The grandma who disappeared for over a year

The China Letter: October 22, 2020

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The truth behind an arrest

Reuters @Reuters

Pro-democracy Hong Kong protester ‘Grandma Wong’ said Chinese authorities kept her in custody for a month and a half across the border in Shenzhen, where she allegedly suffered mental abuse, and then prevented her from coming back for over a year reut.rs/356JQfZ

Alexandra Wong says she was forced to renounce her activism in writing, record a video statement saying she wasn’t tortured, and sent on a “patriotic tour” of northern China during her 14 months of detainment. The story of the 64-year-old nicknamed “Grandma Wong” sheds light on the treatment of protesters from Hong Kong.

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China’s influence schooled

Axios @axios

Chinese officials have told the Trump administration they may detain Americans if the DOJ prosecutes scholars with ties to China's military, the Wall Street Journal first reported and Axios has confirmed

axios.comChina threatens to detain U.S. citizens if DOJ prosecutes scholars with Chinese military tiesThe scholars were charged “in connection with a scheme to lie about their status as members” of the Chinese military, per the DOJ.

The latest escalation in tension involves a threat spurred by American visa fraud charges for four researchers and the cancellation of visas for 1,000 other students suspected of having ties to the Chinese military. Meanwhile, anti-Beijing activists in Canada are expressing greater concern over influence moving into the education sector.

The Globe and Mail @globeandmail

Universities, school boards across Canada defend ties with China’s Confucius Institute

dlvr.itUniversities, school boards across Canada defend ties with China’s Confucius InstituteSeveral institutions contacted by The Globe and Mail said their partnerships with the Confucius Institute provide valuable cultural and language training, and the institute has no role in core school programs

Confucius Institute programs in British Columbia have operated with funding from China’s education ministry, which is just one of the economic ties under scrutiny during an election campaign in that Canadian province. While some schools are winding down the program in response to criticism, others are defending its value to students.

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Virtual hypermarket grows

BBC Business @BBCBusiness

Alibaba increases stranglehold on Chinese shoppers

bbc.inAlibaba increases stranglehold on Chinese shoppersThe tech giant is increasing its offline footprint by acquiring leading supermarket chain Sun Art.

Plans by Alibaba to invest billions of dollars to secure a 72 per cent stake in the Sun Art Retail Group is compared to the Amazon acquisition of the American chain Whole Foods. China’s main e-commerce platform is already several years into a relationship with the grocery chain, which is currently controlled by the Mulliez family of France.

The Associated Press @AP

Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, has retained his status as China’s richest tycoon. He's said to be worth nearly $60 billion.

apne.wsFortunes of China’s internet tycoons soar amid pandemicBEIJING (AP) — Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba, held onto his status as China’s richest tycoon this year as surging demand for online shopping and other services during the...

The supermarket purchase was easier for Alibaba because its fortunes have soared due to wider adoption of digital shopping due to COVID-19. Company founder Jack Ma personally got 45 per cent richer this year. While overtaking Amazon may remain out of reach, Alibaba’s global ambitions are reflected in other areas like cloud computing.

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The modern state of arts

Artnet @artnet

Under the shadow of China's new security law, a new generation of Hong Kong artists is learning to make art in code: bit.ly/35i5zS3

Hong Kong galleries increasingly feature pieces like the one pictured above: Man Mei To’s “Who is Murderer IV” brings to mind a 15-year-old student protester who was found in the sea, even if that’s up to the interpretation of the viewer. Naturally, it comes with concern over crackdowns for this kind of work in the Asian art capital.

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The last words, for now

Chinese social media is a full-time fixation for What’s on Weibo, which has noticed a growing trend on WeChat: young people who pay for photos that give the impression that they’re living a fun life of luxury. And while those buyers appeared to be mostly men, another group of aspiring socialites are preoccupied with finding a rich husband:

What's on Weibo @WhatsOnWeibo

A Shanghai fake 'rich girl WeChat group' has become the talk of the day after a Chinese blogger went undercover in this bizarre social media circle. Read:

whatsonweibo.comThe ‘Fake Rich’ of Shanghai: Peeking Inside a Wannabe Socialite WeChat GroupA Shanghai fake ‘rich girl WeChat group’ has become the talk of the day after a Chinese blogger went undercover in their bizarre social media circle.

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