China’s COVID protests in Guangzhou, nuclear power plants in Britain, and joint patrols with Russia

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

Guangzhou authorities have eased COVID restrictions, partially lifting a weeks-long lockdown, after people in the southern manufacturing hub clashed with police overnight in the latest protest against the country’s strict pandemic policy.

• Videos show objects being thrown at what appear to be police in hazmat suits clutching riot shields, while some people were led away in zip ties.
• China’s “iPhone City” of Zhengzhou, home to the infamous Foxconn factory of fleeing workers, has also adjusted its COVID restrictions in an attempt to make controls more targeted.
• Meanwhile, Beijing called for “resolutely building a barrier for epidemic prevention” (齐心协力，坚决筑牢疫情防控屏障) in an article in the Party newspaper the People’s Daily today. Yesterday, the senior Party official who oversees the police and intelligence services vowed to “resolutely crack down on infiltration and sabotage activities by hostile forces,” although he did not specifically refer to the protests.

Britain has summoned the Chinese ambassador to the U.K. over the arrest of BBC journalist Ed Lawrence, who was reportedly beaten and detained while covering the COVID lockdown protests on Sunday.

• Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhào Lìjiān 赵立坚 responded by saying that the journalist had refused to cooperate with the police and failed to show his credentials.
• He also accused the BBC of a history of “distorted reports” to “smear” China: “Why did the BBC always show up on those scenes? Is the job of BBC journalists to report news or fabricate news?” he said.
• His comments went viral on Chinese social media, per What’s on Weibo.

The U.K. also said it would pay the Chinese state-owned power group CGN over £100 million to acquire a 50% stake in the Sizewell C nuclear energy project, as European nations grow increasingly wary of Beijing’s influence over critical infrastructure.

Russian and Chinese strategic bombers conducted a joint patrol on Wednesday over the western Pacific in a show of closer defense ties, while South Korea scrambled fighter jets in response to what it said was an incursion into its air defense zone.

• NATO members will also discuss the China “challenge” today in Bucharest, Romania, and the potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait, amid Beijing’s ties to Moscow over its war on Ukraine.

Benz and Tesla recalls: Mercedes-Benz China is recalling 131,924 imported SUVs due to defects in the rear-door windows. Last week, Tesla recalled 67,698 imported Model S and Model X vehicles due to software problems. See today’s Business briefs from the Chinese media, with more links and info on:

• Are investors bullish on jobs?
• Bilibili — China’s other TikTok — is still growing.
• PMI edges downward.

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