De Chinese Wouden, maandag 6 november: China International Import Expo kan het tij niet keren
In China is de internationale import-expo (CIIE) begonnen. Voor president Xi en premier Li een gelegenheid om te benadrukken dat hun land alleen maar verder zal openen terwijl het een onmisbare bron van economische groei blijft voor de wereld. Dat is ook de boodschap die beide mannen hadden voor de bezoekende buitenlandse hoogwaardigheidsbekleders.
Niet iedereen gelooft dat nog. Na jaren van niet nagekomen beloftes en overduidelijke bevoordeling van eigen bedrijven was de Europese kamer van koophandel het politieke theater zat. De cijfers laten zien dat dit niet bij verklaringen blijft. Voor het eerst sinds 1998 rapporteert Peking dat er netto minder investeringen binnen komen dan naar buiten gaan. Geld verlaat China.
We zien een heroriëntatie van de wereldeconomie. De Wall Street Journal heeft een belangrijk stuk over dit economische kantelpunt: langzaam vormen zich twee economische blokken.
In het Westen nemen de Verenigde Staten maatregelen gericht op China en kan zelfs de aarzeling van Scholz niet voorkomen dat Europese bedrijven al op eigen initiatief aan het de-risken slagen.
China is onder Xi Jinping al tijden bezig met het verminderen van afhankelijkheden op het Westen als het aankomt op voedsel, grondstoffen en high-tech. Het vervangen van ons door toeleveranciers uit ontwikkelingslanden en eigen bedrijven is in een stroomversnelling gekomen.
Europa moet geen illusies koesteren, dat dit weer ongedaan gemaakt kan worden. Maar zijn we er wel klaar voor, dat sommige grote (Duitse) bedrijven niet meer grote winsten uit China zullen blijven kunnen halen? De onmacht om te concurreren op zonnepanelen en nu ook steeds meer windenergie en elektrische auto’s maakt dat ik me zorgen maak.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 seeks Germany’s help to avert China-EU trade war – POLITICO: ‘Speaking virtually with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday, Xi launched a thinly veiled attack on the EU's economic security strategies’ 🇩🇪
China urges Europe to help jointly resolve conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine – SCMP 🇩🇪
Xí Jìnping 习近平 meets Olaf Scholz via video link – Xinhua: 🇩🇪
Scholz introduced the views of the German side on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Ukraine crisis, and expressed the hope of maintaining close communication with China.
Xi pointed out that to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Ukraine crisis, it is necessary to think more deeply about security issues, adhere to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and promote the building of a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture.
Squeezing the security space of other countries and supporting one side while ignoring the legitimate demands of the other side will lead to regional imbalance and the expansion and escalation of conflicts, said Xi.
Hier lees Xi gewoon Scholz even de les, over zowel Oekraïne als Israël.
Werk von BASF in Xinjiang: Eine heikle Verbindung – Handelsblatt: „Dem Handelsblatt liegen Hinweise auf Zwangsarbeit im Umfeld des Joint-Venture-Partners von BASF in Xinjiang vor.“ 🇩🇪
Xí Jìnping 习近平 meets Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis – Xinhua 🇬🇷
Irish deputy PM and foreign, defence minister Micheal Martin to visit China – Xinhua 🇮🇪
Top Chinese diplomat Wáng Yì 王毅 meets Maltese foreign minister Ian Borg – Xinhua 🇲🇹
Chinese premier Lǐ Qiáng 李强 meets Serbian counterpart Ana Brnabić – Xinhua 🇷🇸
China took part in leaders’ AI meeting even though UK did not acknowledge – Reuters 🇬🇧
China steel association says EU carbon tax a new trade barrier, calls for more talks – Reuters 🇪🇺
Blockbuster show on Genghis Khan opens in France’s Nantes after row with China – The Guardian: ‘accusing the Beijing authorities of interference and trying to rewrite history.’ 🇫🇷
Estonia office plan still in works, says Taiwan’s foreign ministry – Taipei Times: ‘after Estonian Public Broadcasting’s English-language news site reported on Friday that the Estonian government had agreed to open the office using the name “Taipei.”’ 🇪🇪
Senior economic official departs for annual Taiwan-UK trade talks – Focus Taiwan 🇬🇧
Beijing bishop Joseph Lǐ Shān 李山 to make rare visit to Hong Kong amid broader tensions – Reuters 🇻🇦
China International Import Expo 🇨🇳🌏
China pledges to expand market access at annual trade fair amid foreign criticism – Reuters
(CIIE) Xi Focus: Xí Jìnping 习近平 sends letter to sixth CIIE, pledges high-standard opening up – Xinhua
(CIIE) China Focus: Chinese premier Lǐ Qiáng 李强 vows further opening up at high-profile import expo – Xinhua
European chamber in China criticises upcoming Shanghai trade fair as ‘smoke and mirrors’ – Reuters
China vice president Hán Zhèng 韩正 meets Bosch chairman Hartung, Xinhua reports – Reuters
EU needs better understanding of China to carve out ‘own space’, says ex-Spanish foreign minister Arancha González – SCMP: ‘currently the dean of the Paris School of International Affairs at the French university Sciences Po.’
