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China Analysis Digest #31

Publications from September 23-30, 2021

China Analysis Digest is a weekly published list of new China-related analyses.

Issue: 2021/31

  • Date range: September 23-30, 2021
  • Sources scanned: 86
  • Content: 241 publications from 50 sources
  • Download raw data (.csv)

Australia Took On China. Did It Get It Right?

Chris Buckley and Damien Cave | New York Times | September 27, 2021

Buckley and Cave tell the story of the negative knock-on effects of Australia’s sharp turn in policy and tone on China, including continued undue suspicion of Chinese-Australians, the stigmatisation of normal connections with the PRC, and the overriding of liberal values by security concerns: “New broad-brush laws to counter Chinese government influence have put Australia’s growing ethnic Chinese population under a pall of suspicion, leaving many fearful of discussing the topic, even with relatives. Seemingly benign foreign interactions — not just with China — have been snarled by red tape and ill-focused information collection aimed at combating underhand interference.” Over the last couple of years, Yun and I along with others have repeatedly raised alarm over this. For us, Australia is not a farsighted vanguard when it comes to China; rather, Australia’s experience is a cautionary lesson. (1666 words)

Toward Common Prosperity: Better Market Mechanisms and A More Functional Government

ZENG Zheng | China Finance 40 Forum | September 28, 2021

Zeng is the Director of the Market Economy and Competition Policy Research Institute at the National Development and Reform Commission. In this article, he explains the underlying economic logic of the “common prosperity” concept: “Market-driven increase in productivity is the main source for income growth. However, the market has many defects including imperfect competition, information asymmetry, varied factor endowments and externalities that stem appropriate income distribution and thus hinder progress toward common prosperity. To address market failures requires the government to play its due roles in terms of competition, resource allocation, redistribution and public goods provision. Better market mechanisms and a more functional market are both indispensable to achieving common prosperity.” (2787 words)

Volatility in Chinese Power Supply

David Fishman | Lantau Group | September 28, 2021

Fisherman explains the drivers of the current state of power cuts and power rationing across 19 provinces in China: “1. There exists a shortfall of power supply in some provinces due to coal generators unwilling to operate in the face of expensive fuel coal prices and no mechanism for cost recovery. 2. Some provinces are off-track for meeting their annual energy control objectives for energy consumption and energy intensity (called the “dual-control” objectives for short) and have adopted power rationing as a short-term measure to get back on track for those objectives. 3. There is a fundamental capacity undersupply in some provinces i.e., local demand exceeds local available capacity, or the region was dependent on imports that have become unavailable due to one of the first two reasons.” (2502 words)

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Full List

Made in China Journal:

MacroPolo:

War on the Rocks:

Lawfare:

China Brief:

Project Syndicate:

The Atlantic:

Monkey Cage:

Australian Financial Review:

Lowy Interpreter:

East Asia Forum:

The Strategist:

ChinaFile:

Sixth Tone:

China Digital Times:

Quartz:

Politico China Watcher:

Politico China Direct:

The Wire China:

SupChina:

Congressional Research Service:

Center for Strategic and International Studies:

Center for Advanced China Research:

MERICS:

Center for Security and Emerging Technology:

Brookings Institution:

Australia-China Relations Institute:

Observer Research Foundation:

The Conversation:

The Diplomat:

Foreign Policy:

ThinkChina:

National People's Congress Observer:

What's on Weibo:

Chaoyang Trap House:

ChinaTalk:

Pekingnology:

Tracking People's Daily:

Eye on China:

Takshashila PLA Insight:

Beijing to Britain:

China Research Group:

China Dialogue:

Lausan:

Hong Kong Free Press:

Taiwan Insight:

爱思想:

中国现代国际关系研究院

中央党史和文献研究院

习近平系列重要讲话数据库


Thanks to Katharina Ni for the magic (codes) that makes this series possible.