Our picks: China watchShould Taiwan Worry about a Chinese Surprise Attack? | US “Strike Force” to Break China’s Grip on Trade | How Academic Freedom Ends, and more

Why Israel’s 1967 Surprise Attack on Egypt Is a Warning for Taiwan  (Adam Leong Kok Wey, National Interest)
Strategic similarities between Chinese air sorties and Israel’s air deception campaign against Egypt months before the Six-Day War cannot be easily dismissed.

Leading UK Universities Accept More than £40m from Huawei and State-Owned Chinese Companies  (Lucy Fisher, The Telegraph)
Hawkish Tory MPs uncover 20 universities accepted million-pound research grants from companies such as Huawei. Tom Tugendhat, who leads the China Research Group (CRG) warned: “Chasing the money around British universities is revealing of connections and ties that will be seen by some as compromising academic independence.”

How Academic Freedom Ends  (Timothy McLaughlin, The Atlantic)
Beijing is using dismissals, arrests, and a repressive new law to curtail students’ and professors’ rights.

Bush Family Nonprofit’s $5 Million Deal with China Influence Group (Lachlan Markay and Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, Axios)
A nonprofit affiliated with the late former President George H.W. Bush agreed to accept $5 million from a policy group at the center of China’s U.S. influence efforts.
Why it matters: As tensions escalate between the U.S. and China, leaders with the George H.W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations have sounded off for closer ties — and while criticizing Beijing in some cases, have toed China’s line on some major geopolitical issues.

Huawei Ramps Up Investment in Chipmaking as U.S. Sanctions Bite  (Ding Yi, CX Tech News)
Huawei is deepening its involvement in the semiconductor industry with an investment in a Chinese company engaged in producing a major component for chipmaking equipment, as the Chinese tech giant grapples with chip shortages caused by the U.S. sanctions.

How Not to Win Allies and Influence Geopolitics  (Audrye Wong, Foreign Affairs)
China’s Self-Defeating Economic Statecraft.

US “Strike Force” to Break China’s Grip on Trade  (David Charter and Didi Tang, The Times)
The US will target China with a “strike force” to counter unfair trade practices after a review concluded that America had become too reliant on its rival for key technologies.
A “supply chain disruptions task force” is being set up to reverse the “hollowing out” of American production of batteries, raw materials, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, officials in Washington said. Last night the Senate approved the spending of $250 billion to compete with Chinese technology. It is expected to lead to up to ten semiconductor plants being built.

US Senate Approves $50bn Boost for Computer Chip and AI Technology to Counter China  (Guardian)
Legislation shows deeply divided parties are united on confronting China in the ‘race for technologies of the future’.

Over 47,000 Wild Animals Sold in Wuhan Markets Before Covid Outbreak, Study Shows  (Jeremy Page, Drew Hinshaw and Betsy McKay, Wall Street Journal)
New study shows animals were often butchered on site in markets and stored in cramped, unhygienic conditions.

Exporting Chinese Surveillance: The Security Risks of “Smart Cities”  (Financial Times)
“Safe” and “smart” city technologies represent a complex new frontier for China’s projection of power.

Biden Replaces Trump Executive Orders Targeting TikTok and WeChat  (Rebecca Klar, The Hill)
President Biden has replaced former President Trump’s executive orders that sought to ban downloads of the Chinese-owned apps TikTok and WeChat in the U.S., the White House said on Wednesday.
In place of his predecessor’s orders, Biden directed an “evidence-based” analysis of risks posed by software and apps designed and developed by a foreign adversary, including China, that may represent an “undue or unacceptable risk to the national security” of the American people, according to a fact sheet.
Trump had sought to block new users from downloading the apps, but the orders were blocked in courts and never took effect.