De Chinese Wouden, vrijdag 5 april: Biden belt Xi, aardbeving Taiwan, elite Zuidoost-Azië
Mijn besluit om de woensdag over te slaan deze kortere week is afgestraft door de enorme hoeveelheid nieuws die er deze vrijdag in moest. Lees tussen de regels door voor wat commentaar.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
CDA stelt Kamervragen over dataverzameling door Chinese elektrische auto’s – Security.nl 🇳🇱
De prognose dat dit jaar een kwart van alle in Europa verkochte elektrische auto’s uit China afkomstig zullen zijn – Derk Boswijk (CDA), Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 🇳🇱
Antwoord op vragen van het lid Paternotte over de arrestatie van de NOS-correspondent in China – Minister Hanke Bruins Slot, Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 🇳🇱
Chinese-linked firms targeted as EU launches probes into solar subsidies – SCMP 🇪🇺
Commission opens two in-depth investigations under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation in the solar photovoltaic sector – European Commission 🇪🇺
Belgian research powerhouse Leuven turns hawkish on China – POLITICO Europe 🇧🇪
27th EU-China Competition Week – Competition Cooperation: ‘Officials and experts from the EU and China met in Beijing from 19 to 21 March 2024 to discuss their cooperation on competition law and enforcement.’ 🇪🇺
‘Special Envoy on #MiddleEast Zhai Jun🇨🇳 met with @EUSR_Koopmans . Both agreed it's imperative that parties effectively implement #UNSC resolution for ceasefire and ending violence. As major forces for world stability, 🇨🇳🇪🇺 will strengthen coordination in promoting peace.’ – 王鲁彤 Wang Lutong, Twitter 🇮🇱🇵🇸
‘#China-#Germany inter-governmental dialogue and cooperation mechanism on #climatechange & #greentransition was officially launched. […]’ – 王鲁彤 Wang Lutong, Twitter 🇩🇪
Chinese presence in a Polish port triggers security fears – POLITICO Europe 🇵🇱
Russia’s friends beg EU to leave frozen assets alone – POLITICO Europe: ‘Representatives of China, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are privately pushing the EU to continue resisting pressure from the U.S. and U.K.’ 🇷🇺
British MPs challenge government claims China cyber attack was unsuccessful – FT 🇬🇧
UK universities host Chinese ambassador who urges students to serve ‘motherland’ – i: ‘met with the leaders of a number of universities last year during a tour of British campuses, but details of the meetings were not publicised in the UK.’ 🇬🇧
第十二届中英政党对话在北京举行 – 中共中央村外联络部 🇬🇧
UK will seek to strengthen Taiwan ties under Labour, visiting Lord Leong tells President Tsai – Focus Taiwan: ‘Leong added that his Labour Party delegation hoped to exchange views with local officials and businesses during its time in Taiwan.’ 🇬🇧
China strongly opposes, condemns provocative visit of UK Labour politicians to the island of Taiwan – The Global Times 🇬🇧
‘The first #GCTF workshop on Innovation & Inclusion in Shipping & Maritime Affairs held by #Taiwan🇹🇼 & #US🇺🇸 in #Greece🇬🇷 saw 130 participants air ideas on fostering solutions for sustainable sea freight & ocean development amid #ClimateChange & the #EU’s🇪🇺 green transformation.’ – 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼, Twitter 🇬🇷
Telefoongesprek Biden-Xi 🇺🇸🇨🇳
Biden and Xi speak for first time since November summit amid global tensions – CNN: ‘The Biden-Xi chat represents a follow-through on a simple commitment that Biden made publicly after meeting with Xi for multiple hours in Woodside, California, last fall: That, moving forward, the two leaders would pick up the phone and call each other more often, with an eye towards preventing potentially dangerous misunderstandings between two of the most powerful countries in the world.’
Call between Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 and Joe Biden conveys stability and deep disconnect in US-China ties, analysts say – SCMP
Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with President Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 of the People’s Republic of China – The White House:
President Biden emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. He raised concerns over the PRC’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base and its impact on European and transatlantic security, and he emphasized the United States’ enduring commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. President Biden also raised continued concerns about the PRC’s unfair trade policies and non-market economic practices, which harm American workers and families. The President emphasized that the United States will continue to take necessary actions to prevent advanced U.S. technologies from being used to undermine our national security, without unduly limiting trade and investment.
President Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 speaks with US President Joe Biden on the phone at the request of the latter – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China:
President Xi Jinping noted that his San Francisco meeting with President Biden last November opened a future-oriented San Francisco vision. […] The China-U.S. relationship is beginning to stabilize, and this is welcomed by both societies and the international community. On the other hand, the negative factors of the relationship have also been growing, and this requires attention from both sides.
[…]
President Xi Jinping underlined three overarching principles that should guide China-U.S. relations in 2024. First, peace must be valued [以和为贵] . The two sides should put a floor of no conflict and no confrontation under the relationship, and keep reinforcing the positive outlook of the relationship. Second, stability must be prioritized [以稳为重]. The two sides should refrain from setting the relationship back, provoking incident or crossing the line, so as to maintain the overall stability of the relationship. Third, credibility must be upheld [以信为本]. The two sides should honor their commitments to each other with action, and turn the San Francisco vision into reality. They need to strengthen dialogue in a mutually respectful way, manage differences prudently, advance cooperation in the spirit of mutual benefit, and step up coordination on international affairs in a responsible way.
President Xi Jinping stressed that the Taiwan question is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations. In the face of “Taiwan independence” separatist activities and external encouragement and support for them, China is not going to sit on its hands. […] The U.S. side has adopted a string of measures to suppress China’s trade and technology development, and is adding more and more Chinese entities to its sanctions lists. This is not “de-risking,” but creating risks.
习近平强调,台湾问题是中美关系第一条不可逾越的红线。对于“台独”势力分裂活动和外部纵容支持,我们不会听之任之。〔……〕美国针对中国的经贸科技打压措施层出不穷,制裁中国企业的单子越拉越长。这不是“去风险”,而是制造风险。
De twee grootste bronnen van risico die Xi Jinping aanstip zijn dus Taiwan en tech war. Controle over Taiwan en de Chinese technologische ontwikkeling worden door beide partijen gezien als bepalend voor de grootmachtstatus van China en dus zijn het belangrijkste strijdterrein.
Aardbeving Taiwan 🇹🇼⛰️
Zwaarste beving in 25 jaar voor het eiland Taiwan – NRC
Tientallen arbeiders gered uit steengroeves na aardbeving in Taiwan, dodental loopt op tot 10 – VRT NWS
Taiwan laat zien: voorbereid zijn op een aardbeving doet ertoe – Trouw
President activates emergency center after 7.2 quake – Taipei Times
Earthquake death toll increases to 10 – Taipei Times: ‘Those rescued include […] four from the Netherlands, it said.’
East coast train services fully restored since yesterday – Taipei Times: ‘Transportation authorities also opened maritime routes and added more flights to relieve urgent transportation needs due to blocked highways to Hualien County.’ ‘Suhua Highway, the main road to the north, was shut down due to numerous rockslides, just before the start of the Tomb Sweeping Day long holiday.’
Taiwan quake is a reminder of seismic risk to global chip supply – FT
Multiple countries offer support for Taiwan after Hualien earthquake – Focus Taiwan
‘My heartfelt support goes out to all those affected by the earthquake in #Taiwan. And my condolences to the families of the victims. The EU stands ready to provide any assistance needed.’ – Charles Michel, Twitter 🇪🇺
Taiwan condemns ‘shameless’ China’s thanks for global sympathy on Hualien quake – Reuters 🇨🇳
Taiwan earthquake disrupts trains in China at start of Qingming travel rush – SCMP 🇨🇳
Jaarlijkse peiling elite Zuidoost-Azië 🌏📊
Southeast Asians swing towards China alignment as pro-Israel bias hurts US, new survey shows – SCMP: ‘The Americans’ “strong, almost unquestioning” pro-Israel stance on the Gaza war, in particular, had led to “diminished confidence in US moderation and deliberation”, said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.’
‘“However, China’s ‘popularity’ is not matched by soft-power influence. The level of trust in China to ‘do the right thing’ has dropped, while the level of distrust saw a slight increase. Among those who distrust China, the most cited reason has to do with the fear of China’s military and economic power being used to threaten countries’ sovereignty,” said Seah, one of the researchers in the study.’
