Strange stories for the middle of summer
The China Letter: July 30, 2021
This week, we’re looking at some of the more unusual developments in Chinese diplomacy, business and culture—from Beijing butting heads with the U.S. and cracking down on technology, to strange accusations about a pop star, an apology from Kodak and a pair of tragic selfies. Read on for the latest updates worth knowing about to understand the state of China.
Three words, nine years
Tong Ying-kit was the first to be charged under the new security law for riding a motorbike into police while waving a flag that read “Liberate Hong Kong” and now he’s the first to be jailed for such an act. Meanwhile, police launched an investigation into booing of China’s national anthem by Tokyo Olympics viewers in a mall in HK.
What words really mean
“Frank and open” is how American diplomat Wendy Sherman described talks with her Chinese counterpart, although those words are diplomatic code for a skirmish. Beijing said its relationship with the U.S. “is now in a stalemate and faces serious difficulties.” The meeting was followed by an ominous discovery by a team from Washington, D.C.:
New burdens in tech world
Tencent has 30 days to give up its exclusive music rights as the tech giant becomes just one of the companies ordered to fix certain anti-competitive practices and data security threats, in the latest chapter in a clampdown. It’s also impacted the private tutoring sector, which is scrambling for strategies to minimize the greater regulatory impact:
Chinese education companies listed in the U.S. have seen share prices tumble now that the crackdown is official. Meanwhile, the enforcement by Beijing has another impact related to kids with online platforms forced to remove inappropriate child content, with a target on material that endangers “the physical and mental health of minors.”
#MeToo claim takes a turn
Chinese Canadian pop singer Kris Wu provided insights into the workings of state media. Calls for an investigation into sexual assault accusations indicated Beijing taking it seriously along with him being dropped by multiple brands he endorsed. Adding a bizarre twist to the scandal was the man who confessed he defrauded Wu over the scandal.
A regretted Kodak moment
A photographer describing the Xinjiang region as an “Orwellian dystopia” in a post from Kodak on Instagram led to the company deleting the images with an apology. Patrick Wack’s images of where Uyghur Muslims are detained are featured in his upcoming book, Dust. But the Chinese government is stuck on spinning the situation:
The last words, for now
Social media influencing has become a dangerous profession based on tragedies like Sofia Cheung of Hong Kong recently plunging to her death while attempting to take a selfie in a waterfall. Just a few days later, Chinese crane operator Xiao Qiumei plunged to her death after filming herself speaking and dancing inside her cabin:
The China Letter is produced by the Canadian Freedom Institute, a think tank based in Canada. We produce the China Letter every week to keep you informed and to press the ideas of free markets and free people not only in China but around the world. Please consider donating to keep this newsletter running!