De Chinese Wouden, vrijdag 25 oktober: BRICS presenteert het Mondiale Zuiden als toekomst van de wereld
Xi Jinping keerde gisteren terug van zijn bezoek aan Rusland voor de BRICS-top in Kazan. Bij deze top waren voor het eerst nieuwe leden Egypte, Ethiopië, Iran en de Verenigde Arabische Emiraten. Er zijn nu ook partnerlanden. Bij de BRICS Plus Summit waren ook de nieuwe partners Algerije, Belarus, Bolivië, Cuba, Indonesië, Kazachstan, Maleisië, Nigeria, Thailand, NAVO-lid Turkije, Oeganda, Oezbekistan en Vietnam.
Ik raad de lezers aan om door te scrollen naar de sectie over de BRICS-top en in ieder geval de selecties uit Xi Jinpings toespraken door te nemen. Om te begrijpen hoe China deze verzameling van het Mondiale Zuiden ziet, dan moet je de post-westerse smaak van zijn woorden proeven. De Chinees-Braziliaanse inspanningen om de ‘Ukraine crisis’ te bevriezen zijn daar een paradepaardje van.
Als pilaren voert Xi zijn eigen drie initiatieven aan: Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Development Initiative (GDI), en Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI). Bij het vorige geruchtmakende bezoek aan Rusland sprak hij over het moment van ongeëvenaarde veranderingen dat hij met Poetin zou aandrijven – hier zegt hij dat de opkomst van het Mondiale Zuiden het bepalende kenmerk van dit kantelpunt is.
Zoals bij alle BRICS-toppen, was de secretaris-generaal van de VN António Guterres ook hier aanwezig. Deze keer was de top echter in Rusland en was oorlogsmisdadiger Poetin de gastheer. Bovendien had Guterres geweigerd naar de Oekraïenste vredestop in Zwitserland te komen. Dat leidde tot grote ophef wereldwijd en in Nederland kamervragen en een ministeriële reactietweets.
Ik keek in mijn bezoekendatabase en zag dat Guterres al acht keer op bezoek is geweest in China sinds 2016. Dat betrof o.a. alle drie Belt and Road Forums, een Bo'ao Forum for Asia en de twee Afrika-toppen (FOCAC). Dat zijn allemaal politieke projecten van Xi om, onder de vlag van de genoemde GDI en GSI, te bouwen aan een ontwesterde wereldorde. Het klopt dat de VN-baas alle 193 leden moet dienen – ook landen die wij niet zo leuk vinden. Tegelijkertijd is het wel een beetje eenzijdig om de politieke projecten van één kamp te steunen en elders weg te blijven.
Maar dit past wel binnen de ontwikkelingen in de VN. Australië werd deze week aangevallen door Chinese woordvoerders nadat het 15 landen aanvoerde in kritiek op mensenrechten in China. Chinese missie op Twitter kraaide victorie over Pekings tegenmobilisatie van 80 landen. Als iets nu duidelijk is, is dat dat er een meerderheid is die niet meer zomaar meeloopt met de westerse ordening. Nu is de rest zich bewust dat ons deel van de wereld een vragende minderheid is. Europa moet nadenken hoe het zich gaat verhouden tot deze nieuwe realiteit.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
„Gisteren heeft Minister Barry Madlener een bilateraal gesprek gehad met Minister Li Guoying van het Chinese Ministerie van Water Resources. […]” – Francesco S. Montesano, LinkedIn 🇳🇱
Topman Besi verwacht meer exportrestricties: „Dat moeten we accepteren” – BNR: „Dat de regels worden aangescherpt, snapt Blickman ook, omdat anders de westerse chiptechnologie ‘tegen ons gebruikt gaat worden, dat wordt steeds duidelijker’.” 🇳🇱
Antwoord op vragen van het lid Van der Lee (GroenLinks-PvdA) over het bericht China verlaagt rente en plant extra stimulus voor economie – minister Heinen, Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 🇳🇱
Dit is een goed voorbeeld van vragen die meer eigen kamerstaf voor onderzoek zouden kunnen beantwoorden i.p.v. het kamervragenapparaat.
