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☆ Meta is returning to China 14 years after Facebook was blocked by striking a deal with Tencent to sell its VR headsets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta is making a comeback to China 14 years after Facebook was blocked from being accessed there. The firm has struck a deal with Tencent to sell VR gear in 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported. Deals with Chinese firms are among the few ways big US tech companies can get a foothold there. China has largely banned US tech firms , bar Apple, from doing business there for several years. Meta still extracts cash out of China through Facebook and Instagram ads it sells to Chinese companies.

Persons: Tencent, —, Susan Li, Meta didn't Organizations: Facebook, Street Journal, Service, titans, Apple, Baidu, Meta, ABC News Locations: China, Xinjiang, Urumqi, Meta's

☆ A Uyghur’s Lament for a Persecuted People
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Barbara Demick | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

WAITING TO BE ARRESTED AT NIGHT: A Uyghur Poet’s Memoir of China’s Genocide, by Tahir Hamut Izgil. The Uyghur poet Tahir Hamut Izgil’s new memoir, “Waiting to Be Arrested at Night,” is an outlier among books about human rights. When the book opens, in 2009, Izgil is living in Urumqi, a city of nearly five million in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region, the traditional homeland of the country’s persecuted Muslim Uyghur minority. At 40, Izgil is happily married with two daughters, his own home and a robust circle of friends. In short, he’s at the top of his game, a precarious position to maintain and one that requires constant vigilance.

Persons: Tahir Hamut Izgil, Joshua L, Freeman, Tahir Hamut, Izgil, he’s Organizations: Chinese Communist Party Locations: Urumqi, Xinjiang, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey

☆ Opinion | Let the Tragedy in My Homeland Be a Lesson
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Tahir Hamut Izgil | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

For those who have never been through something like this, our tragedy is probably difficult to imagine. When catastrophe came for us, it crept up so gradually that at first we couldn’t see it for what it was. I was born in 1969 in Kashgar, an ancient city in the southwest of our homeland. After attending college in Beijing, I returned to the Uyghur region to work as a teacher, and in my free time continued writing poetry — my lifelong passion. Although the heavy hand of the state could be felt in every corner of our homeland, things were somewhat better in the regional capital.

Persons: — Organizations: Uyghur Islamic Locations: Kashgar, Beijing, Urumqi, Uyghur

June 16 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) will face investors hungry for answers at its capital markets day next Wednesday on how it will achieve high cost-cutting targets and whether it will heed their calls for an independent audit of its co-owned Xinjiang plant. "The 21 June CMD is an opportunity to reset a fraught relationship with investors, a challenging exercise," Jefferies wrote in a note on Friday. Investors also demanded that Volkswagen conduct an independent audit of the Urumqi plant, which executives have is only possible with the agreement of joint venture partner SAIC (600104.SS). Alongside targets, investors needed details on how the carmaker expects to make its EV production more cost-effective, Daniel Roeska of Bernstein Research wrote in a note on Thursday. "The risk is that instead we see more punchy earnings and volume targets, with little to support them," he added.

Persons: CMD, Jefferies, carmaker, Oliver Blume, Arno Antlitz, Blume, Daniel Roeska, Jan Schwartz, Victoria Waldersee, Conor Humphries Organizations: Porsche, Volkswagen, Investors, SAIC, Bernstein Research, Thomson Locations: Xinjiang, Urumqi, Germany

CNN —A young Chinese woman who was arrested after attending a peaceful protest against Covid-19 restrictions in Beijing last year has been released alongside several of her friends after four months in police custody, according to a source familiar with their situation. Cao was released Wednesday evening, according to a source with direct knowledge. Three of her friends who were detained around the same time in December were also released, according to the source, who learned of their situation through mutual friends. Under Chinese law, the two others released alongside Cao would also likely have been formally charged to remain in custody until Wednesday, though CNN has not confirmed their charges. Two others in the group were released on bail in January, CNN confirmed at the time, while two more were released in February, according to the source familiar with the situation of those released this week.

Four months later, 26-year-old Huang fled to Germany and decided to speak out in support of fellow demonstrators, some of whom remain in detention. "I feel like I need to speak up for Cao Zhixin and the other detained protesters... China has not commented officially on the protests, whether they triggered the end of the zero-COVID policy or subsequent detentions. He was then sat near the front of a police bus full of other detained protesters. "As long as one protester is still detained, the world cannot stop paying attention to the white paper movement."