When push comes to shove, China edges out US as South-East Asia’s preferred superpower: ISEAS survey – The Straits Times: ‘Among the 1,994 respondents polled across the 10 Asean nations, 50.5 per cent indicated China as their preferred choice, while 49.5 per cent selected the US, when asked a hypothetical question on which country the region should choose if it was forced to align itself with either. In the 2023 survey, only 38.9 per cent of respondents picked China, with 61.1 per cent opting for the US.’
‘Despite the positive perceptions about China, concerns about its growing regional political and strategic influence persist, with 73.5 per cent of respondents expressing unease, up from 68.5 per cent in 2023.’
Choosing China over the US: Neither a tidal shift, nor a sea change – Sharon Seah for Fulcrum: ‘Only the Philippines and Vietnam, the two front-line South China Sea (SCS) claimant states, maintained high confidence levels in the U.S.’s security umbrella.’
The State of Southeast Asia: 2024 Survey Report – ISEAS-Yusuf Ishak Institute: ‘Japan remains the most trusted major power among Southeast Asians (58.9%). The US comes in a distant second (42.4%), outpacing the EU (41.5%) by a narrow margin. Half of the respondents (50.1%) express distrust towards China with 45.5% of them fearing that China could use its economic and military power to threaten their country’s interest and sovereignty.’
‘The October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians and the ensuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza occupies the region’s mindshare (46.5%). The second-ranked concern is aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea (39.9%), followed by concerns over the two-year long Russia- Ukraine war and global scam operations (39.4%) tied at third place.’
Dit is een jaarlijkse peiling van leiders, academici, denktankers, enz. uit de regio. Het gaat dus niet om de mening van de bevolking, maar om die van de regionale elite. Ik wijs altijd op de grote bereidheid om met de Europese Unie samen te werken – maar dat fluctueert ook behoorlijk. Constant is de positieve waardering van Japans rol in de regio.
Tech War 💽💥
EU and US officials seek trade and tech alignments that might survive a Trump return – SCMP: ‘the sixth meeting of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC)’ ‘there will be a launch event on Friday for minerals partnerships with resource-rich countries from the developing world’ 🇪🇺
Reuters: VS willen dat Nederland export van ASML naar China verder beperkt – de Volkskrant 🇳🇱
Watching China in Europe—April 2024 – Noah Barkin: ‘The Americans, the Dutch, and the Japanese have all passed through Berlin in recent months, pressing the German government to join their coalition of the willing (and not so willing) on chip controls. The primary target is Zeiss, a German company that produces lenses for the Dutch chipmaking giant ASML’ 🇩🇪
The US is asking South Korea to adopt restrictions on semiconductor technology exports to China similar to those Washington has already implemented – Bloomberg: ‘American officials want South Korea to restrict the flow of equipment and technologies for making high-end logic and memory chips to China, according to people familiar with the matter.’
‘South Korea, Japan and US officials are planning to meet in late June to discuss cooperation on advanced technology and supply chains, according to the people.’ 🇰🇷🇯🇵
Japan and US to cooperate on procurement of legacy semiconductors; Aim to reduce dependence on China – The Yomiuri Shimbun: ‘expected to confirm cooperation in building a semiconductor supply network’ 🇯🇵
Voorstel van de leden Zeedijk (NSC) en Thijssen (GroenLinks/PvdA) voor een werkbezoek aan Arizona – Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 🇳🇱
Nikon shows concerns about emerging Chinese competitors in lithography – DigiTimes Asia 🇯🇵
A look at the data suggests that while China does have widespread industrial overcapacity, much of this is driven by (low-tech, EV, and solar) industries that Western nations don’t compete with the Asian country on – Bloomberg
For China’s economy, excess capacity is a feature, not a bug – Mary Gallagher for World Politics Review
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel to China to press her counterparts on a build-up of industrial overcapacity that poses threats to the world’s economies – Bloomberg 🇺🇸
China Xiaomi 小米’s EV launch propels its market value by US$7.6 billion, above GM and Ford – Reuters
Het ontwerp van de auto lijkt inderdaad gestolen van Porsche. Dat betekent niet dat je Xiaomi kunt onderschatten. Eerder lachte men om de overduidelijke diefstal van Apple-ontwerpen, maar dat weerhield het bedrijf er niet van groot te worden met kwalitatief prima mobiele telefoons.