Pairi Daiza plaatst 3 reuzenpanda’s maand in quarantaine in aanloop naar vertrek naar China – VRT NWS 🇧🇪
China’s Nuctech 同方威视 launches new appeal against EU inspection of company – Reuters 🇪🇺
No let-up likely in EU trade battle with China as Commission nominees take tough stand in written statements before hearings – SCMP 🇪🇺
Incoming EU foreign policy chief Kallas warns against Russia and China – Reuters: ‘In 21 pages of answers to questions posed by the lawmakers ahead of the hearings’ 🇪🇺
European Parliament passes resolution in support of Taiwan – Focus Taiwan: ‘said that China has been misinterpreting U.N. Resolution 2758’ 🇪🇺
China is trying to distort history and international law in Taiwan, MEPs warn – European Parliament 🇪🇺
European commissioner Nicolas Schmit before EP joins Taiwan and US in highlighting UNGA Resolution 2758 – Focus Taiwan: ‘“United Nations Resolution 2758 is very short — only 150 words,” Schmit said. “And among those 150 words, the word ‘Taiwan’ does not appear.”’ 🇪🇺
Victorie voor de zeer actieve Taiwanese lobby op een belangrijk desinformatiepunt van Peking.
China’s police chief meets Italian interior minister on security cooperation – Xinhua 🇮🇹
UK delays foreign lobbying clampdown as it works out China policy – POLITICO Europe: ‘A government official, granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, confirmed that policy pertaining to China — including the FIRS scheme — had been put on pause until the government completes its ongoing “China Audit,” expected to wrap early next year.’ 🇬🇧
Handel 🚗🇪🇺
Denmark wants common EU answers to Chinese wind competition – Reuters 🇩🇰🇪🇺
Mercedes-Benz opens new battery recycling plant that recovers ‘96%’ of battery materials – Electrek 🇩🇪
China’s Canton Fair, barometer of foreign trade, shows US and EU buyers may lose interest – SCMP: ‘Some also expressed frustration at the shrinking numbers of buyers from Russia and affluent regions of the Middle East.’
Chinese EV and self-driving tech companies turn to IPOs for cash – FT: ‘at the risk of lower valuations, with funding drying up amid intense competition in the sector.’
Tesla is the pure EV king, but Chinese drivers steer to hybrids as they worry about range – SCMP
Chinese carmakers cut prices in Thai market as sales slump – Caixin Global 🇹🇭
China’s exporters run for cover as US election nears – Reuters: ‘Of the 27 Chinese exporters with at least 15% of sales to the U.S. Reuters spoke with, 12 were planning to accelerate relocation if Trump returned to the White House.’ 🇺🇸
Tech War 💽💥
Germany’s chip ambitions hit after US tech group Wolfspeed shelves plans for plant – FT: ‘in response to cooling European demand for electric vehicles that its chips are used in’ 🇩🇪
TSMC 台積電 has achieved early production yields at its first plant in Arizona that surpass similar factories in Taiwan, a significant breakthrough for a US expansion project initially dogged by delays and worker strife – Bloomberg: ‘about 4 percentage points higher’ 🇺🇸
US approves lithium project in Nevada in push to break China’s grip on EV minerals – FT: ‘Australian producer Ioneer on Thursday said it had received a federal permit for its Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron mine’ 🇺🇸
French Nobel-winning laser scientist Gérard Mourou (80) joins China’s top Peking University – SCMP 🇫🇷
China advocates open international sci-tech cooperation, vice premier Dīng Xuēxiáng 丁薛祥 says – Xinhua: ‘when he met […] foreign scientists attending the 2024 World Science and Technology Development Forum in Beijing.’
China struggles to break US chip design ‘chokehold’ – FT: ‘While the EDA sector accounts for just 1.6 per cent of the $600bn global semiconductor industry, it serves as a critical bottleneck in the supply chain for developing the latest cutting-edge chips.’ 🇺🇸
US to unveil AI national security memo to avoid China’s ‘strategic surprise’ and cut risks – SCMP: ‘encourages the use of artificial intelligence (AI) systems while setting restrictions.’ 🇺🇸
China’s Hesai 禾赛 to sue Pentagon after being reinstated to military blacklist – FT 🇺🇸
BRICS-top 🏔️🇷🇺
Poetin koestert zich in groeiend BRICS-gezelschap, maar zijn invloed kent grenzen – NRC
BRICS gathers pace as shared grievances with West fuel alliance – Reuters
Westen en Oekraïne zijn woest over bezoek VN-baas Guterres aan Brics-top in Rusland – de Volkskrant 🇺🇳
‘@fransweisglas Ik heb me duidelijk uitgesproken tegen aanwezigheid van de SG van de VN Guterres in Rusland. Zie het Vragenuurtje in de Tweede Kamer van afgelopen dinsdag. Had toen ook al opdracht gegeven tot het doen van kritische navraag bij zijn staf in New York.’ – Caspar Veldkamp (NSC), Twitter 🇺🇳🇳🇱
‘De secretaris-generaal van de VN, de organisatie die opgericht is voor het bevorderen van vrede en veiligheid, komt niet naar de eerdere Oekraïnse vredestop maar bezoekt wel een BRICS top in Rusland (!). Echt schandalig. Zojuist @ministerBZ opgeroepen om zich uit te spreken. 👇🏼’ – Derk Boswijk (CDA), Twitter 🇺🇳🇳🇱
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 urges ‘BRICS Plus’ to pursue common security and development, harmony among civilisations – Xinhua: ‘urging “BRICS Plus” countries to use collective wisdom and strength and stand up to their responsibility for building a community with a shared future for mankind.’
