Third plenum, South China Sea tensions, and EU open for talks on China tariffs
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THROUGH THE LENS

XINJIANG
China dismisses Canadian complaints over Xinjiang human rights
Reuters
China on Monday dismissed Canadian complaints about what Ottawa said were "credible reports" of human rights violations in the western region of Xinjiang, saying Ottawa should focus instead on its own issues with discrimination.
Canadian Ambassador Jennifer May visited Xinjiang June 19 to 22, the first such visit by a Canadian envoy in a decade, and "raised concerns over credible reports of systematic violations of human rights", the Canadian government said on Sunday.
NCA failure to investigate imports linked to forced Uyghur labour unlawful, court rules
The Guardian
The UK National Crime Agency’s decision not to launch an investigation into the importation of cotton products manufactured by forced labour in China’s Xinjiang province was unlawful, the court of appeal has found.
Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), which brought the action, said Thursday’s decision was a landmark win that could lead to high street retailers being prosecuted under the Proceeds of Crime Act (Poca) if they import goods made through forced labour.
Three court of appeal judges, including the lady chief justice, Lady Carr, overturned the high court’s decision, which they said created concern, raised by third-party intervener Spotlight on Corruption, that it was “endorsing the proposition that there is a need to establish criminal conduct or criminal property before an investigation under Poca can begin”. The court’s judgment means that the NCA will have to reconsider its decision not to carry out an investigation.
US criticizes China in international religious freedom report
VOA
At the release of the report, Rashad Hussein, the U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom, addressed assembled partners, survivors and civil society representatives
“The report," he said, "also continues to cast light on the ongoing crimes against humanity and genocide the Chinese government is perpetrating against Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.”
How to stop governments from trafficking people
Atlantic Council
In China, the government forces Uyghurs to work in commercial facilities in Xinjiang and compels laborers in its Belt and Road Initiative around the world. China’s unapologetic embrace of slavery caused a unanimous US Senate to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, known as UFLPA, which bars the importation of slave-made goods into the United States.
POLITICS & SOCIETY
China sets mid-July for ‘Third Plenum’ meeting to discuss reforms
CNBC
China’s top leaders will gather from July 15 to 18 for a highly anticipated meeting known as the Third Plenum, state media said Thursday.
[…]
“Most analysts believe the long delay suggests the lack of a consensus over how to address weak domestic demand, a rapidly contracting property sector, worsening trade conflict, and soaring debt,” Michael Pettis, a professor of finance at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management, said in a June 17 report.
“My best guess is that the Third Plenum will propose measures to address the housing market, the restructuring or re-profiling of local government debt, and weak household consumption,” Pettis said.
“Given the depth of the problems and their intractability — the only way these can be resolved quickly without damaging other parts of the economy is with one-off increases in government debt,” he said, adding: “I don’t think we should be very optimistic about any proposed measures that come out of next month’s meeting.”
China's Xi vows 'major' reforms ahead of key political meeting
HKFP
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday the ruling Communist Party was planning and implementing “major” reforms, ahead of a closely watched political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda.
[…]
Xi said in a speech on Friday policymakers “are planning and implementing major measures to further deepen reform in a comprehensive manner”.
“We will… form a more market-oriented, legal and international business environment,” he said.
“China’s door will only open wider and wider, and will never be closed.”
[…]
Xi’s address at Beijing’s opulent Great Hall of the People, delivered in front of a high-profile international audience, marked the 70th anniversary of some of China’s foundational diplomatic tenets.
The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence include mutual respect for territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference in internal affairs, equality and cooperation for mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.
Xi hailed China as a force for global peace, saying in his speech Beijing would continue to play “constructive roles” in international conflicts such as Gaza and Ukraine.
China has been criticised by Ukraine’s allies for failing to condemn Russia’s 2022 invasion and accused of favouring Moscow. Beijing insists it is a neutral party.
Full Text: Address by Chinese President Xi Jinping at conference marking 70th anniversary of Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence
State Council of the People’s Republic of China
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence on Friday in Beijing.
China expels 2 former defense ministers from its ruling Communist Party over graft allegations
AP
China has expelled two former defense ministers from the ruling Communist Party over accusations of corruption that are likely to lead to sentences of life in prison.