Former head of Chinese automaker JAC 江淮 under investigation, anti-graft watchdog says – Reuters: ‘In 2017, JAC set up a 50-50 joint venture with Volkswagen focused on electric vehicles and the German automaker secured a controlling stake in the venture three years later after Beijing relaxed foreign ownership rules.’
China’s oil majors face uphill climb to adapt to EV future – Reuters: ‘China’s public EV charging sector is beset by market fragmentation, overcapacity, low utilisation and losses, posing challenges for oil companies attempting to adapt their business models.’
China’s new data agency plans fast track to powerful national computing network – SCMP
China needs new strategy to counter US moves on global trade, Chinese analyst says – SCMP
US senators flag Nippon Steel’s ties to China in takeover case – FT 🇯🇵
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
China’s tin-eared approach to the world – The Economist’s Chaguan: ‘It yearned for interests-dominated relations with the world. Now it has them. Time to start treating foreigners’ interests with more respect.’
Can China’s hopes that Shanghai Cooperation Organisation will offer new model for international relations come to pass? – SCMP: ‘a key diplomatic tool for China as it seeks to steer regional priorities and increase economic cooperation among neighbouring states’
As Chinese businesses launch operations in Mexico, managers learn cross-cultural lessons – SCMP 🇲🇽
Weekend 🏖️📚
Longreads en achtergrond
China: „Always look at the demand side of life” – Arjen van Dijkhuizen voor ABN AMRO
The Red Shredding: On Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ – Christopher T. Fan for The Los Angeles Review of Books
Winning without Fighting in the Indo-Pacific – Peter W.G. Zhao voor de Militaire Spectator
Retaliation and Resilience: China’s economic statecraft in a Taiwan Crisis – Logan Wright, Agatha Kratz, Charlie Vest, and Matthew Mingey for Rhodium Group and the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center
De-risking’s blind spot: China’s targeting of global civil society – Kevin Shelves for The Diplomat
Transatlantic China Policy: In Search of an Endgame – Ben Bland, Andrew Cainey, and Dr Philip Shetler-Jones for RUSI and Chatham House
How can EU support Philippines in South China Sea dispute? – David Hutt for DW
Taiwan in Time: The last indigenous village in metro Kaohsiung – Taipei Times
Column: Vriend China – Garrie van Pinxteren in de Groene Amsterdammer
Podcasts
The Political Thought of Xi Jinping: A Conversation with Dr Steve Tsang – China Power 🍎
Transatlantic Perspectives on China: Consensus and Divergence – Bonnie S. Glaser for China Global interviews Ben Bland 🍎
Amb. Rahm Emanuel on China: Colourful diplomacy, alliances, and the military-industrial complex –
🍎S4 – Special Episode: Remembering the 9.21 Earthquake in the wake of the 4.03 Earthquake – Formosa Files 🍎
EP-091 裴敏欣:被监视的人民——监视与中共独裁的延续(文字版) – 不明白播客 🍎
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
China’s military to hold live-fire exercise on Myanmar border as fighting continues – SCMP 🇲🇲
China military on ‘high alert’ at Myanmar border after live-fire drill ends – SCMP 🇲🇲
Philippines prepared to respond to China’s attempts to interfere with resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre – Reuters 🇵🇭
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson’s Remarks at the April 1 Regular Press Conference Regarding Philippine Comments on the South China Sea – Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of the Netherlands 🇵🇭
Blijkbaar belangrijk genoeg om (onwaarheden) door te plaatsen naar de website van de Chinese ambassade in Nederland.
China urges Philippines to resolve South China Sea disputes through dialogue – Xinhua 🇵🇭
India rejects China’s renaming of 30 places in Himalayan border state Arunachal Pradesh – Reuters 🇮🇳
US ‘strongly opposes’ China’s renaming of areas along disputed Indian border – SCMP
China hosts Vietnam, Laos, and East Timor ministers in Asean outreach – Nikkei Asia: ‘The guests come on the heels of Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto, who met with Xi in Beijing on Monday.’ 🇻🇳🇱🇦🇹🇱🇮🇩
‘Shocked by #Israel’s strike on #Iran's consulate in #Syria. Reminds us of what happened to Chinese embassy 25 years ago. We firmly oppose any attack on diplomatic & consular missions, which violates international law and basic norms of international relations. @NATO’ – 王鲁彤 Wang Lutong, Twitter 🇮🇱🇮🇷🇸🇾
Microsoft faulted for ‘cascade’ of failures in Chinese hack – The Washington Post 🇺🇸
Exclusive: NYC Mayor Eric Adams Skipped Banquet for Taiwan’s President after Lobbying by Chinese Diplomat – National Review 🇺🇸
South Korea plans 3-way summit with Japan and China in May – Kyodo News 🇯🇵🇰🇷
China economie
China’s services activity growth speeds up in March, Caixin PMI shows – Reuters: ‘The Caixin/S&P Global services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) edged up to 52.7 from 52.5 in February, above the 50-mark that separates expansion from contraction for the 15th consecutive month.’
