Inform yourself today about China. What do you need to know? (All links should be live.)

For more information on today’s anniversary of the founding of the CCP, go here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-57648236

If you want to learn more about China’s use of history on the centenary of the founding of the CCP – an event which is being used to re-shape China’s past and prepare for its future, particularly its aim to re-integrate now independent Taiwan as part of China – read this: (possibly paywalled) https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/how-the-ccp-uses-history/

The magazine from which the article comes, The Diplomat https://thediplomat.com/ is an invaluable source for anything to do with Asia and South East Asia and is thoroughly recommended to anyone who wants to know more about  the area and its politics and economics.

Interested in what is happening in Hong Kong? This article has a good summary: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-52765838

This article from last year https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/07/29/china-new-hong-kong-law-roadmap-repression shows how freedom of speech and the press is being suppressed in Hong Kong, and this article https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/all-political-rights-are-in-danger-one-year-of-hong-kong-s-security-law-1.4607211  from the Irish Times brings you up to date, with this article by Reuters about the recent closure of Apple Daily also being worth reading https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/emotions-run-high-hong-kong-residents-snap-up-final-edition-apple-daily-2021-06-24/

This article https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/european-parliament-demand-action-against-growing-repression-in-hong-kong-121070100087_1.html shows what the EU is trying to do about the situation with China’s suppression of human rights both in Hong Kong and against Uighurs.

But if you want to know the extent to which involvement in China’s Belt and Road initiative can affect European politics and prevent the EU from taking effective action, have a look at this: https://www.politico.eu/article/german-foreign-minister-slams-hungary-for-blocking-hong-kong-conclusions/

This policy document shows what the EU is doing about China’s “Economic Coercion” https://ecfr.eu/publication/measured-response-how-to-design-a-european-instrument-against-economic-coercion/ and the US response to China’s military and economic ascendancy is discussed here: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3139317/china-us-relations-washington-and-beijing-set-out-competing

The FT (paywall) reports the US/Japan “war games” as significant  in sending a message to China about Taiwan. https://www.ft.com/content/54b0db59-a403-493e-b715-7b63c9c39093

The US’s easing of relations with Russia is also significant in this context: https://www.thinkchina.sg/can-biden-set-us-and-russia-against-china

Extra information:

The Diplomat also reports on tensions on the border between China and India https://thediplomat.com/2021/06/as-china-india-border-construction-heats-up-so-do-confrontations/

And if you want a really detailed article about China’s use of social media to target dissent, read this: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0920203X20963010

This excellent article gives a thorough background on the CCP, https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinese-communist-party this article talks about propaganda https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/30/making-china-great-again-pomp-and-propaganda-as-ccp-marks-centenary and this https://www.arabnews.com/node/1886461/amp  touches on the personality cult of Xi Jinping.

“Wall in Chinese communist party exhibition” by Harald Groven is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

“Xi Jinping, painted portrait _DDC2123” by Abode of Chaos is licensed under CC BY 2.0