De Chinese Wouden, dinsdag 27 december 2022: China hernoemt covid, stuurt luchtmacht richting Taiwan, interview ambassadeur Fu Cong
China heeft covid hernoemd van ‘longontsteking’ naar ‘besmetting’. Per 8 januari gaat het coronavirus ook omlaag in de classificatie van besmettelijke ziektes en eindigt de verplichte quarantaine voor binnenkomende reizigers. Ik zou niet gelijk een groepsvakantie naar China boeken, maar de normalisatie gaat werkelijk vliegensvlug. De vraag blijft hoe de gezondheidszorg er doorheen komt, maar de strategie lijkt nu: op de tanden bijten en de slechte kantjes negeren. Met censuur is het straks ook makkelijk vergeten, als de economie maar weer aanslaat.
Wat betreft Taiwan: 71 vliegtuigen van de Chinese luchtmacht zijn de middenlijn van de Straat van Taiwan overgevlogen, de luchtverdedigingszone (ADIZ) in. Dit komt na de aanname in de VS van de National Defense Authorisation Act, die dit jaar flinke militaire steun voor Taipei bevat. Als ik snel door de tracker van Gerald Brown scroll, lijkt dit inderdaad een nieuw record. Ook nieuw is, dat men tegelijk niet alleen in de gebruikelijke zuidwesthoek zit, en iets provocerender in het midden de lijn oversteekt, maar ook het noorden van Taiwan bedreigt. Dit is weer een treetje erbij.
Maar eerst zou ik nog aandacht willen vragen voor het vraaggesprek dat de Europacorrespondent van de SCMP afgelopen vrijdag publiceerde met de nieuwe Chinese ambassadeur in Brussel. Het is de moeite waard om het hele transcript te lezen. Het is het aloude geklaag dat Europa de Chinese houding niet goed zou begrijpen en dat Amerika manipuleert aangevuld met een omschrijving van Rusland als vriend en de invasie als ‘speciale militaire operatie’. Wie begrijpt de ander nu niet?
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
New Chinese ambassador Fù Cōng 傅聪 admits Russian invasion of Ukraine has hurt relations with EU – SCMP: ‘with Beijing not wanting “to choose between friends”’ ‘Fu — who referred to the conflict as a “so-called special operation” because “this is what the Russians have called it” — said one of his priorities in his new role was to “depoliticise” EU-China relations.’ 🇪🇺
Dat het nieuws is dat hij dit openlijk toegeeft, zegt ook wel iets. Het onderstaande transcript laat ook de ondertoon van neerbuigend onbegrip zien die zoveel schade aanricht in de relatie.
💡 Transcript of Ambassador Fù Cōng 傅聪’s interview with the South China Morning Post – Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union: ‘we don’t believe the Ukraine crisis should be an issue, much less a problem, between China and the EU, because it is not.’ ‘We know that some countries or some people in certain countries do not want to see the cessation of hostility there. We don’t think that is right. […] We witness that from the United States.’ 🇪🇺
Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi to confer this week, TASS quotes Kremlin – Reuters
Chairman FAO Qū Dōngyù; 屈冬玉: Western powers pressure China’s UN food boss to grip global hunger crisis – POLITICO Europe: ‘The critical picture that emerges is of a leader whose top-down management style and policy priorities are furthering China’s own agenda, while sidelining the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.’ ‘his language of calling it a “conflict” and not a war.’
Antwoord op vragen van het lid Van der Woude over het artikel van AD VALVAS ‘Chinese promovendi in Nederland moeten trouw beloven aan de communistische partij.’ – Tweede Kamer: „Ondanks dat het realistisch is om te veronderstellen dat er door de Chinese overheid invloed wordt uitgeoefend, betekent dat niet dat er helemaal geen samenwerking kan worden aangegaan met onderzoekers uit dat land. De maatregelen op het gebied van kennisveiligheid zijn daarom in de basis landenneutraal.” 🇳🇱
Chinese promovendi in Nederland moeten trouw beloven aan de communistische partij – Ad Valvas (12 oktober 2022) 🇳🇱
Omstreden programma: Vlaamse studenten op kosten van Huawei naar China – De Standaard 🇧🇪
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 extends congratulations to new Slovenian president – Xinhua 🇸🇮
Cyprus denies extradition to China in a case illustrating transnational repression acts – Safeguard Defenders 🇨🇾
Czechia deputy foreign minister Jiří Kozák affirms support for Taiwan’s democracy – Focus Taiwan 🇨🇿
China covid 🦠
China kondigt einde quarantaineplicht voor reizigers aan, negatieve PCR-test volstaat – RTL Nieuws
Zero-Covid is mislukt, maar de Chinese leider Xi is ‘onfeilbaar’ – NRC
💡 China to manage Covid-19 with measures against Class B infectious diseases – Xinhua: ‘China has renamed novel coronavirus pneumonia as novel coronavirus infection, according to a statement released by the National Health Commission on Monday. Starting from Jan. 8, China will also downgrade management of the disease from Class A to Class B in accordance with the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Disease, added the statement.’
