De Chinese Wouden, maandag 15 april: Scholz in China, Rusland, Iran, Filipijnen
Fijne week aan iedereen.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Antibiotika: Pharma-Inspekteure trauen sich nicht mehr nach China – Handelsblatt: „Die Inspekteurinnen und Inspekteure deutscher Behörden wollen aus Angst vor einer Festnahme nicht mehr nach China reisen. Nun können die Behörden gesetzlich vorgeschriebene Zertifikate nicht mehr ausstellen, die nötig sind, um in China hergestellte Wirkstoffe und Arzneimittel nach Deutschland zu importieren. China gehört zu den wichtigsten Pharmaproduzenten der Welt.” „Ihre Befürchtung ist, dass sie auf Grundlage der neuen Anti-Spionage-Gesetze in China für diese – eigentlich normale – Informationsbeschaffung verhaftet werden könnten.” 🇩🇪🇪🇺
Gaat de Chinese anti-spionagewetgeving nu bijdragen aan medicijntekorten in Europa?
‘[…] I-Soon is a Chinese cyber espionage company working as a contractor of Chinese intelligence. In May 2022, these Chinese hackers attacked Czech Foreign Ministry and clearly stole internal documents related to Czech EU Presidency. […]’ – Jakub Janda, Twitter 🇨🇿🇪🇺
UK intelligence officials targeted in ‘honeytrap’ sex plots by Chinese spies – i 🇬🇧
Leaked FBI document shows British MPs were kept in dark over China hack attempts for two years – i 🇬🇧
Chinese fashion app Temu could face strict new EU content moderation rules – POLITICO Europe 🇪🇺
Taiwanese representative on declining trade with Lithuania: ‘Don’t look only at dollars’ – LRT 🇱🇹
Ten charged with selling Taiwanese passports – Taipei Times: ‘for use by Chinese nationals so that they could enter European countries’
Scholz in China 🇩🇪🇨🇳
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pressed Chinese officials to promote free trade and equal business opportunities, one week after the US Treasury Secretary pressed Beijing on the same trade issues – Bloomberg
Scholz warns Iran as attacks on Israel overshadow China trip – Reuters: ‘German officials had also expressed hope before the trip that Beijing could play a positive role in cooling the growing tensions in the Middle East’
China overtakes Germany in some exports, raising trade profile and EU eyebrows ahead of Scholz visit – SCMP
German companies’ dependence on China will last decades, warns Siemens – FT
Taiwan: Grüne und Union fordern Scholz zu Kritik an Chinas Drohungen auf – Zeit
Scholz auf dem Weg nach China: So hart wie möglich, so freundlich wie nötig – oder auch mal umgekehrt – Der Spiegel
China-Rusland 🇨🇳🇷🇺
Rol China in oorlog Oekraïne is groter dan gedacht, waarschuwt Amerika’s bevelhebber in Europa – de Volkskrant
US says China is supplying missile and drone engines to Russia – FT: ‘senior US officials said Chinese and Russian groups were working to jointly produce drones inside Russia.’
‘The officials added China was also helping Russia to improve its satellite and other space-based capabilities to help prosecute its war in Ukraine, and Beijing was also providing satellite imagery.’
China is providing Russia with significant quantities of components to build cruise missiles and drones as well as optical parts for tanks and armoured vehicles, senior US officials said – Bloomberg
Exclusive: Russia and China trade new copper disguised as scrap to skirt taxes and sanctions – Reuters
US and UK sanctions on Russian metals will cement China as Moscow’s buyer of last resort for key commodities: Shanghai becomes the only major bourse to accept Russian metal – Bloomberg
PRC exploitation of Russian intelligence networks in Europe – Filip Jirouš for Jamestown China Brief: ‘Daniel Woo’s network overlapped with Russian disinformation operations. This overlap originally centered on the late Manuel Ochsenreiter, an AfD parliamentary staffer’ ‘The most significant intersection of PRC and Russian networks has been found in the election observation missions designed to give credibility to the illegitimate plebiscites in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.’
Iran-Israël 🇮🇷🇮🇱
China stops short of condemning Iran, as it continues its balancing diplomacy – The Straits Times: ‘instead, it described it as a “spillover of the conflict in Gaza”.’
