Highlighted links for October 31, 2023

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

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

Economic gloom or boom
China’s economy shows fresh signs of slowing / WSJ (paywall)
“China’s economy suffered a setback as surveys showed factory orders shrank and construction activity slowed, reigniting growth concerns just as activity appeared to be stabilizing.”
China’s factory activity contracts in blow to economic momentum / FT (paywall)
“China’s manufacturing activity unexpectedly contracted in October, damping hopes of increasing momentum in the world’s second-largest economy.”
China’s provincial economies fell off the pace in past quarter / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
“In the first nine months, just 11 out of 31 provincial-level regions on the Chinese mainland saw their year-on-year GDP growth outperform that of the first half, data from local authorities showed, as the world’s second-largest economy struggles to build momentum for its post-pandemic recovery.”

Oil
China’s CNOOC, two chemical firms looking at Shell Singapore assets — sources / Reuters
“At least three Chinese companies including state giant China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) are evaluating Shell’s Singapore assets and considering non-binding bids in coming weeks for the city-state’s oldest refinery, according to several sources familiar with the matter.”

Gold
China leads record central bank gold buying in first nine months of year / FT (paywall)
“China has spearheaded record levels of central bank purchases of gold globally in the first nine months of the year, as countries seek to hedge against inflation and reduce their reliance on the dollar.”

Semiconductors
China’s semiconductor state fund invests $2 billion in memory chip firm / Reuters
“China’s state-backed chip investment fund has invested 14.56 billion yuan ($1.99 billion) in a memory chip company called Changxin Xinqiao, records showed.”

AI
The opportunities and roadblocks facing China’s AI models / Caixin (paywall)
“Since Beijing lifted the floodgates for Chinese firms to launch their artificial intelligence (AI) services, the momentum for homegrown large language models (LLMs) offerings has accelerated, with the number of releases this year surpassing that of U.S. counterparts.”

Evergrande
Evergrande will struggle to revive its debt restructuring plan / Reuters
“China Evergrande is trying to stave off liquidation by revising its debt restructuring plan, but its biggest challenge will be convincing its creditors, and shareholders in two of its units, that the proposal is worth their while.”

Alibaba
Alibaba banks on aggressive Singles Day pricing to recoup sales mojo / Reuters
“China’s Alibaba is pressuring merchants to offer rock-bottom prices on its marketplaces in this year’s Singles Day extravaganza, three industry sources said, as the ecommerce company seeks to boost sales and stem a drop in market share.”
Alibaba upgrades AI model Tongyi Qianwen, releases industry-specific models / Reuters
“Chinese technology giant Alibaba said on Tuesday it has updated its artificial intelligence (AI) model Tongyi Qianwen and released a suite of industry-specific AI models amid an intensifying AI race among tech companies.”
Alibaba’s cloud unit now serves 80% of Chinese tech companies and half of country’s AI language model firms, group chairman Joe Tsai says / SCMP (paywall)
“Alibaba Group Holding’s cloud computing unit now forms an integral part of many Chinese technology firms’ operations and the country’s artificial intelligence development efforts, according to company co-founder Joe Tsai [蔡崇信 Cài Chóngxìn] in his first public speech since he took over as chairman of the ecommerce giant last month.”

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT:

Pollution
Cities issue alerts as smog returns to north China / Caixin (paywall)
“Smoggy days have made a comeback to north China this fall, as officials in some 20 cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei megalopolis region and neighboring areas have issued warnings for heavy air pollution that will last through Thursday.”

Space
Chinese astronauts return to Earth after six-month stay on country’s space station / Independent
“Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Tuesday morning after six months aboard China’s orbiting space station.”

POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

The Communist Party, elite politics, and government
Chinese officials must feel they are being ‘followed by shadows,’ says President Xi Jinping / SCMP (paywall)
“Chinese President Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 has called on the country’s auditors to make officials feel like they are being ‘followed by shadows.’”