Van 新型冠状病毒肺炎 (xīnxíng guānzhuàng bìngdú fèiyán) naar 新型冠状病毒感染 (xīnxíng guānzhuàng bìngdú gǎnrǎn).
关于印发对新型冠状病毒感染实施“乙类乙管”总体方案的通知 – 联防联控机制综发
China will end Covid-quarantine requirements for inbound travellers starting January 8, putting the country on track to emerge from three years of self-imposed global isolation – Bloomberg
China eases cross-border freight curbs at land ports to boost trade amid zero-Covid policy exit – SCMP
Beijing and Shanghai residents back to work as China limps towards living with covid – Reuters
China’s health campaign should guide the public to develop health knowledge and good personal hygiene habits – Bloomberg
Xi Jinping makes important instruction on patriotic health campaigns – Xinhua
We gaan leren wat ‘eigen verantwoordelijkheid’ is in het Chinees.
Zorg China wankelt door covid: „Tekort aan middelen, artsen overbelast”– NOS
Bloedtekort in China door toename coronabesmettingen – Trouw
💡 Packed ICUs and crowded crematoriums: covid roils Chinese towns – AP: ‘emergency wards in small cities and towns southwest of Beijing are overwhelmed.’
‘The ICU is full’: medical staff on frontline of China’s covid fight say hospitals are ‘overwhelmed’ – Reuters
‘We have no beds, we have no oxygen’: Covid overwhelms Beijing’s hospitals – FT
Fast-spreading Covid infections are causing blood shortages at Chinese hospitals, underscoring challenges to the nation’s healthcare system – Bloomberg
China stopt met melden covidcijfers – NOS
Nearly 37 million people in China may have been infected with Covid-19 on a single day this week, according to estimates from the government’s top health authority – Bloomberg
Quick View: Facts & Figures: Why China’s anti-Covid efforts should be given kudos? – Xinhua: ‘Facts and figures are impartial.’
‘What we need is paracetamol’: Chinese authorities face backlash over drive to hand out traditional medicine Lianhua Qingwen as Covid surges – SCMP
After China’s covid U-turn, a ‘tsunami’ of infected strip bare pharmacy shelves – Caixin Global
China authorities take over medical supplies production as Covid surges – AFP
Zero covid is voorbij, toch blijft de Chinese activist Dianxin (Yáng Zǐjīng 杨紫荆, 25) vastzitten – Trouw
Taiwan defensie 🇹🇼🪖
Recordaantal Chinese oorlogsvliegtuigen dringt het luchtverdedigingszone van Taiwan binnen – VRT Nieuws met een handige uitleg van de ADIZ.
China-US relations: PLA holds drills around Taiwan after Biden signs bill containing security assistance – SCMP
💡 Taiwan detects 78 Chinese craft in a day – Taipei Times: ‘The armed forces monitored the situation, and tasked combat air patrol aircraft, navy vessels and land-based missile systems to respond to the Chinese activities.’
Taiwan reports China’s largest incursion yet to air defence identification zone – Reuters: ‘The White House said the United States was concerned by China’s military activity near Taiwan, which it called “provocative” and “destabilising,” adding that it risked miscalculations and undermined regional stability.’
Relevant: Chinese military simulating attacks on Okinawa Islands since December 16 – The Japan News (22 December 2022)
Okinawa huisvest de belangrijkste Amerikaanse militaire bases in de regio en ligt op minder dan anderhalf uur vliegen van Taipei. Bij een Chinese aanval op Taiwan zou Peking deze waarschijnlijk eerst willen neutraliseren.
China angered, Taiwan cheered by new US defence act – Reuters
Taiwan to extend military service to 1 year with eye on China – Nikkei Asia: ‘President Tsai Ing-wen is expected to convene Taiwan's National Security Council on Tuesday to make the decision official, with the longer service requirement taking effect as soon as 2024.’