☆ US puts trade curbs on 5 Chinese firms over alleged role in Uyghur repression
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Tuesday imposed new trade restrictions on five Chinese companies for allegedly aiding in the repression of the Uyghur Muslim minority but China rejected the accusation as "lies" aimed at constraining it. According to Hikvision's 2021 half-year report, at least four of the companies facing new curbs belong to the Chinese surveillance camera maker including Luopu Haishi Dingxin Electronic Technology Co, Moyu Haishi Electronic Technology Co, Pishan Haishi Yong'an Electronic Technology Co and Urumqi Haishi Xin'an Electronic Technology Co.Yutian Haishi Meitian Electronic Technology Co Ltd was also added. "The idea that there exists so-called repression of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang has long been debunked," Mao said at a regular briefing on Wednesday. She also said that China would take all necessary measures to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese firms. The United States has increasingly used the list to target Chinese firms.

☆ US slaps trade curbs on 5 Chinese firms over alleged role in Uyghur repression
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Tuesday imposed new trade restrictions on five Chinese companies for allegedly aiding in Beijing's repression of the Uyghur Muslim minority group. According to Hikvision's 2021 half-year report, at least four of the companies facing new curbs belong to the Chinese surveillance camera maker including Luopu Haishi Dingxin Electronic Technology Co, Moyu Haishi Electronic Technology Co, Pishan Haishi Yong'an Electronic Technology Co and Urumqi Haishi Xin'an Electronic Technology Co.Yutian Haishi Meitian Electronic Technology Co Ltd was also added. Being added to the entity list means U.S. suppliers must get a special and difficult-to-obtain license before shipping goods to the targeted companies. Washington has increasingly used the entity list to target Chinese firms. Reporting by Alexandra Alper, David Shepardson, and Karen Freifeld; Editing by Franklin Paul and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Some Chinese youth who spoke to Reuters reflected the sense of frustration. But China's Gen Z has its own characteristics that present a dilemma for Xi, some analysts said. A survey of 4,000 Chinese by consultancy Oliver Wyman found Gen Z to be the most negative about China's economic outlook of all the age groups. FIXING THE YOUTHIn a New Year speech, Xi acknowledged the need to improve the prospects of China's youth, without mentioning the protests against his zero-COVID approach. Making housing more affordable could mean allowing a sector responsible for a quarter of China's economic activity in recent years to collapse.

☆ A China ‘spending boom?’ Your guide to emerging market investing in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

"We're going to have a spending boom in China, at least in the first half of the year," said Mehran Nakhjavani, emerging market strategist at MRB Partners. How to play emerging markets in 2023 Regardless, there are several ways for investors to get exposure to emerging markets. Perhaps the easiest way is by investing in the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM). Another vehicle through which to play emerging markets is the First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDex ETF (FEMS) . The fund is the best-performing emerging markets ETF this year, according to Morningstar, with a year-to-date return of just over 1%.

HONG KONG, Nov 28 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Protests across China underscore a rising fear among people that President Xi Jinping’s stringent pandemic restrictions may be here to stay. Still, new daily cases hit over 40,000 on Nov. 27. Cities accounting for 65% of the country's GDP are under some sort of lockdown as of Friday, per Goldman Sachs analysts. Any end to the near-daily mandatory Covid tests and strict quarantine rules will be bumpy due to a huge unvaccinated population. As of November, about 27 million citizens aged 60 and above have not been jabbed against Covid, Breakingviews calculated from official data, and another 36 million elderly people have yet to receive their second dose.

☆ 23 major brands suspected of illegally sourcing products made by forced labor in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

And more ...Mary Meisenzahl/InsiderThese companies have also been suspected of having direct or indirect ties to Chinese forced labor in the aforementioned reports. Bosch"Bosch is committed to ensuring that its products are not produced wholly or in part by forced labor. "Compliance with human rights, labor rights and environmental standards is a top priority at PUMA and has been specified in our Codes of Conduct for over 20 years." As stated in our Business Conduct Guidelines, we reject all forms of oppression, forced labor and participation in human rights violations. We will continue to respect human rights and take a strong stand against forced labor."

