CRG Weekly: Taiwan debate, Uyghur intimidation and WTO dispute
News from the China Research Group
Taiwan debate in Parliament. On Thursday, MPs in the House of Commons debated building closer bilateral relations between the UK and Taiwan and the island’s status as an important beacon of democracy.
CRG co-chair Alicia Kearns put forward the debate. In her opening speech, she said “when I call for Taiwan to have greater international recognition it’s on account of their democracy, their expertise and as a free market friend - not as a tool in a wider struggle.”
Podcast: How is China’s tech landscape evolving? Tom Tugendhat was joined by three leading tech experts Rui Ma, Rogier Creemers and John Lee on Wednesday to analyse all things China tech. The panellists dissected the wing-clipping of China’s tech giants, Beijing’s strategic priorities, and semiconductor supply chains during this wide-ranging discussion. Read the transcript or listen back via our podcast or YouTube.
The stories driving the week
China is using ‘black sites’ to target Uyghurs abroad
An investigation by Sky News found Chinese agents and police routinely operate in other countries, attempting to identify Uyghurs who have fled China.
The investigation was supported by a report titled ‘China’s Long Arm’, published this week by the civil liberties group Index on Censorship. The group conducted extensive interviews with Uyghur diaspora groups, revealing the various ways the Chinese state operates beyond its borders to coerce exiles.
UK Foreign Office officials have said they are aware of reports of Uyghurs in Britain being “harassed by the Chinese authorities in an effort to intimidate them into silence, force them to return to China, or co-opt them into providing information on other Uyghurs”.
EU’s WTO challenge over Lithuania
The EU launched a challenge at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) last month, accusing China of discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania.
The UK has now requested to join the EU’s WTO consultation as a third party, a move that trade minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said would oppose "coercive trading practices".
Australia’s “substantial trade interest” saw Canberra officially request to be included in consultations as China stopped buying beef, dairy products and beer from Lithuania this week.
Beijing backs Argentina over Falkland Islands
Argentina signed up to the Belt and Road Initiative, with Xi Jinping agreeing to help prop up the faltering Argentinian economy with $23.7 billion in financing for new infrastructure projects.
The two nations issued a joint statement that contained an official backing of each other’s territorial claims. This included Argentina’s claim over the Falkland Islands.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss responded: “We completely reject any questions over sovereignty of the Falklands. The Falklands are part of the British family and we will defend their right to self-determination. China must respect the Falklands’ sovereignty.”
The Chinese embassy in Britain reiterated China’s stance, claiming that Beijing’s view on the sovereignty of the islands has ‘been consistent’.
China revises draft rules on data security for business sectors
The updated rules, published by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), removed a previous statement that "core data," defined as data that poses a "serious threat" to China's national and economic interests, must not leave the country.
However, the new regulatory draft states that data processors must not “provide industrial, telecoms or radio law enforcement agencies abroad with data stored in China without MIIT approval”.
Analysts suggested that the new regulations make the MIIT another powerful player alongside the Cyberspace Administration of China in the governance of cross-border data flows.
Hong Kong braces for strict lockdown as BNO amendment debated in the UK
Beijing is reportedly ready to implement harsher Covid lockdown on Hong Kong, with the Chinese government worried that officials in the financial hub are not doing enough to quash the current outbreak. The city reported its highest number of Covid cases since pandemic began.
Meanwhile, following a debate in the House of Lords on Thursday, the government has agreed to act on the BNO amendment - which would see the visa scheme extended to Hong Kongers born after 1997 - by the time the Nationality And Borders Bill is debated at Report Stage next month.
In a compelling piece for The Diplomat this week, Eric Lai argued that foreign judges are actively enabling Hong Kong’s legal crackdown under the National Security Law. William Hague also wrote in The Times arguing that the UK should pull its judges out of Hong Kong.
Weekend podcasts
The Xi-Putin alliance: how China and Russia are getting ever closer. Chinese Whispers - The Spectator
China’s ideological landscape, with Jason Wu. The Sinica Podcast - SupChina
China’s Politics and Economy as the Winter Olympic Open. Asia Matters Podcast