De Chinese Wouden, vrijdag 28 juli: Qin Gang, Stille Oceaan, BRICS
De opschoonactie op de website van het Chinese ministerie van buitenlandse zaken wijst erop dat de verwijdering van Qin Gang waarschijnlijk niet puur om gezondheidsredenen was. Inmiddels worden er al weer artikelen teruggeplaatst – blijkbaar is de lijn nog niet helemaal duidelijk voor het ministerie. Bij mij ook nog niet: Qin is nog altijd Staatsraad en de nu teruggedraaide verwijderingen waren slechts beperkt tot de website van het ministerie.
Zowel Frankrijks president Macron als de Amerikaanse minister van buitenlandse zaken Blinken waren in de Stille Oceaan. Beide lijken terug te willen duwen tegen China’s groeiende aanwezigheid.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Accused of bomb threats they say they didn’t make, family of Chinese dissident detained in Thailand – AP: ‘But bomb threats made in his and his mother’s names against airports, luxury hotels and the Chinese embassy in Bangkok derailed the family’s plan to seek asylum in the Netherlands, where Gao Peng’s father moved three years ago.’ 🇳🇱
Europe trip ‘successful’, Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang 蔡清祥 [Cài Qīngxiáng] says – Taipei Times: ‘visited Germany and the Netherlands earlier this month to discuss enhanced mutual legal assistance and reciprocal visits.’ 🇳🇱🇩🇪
US intelligence report says China likely supplying military and dual-use technology for Russian military – Reuters 🇺🇦
Putin ‘intends’ to visit China in October – AFP
Vanaf 1999 is het patroon dat er elk jaar minstens één staatsbezoek tussen China en Rusland plaatsvindt. De oorlog in Oekraïne heeft daar niks aan veranderd.
New Chinese foreign minister Wáng Yì 王毅 talks Ukraine in Turkey on first trip – Reuters
French prosecutors are probing a group of French and Chinese citizens accused of sharing key chip technologies with foreign powers including China and Russia – Bloomberg 🇫🇷
Un patron français a livré des informations sensibles aux Chinois et aux Russes : La société OMMIC, basée dans le Val-de-Marne, a vu son dirigeant mis en examen pour avoir transféré illégalement du savoir-faire aux Chinois et aux Russes – Le Point 🇫🇷
Ommic, histoire d’une trahison : un patron français accusé d’avoir livré des technologies sensibles aux Russes – Le Parisien 🇫🇷
France wants to work with China on common standards for cosmetics after the EU raised concerns over Chinese disclosure requirements – Bloomberg 🇫🇷
China tops agenda as US President Biden welcomes Italy’s PM Meloni to Washington – Reuters 🇮🇹
President Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文 [Cài Yīngwén] touts need for Taiwan-EU investment agreement – Taipei Times
Tijdens een recente hoorzitting in het Europees Parlement sloot de bedrijvenbelangengroep Business Europe zich juist aan bij de Europese Commissie toen het stelde dat een BIA slechts als een politiek signaal zou dienen.
Taiwan and UK planning preliminary talks on new trade partnership – Focus Taiwan 🇬🇧
台積德國廠 傳獲1700億補助 – 聯合報:「消息人士透露,台積電正與德國政府進入最後協商。」 🇩🇪
Weer een stapje dichterbij de mogelijke TSMC-fabriek in Dresden?
Italy-Taiwan air cooperation on the rise as diplomatic links intensify – Decode39 🇮🇹
Qin Gang 秦刚
Vervanging Chinese minister toont hoe troebel politiek is in China – FD
China’s foreign ministry refuses to answer questions about Qín Gāng 秦刚 and scrubs mention from transcript and website – The Guardian
Chinese foreign minister exit: no change to ‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy as Wáng Yì 王毅replaces Qín Gāng 秦刚, but there is hope of policy stability – SCMP
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平’s recall of ‘wolf warrior’ Wáng Yì 王毅 lays ground for US summit – Nikkei Asia
The sudden ouster of Xí Jìnpíng 习近平’s handpicked foreign minister Qín Gāng 秦刚 is the latest example of how the Chinese president’s strengthened grip on power has failed to insulate him from setbacks on some of his biggest policy priorities – Bloomberg
China ousts missing foreign minister Qín Gāng 秦刚 – James Palmer for Foreign Policy: ‘Trying to signal continuity to foreign partners by reappointing Wang as foreign minister makes no sense. Beijing has now reminded these partners that not only can Chinese officials disappear at any minute, but the government will also pretend they never existed. Any achievements or discussions with Qin during his monthslong tenure as foreign minister now amount to nothing.’