Australia’s Albanese offers gentle rebuke over China’s ‘unnecessary barriers to trade’ at Shanghai expo – The Guardian
Verenigde Staten en China 🇺🇸🇨🇳
US and Chinese diplomats meet in Beijing to discuss maritime issues including South China Sea – SCMP
US airs concerns to China about ‘dangerous and unlawful’ South China Sea actions – Reuters
‘On Nov. 1, Director-General of the Department of Policy Planning of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China Miao Deyu held foreign policy planning consultation with Salman Ahmed, Director of the U.S. Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff, in Vienna. […]’ – Chinese Embassy in US, Twitter
Feature: A ‘Flying Tigers’ veteran’s bond with China – Xinhua
Zuid-Chinese Zee 🌊⚓️
Japan and Philippines agree to boost defence ties amid China’s rise – Kyodo News: ‘confirmed that they will begin negotiations on a new bilateral treaty, known as a reciprocal access agreement’ ‘Kishida promised to provide the Philippines with coastal surveillance radar under a new support framework for like-minded nations’
Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force to join US and Philippines for joint military exercises – The Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan to give Philippine Coast Guard 5 ships – CNN Philippines
Prime minister Kishida Fumio 岸田 文雄 advocates stronger ASEAN ties to counter China, pledges to encourage public and private sector cooperation – The Yomiuri Shimbun: ‘first-ever speech by a Japanese prime minister at the Philippine Congress’
Japan and Malaysia vow to boost defence cooperation amid China’s rise – Kyodo News
Chinese government ships enter waters near Senkaku/Diaoyutai Islands for 4th day in row – Jiji Pres
Tech War 💽💥
Hoe staatsgevaarlijk was de Iraanse programmeur die na een ambtsbericht van de AIVD werd uitgezet? – de Volkskrant 🇳🇱
Singapore’s government will get powers to block takeovers of key entities, including those that act against national security interests and change ownership or control in the two years before a proposed new law comes into effect – Bloomberg
Toevallig won Huawei ook geen van de 5G-aanbestedingen in Singapore. Het zijn echt niet alleen Westerse ‘China-haviken’ die maatregelen nemen of marineschepen in de Zuid-Chinese Zee willen, alleen zijn de buurlanden er vaak wat minder publiek mee.
Japan’s Canon will price its new chip machines at a fraction of industry leader ASML’s EUV tools – Bloomberg
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
US polling and consultancy Gallup withdraws from China – FT
The world economy is splitting in two—and many economists worry the costs will outweigh the advantages – WSJ: ‘Washington continues to raise the heat on China with investment curbs and export bans, while China reorients large parts of its economy away from the West toward the developing world.’ ‘The strategies are growing harder to unravel as both sides sink more resources into them.’
Aristotle becomes latest casualty in China’s narrative war with the West as scholar questions philosopher’s existence – SCMP: ‘a growing trend among some nationalistic intellectuals who argue the world needs a new, less Western-centric version of history’ ‘For at least a decade, ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt have been targets for nationalist academics in China, who have encouraged scepticism about these civilisations and their achievements.’
Extreme nationalisten als Jin Canrong en Zhang Weiwei zijn de voorhoede van een crypto-fascistische beweging onder bepaalde Chinese intellectuelen.
China’s two-faced approach to Gaza – Michael Schuman for The Atlantic: ‘A new pattern is emerging in Chinese foreign policy that bodes poorly for global stability: Chinese leader Xi Jinping pretends to favor peaceful resolutions to international conflicts while actually encouraging the world’s most destabilizing forces.’
