Speak loudly and carry a small olive branch?

Editor-in-Chief

• General Zhāng Yòuxiá 张又侠 said that no matter who wants to split Taiwan from China, China’s military will never agree to it.
• In a critique of the U.S., Zhang mentioned a “certain country” that interferes in Asia’s regional affairs and the internal affairs of other countries.
• PLA Lieutenant General Hé Léi 何雷 told state media Global Times at the forum that any Chinese use of force around Taiwan would be legitimate and just.
• Also in attendance at the forum was Russian defense chief Sergey Shoigu, who touted strong ties with China and took aim at the U.S. and NATO.

The hawkish remarks come amid heightened risks of conflict between the U.S. and China: A Pentagon report to Congress released this month showed there had been more “risky and coercive” Chinese intercepts of U.S. aircraft in the past two years than in the previous decade, a sign of ratcheted up tensions between the two countries.

But General Zhang also stressed a need for deepening defense cooperation with the U.S.

• Zhang’s remarks on improving U.S.-China defense ties were a notable sign of potential future trends, the German Marshall Fund’s Bonnie Glaser told The China Project.
• “There are several signs that Beijing is willing to resume some of the channels of dialogue and interaction between the U.S. and Chinese militaries,” she said.

Click here for all the details.

Eduardo Jaramillo

U.S. President Joe Biden met with China’s Foreign Minister Wáng Yì 王毅 in Washington, D.C. on October 27 (readout from Beijing, Washington). Biden stressed for their two countries to “maintain open lines of communication” and to “work together to address global challenges,” per Washington’s readout.

Wang also met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. In his two rounds of talks with Blinken, both sides “agreed to work together for the meeting” between Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 in San Francisco during the November 11–17 APEC meeting there, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. At the same time, the road to the potential meeting “will not be smooth sailing and cannot rely on autopilot,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a separate statement (in Chinese) on October 28.

Blinken and Wang also had “an exchange of views on the Palestine-Israel conflict,” as well as on Ukraine, cross-strait issues, and nuclear tensions in the Korean peninsula.

China’s Vice Premier Hé Lìfēng 何立峰 was granted more power over China’s economy after he assumed a key policymaking role at a top economic decision-making body.

He, 68, has taken over as office director of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, a powerful Communist Party organization headed by Chinese President Xi Jinping to manage the world’s second-largest economy. He was promoted to vice premier in March.

His greater command over China’s financial and economic affairs comes as He, a close ally of Xi, gradually transitions into his position as the successor to Xi’s trusted U.S.-China trade war-era policy aide Liú Hè 刘鹤, 71.

Tech companies are ditching their Chinese IPOs amid Beijing’s higher standards for listing applications this year. The Financial Times, citing public records, reported that a record 126 companies have canceled or suspended IPO applications on Shanghai’s Star Market in 2023. It is more than in the previous four years combined, as the increased regulatory scrutiny aimed at weeding out lower-quality companies puts chances for start-ups to IPO further out of reach.

California Governor Gavin Newsom wrapped up his visit to China with a tour of Tesla’s Shanghai factory and a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between his state and the city on protecting the environment and combating climate change. Earlier last week, Newsom met with Xi in Beijing — the first California governor to meet with Xi since 2017 — where they discussed issues including climate change, the fentanyl crisis, and trade.

Hong Kong denied a work visa to a Tiananmen crackdown scholar, preventing the professor from returning to her teaching post in the city and fuelling concerns about academic freedom and growing government censorship in the Chinese territory.

Rowena He (何晓清 Hé Xiǎoqīng) is a Canadian citizen who was an associate professor in history specializing in China’s bloody 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). She was in the U.S. on sabbatical leave when she was informed by the city’s Immigration Department last week that her application had been rejected.

Her employment with CUHK was “terminated with immediate effect” on October 27, citing her visa rejection. Her profile on the CUHK website, however, was still active this morning, stating that she “is currently on leave.”

A Hong Kong court dropped charges against ​​a U.S. state senator for bringing a gun into the city in his carry-on bag at the city’s airport, after he admitted it was an “honest mistake.”

Stephen Jeff Wilson (R-Longview, WA) was arrested on October 20 after he arrived in the city with an unloaded firearm. He was released today after a Hong Kong court withdrew a gun-possession charge against him, on the condition that they confiscate his weapon and that he does not commit more firearms offenses in the Chinese city for two years.

