De Chinese Wouden, woensdag 11 januari: charmeoffensief China, NAVO, covidbeperkingen
Vandaag vooral commentaar tussen de regels door. Het eerste kopje heeft te maken met de observatie die ik zelf ook al deed in de nieuwsbrief van gisteren dat er een herschikking aan de Chinese kant plaats lijkt te vinden. Om mijn toen al terughoudend commentaar aan te vullen, hier nog een extra scheut pessimisme.
Verder: zowel de EU als de nieuwe Chinese ambassadeur bezoeken NAVO. De eisen die verschillende landen stellen aan reizigers uit China leidt tot woede die zich vooral op Japan en Zuid-Korea richt.
Charmeoffensief China
💡 Xí Jìnpíng 习近平’s plan to reset China’s economy and win back friends – FT: ‘As it seeks to repair ties with European powers, Beijing is insisting that its European counterparts agree to repeat a “no decoupling” mantra — marking a clear difference with Washington’
several Chinese officials in private conversations with the Financial Times strove to put clear daylight between Beijing and Moscow on the issue of Ukraine — a message that has been repeated to some European diplomats.
Five senior Chinese officials with knowledge of the issue have told the FT at different times over the past nine months that Moscow did not inform Beijing of its intention to launch a full invasion of Ukraine before Putin ordered the attack.
[…]
Evidence to support failures of Chinese understanding, according to Chinese officials, has been the demotion in June of Le Yucheng, who at the time of the invasion was a vice-minister of foreign affairs and the ministry’s top Russia expert.
Verandering van toon doet niks af aan onveranderde posities en ideologische steun voor Rusland. Le is wel weg, maar andere hoge functionarissen tot Xi zelf aan toe hebben ook over de Europese veiligheidsorde gesproken in termen die overeenkomsten met het Russische wereldbeeld demonstreren. Wel zorgt een vriendelijkere toon voor vriendelijkere gedachten in het hoofd van de spreker en vermindert het de kans op diplomatieke ruzies.
En nogmaals: ik beschouw de oproepen tegen ‘ontkoppeling’ als afleiding om het debat te ontregelen. Geen serieuze politicus of analist stelt volledige isolatie van China voor. De vraag is welke balans wij willen hebben in de relatie.
Een gedachte na de informatieve twitterdraad van Gabuev: ontkoppeling van Rusland leert Europa hoe dat gaat. De ervaring met de pijnlijke gevolgen van economische afhankelijkheid van een autoritair land zorgt dat er op de lange termijn minder vervlechting met China zal zijn dan anders het geval was geweest. Op de korte termijn kan echter de pijn die het verbreken van de band met Rusland nu al veroorzaakt landen ook huiverig maken ook nog zulke gevolgen te riskeren met China.
💡 Covid will complicate China’s efforts to re-engage with the world – The Economist: ‘its obfuscation of covid data is stirring memories in some countries of how it failed to share relevant information early in the pandemic (when it also denounced other countries’ travel restrictions) and how it is still withholding data that could help to trace the origins of the virus.’
The Economist wijst op de structurele redenen dat we geen dooi gaan krijgen: inhoudelijk komen er geen serieuze concessies van China terwijl verkiezingen in de VS en al het bovenstaande in het hele Westen daarmee zullen blijven botsen.
China likely to retaliate against more countries over Covid travel curbs – SCMP: ‘Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin warned of more “reciprocal measures” against restrictions that are not “scientific”.’
The GOP-led new House has set up a new select committee to come up with ways the US can counter China’s growing economic and strategic power – Bloomberg
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
PM Rishi Sunak restores funding to UK-China center after Liz Truss cut – POLITICO Europe: ‘enables dialogue between British and Chinese officials’ 🇬🇧
Ambassador Fù Cōng met Jöerg Wuttke, President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China – Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union 🇪🇺
Taiwanese president calls on Germany to help maintain ‘regional order’ – Reuters 🇩🇪
German lawmakers deliver a message to Beijing during Taiwan visit – SCMP 🇩🇪
Spanish cross-party congressional delegation arrives in Taiwan, 1st in 3 years – Focus Taiwan 🇪🇸
Taiwanese foreign ministry defends paying visiting lawmakers’ expenses as concerns raised by Lithuanian opposition – Focus Taiwan 🇱🇹
Despite earlier misgivings, Lithuanian parliamentary delegation visits Taiwan – LRT 🇱🇹
In geopolitiek wint meestal Goliath, niet David – Fred Sengers voor China Nu (VNC) 🇱🇹
NAVO 🧭
NAVO en EU bezegelen toenadering en spreken nauwere samenwerking af – NRC
Joint Declaration on EU-NATO Cooperation, 10 January 2023 – European Commission: ‘China’s growing assertiveness and policies present challenges that we need to address.’ 🇪🇺
NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană meets new Chinese Ambassador Fù Cōng 傅聪 – NATO: ‘Mr. Geoană called on China to condemn Russia’s illegal actions and irresponsible nuclear sabre-rattling. He raised NATO’s concerns on China’s military activity near Taiwan.’