China’s mega-market to bring enormous opportunities to world, says foreign ministry spokesperson – Xinhua: ‘The latest increase in China’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) and non-manufacturing PMI attracted wide [sic] attention from international media.’
China’s Communist Party finance organ draws institutional road map for sector – SCMP
Het commentaar in de Study Times is een volgende stap in het langzaam concretiseren van de hervormingen volgend op de uitspraken van Xi Jinping.
China’s central bank says it will make efforts to expand demand, boost confidence – Reuters
Defaulted Sichuan Trust 四川信托 goes bankrupt – Caixin Global
Country Garden 碧桂園 extends sales slump as financial woes pile up – Caixin Global
China binnenland
China’s former justice minister Táng Yījūn 唐一军 facing corruption probe, top anti-graft agency says – SCMP: ‘Tang was appointed as justice minister in April 2020, taking over from Fu Zhenghua, a former top police officer who was also placed under investigation a year after he stepped down from the same post.’
CCP to implement Party discipline education campaign – Xinhua
In Depth: Frugality bites for China’s cash-strapped local governments – Caixin Global
The Rise and Fall of LGFVs –
East China hailstorm disaster death toll rises to 7 – Xinhua
People blown from apartments as typhoon-like winds ravage southern China – Reuters
Hong Kong
KPMG to close Hong Kong law firm SF Lawyers amid tensions – Bloomberg Law
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九 calls for both sides of Taiwan Strait to work together and ‘avoid war’ – SCMP: ‘Reflecting on Sun [Yat-sen]’s pursuit of a China with “freedom, unity, equal wealth”, Ma said people on both sides of the strait “belong to the Chinese nation”.’
DPP’s Rosalia Wu 吳思瑤 clashes with Ma Ying-jeou Foundation over former president Ma’s China visit – Taipei Times: ‘The former president toured drone maker Dajiang Innovations (DJI), which has been subject to US sanctions for its ties to the Chinese military, she said.’ 🇨🇳
A second KMT leader from Taiwan, former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin 郝龍斌, plans a visit to China next week – SCMP: ‘Hau said he would take part in a tribute ceremony for the Yellow Emperor in Zhengzhou’ 🇨🇳
Geïsoleerde Vastelander-elites klinken misschien vertrouwd klassiek Chinees nationalistisch, maar buiten hun kleine bubbel resoneert dit totaal niet in Taiwan.
Thirty PRC aircraft detected, defence ministry says – Taipei Times 🇨🇳
‘Staunch’ friend of Taiwan’s Raymon Greene to become top US diplomat in Taipei, sources say – Reuters
Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen 盧秀燕 (KMT) to visit Singapore this week – Focus Taiwan: ‘her first overseas trip in four years.’ 🇸🇬
Chinese band met with ‘Taiwan independence’ flags at live performance – Focus Taiwan: ‘The protests came after the rock band struck a nerve with many Taiwanese netizens by posting the message: “From Guangxi to Taiwan, China. See you tomorrow at ‘Open Your Head’ Taipei.” on its social media page on Monday.’ ‘Its scheduled performance at the Taiwan Music Festival in Pingtung County on Thursday was also canceled.’ 🇨🇳
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Lai Ching-te 賴清德 (DPP) and Hsiao Bi-khim 蕭美琴 (DPP) briefed on Taiwan’s national defence posture ahead of inauguration – Taipei Times
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau dismisses defence minister Chiu Kuo-cheng 邱國正 (Ind.)’s son Chiu Huang-nien 邱晃年 over sex scandal – Taipei Times: ‘upon completing an investigation into the leak of alleged sex tapes of Chiu with prostitutes.’
Legislative reform bill review postponed, KMT says – Taipei Times
11 disaster response and rescue drills to take place from April 11 – Focus Taiwan