The Defense Ministry on Thursday said Li Shangfu had abused his authority to enrich himself by taking bribes in exchange for granting favors in violation of military and party discipline. Li’s predecessor, Wei Fenghe, was also accused on similar charges.
Such charges have been leveled in the past against many military leaders under the rule of President and party leader Xi Jinping, who also heads the armed forces as chairman of the Central Military Commission and has made a crackdown on corruption a hallmark of his rule since taking power more than a decade ago.
Why China’s latest corruption probes hint at fury, betrayal over political disloyalty
SCMP
Observers drew attention to the especially harsh wording in the brief statements of the accusations against the two men.
The statements said they “betrayed the trust of the party and the CMC [Central Military Commission], seriously polluted the political environment of the military, and caused great damage to the party’s cause, national defence and military construction, as well as the image of its senior leaders”.
The wording is much harsher than the accusations against Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, two former vice-chairmen of the CMC – China’s top military command body – who were sacked for corruption during the first term of President Xi Jinping, according to a political scientist from Nanjing university, who asked not to be named due to sensitivity of the matter.
“You can sense the party’s anger and fury in the accusations on Wei and Li,” he said, adding that it would be particularly concerning to party leaders if control over China’s nuclear arsenal was called into question.
“You can almost tell there is a feeling of ‘how dare you let me down on the most important job!’”
Xi Urges China to Combat Rivals’ Tech Dominance Amid Chip Battle
Bloomberg
Xi Jinping called on China to step up innovation because other countries dominate certain key technologies, comments that underscore his nation’s escalating semiconductor confrontation with the US.
While China had “made great progress” in science, he said that “original innovation ability is still relatively weak; some key, core technologies are controlled by others; and there is a shortage of top scientific and technological talents.”
Speaking at a national science conference on Monday, Xi pointed to “bottlenecks and constraints in areas such as integrated circuits, industrial machine tools, basic software, advanced materials” and more.
China honours woman who died saving Japanese family
BBC
A Chinese woman who tried to shield a Japanese mother and her child from a knife attack has died.
Hu Youping was working as a school bus attendant in Suzhou city when a man attacked a Japanese woman and her child at a bus stop outside a Japanese school.
She suffered serious injuries while trying to restrain him.
Tributes for her have poured out online and the local government has said she will be given the title of "Righteous and Courageous Role Model".
The Japanese embassy in China also lowered its flag to half-mast to honour Ms Hu. In a statement on Weibo, the embassy said it was "saddened" to hear of her death.
"We believe [Ms Hu's] courage and kindness also represent that of the Chinese people. We pay tribute to her righteous deeds. May she rest in peace," it said.
How conspiracy theories might have led to assault on Japanese mother and son in China
While it’s not a secret that anti-Japanese sentiment runs rampant on Chinese social media and among certain sections of the Chinese public due to historical conflicts, including wars, territorial disputes and Beijing’s cultivation of online nationalism through propaganda and disinformation, on Chinese internet there are also conspiracy theories specifically targeting Japanese schools in China, such as the one in Suzhou that the child victim went to.
Chinese Feminist Activists in Nine Cities Rally in Support of Imprisoned Rights Activists Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing
China Digital Times
Last week, Chinese feminist activists in nine cities around the world held rallies and displayed banners demanding the release of journalist and feminist activist Huang Xueqin and labor-rights activist Wang Jianbing, who were convicted of “inciting subversion of state power” and sentenced to prison for five years and three and a half years, respectively, by the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court on June 14. The prison terms were widely condemned by international rights groups and free speech advocates as a particularly harsh punishment for exercising freedom of speech and supporting the rights of women and workers. Both Huang and Wang have spent over 1000 days in detention thus far, and Huang Xueqin has informed the court that she plans to appeal.
China backs off plans for 'hurt feelings' clothing law
Nikkei Asia
A public backlash in China has prompted the government to revise a bill that would criminalize clothing that offends "the feelings of the Chinese people," narrowing it to cover only clothing that "glorifies aggression."
The new proposed amendment to a public security law was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress legislature. Legislation proposed under Chinese Communist Party rule rarely undergoes substantial revisions in response to public pressure.
The government put forward the initial amendment in September. That version called for a fine of 5,000 yuan ($688) or up to 15 days in prison for wearing clothing in public that is "detrimental to the spirit of the Chinese people and hurts the feelings of the Chinese people."