Full Text: Address by Chinese President Xi Jinping at ‘BRICS Plus’ leaders' dialogue – Xinhua:
The collective rise of the Global South is a distinctive feature of the great transformation across the world. […]
-- We should uphold peace and strive for common security. […] Many parties have warmly responded to my Global Security Initiative. Under the Initiative, we have made prominent progress in maintaining regional stability and in many other areas. China and Brazil jointly issued the six-point consensus, and launched the group of Friends for Peace on the Ukraine crisis [sic] together with other Global South countries. We should promote early deescalation to pave the way for political settlement. […]
-- We should reinvigorate development and strive for common prosperity. […] the Global Development Initiative […]
-- We should promote together development of all civilizations and strive for harmony among them. […] support each other in taking the path to modernization suited to our respective national conditions. The Global Civilization Initiative […]
Xi advocates high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation – Xinhua: ‘Stressing that the world is undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century, marked by new trends of multipolarity and the risks of a “new Cold War,”’
‘He said the international power dynamics is undergoing profound changes, but global governance reform has lagged behind for a long time’
Full Text: Address by Chinese President Xi Jinping at 16th BRICS Summit – Xinhua:
As the world enters a new period defined by turbulence and transformation, we are confronted with pivotal choices that will shape our future. Should we allow the world to descend into the abyss of disorder and chaos, or should we strive to steer it back on the path of peace and development? This reminds me of a novel by Nikolay Chernyshevsky entitled What Is to Be Done? […]
[…]
-- We should build a BRICS committed to peace, and we must all act as defenders of common security. We humans are an indivisible community of security. […]
-- We should build a BRICS committed to innovation, and we must all act as pioneers of high-quality development. […]
-- We should build a BRICS committed to green development, and we must all act as promoters of sustainable development. […]
-- We should build a BRICS committed to justice, and we must all act as forerunners in reforming global governance. The international power dynamics is undergoing profound changes, but global governance reform has lagged behind for a long time. […]
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 and Narendra Modi meet, 2 days after a China-India border deal – SCMP 🇮🇳
Xi urges China and India to facilitate each other’s pursuit of development aspirations – Xinhua: ‘It is in the fundamental interest of the two countries and two peoples to keep to the trend of history and the right direction of bilateral relations, he said’ 🇮🇳
China’s President Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 commits to staunch cooperation with Iran amid Mideast conflict – SCMP: ‘“Regardless of changes in the international and regional situation, China will unwaveringly develop cooperation with Iran,” Xi told Pezeshkian’ 🇮🇷
Xi says China to develop friendly cooperation with Iran despite international situation changes – Xinhua: ‘The Chinese side, he said, stands ready to work with Iran to firmly support each other, uphold the basic norms governing international relations such as non-interference in internal affairs’ 🇮🇷
Xi says China to be sincere friend, close partner for joint development with Egypt – Xinhua: ‘China appreciates Egypt's efforts to promote a ceasefire and end of war, and stands ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Egypt to jointly push for an early end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the easing of the regional situation, Xi added.’ 🇪🇬
BRICS-landen | De Avondshow met Arjen Lubach (S6) – YouTube
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
Japan and US hold evacuation drills for islands near Taiwan – Nikkei Asia: ‘Keen Sword, the largest U.S.-Japan joint exercise this fiscal year, involves 45,000 personnel from Japan’s Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and the U.S. military, with a total of 40 ships and 370 aircraft from the two countries.’ 🇯🇵🇺🇸
Zuid-Korea overweegt militaire adviseurs en wapens naar Oekraïne te sturen – BNR 🇰🇷🇺🇦
Samenwerking van Rusland met China, Noord-Korea en Iran baart Westen grote zorgen – FD 🇷🇺🇰🇵🇮🇷
China may chafe as North Korea sends soldiers to fight Ukraine – The New York Times 🇰🇵🇷🇺
Putin’s North Koreans now in combat zone, Kyiv says – POLITICO Europe: ‘Ukrainian spies recorded the troops in Russia’s Kursk region on Wednesday, HUR said.’ 🇰🇵🇺🇦
Chinese investment banks turn inward as global dreams fade from view – SCMP
Weekend 🏖️📚
Longreads en achtergrond
Review essay: Is Xi Jinping a Marxist? – Jude Blanchette for China Books Review:
Steve Tsang and Olivia Cheung’s The Political Thought of Xi Jinping (January 2024),
Kevin Rudd’s On Xi Jinping: How Xi’s Marxist Nationalism is Shaping China and the World (October 2024).
