Lucas Niewenhuis is the Newsletter Editor at The China Project. Previously, he has researched China-Africa relations at the Social Science Research Council, interned at the Council on Foreign Relations, and studied Chinese language and culture in Shanghai and Beijing.
Citing โinformation reasonably indicatingโ the use of forced labor, the U.S. placed an import ban on Xinjiang-based Hoshine Silicon Industry Company. Several other Chinese solar companies were also blacklisted.
UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet raised concerns about โreports of serious violationsโ in Xinjiang, while Canada led more than 40 countries in raising grave concerns about Beijingโs human rights abuses. China responded by accusing Bachelet of โerroneous remarksโ and rallying 65 countries to its side.
Chinaโs crackdown on cryptocurrency mining has now shut down more than 90% of the countryโs bitcoin production capacity, after a ban on mining in hydropower-rich Sichuan was put in place over the weekend. Additionally, the central bank moved to close remaining loopholes that allowed โcryptocurrency speculation.โ
Media is the new target of national security law enforcement in Hong Kong. A day after 500 police officers raided the newsroom of pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily and arrested five executives, two were charged with foreign collusion.
The third of 11 launches this year to build the Chinese Space Station (Tiangong) went off without a hitch today. A trio of Chinese astronauts will spend three months aboard the station to test systems and prepare for more construction to complete the station by the end of 2022.
The G7 world leaders concluded their first in-person summit since the beginning of the pandemic by criticizing China over several issues, including human rights. They also agreed to compete with China in infrastructure and vaccine distribution in developing countries.
Any movie, whether foreign or domestic and even regardless of content, can now be barred from screening in Hong Kong if local censors feel its showing could endanger national security as defined by Beijing.
Beijing has quickly formulated and passed a new law to retaliate against any individual or organization who implements โdiscriminatory restrictive measuresโ โ i.e. sanctions โ against Chinese citizens or organizations, or those who โinterfere in Chinaโs internal affairs.โ
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held a meeting to mark 30 years of formal ties, and appeared to smooth over tense spots in relations โ with the help of Chinese vaccine aid, which has focused on Southeast Asia.