Good morning and welcome back to FirstFT Asia. In today’s newsletter:
Xi’s military purge ensnares top Chinese general
Trump faces growing backlash against immigration crackdown
Notes from Shanghai’s underground
We start in Beijing, where China’s military has accused its top general of undermining the command authority of Xi Jinping. Here’s what to know about the probe of Zhang Youxia.
What happened: China’s military has accused Zhang, vice chair of the Central Military Commission and a close confidant of Xi, of undermining the authority of the Chinese leader. The accusation suggests that ensuring Xi’s powers, rather than just charges of corruption, is behind the investigation announced on Saturday.
The accusations: Zhang and Liu Zhenli, another CMC member and the People’s Liberation Army’s chief of staff, had “severely trampled on and damaged the chairman responsibility system”, the military’s official newspaper PLA Daily said in an editorial published yesterday. Under the Chinese constitution, the “chairman responsibility system” is designed to secure the Chinese Communist Party’s absolute control over the armed forces.
The PLA mouthpiece’s editorial said the two generals had “seriously abetted political and corruption problems that affect the [Communist] party’s absolute leadership over the military and endanger the foundation of the party’s rule”.
The military’s importance: The comments highlight the significance of the PLA for Xi in his expected quest for a fourth term, which the party would have to confirm at its next congress, due in 2027. “The military is the only organisation in China that has a history of defying party leaders,” said Dennis Wilder, an expert on the Chinese military and the former head of China analysis at the CIA. Here’s what other analysts said about Zhang’s fall.
Here’s what else we’re keeping tabs on today:
India: The 77th Republic Day Parade celebrations will be attended by European Council President António Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, ahead of an EU-India Summit tomorrow.
Five more top stories
1. Donald Trump faces a mounting backlash against his immigration crackdown after federal agents killed a second person in Minneapolis, causing some Republicans to break ranks and Democrats to threaten a government shutdown. Protesters took to the streets across the US over the weekend after Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was shot dead by immigration agents. Here are more details.
City under siege: Residents of Minneapolis describe the feeling of living under paramilitary occupation, with increasingly brutal crackdowns on protest.
2. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s flagship project Neom is set to be significantly downscaled and redesigned as a review of the massive development nears completion after years of delays and budget overruns. People briefed on the matter said The Line, a futuristic linear city that is the giga-project’s centrepiece, is to be radically scaled back, and Neom could now become a hub for data centres. Read the full story.
3. An official review into Bangladesh’s power sector has concluded that long-term deals signed without competition are adding billions of dollars a year to electricity costs. The report is likely to increase pressure on the country to renegotiate contracts with companies including India’s Adani Power.
4. A leading Chinese humanoid robot maker has said its latest machines are at most half as efficient as human workers, underlining the challenges in deploying them to solve labour shortages and increase productivity. Read the interview with Michael Tam, chief brand officer at Shenzhen-based UBTech, which has partnerships with carmaker BYD and Apple contractor Foxconn.
5. Trump has threatened to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Canada if it secures a trade deal with China just days after Mark Carney suggested the US was “rupturing” the world order. North American tensions resurfaced after Carney met Xi Jinping in Beijing last week on a visit that was partly designed to help Ottawa diversify its trade relationships.
FT Magazine
Ma Haiping is the undisputed king of Shanghai’s techno scene, yet, increasingly, he sees himself as belonging to a city that no longer exists. The Shanghai the 44-year-old started out in was synonymous with China’s rapid development and opening up to the world. Its underground music culture attracted a global crowd — until the city was hit by cultural crackdowns and Covid-19. But Ma’s desire to keep Shanghai’s underground culture alive burns as strongly as ever.
We’re also reading . . .
The last humanitarians: Amid a global crisis in humanitarian aid, Henry Mance spent five days in Sudan with the UN’s outgoing High Commissioner for Refugees.
Middle powers at risk: Even if you are not interested in the superpowers, they will sooner or later be interested in you, writes Martin Sandbu.
Trump’s clemency drive: The US president has begun the year with a blitz of pardons of people convicted of white-collar crimes. Here are the recipients.
Chart of the day
High-tech memory and computer storage stocks are soaring because of “insatiable” demand for their chips and a shortage of supply, as investors hunt for the next winners in the booming AI sector.
Take a break from the news . . .
According to a spate of recent reports, employees are increasingly turning to AI chatbots for coaching and companionship. But this desire for a frictionless workplace, without the bothersome waste of human interaction, poses several risks, writes Emma Jacobs.
