De Chinese Wouden, maandag 25 maart: Rutte naar China, Filipijnen, Hsiao Bi-khim in Europees Parlement, VK gehackt
In Europa gaan gesprekken over mogelijke gewapende conflicten waarbij China betrokken zou zijn al snel over Taiwan. Maar we zouden ons grotere zorgen moeten maken over een conflict tussen China en de Filipijnen. Wat Taiwan betreft, zou een gewapend conflict zo gigantisch zijn, dat het een lastig te nemen drempel is. Gewapende, dodelijke Chinese aanvallen in de Zuid-Chinese Zee op Zuidoost-Aziatische landen zijn wel al eerder voorgekomen. Alleen zou de huidige geopolitieke context zorgen dat zo’n conflict veel sneller zou escaleren.
Het spanningsniveau in de Zuid-Chinese Zee neemt nog altijd toe. Een Filipijns scheepje dat bouwmaterialen vervoerde voor het verstevigen van een gestrand schip dat dient als militaire post, werd door grote Chinese kustwachtschepen platgespoten met waterkanonnen. Eerder raakten al Filipijnse marinemensen gewond bij zulke acties. Wat als er een keer doden vallen? De Verenigde Staten en de Filipijnen hebben een wederzijds bijstandsverdrag.
Rutte gaat binnenkort naar China, waar hij het volgens Reuters zal hebben over ASML met Xi Jinping. Ook op reis – in Europa – is Hsiao Bi-khim, die 20 mei ingezworen wordt als de nieuwe Taiwanese vice-president. De details worden met opzet vaag gehouden, maar ze sprak met parlements(vice)voorzitters in Tsjechië, Polen en Litouwen. Ook was ze in het Europees Parlement, de eerste Taiwanese ‘Vice President-elect’ ooit.
Ondertussen berichten de media in het Verenigd Koninkrijk dat de regering daar snel China zal aanwijzen van het hacken van kritische Britse politici en zelfs de kiezersregistraties.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Rutte opnieuw naar Xí Jìnpíng 习近平, handel en wereldpolitiek hoog op agenda – NOS 🇳🇱
Minister-president Rutte en minister Van Leeuwen brengen bezoek aan China – Rijksoverheid: „dinsdag 26 en woensdag 27 maart 2024”
„Woensdagmiddag spreken zij met president Xi Jinping en premier Li Qiang.”
„Minister Van Leeuwen heeft op woensdagochtend een ontmoeting met de Chinese minister van Handel, Wang Wentao.” 🇳🇱
Dutch PM Rutte to meet China’s Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 amid doubts on ASML tool licenses – Reuters: ‘Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Chinese President Xi Jinping will next week discuss whether ASML can continue to service billions of euros worth of computer chip equipment it has sold to Chinese customers, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.’ 🇳🇱
Questions over ASML services ‘grave intervention’ in market norms – The Global Times: ‘If the Dutch government gives in to pressure from the US government and raises the issue of servicing existing models sold to Chinese customers, it would be a grave intervention in the market economy by the government, Xiang said.’ 🇳🇱
Nationalistisch tabloid The Global Times heeft een expert die claimt dat zelfs het noemen van dit ASML-probleem door Rutte tijdens de ontmoeting al heel erg zou zijn, omdat het in zou gaan tegen de principes van de vrije markt, waaronder bedrijven zelf zulke beslissingen zouden maken.
💡 Taiwan’s Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim 蕭美琴 visits European Parliament – Taipei Times: ‘making her the first vice president-elect of Taiwan to visit the European Parliament before being sworn in, the ministry said.’ 🇪🇺
Taiwanese Vice President-elect Hsiao Bi-khim 蕭美琴 makes low-key visit to Lithuania – Focus Taiwan: ‘met with two Lithuanian presidential candidates’ ‘A Polish scholar told CNA that Hsiao first headed to Warsaw for a forum held by the Casimir Pulaski Foundation before visiting Lithuania.’ 🇱🇹🇵🇱
副總統當選人蕭美琴會晤捷克及立陶宛國會議長並順訪波蘭,深化我國與中東歐國家友好情誼 – 中華民國外交部
Eerder lieten berichten op sociale media Hsiao al zien in Praag. Het lijkt erop dat berichtgeving tijdens de bezoeken stil wordt gehouden.
