De Chinese Wouden, vrijdag 9 februari: aandelenmarkt, Messi in de problemen, desinformatie
Er is weer veel te veel nieuws om te bespreken. De problemen op de Chinese aandelenmarkt houden aan – de baas van de toezichthouder is al tot zoenoffer gemaakt. Economische uitdaging blijven voortduren – er was in januari weer sprake van deflatie.
Dichter bij huis vond The Citizen Lab een Chinees PR-bedrijf dat voor Peking nepnieuws verspreid, ook via twee Nederlandse websites. We zijn ook nog niet uitgepraat over de Chinese hack van de Koninklijke Landmacht – NRC vroeg en kreeg een ontkenning van het Chinese ministerie van buitenlandse zaken.
In Peking is er volgens Nikkei Asia een poging tot het aanzetten tot klikken onder de militaire officieren die doelwit van Xi Jinpings laatste zuivering zijn. Het staand comité van het Nationaal Volkscongres komt binnenkort bijeen om over de poppetjes te praten.
Het meest low-stake maar wel vermakelijkst is de storm die in China rond Lionel Messi is ontstaan. De Argentijnse voetballer was de focus van de reclame voor een commerciële vriendschappelijke wedstrijd in Hong Kong, maar speelde niet. Hij leek ook niet zo blij en schudde niet de hand van Pekings man John Lee. Maar in Japan kon hij plotseling wel weer lachen én weer spelen.
Wat volgde was een illustratie van de stand van het huidige Chinese nationalisme. Naast begrijpelijke teleurstelling over de misleidende reclame – men schijnt al voor aanvang van zijn vermeende blessure geweten te hebben – is er de gekrenkte Chinese nationalist die al snel niet genoeg erkenning en respect meent te krijgen. Daar weer achter zit de paranoia van de huidige Hongkongse regering, waarvan leden zelfs hier achter een ‘zwarte hand’ zien.
Zaterdag is het Chinees Nieuwjaar. Ik wens iedereen een mooi feestweekend en een goede gezondheid in het nieuwe jaar van de draak.
Taiwan remains committed to maintaining peace and stability, President Tsai Ing-wen says in Lunar New Year message – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan’s president thanks world, China’s PLA shows simulated attacks in new year’s messages – Reuters
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Netwerk van nieuwssites verspreidt al jarenlang pro-Chinese desinformatie, ook in Nederland – de Volkskrant: „Ze ogen als echte nieuwssites met dagelijks nieuwe artikelen. In werkelijkheid halen ze middels een techniek die scraping heet stukken van andere media.” 🇳🇱
Chinese firm behind ‘news’ websites pushes pro-Beijing content globally, researchers find – Reuters: ‘More than 100 websites disguised as local news outlets in Europe, Asia and Latin America’
Paperwall: Chinese websites posing as local news outlets target global audiences with pro-Beijing disinformation and ad hominem attacks – The Citizen Lab
‘Human rights defender Li Qiaochu was sentenced to 3 years and 8 months. Li promoted equal rights for workers and women and spoke out about injustice. In 2022, we awarded her with our human rights Embassy Tulip. 🇳🇱 has previously raised Li’s case and asked for her release.’ – Embassy of the Netherlands in Beijing, Twitter 🇳🇱
Schriftelijke vragen: Het bericht ‘Kabinet moet alerter zijn op spionage met Chinese scanners bij douane’ – Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 🇳🇱
Huawei 华为 offices in France are searched as part of a preliminary investigation by French financial prosecutors – Bloomberg 🇫🇷
German Chancellor Scholz to travel to China with business delegation in April – Reuters 🇩🇪
Scholz reist Mitte April nach China – FAZ 🇩🇪
China’s Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 urges ‘close strategic coordination’ and defending sovereignty, security, and development interests in call with Russia’s Putin – Reuters: ‘Xi said both sides should resolutely oppose interference in internal affairs by external forces’ 🇷🇺
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 says China-Russia relations embrace new development opportunities – Xinhua: ‘Xi also said it has become a fine tradition for him and Putin to exchange greetings by the turn of the year, review the achievements of the development of bilateral relations, and jointly look forward to the future.’ 🇷🇺
Swiss foreign minister hopes China can ‘give us a hand’ in Ukraine peace talks – Reuters🇨🇭
Taiwan expands list of export control items to Russia and Belarus – Focus Taiwan: ‘has also requested Taiwanese manufacturers exporting to countries such as Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, […], to agree not to redirect shipments to Russia and Belarus.’ 🇷🇺🇧🇾
Chinese hackactiviteiten 🇨🇳
Nederlandse leger treft Chinese spionnen aan op zijn computers – hoe zijn die daar gekomen? – de Volkskrant: „Opmerkelijk is ook dat het leger lucht kreeg van het lek na een melding, niet bij een routinecontrole.” 🇳🇱
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s Regular Press Conference on February 7, 2024 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China:
NRC Handelsblad: The Dutch Minister of Defense Ollongren has declared that Chinese state actors spied on the computer networks of the Dutch Ministry of Defense through the software of the company Fortinet. These state actors are also probably spying in Europe, she said. Is that indeed the case? And secondly, what can you tell us about the relationship between Fortinet and the Chinese government?