Zeitentechwarwende ⏱️💽
💡 TSMC in talks to build first Europe chip plant in Germany’s Dresden – Nikkei Asia: ‘The Taiwanese company is sending a team of senior executives to Germany early next year to discuss the level of government support’
Japan lawmaker says TSMC is considering second plant in Japan – Reuters
TSMC to hold 3nm process mass production launch ceremony on December 29 in southern Taiwan – Focus Taiwan
Elektroautos: Chinesische Batterien aus Thüringen – FAZ: „Von der breiten Öffentlichkeit fast unbemerkt hat diese Woche der chinesische Konzern CATL in Thüringen mit der Produktion von Batteriezellen für Elektroautos begonnen.“
💡 ‘A sea change’: Biden reverses decades of Chinese trade policy – POLITICO Special Report: ‘The new strategy, which the Biden administration internally calls its “protect agenda,” is being rolled out this fall and winter in a series of executive actions.’ ‘Those initiatives come on the heels of Biden’s “promote” agenda’
Chinese firms urged to look overseas as Covid supply chain disruptions drive friendshoring trend – SCMP
De decennia aan opbouw van toeleveringsketens gericht op China betekent ook dat veel toeleveranciers Chinees zijn. Als Foxconn productie voor Apple naar India of Vietnam verplaatst, komen die Chinese producenten ook mee.
Huawei licenses key tech to major European automakers – Nikkei Asia
Huawei has secured an extension to a patent licensing deal with Nokia Oyj, suggesting the Chinese company continues to lead in networking technology despite years of punishing US sanctions – Bloomberg
Tencent billionaire Pony Ma goes on a tirade as cracks appear in empire – Bloomberg
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
How an unusual coalition outfoxed China and Russia at the UN – Foreign Policy: ‘An unusual coalition of smaller U.N. powers led by Mexico, Gambia, and Bangladesh found a way to jump-start the process of creating a first-ever U.N. convention on crimes against humanity over the fierce objections of Moscow, Beijing, and their allies—who had stalled the process for three years straight.’
Chinese foreign minister Wáng Yì 王毅 tells US counterpart China is ‘on the side of peace’ and UN Charter over war in Ukraine – POLITICO Europe
US must stop ‘bullying’ and suppressing China’s development, foreign minister Wáng Yì 王毅 tells Blinken – Reuters
Secretary Blinken’s call with People’s Republic of China State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wáng Yì 王毅 – US Department of State: ‘also raised concerns about Russia’s war against Ukraine and the threats it poses to global security and economic stability.’
Head-of-state diplomacy sets pace for China’s overall diplomatic work, says foreign minister – Xinhua
China to ‘recalibrate’ its relationship with the US and increase communication with Europe, foreign minister Wáng Yì 王毅 says – Bloomberg
China sanctions two Americans, Miles Yu and Todd Stein, over Tibet rights controversy – Reuters
Japan and 5 Central Asian states affirm importance of rules-based international order – Kyodo News
Japan heeft veel goed werk voor de vrije wereldorde in de eigen regio gedaan sinds de Russische inval in Oekraïne.
Philippines to boost military presence in South China Sea – The Straits Times
China economie
Corona dreigt Chinese economie te doen ontsporen – FD
China central banker Wang Yiming, calls for strengthening property sector policies – Reuters
Asian plastic and steel prices tumble as exports surge from China – Nikkei Asia
China smartphone shipments fell 22 per cent in first 10 months of 2022 amid sluggish demand and manufacturing supply chain disruptions – SCMP
China binnenland
China’s Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 repeats call for food security as US rivalry and external uncertainties grow – SCMP
China’s football dream turned nightmare – The Straits Times: ‘Yet the focus on infrastructure and hardware, rather than truly creating a ground-up culture, along with the interference of politics, has meant that the beautiful game in China repeatedly scores own goals.’
下午察:“坚嫂”买不到退烧药说明什么? – 联合早报 over Zhao Lijian,
Hong Kong
Chinese President Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 praises Hong Kong’s leader John Lee Ka-chiu 李家超 (Léih Gā-chīu) for reviving the local economy and safeguarding national security – Bloomberg
Xi Focus: Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 meets with HKSAR chief executive John Lee Ka-chiu 李家超 (Léih Gā-chīu) – Xinhua
Xi Focus: Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 meets with Macao SAR chief executive Ho Iat Seng 賀一誠 (Hoh Yāt-sìhng) – Xinhua
Hong Kong aims for mid-January reopening of border with mainland China – Reuters
Hong Kong’s filmmakers stifled by tight political script – FT
Taiwan binnenland en economie
KMT eyes consolidation of cross-strait stance – Taipei Times: ‘The KMT will arrange a series of in-party discussions and seminars to consolidate its stance on the issues, with the process expected to be completed by March or April, the source said.’
KMT secures 15 out of 22 local council speakerships – Focus Taiwan
Speaker elections said by pundits to reflect KMT corruption – Taipei Times
NPP introduces bill to lower the voting age in Taiwan to 18 – Taipei Times
Amid tax windfall, Cabinet looking at ways to boost post-covid economy – Focus Taiwan