☆ China scraps tracking app as it relaxes strict 'zero-Covid' rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

China will drop a travel tracing requirement as part of an uncertain exit from its strict “zero-Covid” policies that have elicited widespread dissatisfaction. It’s part of a package of apps that includes the health code, which has yet to be disabled. Facing a surge in Covid-19 cases, China is setting up more intensive care facilities and trying to strengthen hospitals’ ability to deal with severe cases. At midnight on Monday, the smart phone app will cease to function, meaning residents’ travels will not be traced and recorded. Many believed Covid-19 restrictions may have impeded rescue efforts.

☆ China expands hospitals and ICUs as it faces Covid surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Medical workers wear PPE as they stand next to people waiting in line outside a fever clinic on Dec. 9, 2022 in Beijing, China. A Cabinet meeting called Thursday for "full mobilization" of hospitals including adding staff to ensure their "combat effectiveness" and increasing drug supplies, according to state media. Officials were told to keep track of the health of everyone in their area aged 65 and older. It isn't clear how much infection numbers have increased since Beijing last week ended mandatory testing as often as once a day in many areas. But interviews and social media accounts say there are outbreaks in businesses and schools across the country.

“I haven’t seen sunlight in what seems like a long time,” Li told CNN, a week after the protests broke out. In recent years, Beijing has extended its crackdown on dissent to the foreign platform, detaining and jailing Chinese Twitter users who criticized the government. TwitterLi received thousands of submissions a day – and up to dozens per second at the height of the protests. Journalists, observers and activists monitored his feed closely, and some of his posts were aired on televisions across the world. And then they went to our house at midnight to harass my parents,” Li said.

Feeling defiant, I told him, I will let the world know what you police are doing," said Pei, 27. He asked to be identified only by part of his name for fear of repercussions. China's Ministry of Public Security did not respond to a request for comment on the laws they might use against protesters. Zhang Dongshuo, a Beijing-based lawyer who has handled rights cases in the past, said the levels of punishment for protesting in China vary widely. "They just sprang up organically because people were driven by a sense of hopelessness and desperation about the never-ending COVID restrictions," Wu said.

☆ China eases some of its Covid restrictions, in significant step toward reopening
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNS/AFP/Getty ImagesSince early in the pandemic, China has used health codes on mobile phones to track individuals’ health statuses. Residents line up for Covid tests in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China on December 1. Schools with Covid cases can continue “normal teaching and living,” as long as they designate certain “risk areas” with control measures. Since early in the pandemic, China has required a prescription and negative Covid test to buy these. Some experts have warned that a broader reopening inevitably brings health risks, especially to those vulnerable groups.

☆ China eases controls but gives no sign when ‘zero Covid’ will end
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

BEIJING — China is easing some of the world’s most stringent anti-virus controls and authorities say new variants are weaker. That spurred hopes for a quick end to “zero Covid.” But health experts and economists warn it will be mid-2023 and possibly 2024 before vaccination rates are high enough and hospitals are prepared to handle a possible rash of infections. Ahead of the protests, the Communist Party promised to make “zero Covid” less costly and disruptive but said it was sticking to the overall containment strategy. Travelers at the Chinese capital’s train stations and three airports are required to show a negative virus test within the previous 48 hours. Xi’s government has held up “zero Covid” as proof of the superiority of China’s system compared with the United States and Western countries.

SHANGHAI, Dec 5 (Reuters) - China's yuan , firmed past the closely watched 7-per-dollar level on Monday, hitting its strongest since mid-September, as Beijing eased some of its strict COVID-19 curbs, potentially attracting fresh foreign inflows. The Chinese currency was also bolstered by expectations of slower U.S. interest rate hikes, which knocked the dollar index to near five-month lows. But some warn that China's road for economic recovery could be bumpy and that the yuan will remain volatile. The onshore yuan jumped roughly 1.4% to as high as 6.9507 on Monday morning, its strongest since Sept. 13, tracking the central bank's firmer midpoint guidance . Last week, the yuan jumped about 1.6%, its biggest weekly gain since 2005 amid expectations authorities will continue to loosen strict COVID curbs.