Wang Wenbin: We oppose any groundless smears and accusations against China. In fact, China is a major victim of cyber attacks. We keep a firm stance against all forms of cyber attacks and resort to lawful methods in tackling them. China does not encourage, support or condone attacks launched by hackers.
Keeping the cyberspace safe is a global challenge. As is the case with other issues, false accusations or bloc confrontation will only damage the collective response to the threats the world faces on cybersecurity. We hope relevant parties adopt a constructive and responsible stance and work with China to protect cybersecurity.
[…]
NRC Handelsblad: What relationship the Chinese government might or might not have with the company Fortinet?
Wang Wenbin: I have made clear that we are opposed to any unwarranted accusation and smear against China. They are not helpful for the international community to unite against cyber security threats.
Reactie op het verzoek van het lid Erkens, gedaan tijdens de begrotingsbehandeling op 6 februari 2024, over het nieuwsbericht dat China via malware bij het ministerie van Defensie spioneert – K.H. Ollongren, minister van Defensie, Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal 🇳🇱
Rickey Gevers: „China neemt strategische posities in onze kritieke infrastructuur in” – BNR
Chinese hacking campaign aimed at critical infrastructure goes back five years, US says – Reuters: ‘quietly burrowed into the networks of aviation, rail, mass transit, highway, maritime, pipeline, water and sewage organizations.’ 🇺🇸
US and international partners publish cybersecurity advisory on People’s Republic of China state-sponsored hacking of US critical infrastructure – Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency: ‘The data and information CISA and its U.S. Government partners have gathered strongly suggest the PRC is positioning itself to launch destructive cyber-attacks that would jeopardize the physical safety of Americans and impede military readiness in the event of a major crisis or conflict with the United States.’ 🇺🇸
Japan and five Pacific Islands countries plan cyberdefence drill – Nikkei Asia: ‘to be held on the U.S. territory of Guam from Feb. 18 to 26, with five countries participating’ 🇯🇵
Chinese aandelenmarkt 🇨🇳📉
China replaces the head of its securities regulator in a surprise move during a sharp selloff in the nation’s stock markets – Bloomberg: ‘Wu Qing, a banking veteran, was named as head of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, replacing Yi Huiman’
Who is Xi Jinping’s new securities regulator chief? What you need to know about the powerful bureaucrat nicknamed the ‘broker butcher’ – Bloomberg
As China battles to shore up battered markets, investors hold out for more – Reuters
China stocks clock best week in over a year on Beijing’s rescue efforts – Reuters
Chinese listed companies heed government’s call for market stimulus – Nikkei Asia
Despite stock market rout, don’t write off investing in China just yet, say analysts – The Straits Times
China’s stockmarket nightmare is nowhere near over: The situation ought to worry Xi Jinping – The Economist
Messi-gate 🇭🇰⚽
Chinese say Messi’s absence in Hong Kong match beyond ‘realm of sports’ as fury builds – Reuters: ‘senior government advisor Regina Ip wrote on X that “Hong Kong people hate Messi, Inter-Miami and the black hand behind them [sic], for the deliberate and calculate snub to Hong Kong.”’
Disappointment and anger among Chinese fans magnified after Messi’s attitude turn in Japan – The Global Times: ‘Messi wrote “China” and “Hong Kong” side-by-side in parallel, an approach that clearly lacked respect for the Chinese fans to whom he was supposed to be apologizing. His different attitude in Japan also led many fans to question whether his actions go beyond soccer.’
‘Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, reiterated on Wednesday night that Messi, Inter Miami and the organizers need to give the public a proper explanation.’
Tijd om de extraterritoriale reikwijdte van de Hongkongse staatsveiligheidswet te testen?
Tech War 💽💥
China is drawing a road map for EV-fuelled growth – and wants global cooperation to oil the wheels – SCMP: ‘Beijing is optimistic that China’s freewheeling EV industry can serve as a dynamo for an economy that faces an uphill battle to achieve sustained recovery.’
