Month: December 2021

Carlos Tejada, Deputy Asia Editor for The New York Times, Dies at 49

Chin@Strategy

“Carlos always pushed me and other journalists to do more stories that showed the human side of China,” Ms. Yuan wrote. “He wanted the world to understand China wasn’t just about an authoritarian government.” Carlos Ramon Tejada was born on Dec. 7, 1972, in Rochester, N.H. His mother, Carlene (Richardson) Tejada, taught English as a second language and is a former magazine editor; his father, Juan, who is from El Salvador, owns an acupuncture clinic in Tucson, Ariz. Mr. Tejada graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree…

Chinese Hydropower Project in Argentina Is Stuck in Limbo

Chin@Strategy

Advertisement The Santa Cruz Hydroelectric Project in Argentina is a key cooperation project between China and Argentina. The $4.7 billion dam project is being carried out by a consortium led by China’s state-owned Gezhouba. However, the financing agreement is currently suspended, and with it the construction of the dams. As a result, one of the projects that was once the flagship of the union between the government of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and the administration of Xi Jinping is now a sign of the cooling of those relations. The joint…

Cyprus: The Next Stop of China’s Belt and Road Initiative

Chin@Strategy

Advertisement In November 2021, China and Cyprus formally announced their strategic partnership on the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, which is of milestone significance to bilateral relations. The two heads of state decided to upgrade the China-Cyprus relationship to a strategic partnership during a phone conversation. During the call, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said that “the two countries firmly support each other’s core interests and major concerns,” and “have achieved fruitful cooperation in such fields as energy and telecommunications.” In addition, China and Cyprus “are partners in the joint…

How China’s CATL Became the Top Electric Car Battery Maker

Chin@Strategy

CATL’s initial public offering in 2018 made Mr. Zeng and two CATL vice chairmen, who together own a 40 percent stake, rich. Other early investors, some with deep political connections, did well, too. The company’s success was never assured, but China had let the world know that it planned to dominate the electric vehicle industry. It said in a sweeping announcement in 2016 that a “third industrial revolution” focusing on digitization and “new energy” would allow China to take the lead in autos. CATL invited a few outside investors to…

US-China tech war: ‘tech progress’ law to be amended to emphasise state’s role in innovation, add support for women

Chin@Strategy

The Chinese government has shown concern that the country could be left behind, despite some signs that its industrial policies are bearing fruit in these areas. Last week, a report published by the Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, at the Harvard Kennedy School, argued that China is in a position to become the global leader over the next decade in critical technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Advertisement In recent years, China’s top leadership has increasingly called for more state support to advance science and technology. In…

Harvard professor found guilty of hiding ties to Chinese-run recruitment program

Chin@Strategy

A Harvard University professor charged with hiding his ties to a Chinese-run recruitment program has been found guilty on all counts. Charles Lieber, 62, the former chair of Harvard’s department of chemistry and chemical biology, had pleaded not guilty to two counts of filing false tax returns, two counts of making false statements, and two counts of failing to file reports for a foreign bank account in China. The jury deliberated for about two hours and 45 minutes before announcing the verdict after five days of testimony in Boston federal…

China accuses Australia of ‘violent’ interference in Five Eyes response to Hong Kong election

Chin@Strategy

China has accused the Australian government of “violently interfering” in its internal affairs after Australia joined with its Five Eyes allies to voice grave concerns about the “erosion of democratic elements” in Hong Kong. Pro-Beijing candidates have been confirmed to occupy nearly every seat in Hong Kong’s new legislature after an overhaul of the electoral system that authorities said would ensure “patriots run Hong Kong”. Elections on Sunday were marred by record low voter turnout and held 18 months after authorities began a crackdown on political dissent in the name…

Tech Regulation in China Brings in Sweeping Changes

Chin@Strategy

Advertisement When Jack Ma, the billionaire founder of internet giant Alibaba, told China’s financial elites on October 24, 2020 that their incompetence had created a severely underdeveloped financial system and insinuated that his fintech may be the cure, his words marked the moment when Beijing shifted its relations to big tech giants from toleration to confrontation. Ma was perhaps unaware that the same day saw the launch of “Operation Cyber Sword,” a wide-ranging campaign involving 14 ministries and agencies aimed at reigning in China’s tech sector. The regulatory actors were…