China ‘deeply concerned’ about escalation after Iran strikes Israel – Reuters
Taiwan’s foreign minister Joseph Wu 吳釗燮 condemns Iran attack on Israel, says Taiwanese in both nations safe – Focus Taiwan
Tech War 💽💥
The US is facing resistance in its attempts to press the Netherlands and Japan into further curbing Chinese access to semiconductor technology – Bloomberg 🇳🇱🇯🇵
Hackers stalen gevoelige data van Nederlands-Chinese chipmaker Nexperia – NRC: ‘Volgens RTL Nieuws maken de hackers onderdeel uit van de Dunghill-groep’ 🇳🇱
Taiwan to set up first overseas IC training base in Prague, NSTC minister says – Focus Taiwan: ‘The planned training base under the 10-year Taiwan Chip-based Industrial Innovation Program (Taiwan CbI) aims to help cultivate around 100 international specialists in the initial phase’ 🇨🇿
Chinese spy agency says foreign agents targeting rare earth and food technology sectors – SCMP
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
China asserts ‘deep friendship’ with North Korea as Russian influence grows – FT: ‘Beijing would be uneasy about losing long-term influence over North Korea’ 🇰🇵🇷🇺
Chinese navy steers a course for African ports with visits in Beijing’s renewed diplomatic push – SCMP
Zambia uncovers 'sophisticated' Chinese cybercrime syndicate – BBC News 🇿🇲
A crumbling US$475 million metro in Ethiopia's capital of Addis Ababa reveals the failed promise of China’s billions in Africa – Bloomberg 🇪🇹
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
China coastguard blocks Philippines vessels as maritime tension grows – FT: ‘The operation on Saturday night took place just 35 nautical miles from the Philippines’ coastline’ ‘The tracking data showed that the vessels met on the boundary of the nine-dash line’
President Marcos ‘horrified’ by Duterte’s alleged gentleman’s agreement with China on West Philippine Sea [South China Sea] – Rappler 🇵🇭
PBBM horrified by ‘gentleman’s agreement’, wants clarification from Chinese Ambassador – Presidential Communications Office 🇵🇭
Remarks of the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Ren'ai Jiao Issue – Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of the Philippines 🇵🇭
Former President Rodrigo Duterte accused the US of inflaming tensions between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, while criticising his successor of supposedly doing America’s bidding – Bloomberg 🇵🇭
China draws line on Second Thomas Shoal after Philippine leader denies knowing of ‘gentleman’s agreement’ – SCMP: ‘Duterte contradicted Roque’s definition of the “gentleman’s agreement” at a Philippine press conference late on Thursday.’
‘However, Mao told the daily press briefing in China that the Philippines had “breached its commitments” by refusing to remove the “illegally grounded warship” and “violated China’s sovereignty”.’ 🇵🇭
China denies recruiting ‘sleeper cell’ military members in the Philippines – SCMP: ‘Military intelligence reports showed that China had recruited Filipinos with military backgrounds to spy on its behalf in the West Philippine Sea, Brawner said, using Manila’s name for the parts of the South China Sea that fall within its exclusive economic zone.’ 🇵🇭
South China Sea: Beijing to set up naval hotline with Vietnam as Philippine maritime tensions spike – SCMP 🇻🇳
Helaas heeft Peking er een handje van om juist in geval van crises niet op te nemen.
