De Chinese Wouden, woensdag 16 juli: EU-China
Er is meer nieuws over de slechte stemming tussen de EU en China terwijl ook Washington de handelsduimschroeven aandraait. Ik heb nu eerst niks toe te voegen aan wat ik eerder al schreef, dus ik wijs op de berichten zelf. Opvallend is de bevestiging dat Peking ook de sancties op voormalige europarlementariër Bütikofer heeft opgeheven.
In Handelsblatt een interview met de baas van Volkswagen China. Hij zegt dat de Chinese automarkt ‘alle realiteit heeft verloren’. Ook wil Volkswagen meer van eigen vernuft afhangen voor de nieuwe soort auto’s i.p.v. samenwerkingen met Chinese partners.
In China is er ophef op sociale media nadat een universiteit in Dalian een vrouwelijke studente van school heeft gestuurd vanwege het ‘schaden van het nationale prestige’. Ze verscheen in een non-seksuele video in een hotelkamer van een Oekraïense gamer, wat tot boosheid leidde van mannelijke gamers uit China. Net als de vervolgingen van schrijfsters van ‘boy love’ homoerotica voor vrouwen is dit een ander voorbeeld van de steeds restrictievere publieke moraal in China die vooral vrouwen raakt.
Verder is het interessant om te lezen in The Washington Post dat de Filipijnen achter de schermen steeds verder gaan in de samenwerking met Taiwan op veiligheidsgebied. In Japan was dit de afgelopen jaren al duidelijk te merken. De Filipijnen zijn echter veel zwakker en politiek meer verdeeld op dit onderwerp. Maar als direct buurland van Taiwan, als Amerikaanse bondgenoot en als doelwit van Chinese agressie hebben de Filipijnen echter weinig keus.
Taiwan heeft 38 jaar onder de staat van beleg geleefd tijdens de Koude Oorlog. Vanaf deze week is de periode sinds de opheffing hiervan in 1987 langer. De veranderingen zijn onvoorstelbaar, bekeken vanuit die dictatoriale jaren tachtig waarin de KMT en de Taiwanese strijdkrachten nog politieke moorden orkestreerden. Inmiddels heeft een groep gepensioneerde Taiwanese officieren een oproep gedaan om ‘ja’ te stemmen in de verkiezen van 26 juli om de ‘pro-Chinese’ KMT-parlementariërs te herroepen.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
European Union on the ropes as Donald Trump and China turn the screws – SCMP: ‘Even if nothing is achieved, the hawkish von der Leyen could tell member states calling for her to engage with China that that particular avenue had been exhausted. She could feasibly then steer China policy in a more assertive direction, insiders believe.’
‘When the US and China secured a stopgap deal in Geneva in May to calm their spiralling trade war, Europeans noticed a change in Beijing’s tone. Having secured a climbdown from Trump, Beijing felt it could “push Europe around”, according to one official involved.
Vice-Premier He Lifeng travelled directly from Geneva to Paris for talks with French officials that turned out to be “terrible”, according to another. Talks between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas this month went equally badly.’ 🇪🇺
China lifts its sanctions on retired EU lawmaker Reinhard Bütikofer – SCMP: ‘The move is expected to galvanise a new round of engagement, with an official meeting of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the China delegation of the European Parliament pencilled in for Brussels in October, according to several people familiar with the plan.’ 🇪🇺
Dan zijn er nog altijd de Chinese sancties, pardon: ‘tegenmaatregelen’, op nationale parlementariërs – ook in Nederland – onderzoekers Björn Jerdén en Adrian Zenz, de politieke- en veiligheidsraad van de EU, MERICS en de Alliance of Democracies Foundation.
Op LinkedIn roept Bütikofer op tot de opheffing van de sancties op alle personen.
China and EU hold high-level environment and climate dialogue – Xinhua: ‘China is also willing to work with the EU to promote the establishment of a fair, reasonable, cooperative and win-win global environmental and climate governance system’ 🇪🇺
EU chief for Asia-Pacific set to leave role after China summit, sources say – SCMP: ‘Niclas Kvarnström, managing director for Asia and the Pacific in the European External Action Service, the bloc’s diplomatic corps, is returning to his homeland for a senior position in the government there’ 🇪🇺🇸🇪
Column: Inspirations for China-EU relations in the next 50 years – Lu Xiao for Xinhua: ‘China-EU cooperation should play the role of an anchor of global political stability and provide stability and certainty for the international order and global governance.’ 🇪🇺
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 meets Russian foreign minister Lavrov in Beijing – Xinhua: ‘said Tuesday that China and Russia should bolster mutual support within multilateral frameworks, safeguard their development and security interests, unite the Global South countries, and push the international order toward a more just and equitable direction.’ 🇷🇺
NAVO-chef Rutte waarschuwt Brazilië, China en India voor sancties bij handel met Rusland – FD 🇷🇺
Chinese and Serbian armies to hold joint training in north China – Xinhua 🇷🇸
Russia, Iran, and China intensifying life-threatening operations in UK, British police say – Reuters 🇬🇧
We weten van Russische en Iraanse moordaanslagen in het buitenland. Welke redenen hebben ze om China in dit rijtje te noemen?
