China: Daily Scan, September 24, 2021

Central bank to promote reform of standing lending facility: Xinhuanet

September 24, 2021

China's central bank will promote reform of the operation mode of its standing lending facility, as part of efforts to better meet reasonable liquidity needs. The reform, which is referred to as empowering the whole process with electronic technology, will improve efficiency and better stabilize market expectations, said Liu Guoqiang, vice governor of the People's Bank of China, at a national video conference Thursday.
Click here to read [2]

Former Kweichow Moutai Group chairman given life sentence :Xinhuanet

September 23, 2021

Yuan Renguo, the former chairman of Kweichow Moutai Group that produces the high-end Moutai liquor in southwest China's Guizhou Province, has been sentenced to life in prison for taking bribes, said a local court. The intermediate people's court of Guiyang, capital of Guizhou, pronounced the sentence on Thursday. Click here to read [3]

Sri Lanka's Hambantota Port signs MOU with China's bus manufacturer: People’s Daily

September 24, 2021

Sri Lanka's Hambantota International Port (HIP) has entered into a memorandum of understanding with bus manufacturer Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Co., Ltd. in China's Fujian Province, HIP said in a statement here on Thursday. The MOU was signed at the King Long Motor Group offices in Fujian last week and was attended by representatives from the Hambantota International Ports Group (HIPG) and Ambassador of Sri Lanka to China Palitha Kohona. Click here to read [4]

New guideline focuses on pilot FTZs: China Daily

September 23, 2021

The recent guideline on the reform of China's pilot free-trade zones will effectively facilitate foreign investment in China, particularly in the services sector, and demonstrates China's resolution for greater opening-up efforts, experts and industrial insiders said. On Sept 3, the State Council, China's Cabinet, unveiled a guideline with innovative reform measures to facilitate investment in the country's pilot FTZs. The new measures include unleashing the potential for offshore trade in these zones, fostering innovation in investment trade and increasing the diversity of commodity futures. Click here to read [5]

Hydrogen stations to drive greener Olympics: China Daily

September 24, 2021

To prepare for the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, a newly built hydrogen fueling station in the capital city's northwestern Yanqing district went into operation last month. The hydrogen fuel produced by the station with a pressure rating of 70 megapascals is low-carbon, renewable and clean, and it can be used as a direct replacement for oil and gas, said Wang Yunlong, head of the station. Click here to read [6]

China to accelerate building of intelligent, unmanned ports in next five years: Global Times

September 24, 2021

China’s Ministry of Transportation issued a plan on Thursday for the construction of new types of basic infrastructure over the next five years, under which accelerating the building of intelligent and unmanned ports was listed as a priority. The plan also comes at a time when China’s intelligent port manufacturing exports are rising rapidly, partly fueled by demand for high-efficiency port solutions and upgrading amid the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Observers said the new blueprint will further strengthen China’s smart port manufacturing ability and further boost its share of the global market. Click here to read [7]

Affiliate of Chinese ride-hailing company fined $30,000 for leaving out Zangnan, Diaoyu Islands from country map of China: Global Times

September 23, 2021

An affiliate of Caocao Chuxing, a ride-hailing app in China that has gained a lot of popularity after industry giant Didi was embroiled in data breach problems, has been fined 200,000 yuan ($30,971) after it was found to have left out Zangnan (southern Tibet), the Diaoyu Islands and a number of other regions from a country map of China in a magazine commercial. Click here to read [8]

Chinese law enforcers told use AI, big data to improve security in unstable times: South China Morning Post

September 24, 2021

A top Chinese security official has told law enforcement officers to make use of hi-tech tools like big data and artificial intelligence at a time of rising uncertainties at home and abroad.
Chen Yixin, secretary general of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, which oversees law enforcement and security, made the remarks during a tour of southern Guangdong province last week. He visited seven cities – including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shanwei – and held seminars with local cadres during the three-day trip, according to a statement from the commission. Click here to read [9]

Pacific trade pact row between Beijing and Taipei a dilemma for members: South China Morning Post

September 24, 2021

A new battleground has opened up between Beijing and Taipei, with an escalating war of words over their separate bids to join a trans-Pacific trade pact. Beijing is calling on the 11 members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to oppose the self-ruled island’s application, a move Taipei has called the act of an arch bully. Click here to read [10]

Quad leaders, meeting in person for first time, are seen to plan several initiatives for confronting China: South China Morning Post

September 24, 2021

The leaders of a new military alliance that the Chinese government has lashed out against in recent months are gathering in Washington and, analysts say, Beijing’s reactions may be undermining its own interests by pushing the Quad into closer military coordination with other US allies. US President Joe Biden is to host the prime ministers of Australia, India and Japan – Scott Morrison, Narendra Modi and Yoshihide Suga – on Friday, after assembling the group via video link just months ago. The leaders of the Quad, or Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, are likely to announce commitments in several nonmilitary areas, among them bolstering the global distribution of Covid-19 vaccines as well as cooperating on supply chain security, 5G telecommunications technology and the infrastructure needed to fight climate change. Click here to read [11]

Beijing’s envoy to US declares China a democracy: Taipei Times

September 24, 2021

A top Chinese diplomat on Wednesday claimed that China is a democracy, saying that its political system exemplifies the ideals of former US president Abraham Lincoln and the ancient Greeks, who invented a representative form of government. Chinese Ambassador to the US Qin Gang cited the right of Chinese people to participate in certain elections and consultations over major policies as evidence of a democratic system not unlike that in the US. Click here to read [12]

U.S. Commerce chief says more action to be taken on Huawei if needed: Reuters

September 24, 2021

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Thursday the Biden administration will take further action against Chinese telecoms firm Huawei if necessary, after some Republican lawmakers have pressed for more steps. Washington says Huawei is a national security threat on a variety of grounds and aggressively lobbied other countries not to use Huawei equipment in next-generation 5G networks. Citing Huawei’s ties to the Chinese government and military, Washington says this makes the company susceptible to "Chinese governmental pressure to participate in espionage." read moreClick here to read [13]