Under TheThe RadarLabour Leadership A dive into the news youContest might have 2020 missed

Summary & Analysis targets the free But with China frustrating the WHO’s Covid-19 enquiry, establishing what press (again) appear to be modern-day concentration camps in Xinjiang, taking away civil liberties in Hong Kong, and sabre-rattling What happened? over Taiwan it’s not clear the Western world can afford to stay silent. That said, A pair of Australian journalists were Xi Jinping is clearly betting no-one will forced out of China following a tense stand up to him. standoff with the country’s authorities. Bill Birtles of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Financial Review’s “Finding an independent Mike Smith were interviewed by Chinese police before eventually being allowed voice on China has never to board a flight to Sydney. Birtles had been harder” been holed up in the Australian consulate pending his flight out following a tip off that he was wanted by the authorities. Because as democracies like Australia and Canada are finding out, having the full Birtles says he was questioned about weight of the Chinese state on you limits Chinese journalist Cheng Lei, an the ability to breathe. Add in the tentacles Australian journalist who works for the Chinese Communist Party have been Chinese state broadcaster CGTN. Lei wrapping around western universities, was detained last month and is accused think tanks, and civil society groups over of ‘endangering national security’. He was the past three decades and finding an not questioned about his own reporting independent voice on China has never on China. been harder. And when you do speak up, China puts you in the deep freeze, at great The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of pains to your economy. China says that 17 journalists were expelled from the country in the first half That’s why unpicking the deep economic of 2020, a record. ties built up between the west and China is now the most urgent task facing What does it mean? advanced democracies. The Middle Kingdom will not be changing under Xi’s If war is politics by other means then leadership and so it’s time for the West to China’s current war on the press is meant take a new approach. Yes, it will come at to send a strong signal to all Western a cost, but a steep price is already being governments: stay out of our business. paid. Justice in name only The CIA and UN have both found the government of Saudi Arabia responsible for the death and the CIA went even What happened? further by naming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the person A court in Saudi Arabia has delivered who ordered the killing. the final verdicts for the eight people accused of murdering Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, Five were given 20 years in prison, one said this week that the rulings were a individual received a 10 year stretch, and “complete mockery of justice” and a the remaining two were handed seven “farce”. Cengiz’s brave and unflinching years each. stance is in stark contrast with the limp statement made by the British foreign Critics of the verdict and the entire secretary last year, in which he said the process have portrayed it as kangaroo murder was “a terrible crime” and that the court, including Khashoggi’s fiancee “family deserve to see justice”. and the UN, who dubbed it a “parody of justice”. “Western governments have long placated the What does it mean? House of Saud” For what feels like a very long time, Western governments now have an Saudi Arabia has acted with impunity on opportunity to reset their relations with multiple fronts. At home the government Riyadh: we are not as reliant on oil as restricts the fundamental human rights we once were; there are fewer military of its citizens, while in Yemen they have conflicts directly involving western created one of the worst humanitarian forces in the region; and the House of disasters of the 21st century. Yet western Saud continues to flout everything which governments have long placated the we hold dear, including free and fair House of Saud because of our disastrous elections, civil liberties, and freedom of reliance on oil and need for a regional expression. ally.

Propping up a corrupt and cruel regime is It took a hit squad to butcher a journalist a stain on the collective consciousness of inside a consular building on foreign western governments - and yet arms sales soil for the court of public opinion to will continue and normal business will ask questions about whether the Saudi resume, in spite of our supposed values. government are nice people or not. Space Race Heats Up US tech titans, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, it’s an incredibly competitive market. There has also been an increased focus What happened? on smaller satellites, driven by low-cost, compact electronics, spurred on by new The German government is reportedly digital technologies. reviewing proposals to create a satellite launchpad in its North Sea economic Despite only being two years old, zone. The plan would see small satellites Germany’s leading space company, Isar launched with German rockets under a Aerospace, reportedly has the full support public-private partnership, spearheaded of Merkel’s government, especially the by The Federation of German Industries. Economy Minister Peter Altmaier. This The proposals would see the government is necessary if they are to realistically put forward an initial investment of challenge Musk, given that SpaceX has €30m, with an aim to make the launchpad developed strong commercial ties with commercially profitable. NASA.

The proposals come as Isar Aerospace “Dominated by US tech begins production on what will be the titans, Jeff Bezos and Elon first privately built rocket developed in Germany to be fired into orbit, finally Musk, it’s an incredibly putting Germany into the commercial competitive market” space race. The Munich start-up backed by Airbus Ventures and advised by a former SpaceX VP, is hoping to launch its Germany’s cosmic ambitions also face first Spectrum rocket by the end of next intense competition closer to home, not year. least from its neighbours in Northern Europe. The EU, Norway and Sweden What does it mean? are in the sector, potentially irritating Berlin’s geopolitical allies, while the UK While Germany has lagged behind in recently ‘won’ the bankrupt OneWeb at the race to commercialise space travel an auction for £377million; with Dominic and industry, they were, in fact, the first Cummings keen to position the UK at the country to launch a man-made object that forefront of space technology. reached orbit. The V2 rocket, launched in 1942, set the standard for future space Taxpayer-funded OneWeb will have no apparatuses. political roadblocks and will be a priority for Johnson as the UK swaps the EU for 75 years later and Germany is now the world and beyond. Should a German looking to become a credible player in the launchpad be developed just off Britain’s 21st century space race. Dominated by shores, the competition will be even more fierce. This Weeks Must Reads

Joe Biden’s China Journey

“As a United States senator, he spoke of transforming China through trade. As a presidential candidate two decades later, he denounces it as a ‘dictatorship’” - Edward Wong, Michael Crowley and Ana Swanson look at Joe Biden’s changing views on China.

What bats can teach us about developing immunity to Covid-19 Financial Times

“Coronaviruses have been evolving in bats for thousands or millions of years. They have moved into people very recently — perhaps as recently as last year in the case of Sars-Cov-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19” - Clive Cookson, Anna Gross and Ian Bott on bat immunology.

How Abe Shinzo changed Japan The Economist

“If the next prime minister manages to get anything done, it will be thanks in large part to the groundwork laid by Mr Abe” - The Economist explores the legacy of Abe Shinzo.

‘They want to shut down his voice’: how did Hotel Rwanda dissident end up on trial?

“Rusesabagina had not set foot in Rwanda since the genocide there that killed about 800,000 people in 1994, but over the years had become increasingly involved in efforts to oust Paul Kagame, the president for 20 years.” - Jason Burke on the arrest of Paul Rusesabagina. What we do

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