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 Communist Party Quietly Inserts Itself Into Everyday Life — A sprawling propaganda campaign that has gone virtually unnoticed outside the country is taking place in ‘civilization’ centers, new report finds.
The Financial Times
- Closed China: why Xi Jinping is sticking with his zero-Covid policy — Some of the strict measures for controlling the spread of the virus could extend beyond Omicron and the Olympics.
- Big Tech increases funding to US foreign policy think-tanks — Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple battle Washington’s move towards stricter regulation using anti-China lobbying.
- Wall Street’s frustrations in China and Hong Kong rise — Groups flag concern about new regulation as Bank of America reviews job levels in territory.
The New York Times
- As the U.S. Pulls Back From the Mideast, China Leans In — China is expanding its ties to Middle Eastern states with vast infrastructure investments and cooperation on technology and security.
- Video of Mentally Ill Woman Chained in Shack Stirs Anger in China — Public discussion of mental illness has grown in recent years, but in rural areas, resources and acceptance are still limited.
Caixin
- In Depth: Has Macao Junket Operators’ Luck Run Out? — China’s revised criminal law, which took effect last March made organizing cross-border gambling activities explicitly illegal. The effect of this was felt in short order, with the November arrest of Alvin Chau Cheok Wa.
- Macao Junket Dragnet Catches Another Big Fish — Weng Lin Chan, chief executive officer and controlling shareholder of casino operator Macau Legend Development Ltd., was arrested by police, Legend confirmed Sunday.
South China Morning Post
- Japan parliament passes resolution on human rights in China days before Beijing Winter Olympics — Japan’s parliament on Tuesday adopted a resolution on the “serious human rights situation” in China, and called Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government to take steps to relieve the situation, as the Beijing Winter Olympics loom just days ahead.
- Threat to US from China is ‘more damaging’ than ever before: FBI chief Christopher Wray — The threat to the West from the Chinese government is “more brazen” and damaging than ever before, FBI director Christopher Wray said on Monday night in accusing Beijing of stealing American ideas and innovation and launching massive hacking operations.
- Survey finds majority of Hongkongers holding BN(O) visas in UK are university educated, married, don’t plan on coming back — British Home Office interviews random sample of 500 BN(O) visa holders in survey released on Monday.
Bloomberg
- Mercedes-Geely Smart Venture Said to Seek Up to $1 Billion — Smart Automobile Co., a joint venture between Germany’s Mercedes-Benz and China’s biggest private carmaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., is considering raising funds as part of its plans to revive the iconic minicar as an all-electric brand, according to people familiar with the matter.
- Macau Gaming Revenue Plunges After Arrests of Junket Bosses — Macau’s gaming revenue plunged 21% in January from a year earlier as casinos in the world’s largest gambling hub suffered from the double-whammy of a Covid-induced tourist drought and China’s crackdown on high rollers.
- The Russia-Sized Mystery in China’s Power Sector That Will Hurt Climate Goals — Beijing has not broken the back of its carbon addiction or its credit-fueled development model. That puts global efforts to halt climate change at risk.
Reuters
- China’s most used COVID shots effective against Delta variant-study — The two vaccines were 52% effective against Delta infection and 60% for symptomatic disease, researchers wrote in a peer-reviewed paper.
- Exclusive: Hong Kong leader delays filling post, raising questions about judiciary’s independence — The unprecedented delay raises questions over the autonomy of the city’s judiciary, these lawyers and nine diplomats and scholars told Reuters.
- Familiar faces, unfamiliar names as China takes to the ice — Few teams have relied so much on foreign talent the way China’s men’s hockey squad has with a 25-man roster that includes just six homegrown nationals, the remaining players coming from Canada (11), United States (7) and Russia (1).
Other Publications
- Associated Press: FBI chief: Threat from China ‘more brazen’ than ever before — The threat to the West from the Chinese government is “more brazen” and damaging than ever before, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Monday night in accusing Beijing of stealing American ideas and innovation and launching massive hacking operations.
- ChinaFile: A Vast Network of ‘New Era Civilization Practice Centers’ Is Beijing’s Latest Bid to Reclaim Hearts and Minds — Though New Era Civilization Practice Centers have received little attention outside of China, ChinaFile has traced their emergence as a new feature of the country’s political topography through Party directives, procurement notices, and state-affiliated media.