The proposal drew a swift backlash on Chinese social media due to its potential for subjective interpretation.
The National People's Congress received more than 100,000 public comments on the amendment over about a month. Such opinions usually number in the thousands.
China’s Anguished Debate: Do Its Children Have a Crime Problem?
The New York Times
It is unclear whether juvenile crime rates are actually rising. The Supreme People’s Court recently announced that it had sentenced 12,000 minors in the first three months of 2024, a year-on-year increase of nearly 80 percent. But that could reflect changes in officials’ decisions to prosecute, rather than an actual increase in offenses by juveniles, experts said. China does not publicize arrest statistics. And social media has helped magnify individual cases.
The debate about punishment has in some ways overshadowed the conversation about prevention — and in particular, how to help the so-called left-behind children involved in some of these crimes.
Studies have found that left-behind children — of whom there are around 70 million — are more likely to be bullied or abused, partly because they may receive less supervision or affection. The three suspects in the Handan case were left-behind, as was the victim, according to state media.
In response, many Chinese have urged parents to return to their villages to raise their children, or suggested parents should be held liable if their children can’t be.
But Professor Zhang, in Beijing, said those calls overlooked the reasons parents separated from their children in the first place. China prohibits most children from attending schools outside their hometowns, making it difficult for workers to bring children with them.
“Punishing the parents is useless. Wouldn’t it be better to change the parents’ environment?” Professor Zhang said. He has also called for more resources for rehabilitation and prevention, such as police officers specially trained to deal with juveniles.
China’s deadly flooding moves north prompting top rainstorm alert
CNN
Torrential storms that have brought widespread flooding to southeast China are moving inland, prompting the national weather service to issue its most severe rainstorm alert and warnings of further flash floods and mudslides in the coming days.
China Warns Fliers to Keep Window Shades Down on Security Fears
Bloomberg
China’s Ministry of State Security has warned passengers against opening window shades during take-off and landing at airports used by both civil and military aviation, a move that runs counter to prevailing practices regarding aviation safety.
The warning, issued on WeChat Monday, was aimed at limiting the leak of sensitive military information through photos and videos taken by passengers during take-off or landing at dual-use airports, the South China Morning Post reported.
The ministry said in its post that passengers using dual-use facilities — almost a third of China’s airports — are prohibited from capturing images or videos of sensitive areas. It cited a recent incident in which a foreign national was suspected to have “illegally” captured images from the window of their plane.
Lonely Planet Reaches the End of the Road in China
Sixth Tone
The decision closes the chapter on a decadelong relationship between Lonely Planet and China, which saw the company publish over 300 Chinese-language guidebooks and other travel titles that sold millions of copies.
But the company had been struggling in the Chinese market for several years, with sales of its paperback titles dwindling as travelers increasingly turned to online sources for travel advice.
This pressure had already led Lonely Planet to fold its Chinese magazine in 2022. According to the company, it will no longer release new guidebooks in China, but users can still access old titles on e-commerce platforms such as JD.com, Dangdang, and Déjà Vu.
HONG KONG & MACAO
Hong Kong police will deploy 4,000 officers on July 1 amid warning over seditious acts
SCMP
Hong Kong police will ramp up security measures for the 27th anniversary of the city’s return to Chinese rule on Monday, deploying more than 4,000 officers and guarding against seditious or disruptive activities, the Post has learned.
Sources familiar with police operations said the numbers were similar to last year, as top leaders from mainland China were not scheduled to visit and no fireworks show would be held to mark the July 1 celebrations.
The insiders warned that anyone seen wearing seditious clothing in public and drawing attention could face arrest.
“Anyone wearing such attire in public will be monitored or stopped and searched, with officers immediately notifying the command centre at police headquarters,” one source said.
Chow Hang-tung seeks to remove judge from national security trial over bias
HKFP
Rights activist Chow Hang-tung, in a bid to have a judge replaced in her national security trial, has argued that the judge’s involvement in an earlier case could compromise her right to a fair trial.
Chow had earlier applied to have judge Anna Lai removed from the panel of judges presiding over an upcoming trial involving three former members of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China – Chow, Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan – who have been charged with inciting subversion of state power under the national security law.
