De Chinese Wouden, maandag 14 juli: heffingen EU
Trump kondigt zware heffingen aan op de EU. Brussel wacht nog af met tegenstappen tot 1 augustus daar is. Het Pentagon is bezig met een contraproductieve campagne om bondgenoten in de Indo-Pacific militaire toezeggingen m.b.t. Taiwan-scenarios te laten doen.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Top EU officials head to China to resolve climate and environment squabble – Euractiv: ‘European Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera, climate chief Wopke Hoekstra, energy chief Dan Jørgensen, and environment top official Jessika Roswall are headed to China’ 🇪🇺
EU-klimaatcommissaris Hoekstra reisde naar China af om over klimaatactie te spreken: „Ze moeten leidersrol opnemen” – VRT NWS 🇪🇺
Chinese FM Wáng Yì 王毅 meets British counterpart Lammy on ties – Xinhua: ‘said both sides should regain the original intention of being strategic partners’ 🇬🇧
Promoted Content: Taiwan, inseparable from China under international law – Xin Ping, Mission of China to the EU for Euractiv (Advocacy Lab Content) 🇪🇺
Euractiv heeft een ‘50 Years of EU-China Relations: the future of the strategic partnership.’-dossier in betaald partnerschap met de Chinese vertegenwoordiging in Brussel. Zorgelijker dan het direct plaatsen van zulke overduidelijke Chinese propaganda door een Chinese diplomaat, vind ik de eenzijdige stukken die een Euractiv-journalist onder hetzelfde dossier schrijft.
Interview: „Wenn dich die chinesische Botschaft zum Tee einlädt, weisst du, dass du ein Problem hast“, sagt der Vertreter von Taiwan in der Schweiz – NZZ: „Die chinesische Botschaft belästigt auch Taiwaner in der Schweiz. In Zug und in Zürich erhielten Organisatoren von kulturellen taiwanischen Veranstaltungen Anrufe, in denen ihnen gesagt wurde, dass die Anlässe unter chinesischer Beobachtung stünden – und dass sie doch auf einen Tee in der chinesischen Botschaft vorbeikommen sollten.“ 🇨🇭
De vertrekkende Taiwanese vertegenwoordiger in Zwitserland beschuldigt de Chinese ambassade ervan organisator van Taiwanese culturele bijeenkomsten via de telefoon lastig te vallen.
China’s invloed op Noordpool wordt overdreven, maar Noorwegen blijft alert – BNR
Russia and China foreign ministers discuss Ukraine war and ties with the United States – Reuters 🇷🇺
Wereldhandelsoorlog 📉💥
Circus-Trump is terug: heffing van 30 procent voor Europa – de Volkskrant: „Tegenover persbureau Reuters lieten drie van hen weten de aankondiging te zien als ‘onderhandelingstactiek’.” 🇪🇺🇺🇸
Statement by President von der Leyen on EU-US trade – European Commission: ‘We remain ready to continue working towards an agreement by August 1. At the same time, we will take all necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including the adoption of proportionate countermeasures if required.’ 🇪🇺🇺🇸
‘[…] In particular, this implies speeding up the preparation of credible countermeasures, by mobilising all the instruments at its disposal, including anti-coercion, if no agreement is reached by August 1st. […]’ – Emmanuel Macron, Twitter 🇫🇷
EU pulls US trade war countermeasures in hope of a tariff deal — for now – POLITICO Europe 🇪🇺🇺🇸
吃硬不吃软
Victory for Trump as EU backs down on digital taxes in next budget – POLITICO Europe 🇪🇺🇺🇸
EU strikes deal with Indonesia to strengthen trade ties – POLITICO Europe 🇪🇺🇮🇩
VS-China 🇨🇳
US port operators seek to mitigate hefty expected tariffs on China-built port cranes – Reuters 🇺🇸
Techoorlog 💽💥
Netjes parkeert de robotbus zichzelf naast de stoep. „Zo strak zie je het veel menselijke chauffeurs niet doen” – NRC: „gemaakt in Turkije door het bedrijf Karsan, […]. De software komt van het Turkse Adastec.” 🇳🇱
Volkswagen und SAIC 上汽 schließen Werk im chinesischen Nanjing – Produktion ruht – Handelsblatt: „Es ist das erste Mal, dass der Wolfsburger Autohersteller ein Werk in China vollständig schließt.“ 🇩🇪
China’s Chery 奇瑞 and BYD 比亚迪 may have to repay subsidies after audit finds irregularities – Reuters: ‘improperly claimed a combined $53 million in government subsidies for eco-friendly vehicles sold in the five years to 2020’
A ferocious advance in Chinese biotech is challenging Western dominance in drug innovation – Bloomberg
Chip firms in Malaysia are holding back on investment and expansion as they await clarity on tariffs from the US – Bloomberg 🇲🇾🇺🇸
Rare earths mining in Myanmar is polluting Thailand’s Kok River – The New York Times: ‘Extracted by Chinese companies and their subsidiaries, the minerals are transported from Myanmar directly to neighboring China’ 🇲🇲🇹🇭
In global race for critical minerals, China identifies dozens of new reserves – SCMP: ‘The Ministry of Natural Resources said on Thursday that the number of new mineral sites increased 31 per cent year on year’
China’s Hesai 禾赛 loses lawsuit against US government for blacklisting – Reuters 🇺🇸
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
Japan and EU envision satellite network to cut reliance on US and SpaceX – Nikkei Asia: ‘The two sides would create the network by launching and jointly operating small satellites.’ 🇪🇺🇯🇵
Europe should reduce US and China ‘dual dependencies’, France’s Macron warns – The Guardian: ‘He used his speech to paint a picture of a new Europe beyond the boundaries of the 27-member EU bloc’ 🇫🇷🇪🇺
Trump is working on regime change in Europe — fact, not conspiracy theory – Caroline de Gruyter for EU Observer: ‘this American administration increasingly sees Europe as a political battleground.’ 🇪🇺🇺🇸
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
US and China must find ‘correct way’ to get along, Wáng Yì 王毅 tells Rubio in first in-person meet – SCMP: ‘Asked about the prospects of a meeting this year between the top leaders, Rubio said “the odds are high” but the two sides had to “build the right atmosphere and the right deliverables”.’ 🇺🇸
China’s Wáng Yì 王毅 says deeper US exchanges on the cards after talks with Rubio – SCMP 🇺🇸
VS eisen duidelijkheid van Australië en Japan: kan Taiwan op hen rekenen bij een invasie door China? – de Volkskrant 🇺🇸🇯🇵🇦🇺
US Pentagon official Colby demands to know what allies Japan and Australia would do in event of war over Taiwan – FT: ‘The US has long had a policy of “strategic ambiguity” under which it does not say if it would defend the island.’
