China: Daily Scan, October 12, 2021

Xinjiang government refutes Western lies about human rights: Xinhuanet
October 12, 2021

The government of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Monday refuted the lies fabricated by the United States and some other Western countries about human rights in the region with evidence and facts. At the recent 48th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, some Western countries made groundless accusations against China over Xinjiang-related issues based on disinformation, rumors, and lies, said Xu Guixiang, a spokesperson with the regional government, at a press conference in Beijing. Click here to read…

Probe of virus’ origins needs collaboration: China Daily
October 12, 2021

Open-mindedness in international community essential in tracing work. To advance the probe into the origins of the novel coronavirus, top Chinese scientists have recently called for open-mindedness and international collaboration, as well as persistent efforts in screening wild animal specimens and samples of possible early infections. Click here to read…

Ex-cyberspace official charged with corruption: China Daily
October 11, 2021

Peng Bo, a former senior cyberspace official, has been charged by prosecutors with taking large bribes to control negative information on the internet for others by taking advantage of his positions, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate said on Monday. It said in a statement that the National Supervisory Commission has concluded its investigation into the alleged corruption of Peng, former deputy head of the office of the central leading group on the prevention and handling of cult-related issues. He was put under investigation in March. Click here to read…

Central bank governor vows fintech regulations: China Daily
October 10, 2021

China’s central bank governor vowed to keep strengthening regulation of financial technology companies, focusing on areas including payment services, antitrust issues and data protection. Yi Gang, governor of the People’s Bank of China, made his keynote speech, “China’s Experience with Regulating Big Tech”, at the 11th research network meeting of the Bank for International Settlements on Thursday. Click here to read…

Chinese authorities vow to support patriotic stars who love the country and HK: Global Times
October 12, 2021

The Chinese State Administration of Radio Film and Television recently issued a guideline to reform and rectify the entertainment industry in the next five years. The move includes providing support to stars who love the country and Hong Kong. The document vows to enhance the management of internet shows, livestream programs and short videos, and ban celebrities with notorious records from appearing on camera while calling for support to stars who show love to the country and Hong Kong. Click here to read…

US spy ship conducts extensive activities in S.China Sea, aims to collect data to support submarine warfare against China : Global Times
October 11, 2021

A US Navy oceanographic survey ship has been conducting extensive activities in a large area of the South China Sea since late September, which Chinese military experts said aims to collect underwater geographical and hydrological data to support its submarine warfare in the region against China. This situation also drew attention from some military observers after a US nuclear-powered attack submarine struck an unidentified underwater object in the South China Sea earlier this month, which again highlighted the US Navy’s need to learn more about the region. Click here to read…

Chinese lithium giants seek overseas projects, but face uncertainties: Global Times
October 11, 2021

Chinese upstream lithium firms have been expanding their overseas footprint this year, especially in the Lithium Triangle – the lithium-rich region in South America – to meet surging demand for the key resource for making electric vehicle (EV) batteries. However, Chinese companies’ bids to acquire overseas assets and projects still face great uncertainty given the race among countries for crucial raw materials, industry observers told the Global Times. Click here to read…

Meituan founder Wang Xing locks down social media posts as China’s food delivery giant puts antitrust investigation behind it: South China Morning Post
October 11, 2021

Wang Xing, the 42-year-old billionaire founder and chief executive of Meituan, has apparently locked down nearly 18,000 of his social media posts from public view, weeks before the food delivery and on-demand local services giant was slapped with a 3.44 billion yuan (US$533 million) fine by the government to end the firm’s antitrust investigation. Click here to read…

Chinese scientists dive into South China Sea’s dangerous internal waves: South China Morning Post
October 12, 2021

Chinese scientists say they have tested a monitoring device in the South China Sea that can improve detection of underwater currents believed to be a big danger to submarines.
In a paper in the domestic peer-reviewed journal Earth Science Frontiers on Saturday, the researchers said the 1.4-tonne sensor could operate on the sea floor for weeks and surface in response to a signal from a mother ship. Click here to read…

China’s power crisis prompts warning from rust-belt despite efforts to boost coal supply, manage electricity: Reuters
October 11, 2021

China’s largest provincial economy in its northeast rust belt warned of worsening power shortages on Monday, despite government efforts to boost coal supply and manage electricity use in a post-pandemic energy crisis hitting multiple countries. China’s Liaoning province issued its second-highest level power shortage alert on Monday, the fifth in two weeks, warning the shortfall could reach nearly 5 gigawatts (GW). Click here to read…

China says it carried out beach landing drills in province opposite Taiwan: Reuters
October 11, 2021

China’s military said on Monday it had carried out beach landing and assault drills in the province directly across the sea from Taiwan, though it did not link the exercises to current tensions with Taipei. Democratically ruled Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has complained of stepped-up military and political pressure from Beijing to force it to accept Chinese rule, including massed air force incursions into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone. Click here to read…