slowdown is posing perhaps the most sustained challenge to President Xí Jìnpíng’s 习近平agenda in over a decade in power. He now faces a tangle of difficult choices.”

iPhone banned for Chinese government workers
China bans govt officials from using iPhones for work / Reuters
“China has ordered officials at central government agencies to not use Apple’s iPhones and other foreign-branded devices for work or bring them into the office, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.”
China orders government workers to stop using iPhones amid heightened tensions with US / SCMP (paywall)
“A handful of Chinese ministries have told employees to stop using Apple’s iPhones at work, citing national security risks amid heightened geopolitical tensions with the United States, according to several people familiar with the matter.”
China bans iPhone use for government officials at work / WSJ (paywall)

Electric vehicles
Mercedes-Benz CEO: own charging network in China to launch in Chengdu / Reuters
“Mercedes-Benz (MBGn.DE) CEO Ola Kaellenius said the first of Mercedes-Benz’s own charging stations in China will launch in Chengdu this October, followed by further stations in cities including Beijing and Shenzhen.”
German automakers in ‘darkest moment’ speed up EV transition – Chinese executive / Reuters
“German automakers under heavy pressure from Chinese competition are speeding up their transition to electric vehicles, enabling partnerships with the likes of EV startup Xpeng (9868.HK), its president Brian Gu (Gù Hóngdì 顾宏地) said in an interview on Wednesday.”
BMW CEO calls on China to expand hydrogen network / Reuters
“BMW Chief Executive Oliver Zipse, in a speech on Wednesday, called on China to expand its hydrogen network in urban areas and clarify public charging standards to encourage customer uptake of electric cars.”
China’s ‘father of EVs’ urges cooperation on EV scaleup / Reuters
“China’s industrial policy adviser and ‘father of EVs’ Wán Gāng 万钢 said efficient batteries, better EV architectures, and intelligent driving systems were key to scaling up EVs, calling for international collaboration on research and standards.”
Xiaomi has begun EV trial production, with run rate of 50 prototypes per week, report says / CNEV
“Xiaomi’s first EV model is now in the trial production phase, which has been underway for almost a month, according to local media.”

Durian sales
China’s durian demand lifts global sales by 400%, Southeast Asian exporters seek to reap rewards from RCEP trade deal / SCMP (paywall)
“China’s appetite for durian has increased global demand for the uniquely pungent tropical fruit by 400%, with Southeast Asian exporters looking to a regional trade deal for help to sell even more, according to investment bank HSBC.”

AI
China approves AI chatbot releases but will it unleash innovation? / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
“The race to deliver China’s answer to ChatGPT is entering its next stage: the application war. But regulatory constraints and other structural hurdles threaten to hold back progress even as technology players in the West surge ahead.”

China’s luxury market
China’s appetite for luxury is back / Caixin (paywall)
“Despite a sluggish increase in China’s overall retail sales in the first half of the year, Chinese consumers have been a major driving force behind growth in the global luxury goods market.”

Huawei
U.S. to check on chips used in Huawei’s ‘Made in China’ smartphone / FT (paywall)
“The White House is seeking detailed information on Huawei’s latest flagship smartphone, which analysts have described as an important milestone for the Chinese tech group four years after U.S. restrictions crippled its handset business.”

Alibaba
Alibaba’s Amap, supported by China’s GPS rival Beidou, expands global coverage to boost Belt and Road plan / SCMP (paywall)
“Amap, a maps app operated by Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, has expanded its coverage to overseas territories using China’s home-grown Beidou satellite navigation system, touting its service as ‘a world atlas for Chinese people.’”

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT:

China’s growing obesity population
Gain and pain: The problem of China’s expanding waistline / Sixth Tone
“Almost half of the country’s population is now overweight or obese, according to a comprehensive study that factors in gender, geography, and GDP.”

China’s shipbuilders are going green
Low-carbon transition has China’s shipbuilders seeing green / Caixin (paywall)
“The global shipping industry’s shift toward decarbonization has brought enormous opportunities to Chinese shipbuilders as operators worldwide seek greener fleets.”

POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

The Party is above science
China’s top academics told to toe party line with public statements / Caixin (paywall)
“China’s top science academy has updated its code of conduct with new rules that require members ensure their public statements are ‘in line with the general policy of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China’ and prohibit openly expressing academic views unrelated to their field of expertise.”

