A change of season in the U.K. over Huawei

The China Letter: July 16, 2020

Jul 16, 2020

UK mobile providers must remove all Huawei’s 5G kit from their networks by 2027, government announces

bbc.inHuawei 5G kit must be removed from UK by 2027The government is also banning telecoms firms from buying new Huawei 5G kit after 31 December.

The decision to remove Huawei participation in U.K. telecom in the years ahead reverses the January announcement that the Chinese company would have a limited role in its high-speed infrastructure. But the battles with the West have escalated in the months since, and raised more concern over espionage and human rights abuses:

POLITICO @politico

Forget a post-Brexit trade deal with China — some now think a trade war is more likely

politico.comBritain toughens stance on China as it eyes U.S.Concerns about alleged espionage by Chinese firms and human rights abuses have given rise to demands for a complete rethink of the U.K.’s stance.

As a result, Canada now stands alone among nations in the Five Eyes intelligence allies, by having not yet followed in a security ban on Huawei. Meanwhile, the recent invitation by Boris Johnson to give U.K. refuge to up to 3 million eligible Hongkongers is looming:

SCMP News @SCMPNews

Does British backlash await Hong Kong national security law migrants?

scmp.comDoes British backlash await Hong Kong national security law migrants?Several think tanks in Britain have warned sudden influx of Hongkongers could put pressure on public services.

Hong Kong’s foggy future

CNN @CNN

A primary election held by Hong Kong's democratic opposition may have been illegal under the new security law, China said, in a statement that shows how far the goalposts have moved just two weeks after the sweeping legislation was imposed on the city.

cnn.it600,000 people may have broken Hong Kong’s national security lawA primary election held by Hong Kong’s democratic opposition may have been illegal under the new security law, China said Monday, in a statement that shows how far the goalposts have moved just two weeks after the sweeping legislation was imposed on the city.

Fears of breaching the new national security law didn’t stop an over 600,000 Hongkongers from voting in pro-democracy primaries, which will decide candidates for September elections who’ll aim to seize majority control from pro-Beijing rivals. Their rules against dissent are changing the culture of Hong Kong for now, if not forever:

Condé Nast Traveler @CNTraveler

“Instead of moving forward, we're stepping backward.”

cntrvlr.coHong Kong’s New Security Law Is Changing the City as We Know It“Instead of moving forward, we’re stepping backward.”

Help us grow! We’re reaching more and more people in 2020 because people are hungry for uncensored news. Click to share! 👇

Share The China Letter

This week in China critics

Republic @republic

Organizers of Hong Kong's Tiananmen vigil appear in court

republicworld.comOrganizers of Hong Kong’s Tiananmen vigil appear in court - Republic WorldThe organizers of a vigil commemorating China’s bloody 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square appeared in a Hong Kong court on Monday on charges of inciting others to participate in an unlawful assembly.

While the organizers of the annual June 4 vigil for China’s bloody 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square appeared in a Hong Kong court, the Beijing constitutional law professor who criticized Xi Jinping was released after six days of detention. Xu Zhangrun then reportedly told friends that he lost his teaching position in the wake of the arrest.

This fight has fake news

ABC News @abcnews

China issues upgraded travel warning for Australia

abc.net.auChina issues upgraded travel warning for AustraliaChina alleges Australian law enforcement agencies have been “arbitrarily” searching Chinese citizens and seizing their possessions.

Claims from that Australia isn’t a safe place to visit includes the falsehood that visitors are subject to arbitrary searches and seizures, while blaming the media for inciting anti-Chinese sentiment. In the process, Australia is also being blamed by China’s state news agency Xinhua of spreading 11 fabrications about the coronavirus.

The last words, for now

While its relationships with other nations get more intense, China still has its share of replicas of other cities. But a 2012 tribute to London’s iconic Tower Bridge in the eastern city of Suzhou was recently refit by authorities who wanted to make it look “more Chinese.” A newer clone in the southwest appears to be designed as distinct on purpose:

Daily Mail Online @MailOnline

Chengdu City tries to clone London landmark 'Tower Bridge'

trib.alChinese city tries to clone London’s Tower Bridge for touristsSwarms of Chinese tourists have flocked to visit the ‘Cannes Bay Stylish Bridge’, billed by Chinese media as the ‘copycat of Tower Bridge’, in China’s south-western city Chengdu.

Share The China Letter

The China Letter will return next week. If you’re not subscribed yet, do it here:

The China Letter