Hoekstra trof Qin nog niet al te lang geleden. Wat blijft daar nu van over?
BRICS-top Zuid-Afrika 🇿🇦
China’s Wáng Yì 王毅 calls on Global South to make voice heard in changing world order – SCMP
China’s top diplomat Wáng Yì 王毅 calls for joint effort in tackling global security challenges, Xinhua reports – Reuters
Wáng Yì 王毅 stresses efforts to enhance cooperation with Russia – Xinhua
China ready to synergise development strategy with Brazil, Wáng Yì 王毅 says – Xinhua
China ready to enhance cooperation with South Africa, top diplomat Wáng Yì 王毅 says – Xinhua
How the Brics nations risk becoming satellites of China – Alan Beattie for FT: ‘If the Brics remain a pressure group united by resentment against overweening US power through sanctions or military intervention, they can be cohesive, if not particularly constructive. If the group tries to run the show itself, its disparate economic prospects and strategic interests will become a powerful centrifugal force.’
Tech War 💽💥
In eigen land hebben Chinese merken Volkswagen al royaal ingehaald – NRC: „Op dit digitale gebied lopen westerse autobouwers fors achter.”
Chinese electric-car shares boosted by Volkswagen investment in Xpeng – FT
China Evergrande EV unit logs US$12bn in losses for past 2 years – Nikkei Asia
Huawei to restart 5G mobile chip output as early as this year – Nikkei Asia
US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo warns of semiconductor glut due to China’s subsidies – Bloomberg
Key chipmaking material prices soar ahead of Chinese export curbs – Nikkei Asia
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
Afrika zet zich door groeiend zelfvertrouwen sterker af tegen ‘hypocrisie’ in westers beleid – NRC
‘Historisch’ bezoek Macron aan Stille Oceaan is toch vooral symbolisch – BNR
French President Macron condemns ‘new imperialism’ in the Indo-Pacific amid growing Chinese influence – POLITICO Europe
US to deploy coast guard ship to Papua New Guinea next month – Nikkei Asia
Blinken criticises China’s ‘problematic behaviour’ during visit to Tonga – Reuters: ‘Blinken will officially open a new U.S. Embassy in the capital Nuku’alofa later on Wednesday’
Chinese marinebasis in Cambodja is „nieuwe zet in schaakspel” – Trouw
Investors dumping China load up on other emerging markets – Reuters
Weekend
Achtergrond en longreads
Chinese propaganda in Nederland: De Zwitserse Alpen lopen tot in Xinjiang – De Groene Amsterdammer
China’s threat to ban critical minerals exports is a bluff: Embargoes have unintended consequences—and would hurt China more than the West – Agathe Demarais for Foreign Policy
China’s approach to foreign policy gets largely negative reviews in 24-country survey – Pew Research Centre
From a China strategy to no strategy at all: Exploring the diversity of European approaches – A report by the European Think-tank Network on China (ETNC), July 2023
Bangladesh and Brahmaputra serve as proxy for Sino-Indian conflict – Nikkei Asia
What happened to Japan? – Paul Krugman for The New York Times: ‘But China has seemed to be faltering lately, and some have been asking whether China’s future path might resemble that of Japan. My answer is that it probably won’t — that China will do worse.’
