De Chinese Wouden, vrijdag 6 juni: zeldzame aardmetalen, Trump belt Xi
De Europese autoindustrie wordt geraakt door tekorten aan zeldzame aardmetalen uit China. In de overeenkomst tussen de VS en China in Genève beloofde Peking om de uitvoer weer op te starten. Het probleem is, dat er nu vergunningen nodig zijn. De vele aanvragen worden langzaam verwerkt en er komt nog maar weinig uit China naar het Westen en India.
Voor een deel is dit onvermijdelijk gezien de berg aanvragen. De Chinese kant zou ook mogelijke praktische oplossingen bespreken met Europese industrie. Tegelijkertijd is het ook een beproefd Chinees recept van hogerop om signalen af te geven of zelfs sancties in te stellen d.m.v. dit soort acties. In dit geval, met de belangrijke top tussen de EU en China in aantocht in juli, vraag je je haast af of het bedoeld is als waarschuwing of leverage bij de handelsgesprekken.
Wat de bron van het probleem ook is, na alle rapporten en krantenartikelen over de risico’s van kritieke afhankelijkheden: een beginnend praktijkvoorbeeldje. Productie zou al geraakt worden in Europa en elders. Volgens WSJ Amerikaanse autobouwers overwegen zelfs productie van onderdelen de verplaatsen naar China. De enorme activiteit achter te schermen om het op te lossen, demonstreert hoe snél er grote impact volgt.
In The New York Times een interview met de baas van ASML. De boodschap is hetzelfde als een artikel in De Telegraaf van een tijd terug, namelijk dat het bedrijf slachtoffer dreigt te worden van de strijd tussen China en de VS. Ook echoot CEO Fouquet dezelfde boodschap als Nvidia-baas Jensen Huang over het gevaar dat exportcontrolmaatregelen zouden vormen.
Donald Trump heeft misschien ruzie met voormalige goede vriend Elon Musk, maar kan zich troosten dat hij eindelijk zijn zo vurig gewenste telefoongesprek had met Xi Jinping. Volgens Trump hebben beide leiders elkaar uitgenodigd voor een bezoek. De Chinese readout noemt enkel de uitnodiging van Xi aan Trump en is ook een stuk harder i.v.m. het enthousiasme van Trump.
Een interessante peiling in Axios laat zien dat de VS niet alleen minder populair worden in de wereld, maar China ook populairder. Dit zien we ook al in andere surveys opduiken. De Chinese economische boodschap komt wel degelijk aan in veel delen van de wereld.
Wanneer ik schrijf dat Peking druk bezig is om de eigen orde te ontwikkeling buiten het Westen om, is dat ook omdat het in het Mondiale Zuiden oprecht veel welkomer is. Tegelijkertijd zijn er ook belangrijke verschillen binnen Europa. Een artikel in SCMP vergelijkt hoe China als economische kans wordt gezien in Spanje en als bedreiging en Ruslandvriend in Tsjechië.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Valse aftelklokken en beoordelingen: consumentenbonden klagen over Shein 希音 – NOS 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Chinese embassy in the Philippines urges EU to stop ‘provoking trouble’ in South China Sea after Kallas visit – Reuters: ‘advised Manila not to “fantasise” about relying on outside forces to resolve disputes in the waterway.’ 🇪🇺🇵🇭
Nato not welcome in Asia-Pacific region, Chinese foreign ministry says – Xinhua: ‘when asked to comment on a European leader [Macron]’s remarks at the recent Shangri-La Dialogue’
‘Asia is the common home of China and other Asian countries’ 🇫🇷
Verslag van een werkbezoek van de Voorzitters van de Eerste en van de Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal aan het Zweedse parlement in Stockholm van 13 en 14 februari 2025 – Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal: „Er werd gesproken over de verkoop van Volvo (via Ford) aan China. Das was destijds een noodgreep. Nu wordt meer aandacht besteed aan mogelijke Chinese infiltratie, die zich ook op lokaal niveau en in het onderwijs manifesteert.” 🇳🇱
Rusland 🇷🇺
China helps Russia pull ahead in lethal drone war race with Ukraine – POLITICO Europe: ‘Kyiv says that its access to new drones has been curtailed by China, while Beijing has placed no such restrictions on Russia.’ 🇷🇺🇺🇦
Sanctions-hit Belarus lauded by Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 as China’s true friend – Reuters: ‘Both countries should also oppose “hegemony and bullying, and defend international fairness and justice,” Xi told Lukashenko.’ 🇧🇾
Xi meets Belarusian president – Xinhua 🇧🇾
Wereldhandelsoorlog 📉💥
