De Chinese Wouden, maandag 27 februari: Chinese ambassadeur in Brussel leest dom Europa de les, China’s Oekraïneplannen vallen slecht in Brussel
Vandaag weer een lange maandagnieuwsbrief. Er gebeurt nog altijd te veel in de wereld. Ik ga er weer hard in met mijn openingscommentaar. Dat komt door het nieuws en omdat ik alleen maar hoor dat zelfs in Peking de Chinese functionarissen zich in hun bubbel terugtrekken. Ik hoor graag van mensen met redenen tot meer optimisme.
Een aparte sectie vandaag met reacties op de twaalf punten van Peking voor een ‘politieke oplossing’ van de ‘Oekraïne-crisis’. Ik mocht zelf commentaar geven voor NU.nl. De Nederlandse pers schrijft nog redelijk terughoudend gezien de harde afwijzingen van de Chinese voorstellen door een reeks Westerse figuren, van commissievoorzitter von der Leyen en president Biden tot onze eigen ambassadeur in Peking.
Volgens The Washington Post overweegt China munitie voor Russische artillerie te leveren. Als dat werkelijk zou gebeuren, dan zou Macrons gepland bezoek aan China in april wel eens in het water kunnen vallen. Gelukkig gaat de Belarussische president Loekasjenka komende week al naar Peking – wie weet dat deze onafhankelijke modeldemocraat de balans van de Chinese neutraliteit weer herstelt na de uitgebreide ontmoetingen van Wang Yi in Moskou.
Pekings ambassadeur in Brussel, Fu Cong, gaf een interview aan nationalistisch tabloid The Global Times. Het was weer het toonbeeld van neerbuigendheid: Europa moet niet zo emotioneel doen over het ‘Oekraïneprobleem’ en wat betreft de sancties die de Comprehensive Agreement on Investment ophouden wil China best de Europese vooroordelen en misverstanden verklaren.
Ook zegt Fu dat Europa niet het recht moet claimen een eigen één-Chinabeleid te hebben, maar een standpunt over Taiwan in dient te nemen dat acceptabel is voor China. Dat probeert decennia aan precedenten terug te draaien. Elk land dat diplomatieke betrekkingen aangaat met Peking neemt altijd een eigen één-Chinabeleid aan, dat het resultaat is van een compromis tussen de eigen belangen en het Chinese één-Chinaprincipe. Er is geen enkel land dat zomaar zijn standpunt over Taiwan overgeeft aan continue herdefiniëring door Peking.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
China pushes for resurrection of EU investment deal – Nikkei Asia 🇪🇺
Ambassador Fù Cōng 傅聪 met Robert de Groot, Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the EU – Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union: ‘He looked forward to seeing the Netherlands, an advocate of free trade, work with China to oppose trade protectionism and uphold international economic and trade rules, thus contributing to in-depth communication and cooperation on enhancing mutual trust and stability in supply chains between China and the EU.’ 🇳🇱
Feature: Heartwarming reply from ‘Grandpa Xi’ cheers up young envoys of Hungary-China friendship – Xinhua 🇭🇺
China-Europa 🇨🇳🇪🇺
Exclusive: China, EU to usher in frequent high-level mutual visits soon, says Chinese ambassador to EU Fù Cōng 傅聪 – The Global Times: ‘Europe’s misplaced emotion toward China on the Ukraine issue is irrational, as China has independent foreign policy and cannot fully agree with some of the EU's positions on the Ukraine issue, the Chinese diplomat said.’ ‘‘Fu suggested that the EU should avoid being too emotional in dealing with the Ukraine issue.’’
‘When it comes to relaunching the CAI, the two sides should “look forward and let the bygones be bygones,” Fu said.’ ‘China is willing to clarify the EU’s prejudice and misunderstanding of China's human rights issues’
‘On the Taiwan question, the Chinese diplomat emphasized that the EU’s position must be acceptable to the Chinese side. The EU should not have a so-called “EU’s one-China policy,” and it has no right to unilaterally interpret the one-China principle, Fu said.’
