De Chinese Wouden, dinsdag 7 februari: ballonnennasleep
Het laatste over de ballons is nog niet gezegd. Deze nieuwsbrief in de luwte van de dinsdag na de weekendlange verzameling die op maandag komt is ook nogal ballonzwaai.
China erkent nu dat er ook eentje over Latijns Amerika vloog, waarvoor het dezelfde verklaring geeft als die boven Noord-Amerika: controle verloren. Taiwan zegt nu ook dat februari vorig jaar ‘a Chinese meteorological balloon’ over het noorden en midden van het eiland vloog, en Japan onderzoekt nu in het verleden waargenomen ongeïdentificeerde vliegende objecten. Ook houden bronnen voet bij stuk dat er Chinese ballonnen in de buurt van Amerikaanse militaire installaties zouden zijn geweest tijdens de Trump-regering.
Als de voormalige MIVD-expert die BNR heeft geïnterviewd gelijk heeft over de recente ballon en bovenstaande ook dezelfde aard had, dan is China al lang landen aan het uitdagen en worden ze nu voor het eerst teruggefloten.
De snelle aankondiging van substantiële Taiwanese steun aan Turkije na de aardbeving in de grensregio met Syrië past in de wens van Taipei om deelnemer aan en verantwoordelijk lid van de internationale gemeenschap te zijn. Ze deden al dingen in die regio voor Syrische vluchtelingen in Turkije. Ook in Taiwan: een delegatie van de KMT onder vicevoorzitter Andrew Hsia gaat naar China om kennis te maken met de nieuwe Taiwanpersonen in het systeem daar. Voorbereiding op de voorverkiezingen voor de Taiwanese presidents- en parlementsverkiezingen van januari 2024?
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Remarks by Ambassador Dai Bing at the UN Security Council Briefing on the Humanitarian Issue of Ukraine – Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the UN: ‘Over the past year since the Ukraine crisis broke out, the humanitarian situation there has always tugged at our heartstrings. Conflicts on the ground show no signs of easing up, the logic of military solution still prevails, and a large number of heavy weapons keep pouring into the battlefields.’ 🇺🇦
Swiss lawmakers call for cross-Strait peace and economic pact with Taiwan – Focus Taiwan 🇨🇭
Ballon 🎈🕵🏻
What happens to Europe when the balloon goes up? – POLITICO Europe: ‘For Europe, the incident also comes at an inconvenient moment as senior officials have been preparing to re-engage with Beijing.’ 🇪🇺
US says it does not plan to return spy balloon debris to China – FT
China not expected to escalate row over shooting down of ‘spy balloon’ – SCMP
Biden says US-China relations not weakened by balloon incident – Reuters
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s Regular Press Conference on February 6, 2023 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China: ‘I want to stress that the US made an overreaction by using force on a strayed unmanned civilian airship. This violates customary international practice.’
China steps up condemnation of balloon shooting by US – FT: ‘Vice-minister of foreign affairs Xie Feng lodged a formal protest with the US embassy in Beijing in which he came close to accusing the US of violating international law.’
‘All Chinese statements have used the term “civilian unmanned airship” to describe the balloon. That language “is the basis for a narrative that accuses the US of using force against a civilian airship in distress”, Aurel Sari, an associate professor of public international law at the University of Exeter, wrote on Twitter.’
What does international law say about China’s spy balloon and the US response? – Donald R. Rothwell for The Diplomat
Japan investigating links between Chinese balloon and past flying object – Kyodo News
Shoot spy balloons, DPP’s caucus director Cheng Yun-peng 鄭運鵬 [Zhèng Yùnpéng] says – Taipei Times: ‘Ministry of National Defense said that a Chinese meteorological balloon passed over northern and central Taiwan shortly after the Lunar New Year holiday in February last year’
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s Regular Press Conference on February 6, 2023 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China: ‘With regard to the balloon over Latin America, it has been verified that the unmanned airship is from China, of civilian nature and used for flight test. Affected by the weather and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course and entered into the airspace of Latin America and the Caribbean.’