‘Colby’s push follows other actions that have sparked anxiety.’ 🇺🇸🇯🇵🇦🇺
Australia will not commit troops in advance to any conflict, minister says – Reuters 🇦🇺
Dit is contraproductief. Zelfs de VS willen zich niet van tevoren laten vastpinnen op een beslissing. Nu dwing je keuzes af die nog niet te maken zijn, waarmee je enkel te temperatuur verhoogt en onrust veroorzaakt onder je bondgenoten. Er werd achter de schermen al lang over praktische vragen gepraat.
Chinese hackers suspected in breach of powerful DC law firm Wiley Rein – CNN 🇺🇸
China and Egypt deepen ties as Beijing boosts influence in bid to solve Mideast crises – SCMP 🇪🇬
China says to complete steps soon toward resuming Japan beef imports – Kyodo News: ‘The procedures are aimed at bringing into effect a quarantine pact that the two countries signed in 2019’ 🇯🇵
China and Asean to submit upgraded free trade deal to leaders in October, says China’s foreign minister Wáng Yì 王毅 – Reuters: ‘Wang also said the two sides agreed to strive to complete consultations next year on a code of conduct in the South China Sea’
Chinese foreign minister Wáng Yì 王毅 details positive outcomes of Asean Plus foreign ministers’ meetings – Xinhua
China offers to help resolve Thailand, Cambodia border dispute – Reuters: ‘urged Cambodia and Thailand to resolve their border dispute through friendly dialogue, offering to play a constructive role by upholding an “objective and fair” position, its foreign ministry said.’ 🇰🇭🇹🇭
China prosecutes 21 key members of telecom fraud crime group in northern Myanmar – Xinhua 🇲🇲
Malaysian PM Anwar meets Chinese FM Wáng Yì 王毅 on bilateral relations – Xinhua: ‘Anwar said that being friendly to China is a consensus of both the government and the people of Malaysia.’ 🇲🇾
Chinese envoy calls on ICC to respect Sudan’s judicial sovereignty – Xinhua: ‘The ICC should work more closely with national governments.’ 🇸🇩🇺🇳
Wáng Yì 王毅 meets Canadian FM on ties – Xinhua 🇨🇦
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 congratulates Jennifer Simons on election as Surinamese president – Xinhua 🇸🇷
China economie
After years of mounting concern over deflation and the bruising price wars that have plagued much of China’s economy, Beijing is showing signs of finally taking action – Bloomberg: ‘Beijing’s messaging has noticeably shifted in recent weeks’
Plunging pork and poultry prices put pressure on Chinese farmers – SCMP: ‘Analysts said weak end-market demand and high inventory levels are weighing heavily on the breeding sector’
Chinese banks stumble on Beijing’s consumer lending push – Reuters: ‘struggling to comply with new Beijing guidelines to boost consumer credit as they reel from a surge of defaults on personal loans and have a hard time finding households in good financial shape that want to borrow.’
China binnenland
Chinese province Hunan says OK for officials to hustle on the side in tepid economy – Reuters: ‘A few provincial authorities have cut bonuses and salaries. Some civil servants even say they have not been paid for months.’
We gaan terug in de tijd.
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 calls for creating more fine cinematic works – Xinhua: ‘that reflect the spirit of the times and express the people’s aspirations.’
China blows up 300 dams, shuts hydropower stations to save Yangtze River habitat – SCMP
China’s cyber nationalists target maths star Hong Wang over lectures in English – SCMP
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Taiwanese investment in China steadily declining – Taipei Times: ‘In terms of Taiwan’s total outward investment, the percentage of businesses investing in China has dropped from 83.8 percent in 2010 to 11.4 percent in 2023, 7.5 percent last year and 2.7 percent in the first quarter of this year, Li said’ 🇨🇳
Taiwan’s foreign minister begins Paraguay visit – Focus Taiwan 🇵🇾
Noodoefening in de supermarkt: weerbaar winkelen in Taipei – de Volkskrant
Indigenous land-based version of Sky Sword II makes Han Kuang debut – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan binnenland en economie
DPP Nantou County councillor Chen Yu-ling 陳玉鈴 survives recall vote – Focus Taiwan
Will cash handouts impact the recalls in Taiwan? – New Bloom
Bail conditions set for Core Pacific chairman in corruption trial – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan sees 18th consecutive month of population decline – Focus Taiwan