HK protester files first legal challenge against new security law
HKFP
A Hong Kong protester convicted of inciting secession has filed the city’s first legal challenge against a new security law that saw his scheduled early release from prison axed on national security grounds.
Man charged under HK's new security law over 'seditious' bus graffiti
HKFP
A 29-year-old man has been charged with three counts of sedition under Hong Kong’s new security law over graffiti left on the back of bus seats.
Chung Man-kit, a clerk, was arrested in Tseung Kwan O by police officers from the national security department on Sunday for “doing with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention,” according to a police statement on Tuesday. He also faces two counts of “destroying or damaging property.”
Police said he was suspected of “writing words with seditious intention on multiple occasions on the back of bus seats on different public buses in March and April” in contravention of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.
Hong Kong’s University Admission Fraud Scandal Sparks Review
Caixin
Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency will be invited to review the admission procedures at a number of public universities in the city, after the University of Hong Kong (HKU) found suspected cases of students submitting fraudulent materials.
All eight universities funded by the University Grants Committee, including HKU, will collaborate with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in efforts to uphold the principles of “merit-based selection, fairness and impartiality,” Hong Kong’s Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin said in a Wednesday statement.
Hong Kongers embrace political activism in their new home
The Hong Konger
Many Hong Kongers moved to certain areas of the UK in pursuit of good schools and safety. There are about 25 constituencies in London, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester and other cities that are hotspots for migrating Hong Kongers, according to Carmen Lau, a UK-based former Hong Kong district councillor who is a member of the Vote for Hong Kong 2024 (V4HK) campaign. These newcomers may become a significant minority to swing the election, Lau said.
“The next five years are very important for formulating policies over China and Hong Kong,” she told The Hong Konger in a phone interview. “Other than helping Hong Kongers understand their civil rights as immigrants, we hope the next government will understand more about the needs of the Hong Kong diaspora through our outreach and casting ballots.”
A survey conducted by V4HK found that Hong Kongers will be passionate voters on 4 July, put more focus on China policy than on domestic issues, and do not have a strong party preference as a whole.
Hong Kong wants more talent from Malaysia as it seeks to diversify workforce
The Straits Times
The Hong Kong government plans to focus on recruiting talent from South-east Asia and Europe to supplement and diversify the city’s imported labour force.
Malaysia will be a key potential source of talent, given that many Malaysians are multilingual, including in Cantonese, Hong Kong’s local language, according to the city’s labour minister.
Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link to open on Sunday, cutting Hong Kong travel time
SCMP
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, which is set to shorten travel time between Hong Kong and cities on the other side of the Pearl River Delta while also spurring leisure travel, will open to traffic at 3pm on Sunday.
The road link’s management authority, which made the announcement in a briefing with mainland Chinese media on Thursday, said an inauguration ceremony would take place on Sunday morning. Hundreds of Hongkongers have already joined cross-border tour groups set to use the new transport link.
The 24km-long (15-mile) crossing, situated 30km south of the Humen Bridge that links Guangzhou and Dongguan, will connect the two sides of the Pearl River Delta within the mainland.
It will connect Zhongshan to Shenzhen via two bridges, two artificial islands and one undersea tunnel that is 6.8km long and 46 metres (151 feet) wide.
New smart security screening at Hong Kong airport from July
HKFP
From July 2, the introduction of three-dimensional and 360-degree CT-based X-ray scanning technology will mean that passengers using the new smart channels need not remove their laptops or liquids from their bags.
TAIWAN
Taiwan urges citizens to avoid travel to China, Hong Kong and Macao following Beijing threats
AP
Taiwan has urged its citizens to avoid travel to China and the semi-autonomous Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macao following threats from Beijing to execute supporters of the self-governing island democracy’s independence.
Spokesperson and deputy head of the Mainland Affairs Council Liang Wen-chieh issued the advisory at a news conference Thursday.
That came amid growing threats from China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary.
China presses Global South leaders to support Taiwan 'reunification'
Nikkei Asia
"Beijing is no longer satisfied with deterring Taiwan independence. Xi Jinping is now seeking to promote reunification," said Bonnie Glaser, the managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
China has long made its diplomatic relationships contingent upon its partners' acknowledgment that there is only "one China." But its recent engagements with some other countries suggest it increasingly demands more than that.
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