EU’s Maroš Šefčovič to China: your ‘impressive rise’ must not crush our industries – SCMP: ‘Maria Martin-Prat, the EU’s deputy director general for trade, told the same event later on Thursday that Beijing should take Europe’s complaints seriously or face consequences.’ 🇪🇺
EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič said he raised industry-wide concerns over Chinese export restrictions on rare earths and magnets with his counterpart Wáng Wéntāo 王文涛 on Tuesday – Bloomberg: ‘the two ministers compared trade data. The EU’s trade chief said their figures didn’t match.’ 🇪🇺
EU businesses lobby China for rare earths ‘fast-track’ channel – FT: ‘Chinese officials at the meeting said they were working on “innovative tools” to speed up the process.’ 🇪🇺
Autofabrieken in de knel door Chinese greep op zeldzame aardmetalen – NRC 🇪🇺
EU industry could grind to a halt over China’s rare earth restrictions – SCMP: ‘The EU Chamber of Commerce in China has held several meetings with China’s Ministry of Commerce […] senses Beijing is overwhelmed with applications to export the minerals vital for many hi-tech goods.’ 🇪🇺
EU must reduce its rare earth reliance on China, says EU’s industry commissioner Séjourné – Reuters 🇪🇺
Global alarm as China’s critical mineral export curbs take hold – Reuters: ‘Trump has previously signaled that China’s slow pace of easing the critical mineral export ban represents a violation of the Geneva agreement.’ 🇺🇸
Car companies risk factory shutdowns over rare-earth magnet shortage stoked by US-China trade war – WSJ: ‘are considering shifting some auto-parts manufacturing to China to avoid looming factory shutdowns’ 🇺🇸
China’s rare-earth export curbs halt output of Suzuki Swifts in Japan – Nikkei Asia 🇯🇵
The world’s auto supply chain is in the hands of a few Chinese bureaucrats – Reuters
China increases scrutiny over rare earth magnets with new tracking system – Reuters: ‘The national tracking system, which went into effect last week, requires producers to submit extra information online including trading volumes and client names’
Crackdown on illegal mines as China tightens critical mineral controls amid row with US – SCMP: ‘Authorities in places such as the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and the provinces of Guizhou and Hunan have been inspecting exporters’ operations and cracking down on illegal mining as they implement a directive from Beijing that called for tighter “whole-chain” control over strategic mineral exports, the state-owned Securities Times reported on Monday.’
China and EU schedule crunch talks to resolve economic deadlock – SCMP: ‘to pave the way for a high-level leaders’ summit next month’ 🇪🇺
China called on France to help resolve trade differences with the European Union, as Beijing seeks to shore up ties with the bloc amid simmering tensions with the US – Bloomberg: ‘in Paris on the sidelines of a WTO ministerial meeting’ 🇫🇷
China is considering placing an order for hundreds of Airbus aircraft as soon as next month, when European leaders visit Beijing to celebrate the countries’ long-term ties, according to people familiar with the matter – Bloomberg: ‘French President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany are among leaders that may visit Beijing in July to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union.’ 🇪🇺
EU hit by surge in steel imports as US tariffs divert shipments – FT 🇪🇺
VS-China 🇨🇳
Trump speaks to Xi for first time since taking office – POLITICO: ‘Trump said Xi invited him to visit China, and that he extended the same offer to the Chinese leader.’
‘a victory for Trump who spent the last several months voicing his desire to speak with Xi. One person familiar with the talks, granted anonymity to speak candidly, described the president as “obsessed.”’
‘But the combative tone of the Chinese Foreign Ministry readout suggests the two sides remain far apart on key issues.’ 🇺🇸
President Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 speaks with US President Donald J. Trump on the phone – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China: ‘At the suggestion of the U.S. side, the two countries’ lead officials recently held an economic and trade meeting in Geneva. […] China has been seriously and earnestly executing the agreement. The U.S. side should acknowledge the progress already made, and remove the negative measures taken against China.’
