De Chinese Wouden, 31 juli: Politburo, handel, IPAC in Taiwan
Fijne dag!
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
EU firms resist European Commission plan to screen private investment in China – SCMP: ‘According to diplomatic sources, just one of the EU’s 27 member states — Lithuania, arguably the bloc’s most hawkish towards China — has expressed full support for Brussels’ plans to screen outbound investments.’
‘The European Commission plan would “be a major interference in entrepreneurial decisions and international investment flows”, the Federation of German Industries (BDI) said in a written submission’ 🇪🇺
‘The EU’s plan to screen private #investment in #China is resisted by EU businesses. The Federation of German Industries says the investments strengthen economy, secure jobs and promote prosperity. @EU_Commission should stay away from interfering in entrepreneurial decisions.’ – 王鲁彤 Wang Lutong, Twitter 🇪🇺
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni trumpeted China’s potential for helping bring an end to Russia’s grinding war in Ukraine – Bloomberg 🇮🇹
Meloni seeks better terms for Italian firms in China – Reuters 🇮🇹
EU’s Borrell offers Vietnam security support on South China Sea – Reuters: ‘noting the EU could “enhance Vietnam’s capabilities in cybersecurity, maritime security and crisis management”.’ 🇪🇺🇻🇳
UKCT publishes new research on King’s College Lau China Institute – UK-China Transparency: ‘99.9% of the Institute’s funding comes from a single donor from Hong Kong’ ‘given a formal role at a body overseen by the CCP’s United Front Work Department.’ 🇬🇧
Parijs 2024 🤺
More historic China positive drug tests cast cloud over Paris swimming – Reuters
After reports on Chinese swimmers, US bill threatens to cut funding for anti-doping agency – SCMP 🇺🇸
Ruslands invasie 🇷🇺
Kyiv hails dialogue with Beijing, hints at potential Zelenskiy-Xi meeting – Reuters: ‘Ukraine has invited China’s foreign minister to visit amid growing dialogue that could eventually lead to a meeting between the two countries’ leaders, Kyiv’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.’ 🇺🇦
EU disputes China claim that it supports Beijing’s proposal to end Ukraine war – SCMP: ‘A senior EU official said the read-out of last week’s bilateral summit was the “most serious effort” they had noticed in Beijing’s attempt to set the narrative.’ 🇪🇺
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell took issue with China’s summary of his meeting with Foreign Minister Wáng Yì 王毅, saying he had not congratulated Beijing on its efforts to foster dialog among rival Palestinian factions – Bloomberg 🇪🇺
Top Chinese navy officer Hú Zhōngmíng 胡中明 and PLA ships head to Russia for maritime parade – SCMP: ‘It marks the first time in five years that China’s navy has sent warships to take part in Russian Navy Day celebrations, and the third overall’
Elektrische auto’s 🚗⚡️
Chinese firms win record 11% EV share in Europe as buyers rush to beat tariffs – The Guardian: ‘It comes as fresh customs data from Beijing shows the EU and UK took nearly half all China’s exports of electric cars in the first six months of the year by value.’ 🇪🇺
China helps Italy’s premium brake maker Brembo to defy auto industry weakness – Reuters 🇮🇹
China’s BYD 比亚迪 explores Canadian auto market entry, regulatory filing shows – Reuters 🇨🇦
Southeast Asia pushes back on cheap Chinese imports – Nikkei Asia: ‘While domestic retailers and manufacturers are seeking relief from what they see as unfair competition, government officials are courting Chinese companies to invest in local production, especially in high-tech sectors.’
Politburo bespreek economie 🤵🏻♂️🇨🇳
China Focus: CCP leadership sets out economic priorities for 2nd half of 2024 – Xinhua
China’s Politburo pledges support, sending stronger-than-expected signal to boost economy – SCMP: ‘as the economy faces “increasing negative influence” from the outside world and insufficient demand at home.’
