De Chinese Wouden, vrijdag 1 december: sancties Rusland, COP28, Israël-Palestina
Prettig weekend
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
EU set to push Xi Jinping to stop Chinese firms getting around sanctions on Russia – SCMP 🇪🇺
Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Enrique Mora Hold China-EU Diplomatic Policy Consultations – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China 🇪🇺
China and the EU brace for a tense summit – Plamen Tonchev 🇪🇺
China calls on EU to observe China’s development comprehensively, objectively, says foreign ministry spokesperson – Xinhua: ‘the concerns raised by the EU are inconsistent with the facts.’ 🇪🇺
Taiwan’s envoy to EU Alexander Yui 俞大㵢 appointed new representative to US – Focus Taiwan: ‘fill the post left vacant by the vice presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’ ‘Deputy Foreign Minister Roy Lee (李淳) was appointed as Taiwan’s envoy to the EU and Belgium, thus replacing Yui.’ 🇪🇺
COP28 Dubai 🇦🇪🗻
EU-klimaatonderhandelaar Hoekstra tegen China: „Met welvaart komt ook verantwoordelijkheid” – NRC 🇪🇺
Wopke Hoekstra moet zich op klimaattop bewijzen. Krijgt hij China mee? – Trouw 🇪🇺
China’s coal habit casts doubt on Xi’s climate promises – FT: ‘According to data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a European think-tank, a “spree” of permits for new coal power plants in China, which started in mid-2022, has continued through 2023.’
Israël-Palestina 🇮🇱🇵🇸
Xi Jinping Sends Congratulatory Message to UN Special Commemorative Meeting in Observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People – Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of the Netherlands: ‘The United Nations Security Council must take on its responsibility and do all it can to push for ceasefire, protect civilians, and end the humanitarian disaster. Palestinian-Israeli peace talks should be resumed on that basis as soon as possible. The Palestinians’ right to statehood, right to existence, and right of return must be realized at the earliest date.’
‘China’s position is clear’: Foreign Minister Wáng Yì 王毅 pushes for one UN voice on Gaza ceasefire – SCMP
Chinese foreign minister urges full implementation of relevant UN resolutions on Palestine – Xinhua
Tech War 💽💥
China’s top anti-spy agency vows to safeguard critical minerals, slams Western tech containment – SCMP
Stapelen van chips is het nieuwe wapen in Chinees-Amerikaanse wedloop – FD
Macrons megafabrieken moeten lege Noord-Franse land nieuw leven inblazen – FD
Vertrek twee topmannen ASML ‘aderlating’, keuze voor Franse ceo wijst niet op koerswijziging – de Volkskrant
China’s C919 clears the runway for overseas suppliers, broadening market appeal despite headwinds – SCMP
China launches high-orbit satellite internet that could challenge SpaceX’s Starlink – SCMP
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
China’s push for influence in Micronesia tests US power in the Pacific – Axios
Taiwan to continue shifting investment away from China, economic affairs minister Wang Mei-hua 王美花 says – Nikkei Asia: ‘Taiwanese companies invested more in Southeast and South Asia than China for the first time in 2022’
Korea attends NATO-led cyberdefence exercise – The Korea Times
Weekend 🏖️📚
Longreads en achtergrond
Conflict with China? Germany is not prepared – Norbert Röttgen (CDU) for The Atlantic Council
How the China Cleavage shapes Taiwan’s elections – Sense Hofstede in de Clingendael Spectator
Taiwan’s presidential elections in full swing – Gerrit van der Wees for Taiwan Insight
From Green to Blue: The political history of Ko Wen-je 柯文哲 – Brian Hioe and Lev Nachman for The Diplomat
Met premier Wilders staat Nederland internationaal aan de kant – Luuk van Middelaar in NRC
The US retains the economic advantage in its rivalry with China – Martin Wolf for FT
China’s current account surplus is likely much bigger than reported – Brad Setter for CFR
China’s economy is suffering from long covid: Revealing gloom on the streets of an ordinary Chinese city – The Economist’s Chaguan
Inside Foxconn’s struggle to make iPhones in India – Rest of World
Podcasts
EU-China relations on the eve of the 24th bilateral summit – China Global’s Bonnie S. Glaser interviews Gunnar Wiegand 🍎 🤖
Tot voor kort was Gunnar Wiegand de directeur voor Azië en de Stille Oceaan (Asia-Pacific) bij de Europese Dienst voor Extern Optreden (EEAS).