What war mobilisation might look like in China: Certain preparations would be obvious weeks before an attack on Taiwan – The Economist
In Xi Jinping’s China, central planners rule: When one plan misfires, expect another laid on top – The Economist’s Chaguan
Podcasts
Qin Gone! What Really Happened to the Foreign Minister –
🍎 🤖Drum Tower: A, B, Xi – The Economist on nationalist education. 🍎 🤖
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
China claims Wuhan earthquake centre attacked by US government-backed hackers – Reuters
As US urges China to rein in North Korea, Beijing’s reluctance to act could backfire, analysts say – SCMP
‘Unreported’ US-China military encounters cloud risk assessment: analyst – SCMP
China and US agree to continue close communications on climate issue – Reuters
Chinese Korea-veteranen blikken na 70 jaar terug: „Ik zag Mao’s zoon sneuvelen” – NOS
China Focus: 70 years on, young Chinese draw strength from war heroes – Xinhua: ‘At the request of the DPRK, Chinese ground forces under the CPV entered the Korean Peninsula on Oct. 19, 1950, and fought the first battle on Oct. 25. […] This year marks the 70th anniversary of China’s victory [sic] in the War.’
Chinese President Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 met with Indonesian leader Joko Widodo to strengthen ties as the Southeast Asian nation seeks more investment from its larger partner – Bloomberg
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 meets Indonesian president Joko Widodo – Xinhua
Politics derails sport: China issues stapled visas for India’s Wushu athletes from Arunachal Pradesh – The Hindustan Times
China tells Myanmar junta to ‘root out’ online scam groups in lawless borderlands – AFP
India ‘open’ to Chinese investment despite border clashes, official says – FT
Canadian diplomats denied access to Kris Wu 吴亦凡 [Wú Yìfán]’s appeal trial in China – Reuters
China erkent dubbele nationaliteit niet.
China economie
China jobs: Gen Z graduates turn to cleaning as Beijing looks to domestic services to mop up unemployed youth and veterans – SCMP
College graduates in China are shunning the low-skill work that is available, sending youth unemployment soaring – WSJ
China binnenland
Xi'an police probe agencies amid angry protests by parents over exam ‘immigrants’ – RFA
Versoepelingen van de interne beperkingen op inschrijven in andere gemeentes lopen steeds op de klippen door dit soort protesten van inwoners in meer bevoorrechte plekken.
Mourning displays censored, grieving families pressured in wake of Qiqihar gymnasium collapse – China Digital Times
China’s fight against corruption to zero in on bribers with severe penalties – SCMP
Satellite data sheds light on China’s detention facilities in Tibet – The Guardian
A Leaked Indictment: Heavy punishments for Uyghurs who tell the truth on the web – Bitter Winter
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 inspects southwest China’s Sichuan – Xinhua
Hong Kong
Sedition clampdown hits ‘ordinary’ Hong Kongers – AFP
De aandacht voor de bekendere activisten doet soms vergeten hoeveel ‘gewone’ Hongkongers ook geraakt worden.
Leading Hong Kong pollster to stop releasing poll results on some sensitive topics – AP
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Taiwan holds air raid and military drills amid China tensions – The Straits Times
Military conducts first anti-takeover drills at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport – Taipei Times
Anti-amphibious landing drills staged near Port of Taipei on day 4 of military exercises – Focus Taiwan
China’s navy includes civilian ferry in military transport drill – SCMP
Taiwan verkiezingen
KMT presidential candidate and New Taipei mayor Hou Yu-ih 侯友宜 [Hóu Yǒuyí] to visit Tokyo – Taipei Times
獨/小雞倒戈?藍立委參選人同框郭台銘 侯友宜競總出手了 – 聯合報
Onder KMT-kandidaten voor het parlement zijn er nog altijd mensen te vinden die Foxconn-oprichter Terry Gou (Guo Taiming) verkiezen boven Hou Yu-ih, ook al werd de persoon in dit geval teruggefloten.
跟侯友宜拚了?星期天赴美國 郭台銘:為台灣和平經濟繁榮走寬廣道路 – SETN
Ondertussen plant Terry Gou de voor kandidaten gebruikelijke reis naar de Verenigde Staten.
As Taiwan election heats up, young voters flock to third-party candidate Ko Wen-je 柯文哲 [Kē Wénzhé] (TPP) – VOA
Toch zeggen politicologen dat de ‘China cleavage’ zo bepalend is voor de Taiwanese politiek, dat zelfs economische vraagstukken door de kiezers geïnterpreteerd worden op basis van de manier waarop ze Taiwans relatie t.o.v. China zien.
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Taiwan’s Academia Sinica cuts GDP prediction by almost half to 1.56 percent – Taipei Times