De Chinese Wouden, vrijdag 19: Plenum
Fijn weekend.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
ASML kan de Amerikaanse druk niet ontlopen – NRC 🇳🇱🇺🇸
Aandeel ASML onderuit door zorgen over politieke druk uit VS – FD 🇳🇱🇺🇸
ASML’s order intake beat estimates as the artificial intelligence boom drives demand for its advanced chipmaking machines – Bloomberg: ‘However, ASML continues to service machines that were bought before the restrictions were in place. The Biden administration has told allies that it’s considering using the foreign direct product rule, which lets the US impose controls on foreign-made products that use even the tiniest amount of American technology, if such practices continue, according to the Bloomberg report.’ 🇳🇱🇺🇸
Ook als je – zoals ik doe – sympathiek staat tegenover de argumenten voor exportcontrolemaatregelen, dan nog moet je erkennen dat dit niet zo langer gaat. Zonder Europese middelen én visie worden we geleefd door de Verenigde Staten (en China).
Drugsrapport leest als een kleine gids voor ‘drugskoks’: de risico’s verplaatsen zich van Zuid- naar Oost-Nederland – NRC: „Een deel van die pre-precursoren komt vanuit China in bulk naar Nederland via dekmantelfirma’s, zoals een schoonmaakbedrijf dat grondstoffen inkoopt ‘die ook als grondstoffen voor synthetische drugs kunnen dienen’.” 🇳🇱
Toezegging bij China – Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal: „De minister van Buitenlandse Zaken zegt toe om in gesprek te gaan met de minister van OCW over het co-financieren met universiteiten van een leerstoel Modern China, en de uitkomst hiervan voor de begrotingsbehandeling terug te koppelen aan de Kamer.” 🇳🇱
Von der Leyen vows to stop China from invading Taiwan – POLITICO Europe: ‘“The Indo-Pacific has become a decisive region for the world’s future,” she outlined in her manifesto, entitled Europe’s Choice.’ 🇪🇺
Taiwan granted European Molecular Biology Organization associate member status – Taipei Times: ‘India and Singapore are the only other two associate member states.’
Rusland 🇷🇺
Chinese foreign minister Wáng Yì 王毅 says cooling down situation over Ukraine most urgent matter – Xinhua: ‘in a phone call with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto. Szijjarto briefed Wang of his views on the current situation’ 🇭🇺🇺🇦
‘FM Wang Yi🇨🇳 and FM Peter Szijjarto🇭🇺 talked about #Ukraine in a phone call. Wang said the most urgent matter is to cool down the tension as soon as possible. #China is ready to work with #Hungary to make more rational voices and push towards a political settlement.’ – 王鲁彤 Wang Lutong, Twitter 🇭🇺🇺🇦
Peking moet de Europese reacties op Orbáns wereldreizen gezien hebben, dus dit is bewust.
Russian firms selling to China are finding it increasingly harder to get paid after the US widened sanctions – Bloomberg: ‘as direct payments made in yuan are increasingly being frozen or delayed’ 🇷🇺
China and Russia eye stronger cross-border payments as sanctions create ‘time bomb’ – SCMP: ‘according to Beijing’s ambassador to Moscow’ 🇷🇺
Derde Plenum
Top officials in China offered a rare nod to the risks facing its sagging economy, without pointing to major overhauls – WSJ
China’s Communist Party sticks to painful reform playbook to target risks and growth – SCMP
China fails to deliver bold moves to reassure foreign investors – Nikkei Asia
Xinhua Headlines: CPC Central Committee adopts resolution on further deepening reform comprehensively – Xinhua
Full text: Communique of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China – Xinhua
Ousted Chinese foreign minister Qín Gāng 秦刚 loses seat in Communist Party inner circle Central Committee – SCMP
China’s Communist Party targets another PLA Rocket Force chief in corruption investigation – SCMP
Chinese state media touts Xi Jinping’s commitment to private sector – SCMP
Handel 🇪🇺🇨🇳
elektrische auto’s
Nederlandse vleesgigant Vion in vizier van Chinees onderzoek naar dumping varkensvlees – de Volkskrant 🇳🇱
China puts three companies from the European Union at the center of its anti-dumping investigation into pork products from the bloc – Bloomberg: ‘Beijing has chosen Danish Crown A/S, Vion Boxtel BV, and Litera Meat S.L.U. — the top three exporters of pork products in the region to China’ 🇪🇺🇩🇰🇳🇱🇪🇸
China steps up European brandy import probe with hearing, focuses on ‘industrial damage’ – SCMP 🇪🇺
BYD 比亚迪 sets sights on aggressive expansion in Vietnam – Reuters 🇻🇳
overige
Wereldhandelsorganisatie uit kritiek op industriesubsidies van China – NU.nl
WTO says China is backsliding on key reforms and lacks transparency on subsidies – SCMP: ‘Other issues on the list include the Communist Party’s involvement in private businesses, protecting foreign investors against forced technology transfers and whether Chinese retaliatory trade measures are consistent with WTO agreements.’