Exclusive: Wáng Yì 王毅’s visit to Russia and Biden’s surprise visit to Ukraine ‘completely different in nature’, says Chinese envoy to EU Fù Cōng 傅聪 – The Global Times: ‘China and the US also take very different positions, as Biden’s visit to Ukraine, focused on the Ukraine crisis, aimed to support the continuation of the conflict, but Wang’s visit to Russia not only focused on the Ukraine issue but also on other aspects of China-Russia relations, he said.’
China’s EU ambassador Fù Cōng 傅聪 says EU leaders may visit China by mid-2023 – Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron to visit China in April on mission to help end Ukraine war – SCMP
Ukraine on agenda as China-Nato military talks resume after Covid-induced break – SCMP: ‘Chinese delegation meets counterparts in Brussels on a trip that also includes stops in Hungary and Germany’
Security and Defence: the European Union and China hold their 13th consultations – European External Action Service: ‘They exchanged assessments on regional security issues in Europe focusing on the Russian illegal war of aggression in Ukraine.’ ‘The EU and China also exchanged views on the regional security issues in Indo-Pacific, including South China Sea and Taiwan.’
‘Politieke oplossing’ voor ‘crisis’ in Oekraïne 🕊️🇺🇦
Van steun aan Rusland tot vredesplan: China’s dubbelrol in de Oekraïne-oorlog – NU.nl sprak met mij over de twaalf punten voor een ‘politieke oplossing’.
China speelt een gewaagd spel, balancerend tussen Rusland en het Westen – De Volkskrant: „een ‘vredesplan’ dat slechts aan één zijde als vredig wordt ervaren, brengt een oplossing voor de oorlog in Oekraïne niet dichterbij.”
Russen kunnen Chinees wapentuig goed gebruiken, maar de vraag is of ze het ook krijgen – De Volkskrant
China kan Europa maar niet overtuigen van zijn neutraliteit – NRC
Nogal onderkoelde koppen in de Nederlandse pers (ondanks de meer genuanceerde inhoud), gezien de vrij uitgesproken reacties uit Brussel hieronder en het opiniestuk van de Nederlandse ambassadeur in Peking.
China to continue to play responsible, constructive role in addressing Ukraine crisis: envoy – Xinhua: ‘To realize lasting peace and stability in Europe, the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation must be abandoned, and the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be taken seriously and addressed properly, so as to build a balanced, effective and sustainable regional security architecture, said Dai.’
Nederland 🇳🇱
💡 Op-ed by Ambassador Wim Geerts, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the People’s Republic of China – The Netherlands and you: ‘If we are to take the view put forward by some commentators, European countries should stop fanning the flames by supplying Ukraine with arms and imposing sanctions on Russia. […] Such proposals are politically motivated to conceal Russia’s crimes and to blame “the west” instead.’
Oekraïne 🇺🇦
Zelenski plant ontmoeting met Chinese president Xi Jinping – RTL Nieuws
Ukraine welcomes some Chinese ceasefire ‘thoughts’, insists on Russian withdrawal – Reuters
Europa 🇪🇺
💡 EU and NATO respond negatively China’s principles for a ‘political solution’ of the ‘Ukraine crisis’ – POLITICO Europe
‘“China’s position builds on a misplaced focus on the so-called ‘legitimate security interests and concerns’ of parties, implying a justification for Russia’s illegal invasion, and blurring the roles of the aggressor and the aggressed,” Nabila Massrali, the EU’s foreign policy spokeswoman, said in a press briefing.’
‘‘Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said China’s stance was anything but neutral. “It is not a peace plan but principles that they shared. You have to see them against a specific backdrop. And that is the backdrop that China has taken sides, by signing for example an unlimited friendship right before Russia’s invasion in Ukraine started,” she said at a press conference in Estonia.’’