Chinesischer Ballon beunruhigt deutschen Geheimdienst – SZ
Seoul backs Washington’s decision to shoot down Chinese balloon – KBS World
achtergrond: 1974: US Balloons Invaded PRC Airspace, Zhou Enlai Furious Orders Destroy It At All Costs – David Cowhig’s Translation Blog
Zeitentechwarwende 💽⏱️
EU deforestation law triggers ire of its trading partners – FT
America’s hoped-for Asian semiconductor pact looks tricky – The Economist
China’s reopening, America’s challenge – Susannah Patton for The Straits Times
‘We are always only aligned to one country—Singapore’: minister Shanmugam on need to put national interest first amid global challenges – TODAY: ‘Speaking at the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Spring Reception on Sunday evening, he said that the Republic has always believed that “many major countries need to participate and be in this region. To have a balance of power”.’ 🇸🇬
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
Beijing invites Australian trade minister to China, says it won't back down on 'principled' issues – ABC News
China economie
China binnenland
新华社:“两个确立”为党和国家事业发展提供根本保证 ——新征程上满怀信心开新局展新貌系列述评之一 – 《人民日报》(2023年02月07日 第01版):“习近平总书记以马克思主义政治家、思想家、战略家的雄韬伟略、远见卓识、战略定力,带领全党全军全国各族人民披荆斩棘,建立非凡之功;”
Hong Kong
Massaproces tegen demonstranten Hongkong: „Dit pakt slecht uit” – RTL Nieuws
Hong Kong 47: Some court goers queuing for public gallery tickets accused of being paid – HKFP
Hong Kong’s trans activists score landmark ID card victory – AFP
Disney's Hong Kong service drops 'Simpsons' episode with 'forced labor' reference – Reuters
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
KMT delegation led by deputy chair Andrew Hsia 夏立言 [Xià Lìyán] to visit China for talks with Taiwan affairs officials – SCMP: ‘In addition to holding talks with Song Tao, the delegation hopes to meet Wang Huning, a key Politburo Standing Committee member with a strong background in Taiwan-related policy, a KMT source said.’
夏立言登陸兩岸「重新接軌」 陸對台硬愈硬、軟愈軟 – 聯合報:「知情人士表示,夏立言在北京期間不但有可能與將接大陸全國政協主席的政治局常委王滬寧私下會面,陸方並將安排一場部委級的座談會,雙方當面會談並解決國民黨提出的兩岸交流問題。」「夏立言所率訪團此行預計赴北京、上海、南京、武漢、重慶、成都等地」
Mainland Affairs Council issues warning as KMT group to visit China – Taipei Times
Met veel van de nieuwe Taiwanpersonen op hun plek in China, willen ze kennismaken met de enige gesprekspartner die Peking serieus neemt in Taiwan, de KMT.
Court upholds jail term for sanction-busting Taiwanese selling crude oil to North Korea – Taipei Times
President Tsai conveys condolences to Turkey over quake – Taipei Times: ‘the government pledging to donate US$200,000’ ‘A team of 40 personnel and three search-and-rescue dogs, equipped with 4 to 5 tonnes of gear and devices, was scheduled to depart last night’
Taiwan sending 2nd search and rescue team to Turkey – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Taiwanese monk Hsing Yun 星雲 (Xīng Yún) who met three Chinese presidents and championed reunification dies – The Straits Times: ‘To die-hard advocates of Taiwan independence, Hsing Yun, whose Dharma name means “star cloud”, was more of a politician than a religious leader’
Fo Guang Shan 佛光山 founder Hsing Yun 星雲 (Xīng Yún) dies at 95 – Focus Taiwan
Een van de belangrijkste moderne boeddhistische stromingen in de wereld. De He Hua-tempel in Amsterdam aan de Zeedijk behoort ook tot Fo Guang Shan.
Health ministry censured by Control Yuan over resource allocation towards children with developmental disorders – Taipei Times