How Rep. Gallagher would fix Congress and beat China –
🍎 🤖Rep. Gallagher: Can a Scholar-Soldier Solve Congress? –
De Republikeinse volksvertegenwoordiger Mike Gallagher (R-WI) is de voorzitter van de Select Committee on China in het Amerikaanse Congres. Dit comité is veel in het nieuws geweest, o.a. bij het verhoor van de baas van TikTok. Hij was te gast bij ChinaTalk.
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
‘Sekssymbool van de regering-Nixon’, geniale vredestichter of oorlogsmisdadiger? Henry Kissinger was boven alles een realist, geen moralist – de Volkskrant
China hails Kissinger’s ‘historic contributions’ to China-US ties – AFP
Taiwan officials pay tribute to top American diplomat Kissinger on his passing – Focus Taiwan
context: Old Friends of the Chinese People 中国人民的老朋友 – The China Media Project Dictionary
context: How Kissinger became an asset of China – The Spectator (2022/03/26)
China confirms it is working with US to restore military communication channels based on Xi-Biden agreement – SCMP
China and US cannot afford depopulating the relationship, American ambassador Nicholas Burns says – SCMP
Meta says China-based influence efforts targeting US election ramp up – AFP
Chinese navy visits Myanmar in ‘show of friendship’ following upsurge in fighting along border – SCMP: ‘China is engaged in a crackdown on telecoms scams run from the lawless border region.’
China’s top diplomat Wáng Yì 王毅 to visit Vietnam from Thursday, according to sources – Reuters
China to review anti-subsidy tariffs on Australia wine imports – Reuters
China economie
China’s manufacturing activity contracted again while a gauge of the services sector shrank for the first time this year, suggesting weakening economic momentum into the final weeks of 2023 – Bloomberg
Chinese farmers in some provinces are being forced to let fresh vegetables rot in their fields due to weak demand and ample supply, according to a local news report and videos posted on social media – Bloomberg
Chinese investment bank CICC warns analysts against pessimistic calls and showing off lavish lifestyles, as Beijing clamps down on well-paid bankers – Bloomberg
Stocks in mainland China have emerged as an outlier amid November’s global rally, with the market extending its run of losses owing to persistent investor concerns about the economic recovery – Bloomberg
China Evergrande 中国恒大 seeks to avoid liquidation with last-ditch debt plan – Reuters: ‘The defaulted company has until a Hong Kong court hearing on Monday to present a “concrete” revised debt restructuring proposal for offshore creditors’
Explainer: Possible Evergrande 恒大 liquidation order and what happens next – Reuters: ‘After a liquidation, the liquidator could take control of Evergrande’s subsidiaries in mainland China by replacing their legal representatives, a process that could take months or years.’
How China’s lottery boom reflects a ‘long and challenging road’ to its economic recovery – SCMP
More Chinese investors look abroad to park cash as Beijing seen ‘softening’ on capital flows – SCMP
China binnenland
Child respiratory sickness overloads China’s paediatric clinics, according to reports – The Guardian: ‘the rise in cases was not being driven by any new pathogens’
De zwakte van het Chinese gezondheidssysteem moet één van de prikkels voor het strenge lockdownbeleid zijn geweest tijdens de pandemie.
China moves to standardise place names with pinyin system – Sixth Tone: ‘mandating that all geographic names in China adhere to the Hanyu pinyin system’
Xizang.