‘China has taken Russia’s side’: EU dismisses Beijing’s ‘misplaced’ plan for peace in Ukraine – SCMP
Verenigde Staten 🇺🇸
US joins EU in rejecting Beijing’s peace proposal, sanctions more Chinese firms – SCMP
‘Not rational’ for China to negotiate outcome of Ukraine war, Biden says – Reuters
Rusland 🇷🇺
Russia welcomes China peace plan, says it is open to talks – Reuters
Russia commends China paper on Ukraine crisis settlement – Xinhua
Duitsland 🇩🇪
China should be judged by its actions, not words, German defence minister Boris Pistorius says – Reuters
Verteidigungsminister Boris Pistorius: „Russland darf mit einem solchen Angriffskrieg nicht durchkommen“ – Deutschlandfunk : „Ich begrüße den Vorschlag der Chinesen, auch als Initiative, dem müssen aber jetzt Taten folgen. […] Wenn ich Meldungen höre – von denen ich nicht weiß, ob sie zutreffen –, dass China angeblich plane, Kamikazedrohnen an Russland zu liefern, während zeitgleich ein Friedensplan vorgelegt wird, dann würde ich vorschlagen, wir messen China an seinen Taten und nicht an seinen Erklärungen.“
China ist ein Komplize des Aggressors – Matthias Naß in Zeit
Frieden in der Ukraine? Darum ging es Peking nie – Lea Sahay in SZ: „Stattdessen strebt Xi Jinping die eigene globale Vorherrschaft an.“
China-Rusland 🇨🇳🇷🇺
China feels squeeze from both sides of Ukraine – Newsweek
wapenleveranties
VS houden vol: „zo goed als zeker” dat China wapens aan Rusland wil leveren – De Volkskrant
💡 China considers sending Russia artillery shells, US officials say – The Washington Post: ‘The aid being contemplated consists of 122-millimeter and 152-millimeter rounds, which Russia has in dwindling supplyas it prosecutes a war largely fought with artillery, the officials said.’
CIA director Bill Burns confirms possibility of Chinese lethal aid to Russia – CBS News
US wary of Chinese drone shipments to support Russia in Ukraine – FT
How microchips migrate from China to Russia – WSJ
De berichtgeving over mogelijke Chinese ‘lethal support’ voor Rusland verdwijnt nu minder snel dan bij vorige Amerikaanse beschuldigingen…
G20
Russia’s war means G-20 finance meeting ends without communiqué – Bloomberg: ‘Russia and China disagreed with the two paragraphs on the war that had been cleared by all participants in November.’
G20: Germany regrets China blocking Russia condemnation – AP and Reuters via DW
overige
Belarusian President Lukashenko to visit China in coming days – AFP
Chinese and Belarusian foreign ministers hold phone talks on ties and Ukraine crisis – Xinhua: ‘build a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture.’
Rally held in Taipei to commemorate one-year anniversary of Russian invasion of Ukraine – New Bloom
VS vs China 🇺🇸🇨🇳
Capitol Hill finds rare bipartisan cause in China—but it could pose problems – The Guardian
covid 🦠
Lab leak most likely caused pandemic, US Energy Department says – The New York Times: ‘Some officials briefed on the intelligence said that it was relatively weak and that the Energy Department’s conclusion was made with “low confidence,” suggesting its level of certainty was not high. While the department shared the information with other agencies, none of them changed their conclusions, officials said.’
James Palmer merkte terecht op op Twitter dat al het slecht onderbouwde lawaai uit bepaalde politieke hoek in de VS over Chinese laboratoria ook de aandacht heeft afgeleid van Pekings cover-up van wat er rond de markt voor wilde dieren gebeurd zou kunnen zijn.
ballon 🎈
China says US refused to share information on downed Chinese balloon – Reuters
Chinese weather balloon maker Zhuzhou Rubber denies connection to downed spy balloon – Reuters
World Insights: Why US overreaction to Chinese airship [sic] is ludicrous and dangerous? – Xinhua: ‘blatantly violated its obligations under the Chicago Convention and many basic principles of international law’
Taiwan warns aviation authorities after balloon sighting – AFP
Zuid-Chinese Zee
Chinese fighter jet confronts US Navy plane with CNN crew aboard as tensions simmer in the South China Sea – CNN
An encounter in the sky between a Chinese jet fighter and a US patrol craft, witnessed by a reporter, shows Beijing’s pilots are turning more aggressive, US says – WSJ
Het Pentagon wil blijkbaar wat duidelijk maken en heeft daartoe verslaggevers uitgenodigd.
propaganda
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wāng Wénbīn 汪文斌’s Regular Press Conference on February 24, 2023 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China:
CCTV: US Radio Talkshow Host Garland Nixon tweeted last week that President Biden warned about a US “plan for the destruction of Taiwan”. Do you have any comment on that?