Wereldhandelsoorlog 📉💥
US wants EU to ‘follow us 100%’ on China, Brussels trade official tells EP – Euractiv: ‘“I don’t think, as a matter of principle, that the European Union should follow examples,” said Leopoldo Rubinacci, a senior European Commission official involved in US trade negotiations.’ 🇪🇺🇺🇸
Commission imposes measures on multilayered wood flooring from China – European Commission 🇪🇺
China’s rare earth exports swell in June as Beijing relaxes controls – SCMP: ‘to their highest level since December 2009’
‘However, the US dollar value of rare earth exports dropped 47 per cent compared to the same period last year’
Industrie in Deutschland: Für diese Firmen wird es ohne Chinas seltene Erden eng – Handelsblatt 🇩🇪
VS-China 🇨🇳
Nvidia’s resumption of AI chips to China is part of rare earths talks, says US – Reuters 🇺🇸
China and US intensifying efforts to implement London trade talk outcomes, customs official says – Xinhua 🇺🇸
VS-wereld 🌏
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平’s article on unswervingly advancing high-standard opening-up to be published – Xinhua
Het artikel, in theorietijdschrift van de Partij Qiushi Journal, legt de nadruk op een eerlijk en multilateraal internationaal handelssysteem waarin China met zijn initiatieven de belangen van ontwikkelingslanden garandeert.
‘Some cannot source outside China’: Singapore firms’ challenges and support needed amid US tariffs – The Straits Times: ‘Some of the assistance is to mitigate competition from Chinese businesses, which have turned their attention to markets outside the US to invest in and sell their goods.’ 🇸🇬
Economic Watch: Upcoming expo in Beijing to foster global supply chain stability and resilience – Xinhua: ‘rallying multinational giants including Nvidia, Apple, and Airbus to showcase industrial resilience and cross-border collaboration.’
Techoorlog 💽💥
Dip in chipmarkt maakt toeleveranciers ASML nerveus – Nieuwsuur: „De chipmarkt zit in een dip.” „De belangrijkste oorzaak: geopolitieke en economische onzekerheid.” 🇳🇱
Relatief gezien ziet het er ook slechter uit omdat ASML eerst extra veel grote bestellingen kreeg uit China van Chinese bedrijven die nieuwe beperkingen voor wilden zijn. Zonder handelsbarrières was er de afgelopen tijd juist veel minder vraag geweest.
Strategische voorraden: als niet nu, wanneer dan? – NRC 🇪🇺
China’s commerce ministry tightens export curbs on some EV battery technologies – AFP: ‘announced on July 15 several adjustments to a list of technologies subject to export curbs.’
VW-China-Chef: „Der chinesische Automarkt hat jede Rationalität verloren“ – Handelsblatt: „Bislang waren für die Strategie Partnerschaften zentral, etwa mit dem chinesischen E-Autohersteller Xpeng. Künftig will VW allerdings verstärkt auf eigene Ressourcen setzen.“
„Derzeit lässt Brandstätter eine neue Einheitssoftware für seine Region selbst entwickeln. Sie soll auch in Verbrennermodelle integriert werden. Auch ein E-Auto im Budget-Bereich für China ist in Planung.“ 🇩🇪
Gedaan met de Europese schroom? In het VK en Noorwegen slaan Chinese auto’s wel aan – De Standaard
Malaysia will require permits for exports and transshipments of high-performance US artificial intelligence chips – Bloomberg: ‘Semiconductor sales to Malaysia also are a focal point of a court case in neighboring Singapore’ 🇲🇾🇺🇸🇸🇬
Malaysia has not found any evidence yet of illicit chip smuggling, minister says – Reuters: ‘adding that authorities were seeking help from the United States in its probe into alleged chip smuggling.’ 🇲🇾🇺🇸
Nvidia gets nod from Washington to resume sales of H20 China chip – FT: ‘announcing plans to release a new China-specific AI chip.’ 🇺🇸
Trump zwicht: waarom Nvidia verboden AI-chips alsnog aan China mag leveren – NRC: „een concessie in de handelsoorlog met China” 🇺🇸
Huawei 华为 AI chip redesign aims to break Nvidia’s China dominance – The Information: ‘Huawei is still working on the Ascend 920’s design, and the chip isn’t expected to go into mass production until next year at the earliest.’
