Signs of China creeping into other countries

The China Letter: September 23, 2022

Catching up on news from and about China this week means looking at recent research into how Beijing is spreading its influence overseas, the challenges facing a new ambassador from Canada, a new tragedy related to the zero-COVID strategy, Dr. Fauci making an admission about COVID-19, and a Hong Kong arrest related to Queen Elizabeth.

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Coercions over the world

Safeguard Defenders (保护卫士) @SafeguardDefend

📢 Our newest investigation, out today, comes with 4 major revelations Re: China’s global policing and transnational repression #TNR. 1) In 15 months to July 2022, Chinese police “persuaded” 230,000 “fugitives” to return to China “voluntarily”... safeguarddefenders.com/en/blog/230000…

The extent to which Chinese police are “persuading” people who haven’t committed any crimes to return to their homeland on the grounds that they’re “fugitives” reflects the degree to which Beijing now has operatives around the world. Concurrently, democratic countries are increasingly being targeted by media messaging that originates from China.

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A vacancy is now filled

CTV News @CTVNews

Jennifer May to be Canada's new ambassador to China, after nine months without an envoy ctvnews.ca/politics/jenni… bit.ly/true-anthem-pl… ctvnews.ca/politics/jenni…

The announcement from Justin Trudeau stated that Canada’s new ambassador to China will be “standing up for democratic values, human rights, and the rule of law.” But many challenges lie ahead for new ambassador Jennifer May, on the verge of the anniversary of when “the two Michaels” were freed after 1,020 days to end the Meng Wanzhou Affair.

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The dark side of quarantine

CBS News @CBSNews

A nighttime bus crash that killed 27 people in southwest China this week has set off a storm of anger online over the harshness of the country's strict COVID-19 policies.

cbsn.wsChina quarantine bus crashes, killing dozens and prompting fresh outcry over draconian “zero COVID” policyThe bus driver was in a full protective suit, and it took officials hours to acknowledge the passengers were being bused to a quarantine center outside their city.

After the death of 27 people who were en route to a quarantine location, the outcry over the zero-COVID policy accelerated to new heights. Outrage about the bus crash spread on Chinese social media before it was censored. But it also increasingly seems like the strategy isn’t going away anytime soon—because it’s politically convenient for Xi Jinping.

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The secret China is keeping

Science Insider @SciInsider

Fauci says the Chinese government is 'probably' hiding something about the origins of COVID, but it's probably not a lab leak

businessinsider.comFauci says the Chinese government is ‘probably’ hiding something about the origins of COVID, but he’s not sure it’s a lab leakFauci says he’s “keeping a completely open mind” about the origins of COVID-19, but he wishes he had more information from the Chinese government.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is dedicated to “keeping a completely open mind” about the origins of COVID-19 as he concedes the Chinese government is covering something up about its origins, even if it isn’t a lab leak. The Lancet Commission has finally issued its report about the responses to the coronavirus, but it dances around addressing its origin.

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Glory tune triggers police

Hong Kong Free Press HKFP @hkfp

Hong Kong man arrested under British colonial-era sedition law while mourning Queen outside consulate hongkongfp.com/2022/09/21/hon…

Playing the song “Glory to Hong Kong” on a harmonica appeared to be the basis for detaining a 43-year-old man while locals watched Queen Elizabeth’s funeral at the British consulate. The protest anthem is banned in schools, although the Hong Kong government has refused to say whether performing it in public qualifies as illegal.