‘The U.S. will honor the one-China policy. The meeting in Geneva was very successful, and produced a good deal. The U.S. will work with China to execute the deal. The U.S. loves to have Chinese students coming to study in America.’ 🇺🇸
Chinese VP Hán Zhèng 韩正 meets US delegation attending China-US Senior-Level Track Two Dialogue – Xinhua 🇺🇸
Chinese custom’s rejections of US food shipments are rising – Dim Sums: ‘Rejections of EU food fell during 2022 and 2023 before more than doubling in 2024 due to a surge of pork rejections.’ 🇺🇸
California businesses committed to China as trade partner despite tariffs – Xinhua: ‘the 2025 China-California Business Forum’ 🇺🇸
Techoorlog 💽💥
How ASML, the maker of the ‘most complex machine humans ever created’, is navigating trade fights – The New York Times: ‘Mr. Fouquet is part of a small group of chip executives who are pushing back against U.S. trade policies that limit the sale of their products and services.’ 🇳🇱
EU picks 13 new external critical material projects, including in Greenland – Reuters: ‘The EU list is part of the implementation of the Critical Raw Material Act agreed in 2023’ 🇪🇺
China really wants to attract talented scientists, Trump just helped – The Straits Times: ‘China’s spending on research and development is now second only to the United States.’ 🇺🇸
Exclusive: Trump set to waive some legal requirements to boost critical minerals – Reuters 🇺🇸
China hails new helicopter engine as a milestone for its aviation ambitions – SCMP
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
Exclusive: China’s global favourability rising, views of the US turn negative – Axios 🇺🇸
A tale of two cities: why China appears so different when viewed from Barcelona and Prague – SCMP: ‘In Spain, it is increasingly seen as an economic opportunity and a chance to hedge against an ever more hostile America. In the Czech Republic, however, it is seen broadly as a threat – a perception that deepens as the war in Ukraine rumbles on.’ 🇪🇺
Is China promising a new world order or making a self-serving power play? – SCMP: ‘Beijing’s message holds that the post-war order, once symbolised by multilateral cooperation, is now being challenged by Washington’s retreat under the banner of “America first”.’
Russia tries again to join with China and India despite trust issues from border disputes – SCMP: ‘reaffirmed Moscow’s hope for India and China to restore a three-way mechanism that has been in limbo since the deadly 2020 China-India border dispute.’ 🇷🇺🇮🇳
Omstreden president moet diep verdeeld Zuid-Korea verenigen – NRC 🇰🇷
Trump–Musk public feud escalates; Nasdaq falls; Tesla, DJT tumble – Reuters 🇺🇸
Weekend 🏖️📚
Longreads en achtergrond
Gaat China de chipindustrie domineren? – VNO-NCW Forum
Policy Brief 22: Responding with data to China’s supposed divide-and-rule diplomacy in the EU – Sense Hofstede for ReConnect China 🇪🇺
Lǐ Qiáng 李强’s quiet rise: Why China’s premier matters again – Neil Thomas for China File
The US-China trade war: Implications for central and local budgets – Victor Shih for the China Leadership Monitor: ‘Certain provinces, especially Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which already have high debt levels, may face high fiscal pressures because of the combination of high debt service payments and new outlays for the trade war.’
What we can learn about Xi’s rule by studying his father’s life – The New York Times
Squeezed by China’s slowdown, internet users lash out at elites – The New York Times: ‘a sense of resentment and anxiety that in China’s fiercely competitive society, merit may be irrelevant.’
Podcasts
The Influence of Xi Jinping’s Father, Xi Zhongxun: A Conversation with Dr Joseph Torigian – CSIS ChinaPower 🍎
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
Chinese envoy blasts US veto on UN Security Council draft resolution over Gaza – Xinhua: ‘Wednesday’s vote result once again exposes that the root cause of the council's inability to quell the conflict in Gaza is the repeated obstruction by the United States’ 🇺🇸🇵🇸🇮🇱
Pakistan upgrades diplomatic ties to Afghanistan with China’s push – Nikkei Asia: ‘experts believe that China is mediating between Pakistan and Afghanistan to fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.’ 🇵🇰🇦🇫
China to play constructive role in promoting Pakistan-Afghanistan ties, foreign ministry spokesperson says – Xinhua: ‘Lin said that this is also an important and positive measure for Pakistan and Afghanistan to implement the outcomes of the informal meeting of foreign ministers of China, Afghanistan and Pakistan in May this year.’ 🇵🇰🇦🇫
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 congratulates Lee Jae-myung 李在明 on election as president of South Korea – Xinhua 🇰🇷
White House calls South Korea election ‘fair’, expresses concern about Chinese influence – Reuters 🇰🇷🇺🇸
Australia’s Albanese to meet China’s Xi in Beijing this summer, source says – SCMP 🇦🇺
China’s top diplomat Wáng Yì 王毅 meets UAE president’s special envoy – Xinhua 🇦🇪
Chinese state media releases key details about DF-5 nuclear weapons – SCMP: ‘developed in the early 1970s and entered service in 1981’
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 signs order to promulgate rules on developing military facilities – Xinhua
China economie
Chinese authorities are intensifying efforts to collect taxes on citizens’ overseas income, expanding its scrutiny to less wealthy individuals after targeting the ultra-rich last year, sources say – Bloomberg: ‘Chinese authorities are seeking to boost fiscal income and narrow a record budget deficit’
China’s central bank steps up support for small and medium businesses – Xinhua
Cover Story: China’s bank deposit insurance plan is seen needing new support – Caixin Global
China binnenland
China bolsters graft watchdog with new powers – Caixin Global: ‘The revised Supervision Law, which takes effect on June 1, introduces three new measures — compulsory appearance, orders to remain available for investigation, and custodial care — as alternatives or adjuncts to the existing practice of “liuzhi,” or retention in custody.’