China-Russia coast guard cooperation: A new dimension of China-Russia relations? – Meia Nouwens and Veerle Nouwens for the CSIS ChinaPower Project 🇷🇺
Sino-Russian cooperation in the Arctic: Implications for Nordic countries and recommended policy responses – Patrik Andersson for the Swedish National China Centre 🇷🇺
Where the malan blooms: 60 years after the first Chinese nuclear bomb – Yangyang Cheng for China File
Xià Lìpíng 夏立平 on cross-Strait and US-China relations – translation by
: ‘I believe there is only one way forward: using momentum to compel reunification (以势逼统) [with Taiwan].’’The typical Chinese way of thinking would be to share the chocolate among ourselves and then find a way to get more food. However, an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy’s answer was, “fight”, […]. This anecdote illustrates the fundamental difference between the perspectives of white people and Chinese people. […] Ethnic minorities in America (美国非白人) perhaps view things differently, and by 2044, they will outnumber white people in the US.’
Het in China wijdverbreide denken in onvermijdelijke trends als ‘momentum’ (势 shì) en in raciaal determinisme is gevaarlijk. Overmoedig geloof in de eigen overmacht en geloof dat witte mensen biologisch-bepaald agressief zijn en niet kunnen delen, inspireren misschien op termijn onbezonnen acties.
Adapting US strategy to account for China’s transformation into a peer nuclear power – David O. Shullman, John K. Culver, Kitsch Liao, and Samantha Wong for The Atlantic Council: ‘China now has a higher likelihood of using its newfound nuclear power to more actively deter or compel its opponents and safeguard its core interests. This includes perceived external threats that could negatively impact domestic political interests.’
Podcasts
What’s next in US export controls targeting China, with Kevin Wolf and Rebecca Arcesati – MERICS China Podcast 🍎
John Culver: Deciphering China’s nuclear modernisation – GMFUS China Global 🍎
Bloomberg Talks: Christophe Fouquet – Bloomberg 🍎
How Taiwan Sees the Chip War: The Radiance of Chip Island, presented in English for the first time ever –
🍎Overige
China buitenland en defensie
China’s diplomatic stakes in the UNIFIL crisis – Emanuele Rossi for The Times of Israel 🇱🇧🇮🇱
Chinese influence operation targets US down-ballot races, Microsoft says – Reuters: ‘The lawmakers were each targeted because they had denounced Chinese government policies historically, the report notes.’ 🇺🇸
Ambiguity or madness? Where Harris and Trump stand on China – The Economist: ‘Though her comments and those of her entourage mostly align with current policy, the tone feels softer than Mr Biden’s or Mr Trump’s.’ 🇺🇸
US-China tech war seen heating up regardless of whether Trump or Harris wins – Reuters: ‘Should Harris win the election, her approach would likely be more targeted and coordinated than Trump’s, people close to both administrations say.’ 🇺🇸
Sullivan salutes Biden’s China policies – POLITICO China Watcher 🇺🇸
Probe into US company PVH Corp, led by China’s unreliable entity list mechanism, underway, China’s commerce ministry says – Xinhua: ‘is suspected of boycotting cotton products from China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region without any factual basis’ 🇺🇸
Indonesia says Chinese coast guard vessel driven away for second time this week after disrupting energy survey – Reuters: ‘The incidents took place off Indonesia’s Natuna islands’ 🇮🇩
Myanmar rebels seize major border gate near China – RFA 🇲🇲
China and Japan hold high-level consultations on maritime affairs in Tokyo – Xinhua: ‘This round of consultations saw a plenary meeting and three working group meetings on maritime defense, maritime law enforcement and security, and the marine economy.’ 🇯🇵
World Uyghur Congress faces security breach ahead of 8th general assembly – ANI
China’s space programme targeted by ‘audacity’ of foreign agents, state security ministry warns – SCMP: ‘The MSS added that overseas spy agencies have recently been using high-precision remote sensing satellites to conduct surveillance and steal information.’
