De Chinese Wouden, donderdag 23 februari: Rusland, anti-Amerika
Als je ziet welke mooie woorden Wang Yi met droge ogen uitwisselt met zijn Russische gesprekspartners, dan kun je niet veel hoop hebben voor de richting die we uit gaan. Dat gaat niet alleen om de mogelijke gevolgen voor de betrekkingen met Europa en de VS van de steeds moeilijker te ontkennen Chinese sympathie voor het Russische standpunt. Het gaat ook om het wereldbeeld dat achter zulke verklaringen schuilt.
Het is hetzelfde met de surveillanceballon. Daar was het incident zelf niet zo schrikbarend als wat de Chinese reactie erop duidelijk maakte. Het anti-Amerikaanse wereldbeeld en het feit dat men in een andere realiteit lijkt te zitten dan Westerse landen, werkt toekomstige conflicten in de hand. Het gaat niet alleen om de gebrekkige interne rapportage die de leiders een incompleet beeld van de wereld geeft. De uitgangspunten zijn compleet verschillend. In zulke gevallen kan dialoog zelfs averechts werken, wanneer het gezegde compleet verkeerd valt in de realiteit van de ander.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Defensie zet Oeigoers-Nederlandse luchtmachtofficier op non-actief uit vrees voor Chinese spionage – Follow the Money: ‘Jadikars moeder is veroordeeld omdat ze in 2014 in Nederland de bruiloft heeft bezocht. Zijn schoonzus kreeg gevangenisstraf om ze het WeChat-bericht verstuurde aan Jadikar.’ ‘Zijn schoonzus Ayihan Maimaiti, de vrouw die hem in 2018 via WeChat liet weten dat zijn moeder was opgepakt, zou ‘op illegale wijze’ informatie hebben verstrekt aan buitenlandse strijdkrachten. Daarvoor kreeg ook zij vijftien jaar celstraf.’ 🇳🇱
Defensie zet Oeigoers-Nederlandse officier op non-actief omdat familie in Chinese gevangenis zit – NRC 🇳🇱
China sentences mother of Uyghur Dutch airman to 15 years for visiting him abroad – RFA 🇳🇱
Taiwan-Lithuania event leads to US$26 million [€24m] in trade opportunities, according to TAITRA – Focus Taiwan 🇱🇹
Rusland 🇨🇳🇷🇺
A year later, China blames US ‘hegemony’—not Russia—for war in Ukraine – The Washington Post: ‘Beijing insists it is neutral in the conflict, but those claims routinely clash with its rhetorical and diplomatic support for Russia.’
China’s economic support for Russia could elicit more sanctions – The New York Times
‘We have not yet seen the PRC provide Russia with lethal aid, but we don’t believe they’ve taken it off the table either’, US State Department spokesman Ned Price said – Bloomberg
NATO urged to quit groundless smears against China on Ukraine issue – Xinhua: ‘It is a known fact that NATO countries including the United States are the biggest source of weaponry for the battlefield in Ukraine’
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on February 22, 2023 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China: ‘The New START treaty is an important bilateral treaty on nuclear disarmament reached between Russia and the US in this century, […]. China notes the differences on compliance between the two countries, and hopes the two sides can properly resolve the differences through constructive dialogue and consultation to ensure the treaty’s sound implementation.’
Wang Yi treft Poetin
China and Russia reaffirm close ties as Putin meets top diplomat Wang Yi – The Guardian
China-Russia partnership never targets any third party, says senior diplomat – Xinhua: ‘a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations, which China and Russia jointly support, are in line with the trend of the times and the aspirations of most countries’ ‘During an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukrainian issue with Putin, Wang appreciated Russia’s reaffirmation of its willingness to solve problems through dialogue and negotiations.’
Wang Yi treft Lavrov
Russia says Lavrov and Wang Yi did not discuss ‘Chinese peace plan’ – Reuters
China ready to work with Russia to coordinate high-level exchanges and restart dialogue mechanisms – Xinhua: ‘jointly defend the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and firmly oppose hegemonism and bloc confrontation.’
Wang Yi treft Patrushev
China and Russia agree to strengthen cooperation within multilateral frameworks – Xinhua: ‘expressed their willingness to jointly practice true multilateralism, oppose all forms of unilateral bullying, and promote democracy in international relations and a multi-polar world.’
Anti-Amerika 🚫🇺🇸
China urges US to resolve damage its abuse of force [tegen de ballon] has done to bilateral ties – Xinhua
Remarks by Ambassador Zhang Jun at the UN Security Council Briefing on the Nord Stream Issue – Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the UN: ‘China welcomes the draft resolution tabled by Russia in the Council, and believes that it is of great significance to authorize an international investigation into the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.’