China’s ruling Communist Party pledged to step up support for the economy, as a loss of momentum in recent months risks putting the nation’s annual growth target out of reach – Bloomberg: ‘The Politburo meeting vowed to rely on market competition to let inefficient companies fail’
China’s Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 calls for faster measures to boost domestic consumption – FT: ‘Citing “insufficient” domestic demand, China’s leadership on Tuesday endorsed the acceleration of fiscal and monetary policies’
Tech War 💽💥
Chinese chatbots moeten op hun woorden passen. „Zegt je model dingen die je in China mag zeggen?” – NRC: „De geopolitieke dimensie en de groeiende rol van de staat in AI-ontwikkeling zorgt ook voor meer geslotenheid op de conferentie.”
TSMC 台積電 to start construction of first European chip plant in August: Chairman C.C. Wei to host groundbreaking ceremony in Dresden on August 20 – Nikkei Asia 🇪🇺
European students look ahead after Taiwan IC design summer programme ends – Focus Taiwan: ‘It attracted a total of 79 students from 10 European countries to learn about Taiwan’s most advanced semiconductor technology’ 🇪🇺
Chinese robotaxi operator WeRide 文远知行 files for US IPO – Nikkei Asia 🇺🇸
Top IPAC 🏔️🇹🇼
Paternotte (D66) bezoekt Taiwan: „Chinese invasie zou desastreus zijn voor wereldeconomie” – de Volkskrant: „Paternotte vindt dat Europa snel aan de slag moet om in kaart te brengen waar het China economisch pijn kan doen.”
Taiwan president Lai Ching-te 賴清德 (DPP) calls on countries to unite amid China ‘threat’ – AFP: ‘Lai attended a summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) — a group of parliamentarians’
President Lai addresses Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China Summit – Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan): ‘Given our strategic position in the first island chain, Taiwan stands on the frontline of the democratic world.’
IPAC Taipei 2024: Taiwan joins 40-country strong Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China – IPAC: ‘formally welcoming Taiwan into the Alliance with Co-Chairs Fan Yun (Democratic Progressive Party) and Chen Gau-tzu (Taiwan People’s Party)’
‘At the Summit, IPAC members launched the 2758 Initiative, pledging to pass resolutions in their own parliaments to reject Beijing’s distortion of international law regarding Taiwan’s status.’
Taiwan was nog geen lid, omdat een vereiste is dat zowel parlementariërs van regering als oppositie toetreden. Doel is om politisering van het onderwerp in de nationale politiek van het lid te voorkomen. Nu naast de DPP er ook een TPP’er mee gaat, kan Taiwan toetreden.
Vice President Hsiao greets Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) delegates in Taipei – Taipei Times
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
Van China mag het buitenland steeds minder weten: „China is een data-eiland geworden” – de Volkskrant
Quad countries agree to expand Indo-Pacific cyber and maritime initiatives – Nikkei Asia
Editorial: A great wall against China – Hindustan Times
Libel Lawfare: Is there a legal risk to criticising Chinese companies? – Bethany Allen for The Wire China: ‘The strange reality, then, is that even as the general rhetoric against China has become more hawkish in recent years, some in the West have grown increasingly reluctant to publicly criticize China and top Chinese companies, as they perceive a high legal or political risk in doing so.’
‘In a national debate full of China critics, Paul believes that [EV maker] BYD was targeting AAM in particular as punishment for its successful advocacy.’
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
Russia, China, and Iran are all recruiting Americans to spread propaganda advancing their interests ahead of the US presidential election, American intelligence officials said Monday – Bloomberg: ‘Although China doesn’t seek to influence the outcome of the presidential election, the US officials said, there’s the possibility that Beijing-related actors may try to denigrate down-ballot candidates seen as threatening China’s core interests.’