China summons Japan diplomat over ‘negative’ stance at US summits – Kyodo News 🇯🇵
China lodges solemn representations over Japan’s negative moves in Washington – Xinhua 🇯🇵
China and Japan coast guards patrol disputed East China Sea waters – Reuters 🇯🇵
Far fewer young Americans now want to study in China. Both countries are trying to fix that – AP 🇺🇸
Xi Jinping’s chief of staff Cai Qi urges business mogul John Thornton to boost US-China ties at ‘critical crossroads’ – SCMP 🇺🇸
Interview: Chinese solar power project aligns with Suriname’s energy strategy, says official – Xinhua 🇸🇷
Feature: Chinese company lights up hope for Surinamese villages in Amazon rainforest – Xinhua 🇸🇷
Chinese exodus leaves Cambodia boomtown with 500 ‘ghost buildings’ – Nikkei Asia 🇰🇭
Return of the relics: China’s push to reclaim its lost treasures – The Straits Times
China economie
China exports decline by 7.5%, far more than forecast – Nikkei Asia: ‘the result is partly a correction, as exports had surged 10.9% in March last year, noted Capital Economics’
Wages offered to new hires in China snapped three quarters of decline in the first three months of this year – Bloomberg
China’s stock market: Beijing issues unprecedented guidelines calling for transparency, risk-management – SCMP
China IPOs slow as strict ‘broker butcher’ rules kick in – Nikkei Asia
Former China Everbright Group 中国光大集团 chairman Táng Shuāngníng 唐双宁 charged with taking bribes, state media reports – Reuters: ‘Tang had been under investigation by China's anti-graft department.’
China binnenland
China reveals it executed scientist for spying in 2016 in documentary about ‘shocking’ cases – SCMP
China continues to persecute family of dissidents unlawfully, finds report – The Guardian
Online videos show Chinese runner being gifted win in Beijing half marathon – Reuters
Hong Kong
Hong Kong must remain vigilant against ‘soft resistance,’ city’s no. 2 official warns – HKFP: ‘The Hong Kong government will step up national security education through activities organised by disciplinary forces, schools and community groups’
China says Hong Kong must 'tightly hold' national security line to safeguard development – Reuters
China’s top official overseeing Hong Kong promised new policies to help the city’s economy—without giving details—a month after the passage of a new Beijing-backed security law – Bloomberg
RTHK’s AI presenters ‘enhance productivity’ and relieve staff shortages, Hong Kong broadcaster says – HKFP
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Ma and Xi meeting might be an outlet for de-escalation in China – Taipei Times
Ma Ying-jeou’s mainland China trip shows he’s Beijing’s best hope to win Taiwanese hearts and minds – SCMP
Niet overtuigd.
KMT’s vice chairman Andrew Hsia 夏立言 visits the US – Taipei Times: ‘He also made it clear to the US that the KMT supports Taiwan increasing its defense budget and purchasing arms, and that comments by its members at the legislature should not be interpreted as opposition to efforts toward strengthening Taiwan’s defensive capabilities, Hsia added.’
Former Czechia-based Taiwanese academic Cheng Yu-chin 鄭宇欽 jailed for seven years in China on espionage charges – Taipei Times: ‘China said Cheng was a spy for Taiwan who “masqueraded as a professor” and that he was previously an assistant to […] Cho Jung-tai’ 🇨🇳
Taiwan’s military to set up new combatant command under Naval Command Headquarters in 2026, source says – Focus Taiwan: ‘tasked with defending Taiwan's territorial waters extending 24 nautical miles from the country's shoreline’
Taiwan to expand foreign aid projects and cooperation – Taipei Times
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Speaker Han Kuo-yu 韓國瑜 (KMT) becomes chair of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy – New Bloom: ‘usually chaired by the president of the Legislative Yuan.’
‘prior precedents suggest that one may see a shift in the TFD’s political direction. […] Examples [under Ma Ying-jeou] included research downplaying the death toll of the White Terror.’ ‘seeing as the KMT is the pro-China party in Taiwanese politics, there could be an impact on Southeast Asian civil society groups that work with the TFD who are cautious of how China backs the domestic authoritarian regimes they are contending with.’
Premier-designate Cho announces new interior and transportation ministers – Focus Taiwan
New education and justice and culture ministers announced – Focus Taiwan
KMT ‘rigged’ voting on pension reform, says DPP – Taipei Times: ‘The DPP said that the session records showed KMT Legislator Sasuyu Ruljuwan (盧縣一) had not signed in, but participated during the first vote’
KMT leans into calls for capital punishment against child abusers – New Bloom
Lawmakers question entertainer Mickey Huang 黃子佼 ‘leniency’ – Taipei Times: ‘despite court documents saying that Huang had been in possession of seven child pornography videos, including videos that featured children as young as 12.’
Recurring bus accidents point to systemic issues of overwork – New Bloom