Er blijven geruchten rondgaan dat de Ascend-chips van Huawei bij lange na niet zo goed zijn als de publiciteit het wil hebben. Ik herhaal mijn waarschuwing erg voorzichtig te zijn met de verhalen rond de effecten van de exportcontroles op China, gezien de grote belangen die ermee gemoeid zijn.
China approves US$35bn Synopsys chip software deal after US eases export curbs – FT 🇺🇸
How BYD 比亚迪 caught up with Tesla in the global EV race – FT: ‘China changed its investment rules to allow Tesla to fully own and operate its Chinese subsidiary.’ ‘Tesla accepted the risk of hardware and intellectual property being transferred, but concluded it was worth it in order to gain access to a huge new market’
‘the speed with which Chinese carmakers learnt and innovated enabled them to leave some of their European and Japanese rivals behind in the EV transition’ 🇺🇸
Wordt er over enkele jaren hetzelfde boek geschreven over Tesla als het recente boek dat uitlegt hoe Apple zijn Chinese concurrenten heeft opgeleid?
BMW partners with Momenta to co-develop China-tailored driving assistance tech – Reuters 🇩🇪
Huawei 华为 brushes aside accusations of copying Alibaba 阿里巴巴 AI model – Nikkei Asia
Taiwan’s digital policy to support sovereign AI development – Taipei Times
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
China steps in as US pulls back from diplomacy, Democrats’ report says – Reuters: ‘was released as the Trump administration makes deep cuts to the State Department’ 🇺🇸
China rewrites global health leadership as US retreats from WHO – Ruby Wang for Nikkei Asia 🇺🇸
Shanghai unveils visa and cash incentives for global content creators – Xinhua
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 meets Australian PM in Beijing – Xinhua 🇦🇺
Australian Prime Minister complains to President Xi about Chinese live-fire exercises – AP 🇦🇺
Australian journalists confronted by Chinese security guards during Albanese’s Beijing trip – The Guardian: ‘ahead of the meeting, security crews approached journalists and Australian embassy staff at the capital’s historic Drum and Bell Towers area.’ 🇦🇺
Full text: Statement on Joint Outcomes of the China-Australia Annual Leaders' Meeting – Xinhua 🇦🇺
A little-known Microsoft programme could expose the US Defence Department to Chinese hackers – ProPublica: ‘Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s computer systems’ 🇺🇸
Geldt dit ook voor systemen waar Nederlandse overheden gebruik van maken?
US-China spy wars intensify under Trump 2.0 as tech competition heats up – SCMP 🇺🇸
US to construct Philippine fast boat base near South China Sea flashpoints – USNI 🇺🇸🇵🇭
Philippines seeks P11.1 million [€167k] from China over Thitu Island coral damage – Business World 🇵🇭
China and India should work towards ‘win-win’ cooperation, says Chinese foreign minister – AFP 🇮🇳
China and India should adhere to good-neighbourliness, friendship, Chinese foreign minister says – Xinhua: ‘As two major Eastern civilizations and major emerging economies living adjacent to each other’ 🇮🇳
Japan defence white paper calls China’s military activity country’s biggest strategic challenge – AP: ‘China’s growing military cooperation with Russia also poses serious security concerns to Japan, along with increasing tension around Taiwan and threats coming from North Korea’ 🇯🇵
Chinese recruiter flaunts dispatch of North Korean workers despite UN sanctions – NK News: ‘Norihsoft openly advertises provision of DPRK labor services, while claiming multinational firms as clients’ 🇰🇵
China economie
Chinese economie groeit, „maar onder de motorkap zie je toch wat zorgen” – BNR
China’s official economic growth exceeded Beijing’s full-year target in the second quarter, as strong exports to markets outside the US helped sustain production – Bloomberg: ‘a more pronounced slowdown is becoming likely in the months ahead, made worse by risks to global trade and sluggish consumer demand at home.’
China home prices fall at fastest pace in 8 months, stimulus calls rise – Reuters: ‘extended a weak trend that has persisted since May 2023.’