‘At the same time, influence actors affiliated with China continue to use social media to sow division in the US and portray democracies as chaotic, the official said.’ 🇺🇸
Extra zeebodem-claim van VS stuit op verzet Rusland en China – BNR 🇺🇸
China and neighbours pressure Myanmar as regime reels from battle losses – Nikkei Asia: ‘Diplomatic sources confirmed that top Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, asked Thein Sein if he would consider taking the role of interim leader, or at least persuade Min Aung Hlaing to step aside and schedule elections in early 2025. In subsequent meetings with Soe Win, Chinese officials again pushed for a poll before mid-2025 and suggested an interim government, according to the sources.
Chinese officials also suggested that the regime should back down in the conflict with China-oriented armed groups in Shan, the sources said.
Ratcheting up pressure for elections, China’s ruling Communist Party last week also hosted leaders of four Myanmar political parties who represent a working group registered under the regime-run election commission.’ 🇲🇲
China’s Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 congratulates Venezuela’s Maduro on reelection – Reuters: ‘All parties should respect the choices of the Venezuelan people, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told a news briefing in reply to a query about China’s position on Maduro’s contested reelection.’ 🇻🇪
China supports Malaysia’s Brics application, saying ‘like-minded partners’ are welcome – SCMP 🇲🇾
China economie
China’s consumers dig deep amid economic concerns with splurge on gold bars and coins – SCMP
Chinese low-tech manufacturers hanging on by ‘their fingernails’ – FT: ‘increasingly struggling with anaemic orders from western buyers, trade restrictions in foreign markets and growing competition from rival hubs’
China tells companies to put worker reps in boardrooms – Nikkei Asia
China property winding-up sagas show difficulty of recovering assets – Nikkei Asia: ‘Typically [offshore investors] can only count on liquidators selling offshore assets to recover a fraction of the debts.’
Country Garden 碧桂园 liquidation hearing adjourned to January next year, court says – Reuters
Exclusive: China stocks regulator likely to promote law enforcement chief to vice chair, sources say – Reuters
China binnenland
Typhoon remnants kill four in China, sever transport and power links – Reuters
Chinese suppliers storm Temu office in Guangzhou in protest over ‘harsh’ policies – SCMP
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 calls for more support and respect for China’s military veterans – SCMP
胡錫進禁言︱《人民日報》疑似澄清 強調三中「內涵包括公有制為主體」 – 星島日報：「有猜測與其一篇『妄議』二十屆三中全會的文章、指官方放棄『公有制為主體』有關。」
网传胡锡进被中国社交媒体禁言 – 联合早报：“〔上星期六（7月27日）〕后的三天，胡锡进的微博罕见地停止更新，引发社交媒体的热议。有网民发现，胡锡进的抖音、头条均已停更四天。”
Hong Kong
Hong Kong activist Owen Chow convicted for taking complaint form out of prison without authorisation – Reuters
China’s state-owned funds and lenders claw back pay and bonuses – FT: ‘This pressure follows tighter controls of state-owned financial conglomerates on the mainland, bankers briefed on the measures told the Financial Times, with that scrutiny now being extended to funds as well as bankers who work for state institutions in Hong Kong, in particular those on mainland contracts.’
As mainland China broadens yuan’s global appeal, Hong Kong may play larger role – SCMP
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Taiwan and China reach settlement terms over Kinmen speedboat incident – Focus Taiwan 🇨🇳
Taiwanese fishers to return after agreement reached with Japan – Taipei Times: ‘the fishers’ boat was boarded and detained by Japan Coast Guard officers for allegedly entering the coastal waters off Japan’s Yonaguni Island.’ 🇯🇵
Japan-Taiwan summit held in Tainan – Taipei Times: ‘the 10th Japan-Taiwan Exchange Summit’ 🇯🇵
Taiwan’s AIDC to collaborate with foreign firms on new military tech – Taipei Times: ‘memorandums of understanding (MOU) with foreign companies to collaborate on technologies related to tanks, warplanes and drones’
‘visited the UK and signed the MOUs while attending the biannual Farnborough International Airshow.’
Navy ‘confident’ of warship readiness despite auditor’s maintenance concerns – Focus Taiwan
Defence budget to hit NT$630bn [€17.8bn] – Taipei Times