A reposting from:
Mar 18, 2025
Today we are covering, briefly:
1. Response to Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Selling Global Ports to the U.S.
Two Signals Indicating Beijing’s Stance on Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Sale of Ports to U.S. Firm BlackRock: Remarks by Hong Kong leader John Lee today emphasized that public concerns over the sale of CK Hutchison’s Panama Canal ports deserve serious attention, along with an article published five days ago by China’s State Council Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, titled "Don’t Be Naive, Don’t Lose Perspective."
The article was a repost from Ta Kung Pao, a prominent Hong Kong-based news outlet, which suggested that the U.S. might use this transaction as a "model" to trigger a global wave of port mergers and acquisitions through political pressure, potentially making it difficult for Chinese ships to find safe harbors. It urged CK Hutchison to think twice when considering sales with national security implications.
2. Tencent Orders Billions Worth of NVIDIA H20 Chips
China’s tech giant Tencent has reportedly placed an order for a batch of new chips from NVIDIA. A source close to NVIDIA stated that the order is valued at several billion yuan, while Tencent has not commented on the matter. A source from Alibaba Cloud indicated that Tencent’s large-scale short-term procurement of H20 chips is primarily to support WeChat’s integration with DeepSeek.
3. More Childcare Subsidies
Hohhot, a city in China’s Inner Mongolia province, recently announced its childcare subsidy plan: Families receive a one-time payment of ¥10,000 for the birth of a first child, a total of ¥50,000 for a second child, and ¥100,000 for a third child or beyond. It is just one of many cities and regions in China that have rolled out childcare subsidy programs in recent years. In a way, local governments are competing in the demographic free market with their respective policy tools.
4. Taiwanese Actor Attempts to Evade Military Draft
On March 13, 33-year-old Taiwanese actor Darren Wang was spotted at Taipei Main Station boarding a train with other conscripts en route to Chenggong Ling, where he is set to begin a one-year military service. Wang has now gained quite a fame across the Taiwan Strait for his desperate attempts to dodge Taiwan’s military draft — allegedly forging medical records and even assaulting a driver —adding an almost comical twist to the sensitive Taiwan issue.