‘The MSS also accused “some Western countries” of intensifying an arms race in space, again, without naming the countries.’
Senior Chinese military official Zhāng Yòuxiá 张又侠 urges for new military training system – Xinhua: ‘Zhang stressed the importance of exploring new models for combined military operations’
China economie
Will stimulus package help China’s local governments pay bills? – SCMP: ‘Li Daokui, a professor at Tsinghua University and a government policy adviser, described local governments’ arrears in accounts payable to enterprises as “shocking” in an interview on October 14, saying they owed companies and employees an amount equivalent to 10 per cent of GDP.’
Guangdong, China’s powerhouse province, loses pace with peers as property crisis bites – SCMP: ‘The southern region’s GDP grew 3.4 per cent for the first three quarters, 1.4 percentage points below the national figure of 4.8 per cent.’
China binnenland
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 tightens stranglehold on China’s academia – FT: ‘A Chinese scholar who was one of the most prominent critics of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine [Hu Wei] has been forced into early retirement’ ‘one of a growing number of scholars targeted’
Het werk van Hu werd aangehaald als bewijs van diversiteit van gedachten in China over de invasie van Oekraïne door mensen die beargumenteerden dat het land niet zomaar achter Poetin stond.
China’s growing ideological crackdown sees more officials punished for ‘banned books’ – The Straits Times: ‘While reading bans in China date back decades, the current stricter policing could disrupt a system that once prized a more global, international education.’
Shanghai police plan crackdown on Halloween cosplayers this year – RFA: ‘implementing “strict controls” over cosplay activities’ ‘buildings in the district are also banned from displaying any form of Halloween decoration’
China’s government cracks down on ‘uncivilised’ online puns used to discuss sensitive topics – The Guardian
China’s State Council appoints, removes officials – Xinhua: ‘Hong Lei was appointed assistant minister of foreign affairs.’
Condemned Uyghur official dies in prison in China’s Xinjiang region – RFA
Chinese publisher who gave world The Three-Body Problem under corruption cloud – SCMP
Hong Kong
Where are the jobs? Top talent lured to Hong Kong struggle to find work – SCMP
HSBC Hong Kong joins China’s alternative to Swift global payments system – FT
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Real Chinese blockade would be act of war, Taiwan’s defence minister says – Reuters 🇨🇳
Nearly 70% back President Lai’s rejection of China’s claims in National Day speech, according to Mainland Affairs Council survey – Focus Taiwan 🇨🇳
Summit attendees urge more cultural exchange and cooperation between two sides of Taiwan Strait – Xinhua: ‘The first Cross-Strait Chinese Culture Summit’ 🇨🇳
Ex-premier Liu Chao-shiuan 劉兆玄 (KMT) espousing Chinese propaganda, DPP legislator says – Taipei Times 🇨🇳
Taiwan’s military will be more discreet about deployments, defence minister says – Focus Taiwan: ‘after an article in a United States-based magazine noted that China had precisely mapped the locations of 12 anti-ship missile systems.’ 🇨🇳
Taiwanese missile units are giving away their positions to China: Taiwan’s military hasn’t adjusted to the age of open-source intelligence – Paul Huang for Foreign Policy 🇨🇳
Ten indicted in China espionage case involving Luzhou temple – Focus Taiwan: ‘The main suspect was later identified as a woman surnamed Lee (李), the temple's chairperson who also has ties to a criminal gang in Taiwan, the office said.’ 🇨🇳
Foreign Minister embarks on 10-day Latin American, Caribbean trip – Focus Taiwan
Taiwanese navy takes delivery of new rescue and salvage ship, source says – Focus Taiwan: ‘the first of several “Da Wu” class ships to replace Taiwan’s aging fleet of rescue and search vessels’
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Opposition sowing conflict between ethnic groups, DPP says in response to KMT budget protest mobilisation of indigenous people – Taipei Times
Premier Cho to present budget plan at Legislature next week amid ongoing impasse – Focus Taiwan
Court hesitates in Core Pacific City case detention hearing of tycoon Sheen Ching-jing 沈慶京 – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan’s jobless rate in September falls to to 3.43 per cent, a 24-year low for that month – Focus Taiwan