Chinese celebrity chef offends China for third time with egg fried rice video – The Guardian
Hong Kong
Hong Kong 47: Landmark national security trial could end next Monday, court hears– HKFP
Hong Kong urged to target listings from Middle Eastern companies – FT
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文 says China has too many domestic problems to invade – The Guardian
Taiwan armed forces simulate Chinese military landing in Kaohsiung – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan urges elderly and young to avoid China visits due to respiratory illnesses – Reuters
Biggest part of Meizhou Mazu delegation from China denied entry to Taiwan – Focus Taiwan
In Taiwan crisis, Japan to play role like Poland to Ukraine, says Japanese ex-general– Nikkei
Taiwan verkiezingen
Most doubt Hou Yu-ih 侯友宜 (KMT)’s ECFA plan, says premier – Taipei Times: ‘Hou’s promise to relaunch ECFA and Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement talks with China’
Taipei Times is van de pro-DPP Liberty Times en dat is duidelijk bij de keuze om het eigenlijke nieuws, dat Hou Yu-ih de CSSTA met China nog een keer wil proberen, begraaft onder DPP-kritiek, net als het deed met zijn voorstel om Chinese studenten naar Taiwan te halen om te studeren en werken.
Maar het is best wel nieuws dat de KMT-kandidaat de exacte overeenkomst terug wil brengen die gestrand is in 2014. De CSSTA was namelijk de aanleiding voor de Zonnebloemstudentenbeweging die het parlement wekenlang bezet hield. Dat was het begin van het einde van de KMT-dominantie: in het najaar won de toen nog onafhankelijke Ko Wen-je met DPP-steun het burgemeesterschap van Taipei, en in 2016 leidde Tsai Ing-wen de DPP naar een ongeëvenaarde nationale verkiezingsoverwinning. Haar meerderheid stond Tsai toe wetgeving in te voeren die eindelijk de illegal verkregen miljarden van de KMT afpakte, waardoor die partij nu richting faillissement gaat als het niet wint in januari.
Taiwan should join China-led RCEP, is ‘not yet ready’ for CPTPP, says TPP’s Ko Wen-je 柯文哲 – Focus Taiwan
Er is een rare traditie in het oppositiekamp om Taiwan af te schilderen als een verschrikkelijke plek en China als de oplossing voor alle problemen.
KMT vice president pick Jaw Shaw-kong 趙少康 could be double-edged sword, analysts warn – Focus Taiwan: ‘Jaw is expected to effectively “consolidate” the KMT base, especially those who found it difficult to get behind Hou, a native Taiwanese, due to perceptions of him being “not KMT enough.”’
Jaw heeft alleen maar verkiezingen verloren, maar omdat hij het zo goed doet onder de harde kern van de KMT ziet men hem toch als een politiek wonder. Maar, zoals ik deze week uitleg in de Clingendael Spectator, je wint Taiwanese verkiezingen door de middenstem te overtuigen. De gok van de KMT is nu misschien, dat met drie kandidaten het belangrijker is je eigen achterban te mobiliseren.
Taiwan’s Central Electoral Commission and foreign ministry investigating if candidates have dual nationality – Focus Taiwan: ‘This process comes amid allegations that Ko [Wen-je]’s running mate, [Cynthia] Wu, a TPP lawmaker, still holds United States nationality after reports appeared in local media.’
Hsiao Bi-khim, running mate van DPP’s Lai Ching-te, is half-Amerikaanse en heeft haar tweede paspoort jaren terug al opgegeven. Tammy Lai gaf haar Amerikaanse paspoort op voor Foxconn-oprichter Terry Gou, die na Chinese druk uiteindelijk afzag van deelname aan de verkiezingen. De verwevenheid van de Taiwanese elite met de Verenigde Staten is enorm. Denk in tech ook aan Morris Chang (TSMC), Jensen Huang (Nvidia) en Lisa Su (AMD).
DPP and KMT presidential hopefuls pledge to boost minimum monthly wage – Focus Taiwan: TPP’s ‘Ko Wen-je said that the core reason behind the problem of low wages among young people lies in Taiwan’s education system, which lacks practical lessons.’
Taiwan’s annual average wage rises to eight-year high [sic] of NT$694,000 [€20,300], according to job bank survey – Focus Taiwan
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office slams Taiwan’s DPP over cross-Strait ‘chaos’, warns of rising risk of war if 1992 Consensus not heeded – SCMP
China is waging a growing number of cyberattacks on neighbouring Taiwan, according to cybersecurity experts at Google – Bloomberg
Taiwan’s security cannot rely on US weapons, says defence spokesperson – Xinhua
Taiwan reports more Chinese military activity as election nears – Reuters
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Taiwanese students top civics study – Taipei Times