China approves the construction of the largest capacity of new coal-fired power plants in a decade to bolster energy security, according to the IEA – Bloomberg: ‘China gave the green light to almost 100 gigawatts of new coal-fired plants in 2024’
Major reforms rolled out ahead of gaokao – China Daily
China warns of more severe northern floods this summer – Reuters
Chinese vice premier Liú Guózhōng 刘国中 urges all-out efforts to secure bumper summer harvest – Xinhua
China’s Hainan offers global internet access to some to boost free-trade port ambitions – SCMP: ‘while platforms such as YouTube, X and TikTok would be accessible, some websites would remain off-limits, according to the staff member’
China’s Sichuan province to offer extended marriage and maternity leave – Reuters
4 juni
Beijing slams Rubio ‘attack’ on China after Tiananmen Square remarks – AFP 🇺🇸
Hongkong pakt mensen op die bloedbad uit 1989 dreigen te herdenken met bloemen of waxinelichtje – NRC
Taipei vigil draws around 3,000 to mark Tiananmen Square massacre – Focus Taiwan 🇹🇼
President Lai marks Tiananmen anniversary, reaffirms defence of democracy – Focus Taiwan: ‘As authoritarian regimes erase history, democracies “have a duty” to preserve it, he said.’
Chinese spokesperson slams Taiwan leader’s defamatory remarks – Xinhua: ‘“Their intentions are extremely sinister, and their methods are extremely despicable,” Zhu said.’
Hong Kong
9 seek to overturn rioting convictions, sentences over 2019 storming of Hong Kong’s legislature – HKFP
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Chinese authorities punishes Taiwan company related to die-hard separatist legislator Puma Shen – Xinhua: ‘punishment on Sicuens International Co., Ltd., a company led by Shen’s father’
‘In October last year, the office announced punishments on Shen and the Kuma Academy, an institution led by him.’ 🇨🇳
DPP lawmaker Puma Shen 沈伯洋 slams China sanctions on father’s company – Focus Taiwan
Chinese police pursue 20 suspects involved in cyber attacks initiated by Taiwan organisation – Xinhua: ‘The police have offered a reward of 10,000 yuan (about 1,390 U.S. dollars) for information leading to each suspect’s arrest, according to a notice issued by the public security bureau of Guangzhou’s Tianhe District.’ 🇨🇳
Taiwan denies cyberattack claims as China seeks arrest of 20 – Focus Taiwan 🇨🇳
New Taipei temple manager sentenced to six years for recruiting for China – Taipei Times: ‘related to helping Beijing secure surrender agreements from military service members.’ 🇨🇳
Taiwan and Marshall Islands sign security pact amid growing hybrid threats – Focus Taiwan 🇲🇭
Taiwan congratulates South Korea in selecting new president – Focus Taiwan 🇰🇷
Taiwan-US defence industry forum to open in Taipei – Focus Taiwan: ‘with a focus on potential partnerships in drones and unmanned vehicles’ 🇺🇸
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Japan-built Presidential Office the biggest symbol of authoritarianism, KMT legislator Hsu Yu-chen 許宇甄 says – Taipei Times: ‘as the Ministry of the Interior drafted proposals to rename roads that symbolize authoritarianism, such as Zhongzheng or Jhongjheng Road (中正), named after Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).’
No Cabinet plans for full rollout of Chiang Kai-shek road name changes – Focus Taiwan: ‘in the wake of opposition from some local government chiefs.’ ‘will not enforce changes until there is broader consensus across the nation.’
Several recalls collapse, two will surprise you! – Nathan Batto’s Frozen Garlic
New security vetting rules for Taiwanese civil servants to take effect Friday – Focus Taiwan: ‘increase the frequency and scope of vetting were published’
Driver in fatal New Taipei rampage intended to hit pedestrians, police says – Focus Taiwan
Hands are tied over local cuts to funding, minister tells parliament – Taipei Times
CIB busts alleged fraud operation – Taipei Times