Outpourings for the late former Chinese Premier Lǐ Kèqiáng 李克强 continued across the country over the weekend. Flower wreaths and photographs of Li have been placed at landmarks associated with his life, while messages and videos in memoriam have taken hold of Chinese social media.

Li, an advocate of economic reform, died suddenly at the age of 68 on October 27 in Shanghai. His passing shocked many and has since sparked a wave of nostalgia of greater economic possibility and openness to private business, at a time when the Chinese government has tightened control on all that passes through its borders.

Chinese state media: Xinhua News Agency’s top story features a photograph of Xi Jinping mansplaining women’s rights to a group of women from the All-China Women’s Federation. This follows state media reports last week on Xi’s concern for women and on the 13th National Congress of Chinese Women.

Under Xi’s tenure, the ruling Politburo failed to include a single woman among its 24 members selected in 2022, breaking a tradition of two decades, while the current National People’s Congress has only 790 women out of 2,977 representatives.

The People’s Daily print edition today leads with a story on renewable energy development in Hebei Province, and one on China being an “important opportunity for world development.”

• Among the roughly 1 million Turkic peoples detained, imprisoned, and forced into labor there — most of them Muslims — is Asat’s younger brother.

Asat called on China’s diaspora in business and policy circles to rise up and take action to pressure China to end its ongoing repression in China’s Uyghur region in an interview with The China Project.

• “Collective action can change what China has become,” she said. “I hope this is not just me screaming at the wall and hearing my own voice bouncing back at me.”

Read the full conversation between Asat and Jonathan Landreth here, or come to NextChina in New York on November 2 to listen to Asat speak.

Jonathan Landreth

• China currently imports 73% of its oil. About 80% of that oil comes on tankers that have to go through the Strait of Malacca, which could be blockaded by the U.S. or one of China’s neighbors in the event of a conflict.
• A CPEC pipeline and transport route from Iran or elsewhere in the Persian Gulf through Pakistan over the Karakoram mountains to Xinjiang would help ensure China’s energy supplies.
• The port of Gwadar in Balochistan Province would be a key node for this project.

But separatist and sectarian violence in much of the area such a pipeline would traverse could put a stop to China’s plans.

• Many locals in Gwadar feel that China’s investments in the area have not brought them any benefits, and separatists in the province of Balochistan have staged repeated attacks on the projects.

Syed Fazl-e-Haider and Akbar Notezai report from Pakistan on CPEC’s ongoing woes.

Syed Fazl-e-Haider

• The Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, October 20–November 1.
• The U.K. AI Safety Summit, which includes representatives from China, November 1–2.
• Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese will travel to China on November 4.
• Tokyo Electric Power Company will start the third round of releasing treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on November 2.
• The 11th Gay Games are taking place in Hong Kong November 3–11.

Below are links from our NewsBase to other noteworthy reports published in the last 24 hours from and about China.

BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY:

U.S.-China flights
More China-U.S. flights unlikely to bring down high ticket prices / Caixin (paywall)
“The number of weekly flights between China and the U.S. will increase again next month, sparking hopes that more supply will put downward pressure on sky-high ticket prices.”

U.S.-China tech war
U.S.-China tech trade wars reveal vulnerabilities on both sides / FT (paywall)
“By using their respective points of leverage, Beijing and Washington are driving the other to sharpen attention on their own weaknesses.”

Electric vehicles
China EV maker BYD reports record quarterly profit of $1.42 bln in Q3 / Reuters
“China’s BYD Co Ltd, on Monday posted record third-quarter earnings, its highest ever for any quarter, as the electric vehicle giant preserved its domestic market leadership despite softer demand and increased competition.”

Automobile competition in Southeast Asia
Mitsubishi Motors still must confront Chinese rivals, in ASEAN / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
“Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors is bracing for competition from its Chinese rivals even as it exits that country due to declining sales as it remains determined to defend its turf in Southeast Asia.”

Family businesses
China’s family-run businesses face succession issues / Caixin (paywall)
“China’s economic boom over the past four decades has driven the flourishing of private entrepreneurship and led to the emergence of tens of millions of family businesses that have contributed to the country’s rise as a global manufacturer. Now, many of these businesses are facing a common challenge: passing the baton to second-generation owners”

