What was burning in the consulate courtyard?
The China Letter: July 23, 2020
Hunting the hackers down
Washington’s justice department charged two Chinese nationals with hacking Americans on behalf of Beijing—and among their alleged targets were firms engaged in COVID-19 vaccine research. These former classmates are portrayed as being among the most prolific hackers ever, over a decade of alleged thievery of corporate secrets.
China’s consulate in Houston, Texas, was ordered closed by the U.S. in response to the alleged theft of intellectual property, which prompted a vow of retaliation from Beijing. The order was followed with reports to police that documents were being burned in the consulate’s courtyard: men were filmed using a hose to douse flames.
Hong Kong censured again
The extension of an arms embargo that the U.K. applied to mainland China in 1989, in tandem with the suspension of its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, are the latest rebukes in a changing relationship due to the new security law. Meanwhile, a hidden morse code message in the soundtrack of a video game provided a new target for censors:
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Fighting back on campus
A segment on the Australian version of 60 Minutes highlighted how University of Queensland student Drew Pavlou’s protests in support of Hong Kong were suppressed. The school says it was due to allegations of bullying and disruption involving Pavlou, and not related to its recent dealings with China.
University of Queensland was hosting a Confucius Institute on campus, with four courses co-funded by the Chinese government, which was one of the points raised in protest. The backlash for these partnerships has led to a rebranding process, but the presumption is that the goal of their association with schools will remain.
Tongue-tied by a drone
A group of male Muslim Uighur prisoners evidently filmed kneeling and blindfolded, and being herded into trains, was shown to China’s ambassador to the U.K. during an appearance on the BBC. Liu Xiaoming denied that there was any abuse depicted in the video, and refuted that there was any forced sterilization of the Muslim Uighur women.
The last words, for now
Burger King issued a public apology after its franchised store in the southern city of Nanchang was shown using expired ingredients on a show broadcast on Chinese TV, which led the state to inspect other locations. But it wasn’t the only company subject to this treatment: gearbox problems from General Motors were also featured:
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