China supports speeding up investigation into Nord Stream explosions, says foreign ministry spokesperson – Xinhua
Context: Swedes urge patience and calm in Nord Stream blast probe – EU Observer
Context: Legendarische onderzoeksjournalist Seymour Hersh bevestigt teloorgang met artikel over opblazen Nord Stream – De Volkskrant
China urges US to stop interrogating, harassing, and repatriating Chinese students – Xinhua
Chinese netizens petition for an earlier return of female panda Ya Ya in the US zoo – The Global Times: ‘Speculations about the pair of pandas being improperly fed and raised at the zoo have been circulating online for years’
Zeitentechwarwende ⏱️💽
💡Het Westen wint aan eenheid, maar verliest aan mondiale invloed door de oorlog in Oekraïne – De Volkskrant
United West, divided from the rest: Global public opinion one year into Russia’s war on Ukraine – ECFR: ‘citizens in China, India, and Turkiye prefer a quick end to the war even if Ukraine has to concede territory.’
TikTok: We zijn geen Chinees, maar een internationaal bedrijf – NRC
Het is wel gewoon een Chinees bedrijf. Ook hebben ze ongelijk, als ze zeggen dat enkele moderatiemistanden aan het begin kwamen door goede bedoelingen – dat had ook te maken met de normen en waarden van de handleidingen en managers uit China waar ze eerst mee werkten.
China’s Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 calls for tech self-reliance at Politburo study session amid US tension – Reuters
Chinese authorities have told state-owned firms to phase out using the four biggest Western accounting firms, seeking to safeguard data security, sources say – Bloomberg
Chinese lithium prices fall 30% as demand for electric vehicles weakens – FT
Sumitomo to bypass China in EV rare-earth supply chains – Nikkei Asia
Chinese regulators tell big tech companies not to offer ChatGPT services – Nikkei Asia
Inside Taiwanese chip giant TSMC, a US expansion stokes tensions – The New York Times: ‘to some at the company, the $40 billion project is something else: a bad business decision.’
From opportunity to risk: The changing economic security policies vis-à-vis China – MERICS
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
Canadian military found Chinese monitoring buoys in the Arctic – The Globe and Mail
Canada says it thwarted recent air and maritime surveillance attempts by China – Reuters
Indonesia appreciates China’s support for Asean’s Myanmar five-point peace consensus, says foreign minister – Reuters
China promises to work with Asean for peace and stability in South China Sea – The Straits Times
China and Indonesia vow to safeguard regional peace and stability – Xinhua
Eerste bezoek van minister Qin Gang in Azië was dus naar Indonesië.
China and Japan square off at first security talks in four years – Reuters
Philippines and Australia eye joint patrols in South China Sea as tensions rise – The Straits Times
China and India vow to find solution for issues concerning western section of border – The Global Times
And…that’s how it’s done in the Congo: Chinese mining venture settles US$17 billion claim with a US$500 million check – The China Global South Project
港媒:美国问题专家袁鹏 改名袁亦鲲出任国安部副部长 – 联合早报
China binnenland
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 orders all-out rescue efforts after Inner Mongolia coal mine collapse – Xinhua
Chinese university students disciplined over rainbow flags file lawsuit against Education Ministry – SCMP
Hong Kong
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
💡 Taiwan defence minister Chiu Kuo-cheng 邱國正 [Qiū Guózhèng] interview: China won’t take Taiwan in a fortnight – CommonWealth Magazine: ‘After all, mainland China is related to Taiwan by blood and has a similar language and culture, but the political systems are not. China is authoritarian and Taiwan is democratic, and this is a big difference. The U.S. therefore sees Taiwan as a buffer.’ ‘The national military fights for the country, the national symbol of the Republic of China and the flag.’
Hoge militairen en voormalige hoge militairen van de generatie van minister Chiu zijn opgeleid en hebben gediend in de tijd van dictatuur en ideologische indoctrinatie met ROC-nationalisme. Vaak waren of zijn ze ook lid van de KMT, nu in de oppositie
Taiwan is trying to boost its defences. It’s learning from Ukraine – SCMP
Verenigde Staten
Taiwan frustrated by weapons delays, key lawmaker Gallagher finds in stealth visit – The Washington Post
Taiwan and US hold annual security meeting at AIT headquarters near Washington DC – Focus Taiwan
Publicly ‘announced’ Taiwan-US security meeting significant, experts say – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan’s plan to send combined arms battalion to US for training shows progress in exchanges – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Taiwan cuts GDP growth forecast for 2023 after exports slow down – Nikkei Asia
Facing criticism, agriculture chief apologises for egg shortage – Focus Taiwan
接受國民黨徵召參選2024總統? 侯友宜這句話露端倪 – 臺蘋新聞網