China’s industrial support programmes lack transparency, WTO says – Reuters: ‘said that Beijing did not provide enough information for the WTO to have a clear picture of the programmes.’
EU Statement at the 9th Trade Policy Review of the People’s Republic of China, 17 July 2024 – EEAS: ‘Over the last years, the EU has conveyed growing concerns regarding systemic imbalances that characterise the Chinese economy.’ ‘China’s domestic savings rate at 45% is unprecedentedly large for a country of its size and level of development, and this is having serious knock-on effects that are straining the trading system.’ 🇪🇺
EU and Taiwan criticise China’s WTO practices – Taipei Times 🇪🇺🇹🇼
Many US solar factories are lagging. Except those China owns – Reuters: ‘Chinese-backed companies have distinct advantages over competitors in the U.S., such as heavily subsidized supply chains for raw polysilicon and unfinished solar modules, as well as low-cost government financing. Like non-Chinese companies, they also collect U.S. subsidies for clean energy manufacturing embedded in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, Biden’s signature climate law.’ 🇺🇸
No longer rare: China’s overproduction sends rare-earth prices tanking – Nikkei Asia
Tech War 💽💥
ByteDance 字节跳动 loses court challenge against EU gatekeeper label in boost for regulators – Reuters 🇪🇺
Rechter: ook TikTok moet voldoen aan nieuwe EU-regels voor Big Tech – NRC 🇪🇺
India looks to free up visas for Chinese technicians, sources say – Reuters: ‘as it looks to overcome delays at manufacturing units that have hindered investments running into billions of dollars.’ 🇮🇳
China deploys censors to create socialist AI – FT: ‘Chinese government officials are testing artificial intelligence companies’ large language models to ensure their systems “embody core socialist values”, in the latest expansion of the country’s censorship regime.’
China likely to ditch unified AI legislation due to ‘considerable disagreement’ and timing – SCMP
Semiconductor ecosystem ‘irreplaceable’, NSTC says – Taipei Times: ‘Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem is “irreplaceable,” even though the US-China tech dispute might escalate, a National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) executive said yesterday’
TSMC 台積電 says AI chip output constraints to last through 2025 – Nikkei Asia
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
Why Chinese warships near Alaska signal growing naval projection — and a message to Nato – SCMP: ‘The latest sightings were the fourth consecutive year that Chinese military ships have been spotted in the region.’ 🇺🇸
Japan aligning with US and Europe over floating offshore wind amid China fears – Kyodo News 🇯🇵🇺🇸🇪🇺
Japan and Pacific Island leaders agree to boost regional security efforts – Nikkei Asia: ‘following a three-day summit in which Tokyo sought to deepen ties with its island neighbors as China makes further diplomatic headway in the vast region.’ 🇯🇵
Pacifistisch Japan wil zijn spierballen laten zien – NRC 🇯🇵
China releases report on implementation of global security initiative – Xinhua
Weekend 🏖️📚
Longreads en achtergrond
Asian powers set their strategic sights on Europe – C. Raja Mohan for Foreign Policy:
Europe has already become a military theater for Asian actors. Large-scale deliveries of drones, ammunition, and weapons components from Iran, North Korea, and China are helping Russia fight Ukrainian forces and rain death on civilians in Ukrainian cities. Iranian military advisors have been reported on the ground in occupied Ukraine, although the Iranian government denies their presence there. Beijing, too, is a major supporter of Moscow’s war effort—economically, but also through the delivery of weapons components, even if Beijing has been careful so far in order to avoid Western sanctions.
And just last week, Chinese soldiers arrived in western Belarus, only a few miles from the border of Poland—a NATO member state—for 11 days of joint military exercises dubbed Eagle Assault 2024. China and Russia held their own first joint naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea last year; joint drills between the two have been taking place in the Baltic Sea since 2017. Slowly but surely, Beijing is making it clear that it has military ambitions in Europe.
[…] Europe and Asia are trading places—with the former becoming the strategic object of the latter. As China, India, and other rising Asian countries grow more powerful, they increasingly see Europe as the theater of their geopolitical ambitions.
[…] In this sense, Europe’s biggest and deadliest conflict since 1945 is China’s first major proxy war against the United States.
[…]
As Asian powers set their eyes on Europe, the greatest source of worry for Europeans must be the fact that they are no longer at the center of the United States’ strategic affections.
CCP-linked professional associations in France and their role in technology transfer – Sinopsis 🇫🇷
‘Garbage time of history’: Chinese state media pushes back on claims country has entered a new epoch – The Guardian
Tentoonstelling ‘Made in China’ brengt maakcultuur van China door de eeuwen heen onder de aandacht – AD Rotterdam
Podcasts
The implications of the Putin-Kim summit: A conversation with Dr Victor Cha – CSIS ChinaPower 🍎
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
China suspends nuclear talks with US over arms sales to Taiwan – The Guardian 🇺🇸
We kunnen blijven zeggen dat ontwapening en klimaat te belangrijk zijn voor de mensheid om politieke spelletjes mee te spelen, Peking gebruikt het gerust als wisselgeld.