💡 China steps up cyberattacks on UK politicians as election looms – The Times: ‘Oliver Dowden, the deputy prime minister, is expected to tell parliament on Monday that Beijing is behind a string of cyberattacks on MPs and peers.’ 🇬🇧
China targets group of MPs and peers with string of cyber-attacks – The Guardian 🇬🇧
Chinese hackers access 40 MILLION Brit voters’ personal details in shocking strike at heart of our democracy – The Sun (sic, lees voorzichtig): ‘Britain will officially finger China for a 2021 cyber attack on the Electoral Commission that oversees all UK elections.’ 🇬🇧
EU and US discussed how to address China’s role as conduit for goods to Russia – Reuters: ‘EU Sanctions Envoy David O'Sullivan said he discussed with U.S. counterparts this week how to address China's growing role and the role of production hubs in Southeast Asia as sources of advanced technology products’ 🇷🇺
Russia and Ukraine see crisis eventually resolved through talks, China’s special envoy Li Hui says – Reuters 🇺🇦
Stockholm Taiwan Center established at ISDP – Taipei Times: ‘A Taiwan-Nordic Forum is to be held annually, with the location alternating between Stockholm and Taipei each year’ 🇸🇪
Taiwan’s Kaohsiung and Kosovo’s capital Pristina become sister cities – Focus Taiwan 🇽🇰
Denmark treats Taiwan as a part of China? – Taiwan Corner: ‘Denmark has taken a stance and today registers Taiwanese as citizens of China.’ 🇩🇰
Filipijnen 🇵🇭🇨🇳
Philippine supply vessel water cannoned by China Coast Guard, suffers ‘heavy damage’ – GMA News 🇨🇳
China coastguard uses water cannons against Philippine ships in South China Sea – Reuters 🇨🇳
23 March 2024: Statement of the national task force for the West Philippine Sea – Jay Tarriela, Twitter: ‘China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels once again harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers against the routine RoRe mission that led to significant damage to the supply vessel and caused injury to personnel.’ 🇵🇭
Foreign governments stand with Philippines after latest incident in Ayungin Shoal – Rappler
‘Another incident in which a 🇵🇭resupply mission was frustrated, leading to material damage and personal injuries. We reiterate the importance of abiding by international law, in particular UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral award @DFAPHL’ – Marielle Geraedts, Twitter 🇳🇱
Philippines: Statement by the Spokesperson on provocative actions in the South China Sea – EU European External Action Service: ‘a dangerous provocation against the Philippines vessels.’ 🇪🇺
China urges Philippines to immediately stop infringement and provocation in South China Sea – Xinhua: ‘According to the spokesperson, in disregard of China’s strong opposition, the Philippines sent a supply vessel and two Coast Guard vessels on March 23, without permission from the Chinese government, to intrude into the adjacent waters of Ren'ai Jiao [Second Thomas Shoal] of China’s Nansha Qundao [Spratly Islands], in an attempt to send construction materials to the military vessel illegally grounded at Ren'ai Jiao for its repair and reinforcement.’ 🇨🇳
China’s defence ministry vows to safeguard country’s ‘territorial integrity’ after South China Sea incident – Reuters 🇨🇳
‘#Exclusive: Video footage obtained by GT from #China Coast Guard shows a group of Filipino reporters aboard a #Philippines coast guard ship intruding into waters adjacent to #China’s Ren'ai Jiao on Saturday, with one reporter flying a #drone. This indicates the so-called “supply mission” was in fact a staged show from the Philippines side to hype the #SouthChinaSea issue.’ – Global Times, Twitter 🇨🇳
‘Exclusive: Video footage obtained by GT from #China Coast Guard shows a group of Filipino reporters aboard a #Philippine coast guard ship supporting the legitimate routine rotation and resupply operation of the Philippines to expose People’s Republic of China in Ayungin Shoal. […] This supports our transparency strategy to prove that our RoRe mission was in fact a legitimate operation because our media exercises freedom of speech and is not dictated or even censored by the government unlike @globaltimesnews. […]’ – Jay Tarriela, Twitter 🇵🇭
Philippines to build new islands port near Taiwan without US help, governor says – Reuters 🇹🇼
💡 Notes from Central Taiwan: Gaming the wrong war: Are PRC incursions in Philippine waters simply testing US resolve? – Michal Turton for Taipei Times 🇹🇼
TikTok 📱🚫
TikTok classified in Taiwan as national security threat, according to digital affairs minister – Focus Taiwan: ‘Taiwan has classified TikTok as a dangerous product, Tang said, in response to a question’ 🇹🇼
US Senators get ‘shocking’ look at TikTok’s spy potential – Axios 🇺🇸
As some of the harshest Republican critics of TikTok soften their stance on the China-backed social media app, one billionaire donor’s name is ricocheting around Washington: Jeff Yass – Bloomberg 🇺🇸
Tech official pushing TikTok ban could reap windfall from US–China Cold War – The Intercept: ‘Helberg’s day job at the military contractor Palantir, however, means he stands to benefit from ever-frostier relations between the two countries.’ 🇺🇸
China hawk Rep. Mike Gallagher is taking a job at Palantir – Forbes 🇺🇸
Aan beide kanten, veel geld.
