China-Policies & politics

1. In the UK, how would a Jeremy Corbyn government engage China and the Hong Kong protests?

   Pressure is mounting on British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to come out more strongly in support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong and take a clearer line on China and human rights.The calls for a more assertive stance of support came at a meeting held by the Labour-affiliated Fabian Society, Britain’s oldest think tank, in London this week.The meeting was addressed by Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, who spoke via video link after a court in the city banned him from…

2. Taiwan’s Kuomintang opposition party says it’s struggling to pay staff amid asset freeze

   With Taiwan’s presidential and parliamentary elections just a month away, the island’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang, on Friday said it was struggling to pay staff due to an asset freeze put in place by the government as part of an investigation into ill-gotten gains.“In spite of this, the party centre is still trying its best to assist the presidential and legislative candidates with its limited resources,” the Kuomintang said in a statement.The Kuomintang said it was having to rely on…

3. China 2020 GDP growth target seen to be set at ‘around 6 per cent’ at top economic policy meeting

   In a tense atmosphere created by slowing Chinese growth, rising inflation and continued uncertainty whether trade tariffs will be rolled back as part of a deal with the United States, hundreds of senior Beijing officials, economic policymakers, provincial governors and heads of state-owned banks will convene for a major annual economic policymaking meeting later this month.The meeting will decide the economic policy priorities for next year, including setting growth and inflation targets and…

4. Philippine national power grid IPO can guard against China threat: senator

   The China-backed National Grid Corporation of the Philippines should list its shares publicly to help guard against fears that Beijing could cause a nationwide blackout at the flick of a switch.That’s the view of Sherwin Gatchalian, chairperson of the Philippine Senate’s energy committee, who used a televised interview on Wednesday to remind the NGCP that under the franchise granted to the private firm by Congress in January 2009, it was required to sell 20 per cent of its equity in an initial…

5. Taiwan not a top priority for Beijing because it’s too distracted, Taipei mayor says

   Beijing has too many other issues to worry about at the moment – from protests in Hong Kong to a slowing economy – to give much thought to Taiwan, the mayor of Taipei, sometimes seen as a potential future president, said on Thursday.Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je, who has advocated for better relations with the mainland, said that while Taiwan was important to the mainland, it was not currently the “core issue” that Beijing likes to portray.“They say that Taiwan is a core issue, but I’m very clear that…

6. From Xinjiang to Ningxia, China’s ethnic groups face end to affirmative action in education, taxes, policing

   China is set to scale back its affirmative action policies for ethnic minorities, which could result in curbs on education opportunities as well as removal of tax benefits and other subsidies for as many as 110 million people. That’s more than four times the population of Australia.A police crackdown on ethnic groups that abuse the law could also be coming, along with tougher anti-corruption measures. In tandem, the state will expand campaigns that stress national identity over ethnic roots, a…

7. Leave politics and trade concerns out of climate change fight, advocates warn

   A new group including US media organisation TED is calling on governments to cut politics and trade considerations out of efforts to fight climate change.Organisers of Countdown, an initiative that seeks to cut greenhouse gas emissions, on Tuesday urged climate experts, policymakers, business leaders and citizens globally to imagine what could be achieved if different groups broke out of their silos and collectively took on the problem of climate change, which they cast as a threat to humanity…

8. China’s top prosecutor urges courts to cut entrepreneurs more slack, as concerns grow about unfair treatment

   China’s chief prosecutor has called for entrepreneurs to be given more leeway by the country’s judicial system in an indirect acknowledgement that private business leaders sometimes face unequal treatment from the country’s courts.Zhang Jun, who is also minister for justice, said prosecutors should give the private economy greater support as far as the law permitted.“For private businessmen who are being investigated, [we should] take the position that there should be no arrest or charges…

9. Wanted: Chinese cadres to hold Beijing’s line in Xinjiang as Han Chinese head for the exits

   China’s Xinjiang autonomous region has attracted international attention for all the wrong reasons – police crackdowns and reports that local ethnic Uygur people are being held in internment camps. What hasn’t gained much attention is the difficulty Beijing has drafting in staff to execute its policies in the far northwest area.The measures targeting Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang have triggered “widespread discontent among Han Chinese officials and citizens”, a source close to the…

10. Indonesia must ‘be careful’ doing business with Chinese firms, anti-corruption agency warns

    Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency has warned of the risks of doing business with Chinese firms, while also raising concerns over Beijing’s efforts to exert economic influence in the Southeast Asian nation.“We are advising the government to be more careful with investment from China,” Corruption Eradication Commission deputy chairman Laode Muhammad Syarif said. “They are doing it as a part of their business, trying to expand their economic influence, so that’s why we have to be very, very…