China pushes EV makers to localise in overseas markets – Nikkei Asia: ‘The move appears to be in response to growing concerns in Europe and the U.S. about rising sales of inexpensive electric vehicles from the country.’
China’s passenger vehicle sales fall 14.1% in January m/m – Reuters: ‘Battery electric vehicle sales sagged 37% in January from the month before’
China’s vehicle sales [sic] and output soar in January – Xinhua: ‘vehicle output last month increased by 51.2 percent year on year’
US researcher Chenguang Gong arrested for stealing trade secrets, including missile tracking tech – SCMP 🇺🇸
China bid to ‘cheat’ its way to chip prominence failing, claims Taiwan’s US envoy Alexander Yui 俞大㵢 – Reuters: ‘Taiwan’s spy catchers have investigated numerous Chinese companies suspected of illegally poaching semiconductor engineers and other tech talent.’
TSMC 台積電 reports highest ever January sales – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan’s Acer 宏碁 and Asustek 華碩 double down on ‘Make in India’ – Nikkei Asia 🇮🇳
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
Xi Jinping’s chaos-loving friends: Why is stability-obsessed China aligned with Iran, North Korea and Russia? – The Economist’s Chaguan 🇮🇷🇰🇵🇷🇺
Joint press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the National Security Advisor of the United States, Jake Sullivan – NATO: ‘In our meeting today, NATO Allies discussed our preparations for the Washington Summit in July. Including […] the growing challenge posed by China.’
Is China seeking a submarine presence in the Sea of Japan? – Nikkei Asia
China dethroned as top source of US imports after 17 years, replaced by Mexico, census data shows – SCMP 🇺🇸🇲🇽
Veel Chinese bedrijven weten de weg naar Mexico ook te vinden.
Thai investment applications hit 5-year high, led by Chinese money – Nikkei Asia 🇹🇭
Can Xi Jinping win back the markets? Investors at home and abroad no longer trust China’s policymakers – The Economist
Weekend
Longreads en achtergrond
Why China is betting big on chiplets – Zeyi Yang for the MIT Technology Review: ‘for Chinese chip companies, they could reduce the time and costs needed to develop more powerful chips domestically and supply growing, vital technology sectors like AI.’ ‘By separating the functions of a chip into multiple chiplet modules, it reduces the difficulty of making each individual part.’
‘Today, Chinese companies are already responsible for 38% of the chip packaging worldwide. Companies in Taiwan and Singapore still control the more advanced technologies, but it’s less difficult to catch up on this front.’
Juist in de noodzakelijke technologieën voor het verbinden van de chiplets tot grote chips – packaging – heeft China wel een belangrijke positie in de halfgeleidermarkt.
US-China Trade: The world’s factory strikes back – Max Zenglein for MERICS and the Hinrich Foundation
What will newly increased Party control mean for China’s universities? A ChinaFile Conversation – ChinaFile
Weaponising Big Data: Decoding China’s digital surveillance in Tibet – Turquoise Roof Briefings
China’s new currency playbook – Brad W. Setser for CFR: ‘The puzzle here isn’t the presence of a band, but how the band was maintained.’ ‘there are multiple reports suggesting that the PBOC leaned on China’s state banks to do its dirty work.’
Why China can’t export its model of surveillance: It’s not the tech that empowers Big Brother in Beijing—It’s the informants – Minxin Pei in Foreign Affairs
Podcasts
China zit in het slop, is dit het einde van de oneindige groei? – de Volkskrant Elke Dag 🍎 🤖
China’s Central Foreign Affairs Work Conference: Implications for PRC foreign policy – Bonnie S. Glaser for China Global interviews Neil Thomas 🍎 🤖
The Feminists have Stood Up: Gender and Comedy in China – The Little Red Podcast 🍎 🤖
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
Beijing warns of ‘heavy price’ for ‘obstructing China’s reunification’ with Taiwan as US and Japan stage military drills – SCMP: ‘Japanese media reported that Washington and Tokyo had named Beijing as a “hypothetical enemy” for the first time during this year’s “Keen Edge” exercise.’ ‘the Australian Defence Force also joined the eight-day exercise’ 🇺🇸🇯🇵
Philippines to boost military presence in islands facing Taiwan – Reuters: ‘The Bashi Channel between those islands and Taiwan is considered a choke point for vessels moving between the western Pacific and the contested South China Sea.’ 🇵🇭
China opens new Antarctic station south of Australia and New Zealand – Reuters
Russia’s isolation is forcing it to look to China for support in the Arctic, raising U.S. concerns – NBC News
China lashes out at ‘chaos and disorder’ behind Fukushima radioactive waste water leak – SCMP 🇯🇵
Signs of rare unrest among North Korean workers in China, researchers say – Reuters 🇰🇵
China proposes spending US$1 billion to refurbish a key railway connecting Zambia’s copper heartland with the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam – Bloomberg 🇿🇲🇹🇿
US House panel accuses VC firms of aiding Chinese military and genocide – FT 🇺🇸
The CCP’s Investors: How American Venture Capital Fuels the PRC Military and Human Rights Abuses – The Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party: ‘multiple U.S. firms expressed apprehension to the Committee about cooperating with the Committee’s investigation because of pressure or fear of pressure from the PRC government and the CCP.’ ‘Another U.S. firm told the Committee that the PRC government was “actively pressuring” venture capital firms not to cooperate with the Committee’s investigation. That firm also faced pressure from its investment companies and limited partners, who likewise urged the firm not to cooperate.’ 🇺🇸
China economie
Neerwaartse spiraal dreigt in China: deflatie bijt steeds harder – De Standaard
China’s consumer prices suffer biggest fall since 2009 as deflation risks stalk economy – Reuters: ‘The consumer price index (CPI) fell 0.8% in January from a year earlier, after a 0.3% drop in December, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Thursday.’