TikTok wird Partner der Nationalmannschaft – Deutscher Fußball-Bund 🇩🇪
Tech War 💽💥
China weert Amerikaanse chips en software uit eigen computers – de Volkskrant
💡 China blocks use of Intel and AMD chips in government computers – FT: ‘The stricter government procurement guidance also seeks to sideline Microsoft’s Windows operating system and foreign-made database software in favour of domestic options.’
‘Beijing’s procurement revamp is part of a national strategy for technological autarky in the military, government and state sectors that has become known as xinchuang or “IT application innovation”.’
Dit specifieke beleid is nieuw. De vervanging van Amerikaanse/Westerse IT-producten door Chinese producten in overheidssystemen is al jaren aan de gang.
Chinese ‘spionagekranen’ zoveelste uiting van groeiend ongemak – FD
Apple has discussed using Baidu’s AI in iPhones and other devices within China, the Wall Street Journal reported, a potentially big win for the domestic search leader – Bloomberg
Apple zou met Google praten over hetzelfde, maar dan heb je voor de Chinese markt natuurlijk een alternatief nodig.
Chinese EV battery maker EVE Energy in talks to invest £1bn in new UK gigafactory – The Guardian 🇬🇧
Japan’s Toppan shifts image sensor component production to China – Nikkei Asia 🇯🇵
Rusland leent paviljoen Biënnale Venetië uit aan Bolivia, in de hoop toegang te krijgen tot Boliviaans lithium – NRC: „Rusland doet al meer dan honderd jaar mee, maar sinds 2022 mag het land zijn paviljoen niet gebruiken vanwege de invasie van Oekraïne.” 🇷🇺🇧🇴
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
Russia’s new car tycoons are looking to China for a lifeline – Bloomberg: ‘For Chinese carmakers, exporting finished vehicles from the Asian nation is more profitable than building them in Russia’ 🇷🇺
Why democracy summit may signal South Korea’s shift to harder stance on China – SCMP 🇰🇷
‘Insane’: Xi Jinping’s call for ethnic Chinese to tell Beijing’s story stirs anger – Al Jazeera: ‘According to Chong, this indicates that Beijing defines membership of the Chinese nation less in legal terms and more in ethnic and racial terms.’
VS en Japan halen defensiebanden aan – FD 🇯🇵
US and Japan plan biggest upgrade to security pact in more than 60 years – FT 🇯🇵
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
Russia and China block US-led Security Council resolution on Gaza – POLITICO 🇵🇸
Explanation of Vote by Ambassador Zhang Jun on the UN Security Council Draft Resolution on the Palestinian-Israeli Issue – Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the UN: ‘The final text remains ambiguous and does not call for an immediate ceasefire. Nor does it even provide an answer to the question of realizing a ceasefire in the short term.’ 🇵🇸
World Insights: Rejection of US-proposed draft resolution on Gaza ceasefire highlights its ‘increasing global isolation’ – Xinhua 🇵🇸
Het Chinese staatspersbureau citeert zowaar iemand van Amnesty International.
Yemen-based Houthis fired a missile at a Chinese-owned oil tanker, which issued a distress call, US Central Command said – Bloomberg 🇾🇪
Why China’s words at top UN court could signal stronger support for Palestinian cause – SCMP 🇵🇸
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 extends condolences to Putin over deadly Moscow concert hall terror attack – Xinhua 🇷🇺
Putin vows punishment as Moscow mourns victims – The Global Times: ‘the counterterrorism operation is more likely to strengthen Putin's authority.’
‘The IS in recent years has frequently attacked countries like Russia and Iran which have tensions with the US, and terror attacks against Western countries have reduced, he noted.’ 🇷🇺
Nationalistisch tabloid The Global Times geeft lucht aan de samenzweringstheorieën die claimen dat Oekraïne een rol speelt en dat het Westen misschien wel zou samenwerken met IS.
Militant attack in Pakistan’s Gwadar strikes near heart of China’s interests – Nikkei Asia 🇵🇰
Chinese and North Korean officials vow to boost strategic ties in Beijing talks – SCMP: ‘It is Kim Song-nam’s first known overseas trip since 2021, when he was appointed to the post handling party-to-party affairs with socialist countries.’ 🇰🇵
India and China need to find ways to return stability to disputed border, foreign minister Jaishankar says – The Straits Times 🇮🇳
India’s Prime Minister Modi pauses his election campaign to visit neighbouring Bhutan amid concern about a China border deal – Bloomberg 🇧🇹
Singapore to restart high-level governance forum with China in June, says senior minister Teo Chee Hean – The Straits Times: ‘Mr Chen is the secretary of China’s Political and Legal Affairs Commission’ 🇸🇬
China’s construction for Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara to lead growing overseas city-building portfolio – SCMP 🇮🇩
China’s latest African building contracts prove ‘stadium diplomacy’ is a winning formula – SCMP
Peru to ‘correct error’ that gave Cosco exclusivity in megaport – Reuters 🇵🇪
Peru awards China’s Jinzhao US$405 million port construction contract – Reuters 🇵🇪
Honduras and China set US$275 mln cooperation agreement – Reuters 🇭🇳
Tribute to deceased Chinese dissident exposes fractures at UN human rights body – Reuters 🇺🇳
China economie
China ready to remove barriers for foreign companies, Premier Lǐ Qiáng 李强 tells international forum – SCMP: ‘Li told foreign investors that some of those opportunities lay in the power of urbanisation to lift domestic consumer spending.’ ’Li said that less than half of the Chinese population had permanent urban residency, far below the roughly 80 per cent rate in developed economies.’