Li Keqiang mourning
China to honor Li Keqiang with lowered flags for Thursday funeral: state media / SCMP (paywall)
“Flags across China, including in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, will fly at half mast on Thursday, when the body of former premier Lǐ Kèqiáng 李克強 will be cremated, according to state media.”
China to cremate ‘outstanding’ leader Li Keqiang on Thursday / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
“China will cremate the remains of former premier Li Keqiang on Thursday, when flags will fly at half mast across the country in mourning for an ‘outstanding’ leader, the official Xinhua news agency reported.”
‘Other leaders are corrupt’: Li Keqiang mourning poses challenge for Beijing / FT (paywall)
Li Keqiang’s remains to be cremated in Beijing on Thursday / Caixin (paywall)

U.S.-China military and commercial tiesU.S. lawmakers urge Yellen to speed up China outbound investment rules / Reuters
“The Republican and Democratic leaders of a U.S. congressional committee on China urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to urgently implement outbound investment restrictions on the country, warning that Beijing was using American capital to develop technologies as her department debated new rules.”
U.S. to send strongest-ever delegation to China International Import Expo amid improving ties / SCMP (paywall)
“Amid improving relations between Beijing and Washington, the United States is expected to send its strongest-ever delegation to next week’s China International Import Expo (CIIE), according to sources with knowledge of the issue.”
U.S. and China are smoothing ties — but military frictions still chafe / WSJ (paywall)
“Tensions between the U.S. and Chinese militaries continue to simmer even as their leaders prepare for a likely summit in the coming weeks, a sign of the difficulties the two global powers face in managing one of the most sensitive aspects of their relationship.”
China pledges to renew military dialogue with U.S. while criticizing meddling / FT (paywall)
“China’s most senior military official has delivered a veiled rebuke of the U.S. as he pledged to seek renewed military exchanges with Washington.”
Lloyd Austin’s absence at Xiangshan Forum a ‘missed opportunity’ for Pentagon, says Chinese general / SCMP (paywall)

Australia
Sons of Australian Yang Hengjun ask for his release ahead of PM’s visit to China / Reuters
“The sons of Australian writer Yáng Héngjūn 楊恆均, jailed in Beijing for four years on espionage charges, have written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese asking for a ‘second miracle’ ahead of his China visit, after the release of journalist Cheng Lei.”

Finland
China cooperating in Balticconnector investigation, Finland says / Reuters
“Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo on Tuesday said China was cooperating in Finland’s investigation of the Hong Kong-flagged NewNew Polar Bear vessel’s role in the Oct. 8 damage to the Balticconnector pipeline.”

Philippines
Philippines says its vessel did not illegally enter any space under Chinese sovereignty / Reuters
“The Philippines National Security Adviser on Tuesday said Manila’s vessel did not illegally enter any space under Chinese sovereignty and called on China to stop ‘its aggressive action in Philippine waters.’”
Philippines denies Chinese air and sea deployments pushed it from disputed shoal / China-Global South Project

Thailand
Thailand to waive visas for Taiwan and India to boost tourism / Reuters
“Thailand will waive visa requirements for arrivals from India and Taiwan from next month to May 2024, a government official said on Tuesday, in a bid to draw in more tourists as high season approaches.”
Thailand temporarily scraps visa for Indian, Taiwanese tourists / Quartz

Iran
U.S. urges Beijing to temper Iran’s response to Israel-Hamas war / FT (paywall)
“Washington has called on China to use its relationship with Iran and other countries in the Middle East to urge calm and prevent the conflict from spreading as Israel expanded its ground operations in the Gaza Strip.”

Europe
Wang Yi urges Europe to be ‘pragmatic’ in China ties during talks with senior French diplomat / SCMP (paywall)
“China hopes Europe will adopt a more ‘pragmatic’ and ‘rational’ approach in its cooperation with Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wáng Yì 王毅 said in a meeting with senior French diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonne.”

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

A modern twist on funeral photography
With funeral portraits, a photographer gives dignity to rural elderly / Sixth Tone
“Seeing that most elderly villagers in a rural part of Shaanxi province do not have access to cameras, let alone professional photographers, to take portraits of them for their funerals, local journalist Yang Xin and her team decided to step in.”

An out-of-this-world museum
This massive ‘floating’ museum is straight out of science fiction / CNN
The dynamic, futuristic-looking Chengdu Science Fiction Museum, located in the capital of southwest Sichuan Province, was commissioned in 2022 to host this year’s 81st annual World Science Fiction Convention. The size of such a building — three times the size of the Sydney Opera House at 59,000 square-meter — would typically take four to five years to build, but it went from concept to completion in just one year.

Art and censorship
Blocked show on Genghis Khan finally opens in France / Art Newspaper
“An exhibition dedicated to the 13th-century Mongol emperor Genghis Khan has opened at a museum in Nantes, France, three years after a censorship row derailed the show.”