Evergrande
China Evergrande winding-up hearing adjourned as it seeks new debt deal / Reuters
“A Hong Kong court gave China Evergrande Group a five week reprieve to come up with a deal with creditors or face liquidation after the embattled developer said on Monday it was working on a revised debt restructuring plan.”
Evergrande told to submit debt plan by Dec. 4 or face liquidation / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
“A Hong Kong court has given debt-laden property developer China Evergrande Group until Dec. 4 to come up with a revised restructuring plan or face liquidation.”
China Evergrande winding-up hearing adjourned by Hong Kong court / Caixin (paywall)
“China Evergrande Group, the world’s most indebted developer, got more breathing room as a Hong Kong court adjourned a winding-up hearing.”
China Evergrande winding-up hearing adjourned to Dec. 4 / WSJ (paywall)

Huawei
Warning signs grow Apple is losing Chinese consumers to Huawei / Caixin (paywall)
“There is growing evidence that Apple Inc.’s latest iPhone is falling shy of its predecessor in China, suggesting a setback for the world’s most valuable company in its most important overseas market.”

SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT:

Air quality
Marathoners in Beijing go maskless, unfazed by smog / Reuters
“Runners undeterred by thick smog engulfing the Chinese capital ran the Beijing Marathon maskless on Sunday, many wearing shorts in one of the warmest Octobers on record.”

POLITICS AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

The Communist Party, elite politics, and government
Tang Dengjie appointed Communist Party secretary of China’s Shanxi province / Reuters
“Táng Dēngjié 唐登杰 has been appointed secretary of the ruling Communist Party in China’s northern Shanxi province on Saturday, according to state news agency Xinhua.”
He Lifeng: China’s economy tsar made director of key party commission / Reuters
“China’s economy tsar Hé Lìfēng 何立峰 has been appointed director of a key ruling Communist Party economic body, matching his high-profile predecessor Liu He with a particularly powerful portfolio covering economic policy, the financial sector and trade ties with Washington.”
China’s Vice-Premier He Lifeng handed increased economic authority, takes over key policymaking role / SCMP (paywall)
Communist Party names new economic czar / Caixin (paywall)

The aftermath of Li Keqiang’s death
Hundreds of mourners lay flowers at late Premier’s Li Keqiang’s childhood residence in eastern China / AP
“Hundreds of mourners lined the streets and laid flowers near former Chinese Premier Lǐ Kèqiáng’s 李克強 childhood residence on Saturday, a day after he died of a heart attack.”
Chinese university students told to avoid private memorial events for former premier Li Keqiang / SCMP (paywall)
“Some Chinese universities have told students not to organize private commemoration activities for former premier Li Keqiang, in an apparent bid to avoid social turmoil.”
In Li Keqiang’s heartland, a flood of floral tributes for China’s former premier / SCMP (paywall)

Military
China and Russia take aim at US at Chinese military forum / Reuters
“Chinese and Russian military chiefs targeted the United States for criticism at a security forum in Beijing on Monday, even as China’s second most senior military commander vowed to boost defense ties with Washington.”
Russia’s envoy uses the stage at a military forum in China to accuse the US of fueling tensions / AP
China and Russia take aim at U.S. at Beijing military forum / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
World’s military brass meet in Beijing / Caixin (paywall)
‘War of money’: can China drag rivals into bankruptcy in a new arms race with drones? / SCMP (paywall)
“A new generation of high-speed, long-endurance drones powered by low-cost jet engines has entered military service in China, according to a lead scientist on the project.”

Hong Kong
Hong Kong court jails ex-student leaders for inciting violence against police / Reuters
“A Hong Kong court on Monday sentenced four former members of the student union of the University of Hong Kong to 2 years in jail for inciting others to wound police officers after they issued a statement supporting a man who stabbed a policeman.”
US state senator acquitted of illegal firearms possession in Hong Kong / Reuters
“A Hong Kong court acquitted U.S. State Senator Jeff Wilson of illegally possessing a firearm in the Chinese-ruled city as long as he doesn’t commit any crime for the next two years.”
Hong Kong opposition parties fail to secure enough nominations to allow any hopefuls to run in coming district council poll / SCMP (paywall)
“Opposition parties have failed to secure enough nominations to field any hopefuls in Hong Kong’s coming district council poll, while some pro-establishment groups have complained that revamped electoral rules made it harder for their members to join the race.”
Hong Kong denies visa to scholar of China’s 1989 Tiananmen crackdown / FT (paywall)
“Hong Kong has denied a visa to Rowena He, an eminent scholar of China’s bloody 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, preventing her from returning to her teaching post in the city and fuelling concerns about academic freedom in the Chinese territory.”