Chinese Premier Lǐ Qiáng 李强 downplayed investor concerns of challenges facing the economy, saying Beijing is stepping up policy support to spur growth and systemic risks are being addressed – Bloomberg
Chinese premier Lǐ Qiáng 李强 delivers keynote speech at China Development Forum 2024 – Xinhua
China told it faces ‘fork in the road’ as officials meet CEOs – Reuters
Book of Xí Jìnpíng 习近平’s discourses on financial work published – Xinhua
New foreign investment into China slowed again in February, dealing a blow to policymakers’ recent efforts to lure more overseas capital to the world’s second-largest economy – Bloomberg
China’s Australian coal imports surge, replacing Russia as top supplier, but hi-tech products to be ‘slow burner’ – SCMP
China eases security checks for cross-border data transfers as it tries to boost economy – SCMP
China’s Ping An 平安 hit by US$2.7bn loss in asset management business – Nikkei Asia
Global CEOs flock to China as tensions mount over export glut – FT
Chinese commerce minister meets Apple CEO Tim Cook – Xinhua
China binnenland
China’s top anti-corruption and discipline watchdog slams county-level inspectors for not being strict enough in close circles – SCMP: ‘saying that over a quarter of the country’s counties had failed to make “even one” disciplinary detention each year.’ ‘called for more direct supervision of corruption cases by higher bodies to offset the presence of “circles of acquaintances” in most counties’
A Chinese pastor is released after 7 years in prison, only to find himself unable to get an ID – AP
Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s new, homegrown security law comes into effect – HKFP
Hong Kong residents who repeatedly repost overseas online criticism of domestic national security law could breach provisions if they incite hatred of authorities, justice secretary warns – SCMP
Ik moet denken aan Thailand, waar het bekritiseren van de wet die majesteitsschennis verbiedt tot vervolging wegens majesteitsschennis kan leiden.
‘NL agrees with the EU High Representative that the new security law of #HongKong is yet another step in the gradual erosion of the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. @NLinChina @NLinHongKong @DutchMFA’ – Wim Geerts, Twitter 🇳🇱
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Beijing holding ‘Taiwanese soldier’ who ‘lied about identity’ after being picked up by Chinese coastguard – SCMP: ‘one of two people rescued by coastguards off the coast of Fujian province on Monday’ ‘the other person […] had been returned to [Kinmen]’ 🇨🇳
Taiwan calls for return of military officer rescued by China – AFP 🇨🇳
‘Extra cautious’: Taiwan boatmen wary amid China tensions after deadly Kinmen incidents – The Straits Times 🇨🇳
Eswatini PM’s Taiwan visit a grave provocation to one-China principle and China’s sovereignty, says Chinese foreign ministry – The Global Times 🇸🇿
Ik kan me niet herinneren eerder zo’n veroordeling te hebben gezien van een bezoek van een land aan Taiwan dat formele diplomatieke betrekkingen heeft met Taipei i.p.v. Peking.
Worries about potential China-Taiwan conflict spur state legislation in US – POLITICO: ‘Since the beginning of the year, lawmakers in Arizona, Nebraska and Illinois have introduced versions of the Pacific Conflict Stress Test Act’ 🇺🇸
Taiwan agrees to allow duty-free imports of Paraguayan pork – SCMP 🇵🇾
Taiwan country most affected by disinformation – Taipei Times
Taiwan’s military unveils climate change plans – Taipei Times
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Ko Wen-je 柯文哲 (TPP) accuses Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an 蔣萬安 (KMT) of evading responsibility – Taipei Times: ‘on a controversial government contract with Taiwan Intelligent Fiber Optic Network Consortium (TAIFO), which is being investigated for alleged bribery.’ ‘The Taipei City Government on Dec. 30, 2011 — when the KMT’s Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) was mayor — signed a 25-year contract with TAIFO to build a fiber optic network in Taipei.’
Opinion: The KMT’s Huang Fu-hsing faction – James Wang in Taipei Times
Expressway construction draft proposed by KMT unconstitutional, says transport ministry – Taipei Times