G20 and Xi’s no-show
For foreign envoys in China, Xi’s G20 absence confirms worrying trend / Reuters
“For several foreign diplomats based in China, the news that President Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 will not attend the G20 summit in India this week has confirmed a worrying trend: Beijing is shutting off to the West and its allies.”
Xi Jinping’s absence from G20 frustrates European leaders eager for time with China’s decision maker / SCMP (paywall)
China’s demand dilemma could spell trouble for the world / FT (paywall)
“The G20 is supposed to be the premier forum for management of the global economy and the biggest economic issue in the world right now is a chronic lack of demand in China.”

ASEAN
China’s premier is on a charm offensive as ASEAN summit protests Beijing’s aggression at sea / AP
“In talks with Southeast Asian leaders Wednesday in the Indonesian capital, Chinese Premier Lǐ Qiáng 李强 underscored his country’s importance as the world’s second-biggest economy and as the top trading partner of the region.”
China’s Li Qiang urges Asean, Japan and South Korea to oppose ‘new cold war’ amid growing U.S. rivalry / SCMP (paywall)
“Facing heightened tensions with its neighbors, China urged Tokyo, Seoul, and Asean to ‘oppose a new cold war’ and manage their differences with Beijing.”

Japan
Japan PM, China premier trade barbs over Fukushima water release / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
“Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida traded barbs on Wednesday over wastewater released from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean.”

Indonesia
China premier completes trial run of Indonesia’s first high-speed rail / Reuters
“China’s Premier Li Qiang traveled aboard a bullet train in a trial run of a Beijing-funded $7.3 billion railway project in Indonesia on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the company behind the project told Reuters.”
Chinese Premier Li Qiang takes a test ride on Indonesia’s new high-speed railway / AP
“Chinese Premier Li Qiang took a test ride Wednesday on Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway, which connects two Indonesian cities as part of China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.”

Saudi Arabia
Shanghai Stock Exchange signs agreement with Saudi Arabian bourse to explore cross-listings, data sharing as ties between Beijing and Riyadh warm up / SCMP (paywall)
“The Shanghai Stock Exchange has signed an agreement with the operator of the Saudi Arabian bourse to foster closer ties, in a sign that a recent flurry of cooperation between China and the Gulf nation has extended into the financial area.”

Vietnam
China boosts ‘political trust’ with Vietnam ahead of Biden visit / Reuters
“China sent a senior official to Vietnam to enhance ‘political trust’ between the two countries, ahead of a scheduled visit by U.S. President Joe Biden designed to boost diplomatic ties between Washington and Hanoi.”

Russian gas
Russia finalizing Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline route to China — Novak / Reuters
“Russia is finalizing the route of the China-bound Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline, which is intended to traverse Mongolia, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak wrote in the energy ministry’s in-house magazine, published on Wednesday.”

Hong Kong man in custody after ‘seditious’ kids books
Hong Kong clerk remanded in custody pending trial after national security police accuse him of importing seditious children’s books / SCMP (paywall)
“A 38-year-old clerk has been remanded in custody pending a trial for alleged sedition after Hong Kong national security police accused him of importing children’s books they say can instigate hatred towards authorities.”

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

Hong Kong’s infrastructure
Hong Kong’s old buildings are crumbling, but flat owners balk at repair fees, prompting calls for government action on ‘ticking time bombs’ / SCMP (paywall)
“Spike of recent incidents when pieces of concrete fell off buildings signals urgency for checks, repairs.”

Great Wall damaged
China authorities arrest 2 for smashing shortcut through Great Wall with excavator / AP
“China’s Great Wall has been pierced by Genghis Khan, the Manchus, and now, allegedly, a couple of construction workers named Zheng and Wang who wanted a shortcut.”
Workers plow through Great Wall of China, leaving a hole / NYT (paywall)

Catholicism
Pope insists Vatican-China relations are on track but says more work is needed / AP
“Pope Francis insisted Monday that the Vatican’s relations with China were going well but said work must still be done to show Beijing that the Catholic Church isn’t beholden to a foreign power.”

Burnout for China’s youth
Young Chinese are signaling burnout — with quirky profile photos / Sixth Tone
“Using memes and anime, profile photos have become the new canvas for Chinese youth, serving as both an outlet for their frustrations and subtle resistance against the pressures of work culture.”

Vocational teachers
China’s vocational teachers need career development opportunities / Sixth Tone
“An official survey of vocational teachers in China has found that many face challenges in career and academic development, which may affect the stability of the vocational teaching workforce.”