☆ Chinese cities announce further easing of COVID curbs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Martin Quin Pollard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/David 'Dee' DelgadoBEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) - More Chinese cities including Urumqi in the far west announced easing of coronavirus curbs on Sunday, as China tries to make its zero-COVID policy more targeted and less onerous after extraordinary protests against restrictions last weekend. A deadly apartment fire last month in Urumqi had sparked dozens of protests against COVID curbs in over 20 cities, a show of civil disobediance unprecedented in mainland China since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012. On Saturday in Beijing, local authorities said purchasing fever, cough and sore throat medicines no longer requires real name registration. "We shouldn't shut down COVID testing stations until we get rid of the COVID test pass." GLOBAL OUTLIERXi's zero-COVID policy has made China a global outlier nearly three years into the pandemic, which started in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

☆ Beijing, Shenzhen loosen more COVID curbs as China fine-tunes policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Brenda Goh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The southern city of Shenzhen announced it would no longer require people to show a negative COVID test result to use public transport or enter parks, following similar moves by Chengdu and Tianjin. A video showing workers in Beijing removing a testing booth by crane on to a truck went viral on Chinese social media on Friday. CHINA OUTLIERThree years into the pandemic, China has been a global outlier with its zero-tolerance approach towards COVID that has seen it enforce lockdowns and frequent virus testing. China reported 32,827 new local COVID-19 infections for Dec. 2, down from 34,772 a day earlier. As of Friday, China reported 5,233 COVID-related deaths and 331,952 cases with symptoms.

☆ China's COVID policy is top of mind for investors as unrest rattled markets this week. Here are 5 things they're watching as Beijing signals willingness to loosen some restrictions.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Chinese cities this week loosened COVID restrictions in the wake of mass protests, lifting Chinese stocks. China's top pandemic official this week appeared to signal a softening in the zero-COVID policy but the government has yet to pledge a comprehensive step-down. Retail investors should be prepared to move defensively should Beijing's decisions on zero-COVID policy go against their respective positions, Martin said. Here's what some market experts are looking at as global investors watch for developments surrounding the Chinese government's zero-COVID stance. "You have to understand that nobody has an edge as to predicting China policy anymore.

☆ Beijing, Shenzhen loosen more Covid curbs as China easing gathers pace
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

(Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)Beijing residents cheered the removal of Covid-19 testing booths while Shenzhen followed other cities in announcing it would no longer require commuters to present their test results to travel, as an easing of China's virus curbs gathered pace. Three years into the pandemic, China has been a global outlier with its zero-tolerance approach towards Covid that has seen it enforce lockdowns and frequent virus testing. China began tweaking its approach last month, urging localities to become more targeted. Initial reactions, however, were marked with confusion and even tighter lockdowns as cities scrambled to keep a lid on rising cases. Then a deadly apartment fire last month in the far western city of Urumqi sparked dozens of protests against Covid curbs in a wave unprecedented in mainland China since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.

☆ Former NBA star Jeremy Lin fined for comments about Covid quarantine while playing in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Police fanned out across Shanghai, Beijing and other cities to try to prevent additional protests. A representative of Vision China Entertainment, which says on its website it represents Lin, didn’t respond to a request for comment. Jinzhou in the northeast lifted curbs on movement and allowed businesses to reopen. On Thursday, the metropolis of Guangzhou in the south, the biggest hotspot in the latest infection spike, allowed supermarkets and restaurants to reopen. Other major cities including Shijiazhuang in the north and Chengdu in the southwest restarted bus and subway service and allowed businesses to reopen.

☆ China's sophisticated censorship engine is being pushed to 'its max' as it struggles to keep protest videos off the internet, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China is struggling to censor videos of protests against the country's zero-COVID policy, experts say. The country's censorship apparatus has been overwhelmed by the high volume of protest content. Experts told the Times that the high volume of videos has overwhelmed China's censorship software and teams of human censors. Protesters in Chengdu were seen shouting "Step down, Xi Jinping"and "Opposition to dictatorship," according to videos reviewed by CNN. Some internet users are reportedly evading content censorship by flipping videos on their side, adding filters, and recording videos of videos to confuse the censorship algorithms, reported the Times.

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