What a year it’s been for this newsletter
The China Letter: January 26, 2020
The China Letter launched as an email update in late January 2020, to bring the world a free weekly digest of globe-shaping events, obviously without knowing what the subsequent months would bring. One year and over 20,000 subscribers later, the twists and turns continue. Tell a friend to ride along!
A return to surreality
An in-depth feature from the New York Times highlighted the state of life in Wuhan on January 23, one year after the start of a 76-day coronavirus lockdown. The official Chinese number of infections and deaths may have understated reality, and the city retains a mix of triumph and denial. But there are more indications of a lucrative aftermath:
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development is reporting that China brought in $163 billion in inflows last year, compared to $134 billion attracted by the U.S. And these numbers will further embolden the Communist party, which might’ve initially feared being bruised by the pandemic, yet its influence is stronger than one year ago.
How alright is Jack?
“Where is Jack Ma?” was a question being asked around the world at the start of 2021, when the famous e-commerce billionaire wasn’t seen after he called China’s financial regulators too stringent—which led the stock market debut of his new Ant Group finance platform to be halted. His sudden reemergence on video raised new questions.
A presidential handover
The differences between Donald Trump and Joe Biden may be vast, but they found common ground in accusing the Chinese government of committing “genocide” and “crimes against humanity” through policies on Muslims and other ethnic minorities. Beijing trying to give this a positive spin met with further censure from Silicon Valley:
A spokesperson from the Chinese foreign ministry said the country was a victim of misinformation concerning the treatment of Uyghurs, which they were attempting to correct with a tweet about how women in Xinjiang were “emancipated” from being “baby-making machines.” But evidence have shown how the lower birth rate is forced.
“We should respect and accommodate differences, avoid meddling in other countries’ internal affairs and resolve disagreements through consultation and dialogue. History and reality have made it clear time and again that the misguided approach of antagonism and confrontation—be it in the form of a cold war, hot war, trade war or tech war—will eventually hurt all countries’ interest and undermine everyone’s well-being.”
— Xi Jinping’s speech to the World Economic Forum can be read here
Luxury brand backlash
An actress accused of by her former partner of trying to abandon two young children born to a U.S.-based surrogate quickly lost her partnership with Prada as the story circulated on Chinese social media. Zheng Shuang appeared in the company’s New Year advertising until ex-boyfriend Zhang Heng went public with his detailed claims.
The last words, for now
While the extradition battles of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou continue in Canada, attention briefly shifted to her youngest half-sister Annabel Yao, who launched a pop career with a promotional video expressing jealousy at the attention Meng gets. The debut music video from the so-called “Huawei Princess” is right here:
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!