Siemens sees sharp drop in China factory-automation orders – Bloomberg
China to export deflation to the world as economy stumbles – FT
China central bank set to stand pat on medium-term policy rate in February – Reuters
China’s airport ride-hailing ban, though brief, fuels fear of private sector grounding – SCMP: ‘the “sweeping approach” of some government departments when implementing certain policies remains a confounding factor’
China binnenland
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 aims anti-graft purge at China’s military on eve of centenary – Nikkei Asia: ‘The PLA Daily, the official newspaper of the People’s Liberation Army, ran a notice on Jan. 5 recommending military personnel to report corruption.’
‘Within the military ranks, people are increasingly feeling pressured to confess or blow the whistle on others to avoid stiff penalties. “It appears that a high-ranking military officer had recently confided to Xi about corruption and was spared severe punishment,” said a diplomatic source in Beijing.’
China’s top legislative body to discuss ‘appointments and dismissals’ amid military purge – SCMP
Former Chinese defence minister Wèi Fènghé 魏凤和’s absence from Lunar New Year greetings list raises questions over fate – SCMP
Drakenbaby’s zijn niet genoeg om China’s bevolkingscrisis te keren – NRC
China likely to increase curbs on wind, solar as grid capacity strained – Reuters
China’s MSS warns students abroad not to help foreign spies – Nikkei Asia
Hong Kong
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
美軍綠扁帽顧問 長駐陸軍兩棲營 – 聯合報:「今年起美軍顧問長駐我金門、澎湖陸軍兩棲營,並不定期駐訓各特戰營;去年起並開始協助我特戰部隊學習使用『黑色大黃蜂』微型無人機」 🇺🇸
Visiting Tokyo governor Koike Yuriko 小池 百合子 meets Taiwanese leaders, eyes more cooperation – Focus Taiwan 🇯🇵
Taiwan drops China group tour plans – Taipei Times: ‘as Beijing had not reciprocated the show of goodwill from Taiwan and had instead unilaterally altered flight routes.’
Guatemala’s foreign ministry reaffirms ties with Taiwan – Reuters 🇬🇹
DPP lawmaker Puma Shen 沈伯洋 urges cyberdefence priority – Taipei Times
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Ex-president Ma Ying-jeou (KMT) accused by former aide Su Chi of being indifferent to stopping Taiwan-centric culture taking root on Taiwan – SCMP
Ma Ying-jeou is een van de belangrijkste Chinese nationalisten in de KMT. Su Chi – die in 2000 de term ‘Consensus van 1992’ bedacht – illustreert het probleem van de partij. Hij beschuldigt Ma ervan dat hij te weinig gedaan zou hebben om het geschiedeniscurriculum weer sinocentrisch te maken, terwijl Ma al zover ging dat er protesten uitbraken en iemand zelfmoord pleegde. Su beschuldigt Ma bang te zijn vieze handen te maken door uit angst voor associatie met corruptie te dicht bij bepaalde KMT-politici te komen, terwijl die corrupte KMT-politici juist een van de grootste imago-problemen van de partij zijn gebleven. Su beschuldigt Ma ervan te weinig de KMT-ideologie te hebben gepromoot om DPP-kiezers te paaien, terwijl Ma juist een aanhanger is van de traditionele ROC-ideologie.
Als zelfs een ROC/KMT-conservatief als Ma niet goed genoeg is voor Su, wat dan wel?
FSC fraud project finds 24,820 online fraud incidents – Taipei Times