Taiwan
The ongoing military overhaul of China’s PLA has one goal in mind — Taiwan / SCMP (paywall)
“Over the past eight years, Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 has overseen a comprehensive transformation of China’s military command structure.”
Taiwan elections: could presidential divide upend KMT-TPP deal to team up against DPP? / SCMP (paywall)
“Taiwan’s opposition parties will contest next year’s legislative elections as a team to increase chances of victory as they push for the resumption of cross-strait exchanges.”

U.S.-China relations
China, U.S. should have ‘objective’ understanding of strategic intention — Chinese foreign ministry / Reuters
“China and the United States should have an objective understanding of each other’s strategic intention and take the correct view of competitive factors in future exchanges, China’s foreign ministry said on Monday.”
China’s foreign minister suggests road to Xi-Biden summit will not be smooth / Reuters
“China’s Foreign Minister Wáng Yì 王毅 said the ‘oad to the San Francisco summit will not be a smooth one,’ the foreign ministry said on Sunday, in a reference to an expected meeting between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden.”
U.S., China agree to work toward an expected Biden-Xi summit / Reuters
China fetes American veterans of World War II known as ‘Flying Tigers’ in a bid to improve ties / AP
“Mel McMullen, who is in his late 90s, and Harry Moyer, who turned 103 on Monday, are among the few surviving members of a U.S. Army Air Force command that helped China battle Japan and became popularly known as the Flying Tigers.”
California governor’s trip shows U.S.-China engagement is still possible on a state level / AP
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s trip to China, with the stated goal of working together to fight climate change, resulted in a surprise meeting with leader Xi Jinping and was filled with warm words and friendliness not seen in years in the China-U.S. relationship.”
China pledges to renew military dialogue with U.S. while criticizing meddling / FT (paywall)
“China’s most senior military official has delivered a veiled rebuke of the US as he pledged to seek renewed military exchanges with Washington.”
Editorial: Cherish the achievements of China-U.S. relations / Caixin (paywall)
“U.S.-China ties are facing their most challenging period in the 44 years since formal diplomatic recognition. Some may wonder, given the circumstances, what’s left to cherish? Quite the contrary, the tougher the situation, the more important it is to value past achievements.”
China, U.S. ‘working together’ on Biden-Xi meeting at APEC next month / Caixin (paywall)
“China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington this week, with the two sides appearing to come a step closer to realizing a meeting between their respective leaders next month.”

Chinese immigrants are traveling to the U.S. through Panama
As economy falters, more Chinese migrants take a perilous journey to the U.S. border to seek asylum / AP
“Chinese people were the fourth-highest nationality, after Venezuelans, Ecuadorians and Haitians, crossing the Darién Gap during the first nine months of this year, according to Panamanian immigration authorities.”
Takeaways from AP’s reporting on Chinese migrants who traverse the Darién Gap to reach the U.S. / AP

Solomon Islands
Chinese party delegation visits Solomon Islands, Chinese state media reports / Reuters
“A Chinese Communist Party delegation has visited the Solomon Islands, calling the ‘flourishing’ cooperation between China and the Pacific nation a show of how diplomatic ties were in their peoples’ interest, Chinese state media said on Sunday.”

Australia
Opinion: Xi’s global agenda will restrain improvement in Australian ties / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
Richard Maude and Genevieve Donnellon-May write: “It says something about the hostile depths to which relations between Australia and China have sunk in recent years that no Australian prime minister has visited the country’s most important trading partner since 2016.”

Japan
Opinion: Japan and China need to reinforce decrepit diplomatic ‘iron bridge’ / Nikkei Asia (paywall)
Akio Fujii writes: “Top-level dialogue is crucial to manage risk and allay mutual distrust.”

SOCIETY AND CULTURE:

Antisemitism in China
Antisemitic comments increase across Chinese social media / WSJ (paywall)
“Acrimony seems to grow as Beijing strengthens pro-Palestinian stance during Israel-Hamas war, shifting China’s historic goodwill toward Jews.”
As China looks to broker Gaza peace, antisemitism surges online / NYT (paywall)

China’s AI English teacher
How a red-haired chatbot became China’s new favorite english tutor / Sixth Tone
“The ChatGPT-based video app Call Annie has unexpectedly found a large user base in China, where parents are sharing tips on how to turn the chatbot into a makeshift language tutor.”

Chinese youth are buying gold
To grow wealth, China’s gen Z is buying gold — one bean at a time / Sixth Tone
“Buying gold was largely associated with older generations in China, but data now indicates that over half of gold consumers belong to the post-’90s age group. For many, it’s the most viable long-term investment.”