Our picks: China watchCCP Longevity | West’s Fightback against China | China’s Digital Currency Initiative, and more

It’s Russia, Stupid (For Now)  (Elise Labott, Foreign Policy)
Biden wants to focus on China. That’s a gift to Putin.

The Chinese Communist Party Won’t Last Forever  (Minxin Pei, Strategist)
Human beings approaching the age of 100 normally think about death. But political parties celebrating their centennials, as the Chinese Communist Party will on 1 July, are obsessed with immortality. Such optimism seems odd for parties that rule dictatorships, because their longevity record does not inspire confidence. The fact that no other such party in modern times has survived for a century should give China’s leaders cause for worry, not celebration.

Why Beijing Will Never Cooperate with a COVID-19 Investigation  (James Palmer, Foreign Policy)
Although a lab leak is unlikely, officials have plenty to conceal in Wuhan.

Vaccine Diplomacy Boosts China’s Standing in Latin America  (Oliver Stuenkel, Foreign Policy)
Beijing has increased its leverage in the region—but Washington can still stage a comeback.

Tom Tugendhat Is the British MP China Hates Most  (David Patrikarakos, Foreign Policy)
A stalwartly anti-Beijing figure doesn’t quite fit his party’s mold.

China’s Climate Sincerity Is Being Put to the Test  (Economist)
Until it stops burning coal for power, foreign firms will be reluctant to invest more there.

The West’s Fightback against China Has Finally Begun  (Jeremy Warner, The Telegraph)
Challenges of persuading private capital to invest in a Western alternative to Belt and Road are formidable

China’s Digital Renminbi Initiative Is a Network, Not a Currency  (Matthew D. Johnson, Strategist)
Publicly revealed by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) in 2019, China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) project—the Digital Currency Electronic Payment, or DCEP—is an early-stage endeavour to rewire the global economic system using emerging financial technology.

Uyghurs Outside China Are Traumatized. Now They’re Starting to Talk about It  (Andrew McCormick, MIT Technology Review)
As loved ones disappear in their homeland, community members in other countries feel helpless and afraid. Telehealth and social media are helping.

Sprawling Cyber-Espionage Campaign Linked to Chinese Military Unit  (Catalin Cimpanu, The Record)
Cybersecurity experts have uncovered evidence that interconnects several multi-year and sprawling cyber-espionage campaigns to a Chinese military unit operating out of the city of Ürümqi in China’s western province of Xinjiang.
According to a report released today by Recorded Future’s Insikt Group, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Unit 69010 is believed to have been behind a series of cyber-espionage campaigns dating back to 2014 that have focused on gathering military intelligence from neighboring countries.

Critical Entities Targeted in Suspected Chinese Cyber Spying  (Alan Suderman, Associated Press)
A cyberespionage campaign blamed on China was more sweeping than previously known, with suspected state-backed hackers exploiting a device meant to boost internet security to penetrate the computers of critical U.S. entities.
The hack of Pulse Connect Secure networking devices came to light in April, but its scope is only now starting to become clear. The Associated Press has learned that the hackers targeted telecommunications giant Verizon and the country’s largest water agency. News broke earlier this month that the New York City subway system, the country’s largest, was also breached.
Security researchers say dozens of other high-value entities that have not yet been named were also targeted as part of the breach of Pulse Secure, which is used by many companies and governments for secure remote access to their networks.