The Atlantic is zelf ook niet per se neutraal, maar als je daar doorheen leest, heeft de auteur een belangrijk punt over de terugkerende nepneutraliteit van China.
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
India casts wary eye on revived China-Bhutan boundary talks – Nikkei Asia
North Korean art sells in China despite UN sanctions over nuclear programme – AP
China economie
China’s economic recovery momentum ‘takes a step back’: 4 takeaways from October’s manufacturing and services activity – SCMP
💡 Foreign investment in China turns negative for first time – Nikkei Asia: ‘This marked the first negative figure in data going back to 1998.’
China’s fight against deflation may be far from over – Bloomberg
China’s services activity picks up slightly in October, according to Caixin PMI – Reuters
China to accelerate issuance of government bonds, finance minister Lán Fó'ān 蓝佛安 says – Reuters
China hunts for new industrial ‘pillars’ to replace a wobbly property market – SCMP
China binnenland
China’s Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 says Communist Party control too weak in rural areas, new book reveals – SCMP
Beijing bans Communist party officials from private equity investing – FT
Ex-VP Lee Zhāng Hónglì 张红力 of China’s ICBC being probed by anti-graft body – Reuters
Banden met de Wen Jiabao-factie.
Hong Kong
As Hong Kong stood up for democracy, a neighbourhood was brutalised – The Washington Post: ‘the police were aware of the planned [Yuen Long] attacks, as were government officials close to Hong Kong’s political leadership.’
The Hong Kong activist who called Washington’s bluff – The Atlantic: ‘Pompeo and his advisers decided that the United States could neither let [Joshua] Wong into the consulate nor extract him from Hong Kong.’
Voorpublicaties uit Among the Braves van journalisten Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin.
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Taiwan set to lift ban on China-bound tour groups in March 2024 – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan should follow the Philippines’ model for revealing China’s grey zone tactics – Thomas J. Shattuck, Benjamin Lewis, and Kenneth Allen for The Diplomat
Ex-Taiwan military chief Lee Hsi-min 李喜明 says US help will take ‘weeks’ in crisis – Nikkei Asia: ‘This means that Taiwan would need to respond to the initial attack on its own.’
Sea drone production could start soon in Taiwan – Taipei Times
Taiwan verkiezingen
Suspect detained in bribery case involving Terry Gou 郭台銘’s petition drive – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan’s TPP leader Ko Wen-je 柯文哲 proposes regular security talks with Japan, US; desires easing of political confrontations with China – The Yomiuri Shimbun
Juist onder de regering van Tsai Ing-wen (DPP) – door Ko bekritiseerd als te agressief – vinden zulke gesprekken al plaats.
Video posted of potential TPP party list pick Xú Chūnyīng 徐春鶯 in red guard [incorrect, betreft Jonge Pioniers] garb singing praise of Mao Zedong – Taipei Times: ‘Xu yesterday said the event took place on June 1, 2018, adding that it was a gathering of about 20 Chinese women at a restaurant in Taipei, welcoming back friends returning from Shanghai.’
China-born legislator hopeful Xú Chūnyīng 徐春鶯 (TPP) denies allegations of CCP membership – Focus Taiwan
Effecten in de peilingen zijn al te zien.
Chinese government influences election with discount airfares for Taiwanese businesspeople returning from China, Economic Democracy Union argues – Taipei Times: ‘Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members gave their support for the discount programs’
Lai Ching-te 賴清德 (DPP) says he is best option for deterring China war – Taipei Times
Does Lai Ching-te 賴清德 (DPP) need a large majority? – Domino Theory: it really is about ‘the importance of attaining a majority in parliament.’
賴:桃竹竹苗大矽谷計畫 讓產業升級 – 自由時報
Lai stelt een Groot Silicon Valley-programma voor dat het bestaande halfgeleider-centrum Hsinchu moet verenigen met Taoyuan en Miaoli.
藍白合破局? 柯:不能整合就各自努力 侯:一定拿最大誠意善意 – 自由時報
Registratie voor presidentskandidaten is over twee weken. Compromis tussen KMT en TPP lijkt nog ver weg.
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Lawmakers eye higher fines for working for CCP – Taipei Times
R&D spending accounted for almost 4% of Taiwan's GDP in 2022 – Focus Taiwan
Demonstrators call for dismantling of National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial – New Bloom
Gaza documentary shown at 228 Peace Memorial Park – Taipei Times
Taiwan marks milestone with first domestic-made weather satellite – Nikkei Asia