China vs. the world (and itself) in five acts
The China Letter: September 26, 2021
This week, a scan of recent stories that sum up China’s current relations with different places in the world: United States, Australia, Canada, Europe and the People’s Republic itself. We’re keeping an eye on it all through these newsletter updates, which are easy to share on social media, and to subscribe:
China vs. United States
The leaders of the U.S. and China avoided referencing one another at the United Nations while similarly pledging to fight virulent pandemics and global warming. But the differences were expressed nonetheless. Despite trying to avoid confrontation, Beijing’s ambassador in Washington said China is just a misunderstood democracy.
China vs. Australia
A trilateral security pact that puts Australia on the side of the U.S. and U.K. against China plays into Scott Morrison’s belief that conflict with China can be avoided after a year of spiralling relations. Beijing denounced the move as irresponsible, as the deal involves sharing technology to build nuclear-powered submarines.
China vs. Canada
The release of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, two Canadians detained by China for 1,020 days, came on the heels of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was sent home to Shenzhen after a parallel period under house arrest in Vancouver. Beijing’s act of “hostage diplomacy” is leaving experts fearful of what the future might bring.
China vs. Europe
Lithuania is urging consumers to throw away their Chinese phones based on their built-in censorship tools that have been switched off across Europe, but a report claims they can be activated at any time. A majority of Europeans believe a cold war is underway between China and the U.S. but they don’t see their own nations as participants.
China vs. China
Headlines from Beijing increasingly point to more government control in daily life, moving away from capitalism and shifting back to the socialist vision of Chairman Mao. Now, it comes with technological controls unthinkable during the Cultural Revolution—it’s taking forms like children limited to 40 minutes a day of using its version of TikTok.
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