China covid 🦠
Coronabeperking voor reizigers uit China leidt tot diplomatiek steekspel: reizigers uit Japan en Zuid-Korea krijgen geen visa meer – De Volkskrant
Chinese tourists travel abroad again after Covid Zero, but restrictions on passengers from China draw outrage – What’s on Weibo
Vijf vragen over de coronatests voor reizigers uit China: „Symboolpolitiek” – NU.nl
Volgens de Chinese overheid is het ergste alweer achter de rug – NRC
Koortsremmers zijn in de apotheken van Jinghong nergens te krijgen – NRC
Chinese bedrijven worstelen met personeelstekorten na recente covidgolf – FD
How Omicron variant of coronavirus led to bursting of China’s Zero Covid dykes – SCMP
Pfizer says locally produced Covid pills may be available in China within the next few months – SCMP
China’s Covid patients face medical debt crisis as insurers refuse coverage – FT: ‘China’s health policy has also made it difficult for claimants to establish proof of infection. Health officials have narrowed the definition of Covid deaths and cases’
Zeitentechwarwende ⏱️💽
Brussel broedt op miljardensteun voor bedrijven in EU om concurrentie met VS aan te kunnen – FD
Belgian prime minister accuses US of ‘aggressive’ push to lure European business – FT 🇧🇪
💡 Europe is trying (and failing) to beat China at the development game – Foreign Policy: ‘Africans can see that their relevance in the eyes of Europeans boils down to the immigration issue, Chatelard said, while for China investing in foreign infrastructure is a fundamental component of its own economic model.’ 🇪🇺
Brussel: TikTok moet meer doen om data te beschermen – RTL Nieuws 🇪🇺
Europe turns on TikTok – POLITICO Europe 🇪🇺
Japan and Europe draw closer over shared security concerns – Nikkei Asia 🇪🇺
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
Chinese ambassador raises Australia’s hopes over detained pair and trade disputes amid thaw in relations – The Guardian
Beijing can ‘notify’ Chinese companies to step up trade with Australia, ambassador says – Reuters
揭開澳龍走私海上交易線:中澳貿易制裁角力,與台灣、金馬走私鏈的蝴蝶效應 – 報導者
Chinese foreign minister to visit African countries, AU Headquarters, and Arab League Headquarters – Xinhua
China’s growing influence in Africa extends to arms sales, RAND report says – SCMP
Traditioneel gaat de eerste reis in het jaar van de Chinese minister van buitenlandse zaken naar Afrika. Maar deze keer was er eerst nog een ‘technical stopover’ in Bangladesh!
What was behind the Chinese foreign minister’s midnight stopover in Bangladesh? – The Diplomat: ‘Qin’s surprise stopover in Bangladesh comes just ahead of a flurry of U.S. diplomatic activity.’
Philippines’ Supreme Court rules 2005 oil exploration deal with China and Vietnam is void – The Straits Times
China economie
The Chinese Communist Party wants the property bubble back – Robert Foyle Hunwick for Foreign Policy
Henan village banks start reimbursing large depositors – Caixin Global
China binnenland
Chinese leader Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 warned officials against colluding with the business world, underscoring that his government’s crackdown on the private sector will remain a concern for investors despite efforts to boost the economy – Bloomberg
Xinhua Headlines: Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 stresses need to promote full, rigorous Party self-governance – Xinhua: ‘the fight against corruption remains grave and complex, and the Party still faces uphill tasks in preventing new cases and rooting out existing ones’
Book on Xí Jìnpíng 习近平’s visits to common people’s homes published – Xinhua
Foreign officials and executives struggle to predict Beijing’s moves in what has become an impenetrable process as Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 has accumulated more power – WSJ
Denk niet dat Xi Jinping dat heel erg vindt.
No escape: Camp survivor Zhanargul Zhumatai describes life under house arrest in Xinjiang – The Diplomat
Hong Kong
4 Hongkongers found guilty of ‘rioting’ during protest in September 2019 – HKFP: ‘The judge said they had encouraged fellow protesters by staying at the scene wearing similar clothing with the rest.’ ‘there was no evidence to suggest how long the defendants had been at the scene’
Hong Kong condemns UK minister meeting with Jimmy Lai 黎智英 (Làih Ji-yīng)’s lawyers – Bloomberg
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Taiwan and Japan to hold first fisheries meeting since 2019 – Focus Taiwan: ‘The Taiwan-Japan Fishery Committee was founded following the signing of the Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement on April 10, 2013 to resolve frequent disputes when fishermen of both countries fish in overlapping areas of the two countries' exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the East China Sea.’
Former Taiwan air force officers guilty on China espionage charge – Taipei Times
US Marines to set up unit in Okinawa for defence of remote Japanese islands – Kyodo and Reuters via The Japan Times
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Taiwan passes climate law with carbon fee system and 2050 net-zero goal – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan’s population in 2022 falls for 3rd consecutive year – Focus Taiwan
Bill to deter house flippers and speculators clears legislative floor – Focus Taiwan