China seeks space supremacy and to exploit it ‘to our detriment’, US intelligence head says – SCMP 🇺🇸
Trump’s pick J.D. Vance takes stage protesting US jobs lost in China ‘sweetheart deal’ – SCMP 🇺🇸
The Philippines is developing an airport on an island it occupies in the South China Sea, Thitu Island – Bloomberg 🇵🇭
Vietnam files UN claim to extended continental shelf in South China Sea – Reuters: ‘a month after regional neighbor the Philippines made a similar move’ 🇻🇳
Chinese and Canadian foreign ministers to meet in Beijing on Friday – Reuters 🇨🇦
China economie
China rust belt city faces growing exodus as workers seek living wage – Nikkei Asia
Not enough jobs, study more: Rise in Chinese students applying for postgraduate courses – The Straits Times
In Depth: Battle for China’s deposits pits banks against regulators – Caixin Global
China binnenland
Average Chinese national now eats more protein than an American, UN food agency says – SCMP
Fire at shopping centre in China’s southwest kills 16 – Reuters
Hong Kong
Chair of Hong Kong press union Selina Cheng 鄭嘉如 fired by Wall Street Journal, says paper urged her to quit group – HKFP: ‘The association said the newspaper had pressured Cheng to withdraw from running in the election and to resign from its executive committee.’
Wall Street Journal fires Hong Kong reporter who headed embattled press club – The Washington Post: ‘In a statement, the HKJA said the Journal is “not alone” in taking this stance and that other elected board members have been “pressured by their employers to stand down.”’
When the press turns its back on press freedom – Timothy McLaughlin for The Atlantic: ‘The Atlantic reported in 2022 that major news outlets told their reporters not to run for president of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong for fear of political backlash. One of those outlets was the Journal’
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Trump on taxes, tariffs, Jerome Powell and more – Bloomberg Businessweek: ‘Asked about America’s commitment to defending Taiwan from China, which views the Asian democracy as a breakaway province, Trump makes it clear that, despite recent bipartisan support for Taiwan, he’s at best lukewarm about standing up to Chinese aggression. Part of his skepticism is grounded in economic resentment. “Taiwan took our chip business from us,” he says. “I mean, how stupid are we? They took all of our chip business. They’re immensely wealthy.” What he wants is for Taiwan to pay the US for protection. “I don’t think we’re any different from an insurance policy. Why? Why are we doing this?” he asks.
Another factor driving his skepticism is what he regards as the practical difficulty of defending a small island on the other side of the globe. “Taiwan is 9,500 miles away,” he says. “It’s 68 miles away from China.”’ 🇺🇸
Taiwan willing to do more for self-defence, Premier Cho says – Focus Taiwan: ‘when asked to respond to Donald Trump's recent comments on Taiwan.’ 🇺🇸
Taiwan has been paying for its defence, US State Department says – Focus Taiwan 🇺🇸
Taiwan is one of the largest buyers of US arms, Republican lawmakers say – Focus Taiwan 🇺🇸
Trump national security adviser calls on Taiwan to lift defence spending – Reuters 🇺🇸
Taiwan’s ‘options limited’ as Beijing steps up grey zone pressure from skies to sea – SCMP: ‘intended to weaken Taiwan’s legal control over its waters, similar to what Beijing had done in the air over the past several years.’ 🇨🇳
Premier Cho warns on travel to China after resolution – Taipei Times: ‘the legislature on Tuesday passed a resolution asking the government to lift its ban on group tours.’ 🇨🇳
Military officer gets jail for spying for Beijing – Taipei Times: ‘A former deputy chief of news desk at the Military News Agency’ 🇨🇳
Taiwan targets North Korean oil smuggling – FT: ‘Taipei’s push to tighten its regulations comes as Russia has resumed direct oil deliveries to North Korea, reducing the role of Taiwanese supplies.’ 🇰🇵
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Prosecutors indict Hsinchu County Commissioner Yang Wen-ke 楊文科 (KMT) on corruption charges – Taipei Times
Amendments could leave the NCC short of four members – Taipei Times: ‘NCC members were scheduled to review and approve sales of the new iPhone 16 which was expected to be available for purchase next month.’
Cabinet planning public infrastructure investment worth trillions of NT dollars – Focus Taiwan: ‘planning to raise at least NT$3 trillion (US$91.98 billion) of capital for public infrastructure projects.’
New Cabinet body to talk investment – Taipei Times: ‘hoped that the Grand Taiwan Investment policy would entice more foreigners to invest in Taiwan.’
NDC to issue digital nomad visas – Taipei Times
Control Yuan set to probe Taipei City response to abuse – Taipei Times
Cabinet approves draft sites of injustice preservation act – Focus Taiwan