China news and commentaries roundup, 16th July

Xi’s call to Singapore: A subtle ‘reminder’ about the South China Sea? “Dylan Loh, an assistant professor of international studies at Nanyang Technological University, said it was “inevitable” that people would speculate there was more to it. He cited the growing disagreements between the US and China over the pandemic and heightened maritime tensions.”

SCMP, 15th July

China’s post-COVID aggression is reshaping Asia. “China’s coronavirus “mask diplomacy” has given way to tense geopolitical confrontations with a growing array of its neighbours, from stand-offs with Vietnam and Malaysia in the South China Sea to threatening Australia with boycotts of wine, beef, barley, and Chinese students.”

Hindustan Times, 16th July

Second group of U.S. diplomats fly back to China amid frayed ties. “More than 100 U.S. diplomats and family members flew to China on Wednesday, according to internal State Department emails…”

Reuters, 16th July

How TikTok’s Departure From Hong Kong Could Become a Win for China. “Perhaps the only one to benefit more than ByteDance from tech platforms’ withdrawal from Hong Kong is the Chinese government. The Chinese government can exert more control over Chinese companies than U.S. ones, so if people shift from using predominantly U.S. tech products to using predominantly Chinese ones, China will have more authority over the tech ecosystem.”

Slate, 15th July

China will sanction Lockheed Martin over arms sales to Taiwan. “China said on Tuesday it would place sanctions on Lockheed Martin (LMT) for its involvement in arms sales to Taiwan, a move that could further escalate tensions between Beijing and Washington.”

CNN, 14th July

UK needs a realistic view of its military strength. “It is still unclear whether the HMS Queen Elizabeth can manage to solve its problems and carry out its first grand voyage. On the other hand, the UK is cozying up to the Trump administration’s anti-China campaign. Therefore, the military’s decision would probably be affected, and even reversed, due to political reasons.”

Global Times, 15th July

China’s GDP expands 3.2 pct in Q2. “China’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 3.2 percent year on year in the second quarter of 2020, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Thursday.”

Xinhua, 16th July