Good Morning. Welcome to The Wire’s daily news roundup. Each day, our staff gathers the top China business, finance, and economics headlines from a selection of the world’s leading news organizations.
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The Wall Street Journal
- China’s Covid-19 Vaccine Diplomacy Boosts Its Influence in Europe — Serbia’s successful use of Chinese shots inspires other European nations to seek Beijing’s assistance.
- U.S. Expresses ‘Deep Concerns’ Over China Withholding Data From Pandemic Investigators — National security adviser says it is imperative World Health Organization report be free of China’s intervention.
- West Unites Against Detention of Foreign Nationals in Signal to China — Declaration targets a political tactic that has been employed by the likes of China, Iran, Russia and North Korea.
The Financial Times
- Porsche rules out Chinese factory as it hails cachet of ‘Made in Germany’ — Carmaker opts for quality of manufacturing in its home market despite higher labour costs.
- Hong Kong plans stricter money laundering checks on Chinese officials — Territory’s banks will have to monitor transactions by politically connected mainlanders.
- MPs call for ban on China and Russia investing in UK defence supply chain — Pressure mounts on MoD to take more assertive stance against potential threats from hostile foreign ownership.
- China’s box office roars while Hollywood remains on mute — Pandemic underscores diverging fortunes of the world’s two biggest film markets.
- China’s record corn purchases have traders wondering if bump can last — Prices surge to near eight-year high as demand from Beijing fuels grain market rally.
The New York Times
- China’s Crackdown on Muslims Extends to a Resort Island — The Utsuls of Hainan island were once celebrated by the government for their links to the larger Muslim world. Not anymore.
- W.H.O. Researcher Seeking Coronavirus Origins on His Trip to China — An interview with Peter Daszak, an animal disease specialist, just after his return from an investigative research mission to Wuhan, the site of the original Covid outbreak, and surrounding areas.
- With Pig Parades, Once-Feared Opposition Party in Taiwan Tries a Revamp — The Beijing-friendly party, which long held an iron grip on the island, is struggling to stay relevant at a time when many residents are wary of China’s ambitions.
- On W.H.O. Trip, China Refused to Hand Over Important Data — The information could be key to determining how and when the outbreak started, and to learning how to prevent future pandemics.
Caixin
- Central Bank Steps Up Green Finance Efforts — People’s Bank of China says it is working on a range of initiatives to boost finance for environmentally friendly projects over the next five years.
- Premium Tea Giant Nayuki Brews Up Hong Kong IPO — China’s No. 2 chain for hip versions of the traditional drink moves closer to home after reports of earlier plan for New York listing.
South China Morning Post
- Canada launches 58-nation initiative to stop arbitrary detentions by governments — Canada on Monday launched a 58-nation initiative to stop countries detaining foreign citizens for diplomatic leverage, a practice that Ottawa and Washington say China and others are using.
- China played leading role in spreading Covid-19 conspiracies, investigation finds — It took just three months for the rumour that Covid-19 was engineered as a bioweapon to spread from the fringes of the Chinese internet and take root in millions of people’s minds.
- China antitrust: Beijing’s new rule book raises the bar for what counts as a monopoly — The final version of China’s antitrust guidelines includes small, but potentially significant, changes from the previous draft that could make it complicated for Beijing to single out monopolies, according to legal experts.
- How iron ore is powering China’s infrastructure boom, and why securing new sources is so vitally important — What is iron ore? Iron ore is mined raw material used to make crude iron, also known as pig iron, and nearly all of it is used to make steel.
Bloomberg
- Zimbabwe Receives First Vaccines From Sinopharm in China — Harare, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe has received its first COVID-19 vaccines with the arrival early Monday of an Air Zimbabwe jet carrying 200,000 Sinopharm doses from China.
- Hong Kong Plans Money Flow Scrutiny of Chinese Officials — Hong Kong plans to expand scrutiny on capital flows and transactions by Chinese officials, according to a recent consultation paper on anti-money laundering.
Reuters
- ‘Let’s think big’ – Germany wants to work closely with Biden on trade, China, climate — Germany wants Europe and the United States to strengthen transatlantic ties with a trade deal to abolish industrial tariffs, a WTO reform to increase pressure on China and a joint carbon-emission trading system to protect the climate.
- Clubhouse says reviewing data protection practices after report points to flaws — U.S. audio app Clubhouse said it is reviewing its data protection practices, after a report by the Stanford Internet Observatory said it contained security flaws that left users’ data vulnerable to access by the Chinese government.
Other Publications
- Nikkei Asian Review: China media fog thickens after BBC World News goes dark — Nikkei’s China bureau chief offers snapshots of politics amid the pandemic.
- Nikkei Asian Review: Chinese exercise app leaps amid COVID-19 pandemic — SoftBank-backed Keep’s valuation doubled to $2bn in 6 months.
- The Diplomat: What’s Behind Cambodia’s Cancellation of Military Exercises with China? — The cancellation, purportedly due to COVID-19, could be a peace offering to the Biden administration.
- SupChina: Sinica Podcast: Veteran diplomat Evan Feigenbaum on U.S. policy in a changing Asia — This week on Sinica, Kaiser is joined by Evan Feigenbaum, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he oversees research in Washington, Beijing, and New Delhi on a dynamic region that encompasses both East Asia and South Asia.
