De Chinese Wouden, vrijdag 21 april
Fijn weekend.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Motie: Motie van het lid Brekelmans c.s. over breder onderzoek verrichten naar Chinese intimidatie van en inmenging in Nederlandse media – Ruben Brekelmans (VVD), Pim van Strien (VVD), Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66), Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 🇳🇱
Schriftelijke vragen : Het bericht ‘Afhankelijkheid van China moet niet worden herhaald bij 6G’ – Inge van Dijk (CDA), Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 🇳🇱
Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with President Emmanuel Macron of France – The White House: ‘They reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.’ 🇫🇷
Macron and Biden talk, but statements differ on Taiwan – Reuters 🇫🇷
China finds unlikely allies in Germany’s far right and far left – Nikkei Asia 🇩🇪
‘Some say trying to change China through trade is an illusion. Do 🇩🇪 companies come to China in order to change it? Isn’t trade about getting things to meet people’s needs? Isn’t it absurd to always try to change others? Why can’t countries follow a path of their own choice?’ – Wang Lutong, Twitter 🇩🇪
De directeur-generaal Europese zaken van het Chinese ministerie van buitenlandse zaken spreekt zich uit tegen Handel durch Wandel.
How business-friendly Hong Kong became a hub of Russian chip trade – Nikkei Asia
Tech War 💽💥
Chinese memory hip rival to Samsung Changxin seeks IPO at US$14.5 billion value – Bloomberg
Despite outcry, Michigan approves US$175 million for Chinese-owned EV battery plant – SCMP
Zeekr wordt het dertiende Chinese automerk in Nederland – RTL Nieuws Bright
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
3 nuclear superpowers, rather than 2, usher in a new strategic era – The New York Times: ‘In recent weeks, American officials have sounded almost fatalistic about the possibility of limiting China’s buildup.’
Japan steps up diplomacy to avoid ‘losing’ Global South to China – Nikkei Asia: ‘Kishida departs next week on the first multicountry trip to Africa by a Japanese leader since 2014.’
China’s CCTV slams Western hype of its population decline – Reuters: ‘Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said population dividends did not only depend on quantity but also on quality.’ [王先生至少没提“素质”:“既要看总量,更要看质量;既要看人口,更要看人才”]
Taiwanese companies are cutting their exposure to China just as they ramp up investment in other parts of the world – Bloomberg
In mijn inschatting heeft dit niet alleen te maken met de politieke spanningen, maar ook de nieuwe economische realiteit in China.
Weekend
Longreads en achtergrond
Boekrecensie: ‘De Chinezenmoord’ belicht een bijna vergeten bloedbad onder Nederlands bewind – de Volkskrant
Moslims in China mogen het hele jaar vasten, behalve tijdens de ramadan – Trouw
Ursula von der Leyen might be too pro-American for [some in] Europe: The president of the European Commission has Washington’s back on China—but does she have Europe’s? – Anchal Vohra for Foreign Policy
China’s ‘zero Covid’ policy was a mass imprisonment campaign – Murong Xuecun for The Guardian
Why China is building Africa’s new parliaments – VOA
The challenges of conducting open source research on China – Bellingcat
The lessons of Kong Yiji: What China’s graduates really think about their job prospects – The Economist
Podcasts
💡 Drum Tower in Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen: Islands in the Strait – The Economist 🍎
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
Is Vice-Premier Dīng Xuēxiáng 丁薛祥 China’s new climate envoy? Talks with COP28 chief point to role – SCMP
China plans to conduct military drills off its coast and in the South China Sea at a time of rising tensions over Taiwan – Bloomberg: ‘This comes before the biggest U.S.-Philippine military exercises, which run through next week’
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said protecting national security would be the US priority in its relationship with China, even if that slows economic growth – WSJ
The Janet Yellen olive branch to China – Edward Luce for FT
China-US ties: veteran diplomat Liú Jiànchāo 刘建超 meets ambassador Nicholas Burns – SCMP
Beijing scores with diplomatic charm offensive – The Straits Times
China economie
China shelves monetary easing in test of economy’s recovery – Nikkei Asia
China binnenland
China covid protesters released after four months’ detention, sources say – Reuters
Hong Kong
China funds flock to Hong Kong to sate Mainland investors – Reuters
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Taiwan publishing company Gūsa Press 八旗文化’s chief editor Fucha 李延賀 reportedly arrested in China – Focus Taiwan
台湾少数民族[sic]代表团来京参访交流 – 中国台湾网
Delegation to lobby Peru and Chile for Taiwan’s CPTPP bid, says deputy foreign minister – Focus Taiwan
Taiwanese Coast Guard amendment could reform weapon use – Taipei Times
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Likely TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je 柯文哲 [Kē Wénzhé] says he met with US national security officials – Taipei Times: ‘As China has failed to properly explain its interpretation of the “1992 consensus” to Taiwan, causing it to become stigmatized in Taiwan, Beijing should no longer insist that Taiwan adhere to it, [Ko] said.’
Het is gebruikelijk voor Taiwanese presidentskandidaten om een reis naar de Verenigde Staten te maken voor de verkiezingen, opdat zij en de relevante Amerikaanse functionarissen elkaar leren kennen voordat de gevoeligheden van de titel dat de uiteindelijk winnaar onmogelijk maken. TPP’s Ko is nu dus al geweest, de KMT-kandidaat zal waarschijnlijk ook gaan. Vraag blijft of DPP-kandidaat William Lai Ching-te op bezoek gaat, aangezien hij de zittende vicepresident is. Zit er nog een ‘transit’ in de koker?
KMT spat reflects lack of opportunities for younger people in the party – New Bloom
Taiwan hit by landslides and flooding as heavy rain forecast to continue – Focus Taiwan