Wang Wenbin: I’m also curious what the US “plan for the destruction of Taiwan” looks like. The US needs to offer a clear explanation.
Taiwan is part of China. We will firmly defend China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Tech War 💽
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
Regering stopt alle energie in onderhandelingen met China – Suriname Herald
China and Japan must view ties from ‘strategic height’, seize post-Covid opportunities, says departing envoy Kǒng Xuànyòu 孔铉佑 – SCMP
Weer die neerbuigende waarschuwing voor ‘misverstanden’.
China recruits women to fly carrier-based warplanes as navy faces pilot shortage – SCMP
China to train 5,000 security personnel from developing countries over next 5 years – SCMP
China economie
China creates new entity to take over troubled insurer Huaxia – Bloomberg
Shanghai’s return to business tests China reopening – FT: ‘While domestic trade has taken off in the wake of Beijing scrapping pandemic restrictions late last year, Shanghai’s full global reintegration lags behind.’
While Xi Jinping focuses on manufacturing independence and global technological dominance, inside China an economic time bomb is ticking – Bloomberg
China’s economy is looking at a new wave of Japanification – Leo Lewis for FT
China’s unequal education system holding back its economy despite ambitions, top US panel hears – SCMP
Desperate for babies, China races to undo an era of birth limits. Is it too late? – The New York Times
China binnenland
💡 Touting ‘ethnic fusion’, China’s new top official for minority affairs Pān Yuè 潘岳 envisions a country free of cultural difference – Aaron Glasserman for China File
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 pick for next chief of staff draws speculation before leadership shuffle – Nikkei Asia
Hong Kong
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Verenigde Staten
Foreign ministry dismisses Japanese media speculation about planned US visit by president Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文 [Cài Yīngwén] – Focus Taiwan
China
Tainan shootings gunman and co-conspirator arrested in China – Focus Taiwan: ‘Hung and Kung were handed over to Taiwanese law enforcement agents in China at around noon on Saturday’
Niet alle samenwerking is gestopt.
Relative majority of Taiwan respondents value ties with US over China, according to poll – Focus Taiwan
国台办:“九二共识”与“一国两制”有明显区别 民进党政客一再张冠李戴企图为破坏两岸关系脱责 – 中国台湾网
defensie
Japan could lose 144 fighter jets in Taiwan crisis, according to table top simulation – Nikkei Asia
CIA chief: China has some doubt on ability to invade Taiwan – AP
Bill amending General Mobilisation Act seeks to boost Taiwan’s defence readiness – Taipei Times
Defence ministry proposes stiffer penalties for wartime misinformation – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Ex-colonel Hsiang Te-en 向德恩 [Xiàng Dé'ēn] sentenced to seven-and-a-half years on China spy charge – Taipei Times
Ex-KMT official Hsiao Ching-tien 蕭景田 [Xiāo Jǐngtián] charged in Taipei vote-buying case – Taipei Times
Legislator Claire Wang 王婉諭 [Wáng Wǎnyù] elected NPP chairwoman – Taipei Times
‘Outdated Constitution’ led to Kaohsiung ruling requiring treatment of Chinese tourist as ‘ROC citizen’, groups say – Taipei Times
Premier Chen Chien-jen 陳建仁 [Chén Jiànrén] delivers policy report at Legislature – Focus Taiwan
Herdenkingsdag Incident van 28 Februari 🕊️
New Taiwanese government foundation grants reparations to first 13 victims of political persecution – Focus Taiwan
Taipei mayor Chiang Wan-an 蔣萬安 [Jiǎng Wàn'ān] (KMT) comes under fire over heritage claims ahead of 2.28 – New Bloom
Tainan schools remove authoritarian-era symbols – Taipei Times
National Security Bureau and Taiwan Garrison Command implicated in 1980 Lin I-hsiung 林義雄 [Lín Yìxióng] family murders, two Control Yuan members said – Taipei Times
Keelung 228 archives published – Taipei Times