China’s three top airlines still in the red despite sector recovery – Nikkei Asia
Chinese President Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 called for the acceleration of a ‘new model’ for property development, advocating a more measured approach to urban planning and upgrades – Bloomberg: ‘citing the Central Urban Work Conference held on Monday and Tuesday.’
Xi Focus: Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 addresses Central Urban Work Conference, listing priorities for urban development – Xinhua: ‘urban development is shifting from a stage of large-scale expansion to one focused on improving the quality and efficiency of existing urban areas, it noted.’
CCP Central Committee issues guidelines to party committees highlighting independent and impartial judicial work – Xinhua: ‘The guidelines stress the need to ensure high-quality development through strict and impartial judicial practices.’
China binnenland
Chinese university expels woman for ‘improper contact’ with a foreigner – The New York Times: ‘after videos circulated online that suggested she had been intimate with a Ukrainian video gamer.’
‘Users who cheered the university’s decision said that the woman had shamed China by making it seem as if Chinese women were promiscuous, especially with white men.’
China police launch campaign against ‘boys’ love’ fiction writers – Kyodo News: ‘romantic stories between men [targetted at women] — as part of Beijing’s broader crackdown on pornographic publications, according to Hong Kong media.’
Why millions in China are still quitting the national health insurance scheme – SCMP: ‘piling pressure on the system amid economic challenges and declining public trust.’
Heat wave sweeping across country could be unprecedented – China Daily
China suffers CN¥54.11 billion [€6.5bn] in losses from natural disasters in H1 2025 – Reuters
China province Gansu elevates probe into kindergarten lead-poisoning scandal – Caixin Global
Chinese national political advisors discuss refining and innovating social governance – Xinhua
Man (38) doet zich voor als vrouw en filmt seks met honderden mannen in China – AD
‘Zuster Rood’ is de internetmeme van het moment, ook in Chineestalige gemeenschappen buiten China.
Hong Kong en Macao
Hong Kong leader John Lee 李家超 backs bill granting same-sex couples limited legal rights – HKFP: ‘amid opposition from the city’s legislature, saying violating the top court’s ruling “will bring serious consequences.”’
Hong Kong court urged to ‘reverse’ democrat’s acquittal in landmark subversion case – HKFP
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Taiwan president to visit Paraguay and Belize next month, likely to make US transits – Reuters: ‘Visits by Taiwanese presidents to Central and South America always involve what are officially only stopovers in the United States given the distance from Taiwan’ 🇺🇸🇵🇾🇧🇿
The Philippines is quietly working with Taiwan to counter China – The Washington Post: ‘Philippine academics close to the defense establishment early this year participated in closed-door forums with high-ranking Taiwanese generals to familiarize themselves with Taiwanese security thinking.
The Philippine coast guard recently carried out patrols alongside the Taiwanese coast guard in the Bashi Channel, the waterway between the two jurisdictions, the officials and advisers said.
And last month, observers from Taiwan’s navy and marine corps were present during a joint exercise led by U.S. and Philippine marines, they said.’ 🇵🇭
India eyes deeper Taiwan business ties amid supply chain shift – Nikkei Asia: ‘a ministerial-level delegation is in Taipei to promote the building of an international financial services hub in the Indian state of Gujarat.’ 🇮🇳
President of Guatemala Congress visiting Taiwan – Focus Taiwan 🇬🇹
War provocations by ’Taiwan independence’ armed forces only lead to self-destruction, Chinese defence ministry says – Xinhua: ‘made the remarks in response to a media query concerning Taiwan’s first HIMARS company.’ 🇨🇳
林中斌：蔡就職 習回絕 惜失機 – 聯合報
Voormalige viceminister van defensie Lin Chong-pin schrijft in pro-KMT krant over de mislukte poging van DPP-president Tsai Ing-wen om dialoog aan te gaan met Peking aan het begin van haar eerste termijn in 2016.
Lin kreeg net als anderen één uur na de inaugurele rede van Tsai een telefoontje van het Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office waarin men de waardering uitspraak over de meevallende toon van Tsai. Ook de eerste officiële reactie daarna was positief en bood hoop op dialoog.
Enkele uren later kwam echter de fameuze afwijzing die zei dat Tsai haar huiswerk opnieuw moet doen. Lin wijst naar drie mogelijke oorzaken: een vergadering van het Chinese veiligheidssysteem waarin de hardliners wonnen, een machtsstrijd tussen de zuidelijke en noordelijke centra voor Taiwanstudies waarin de noordelingen wonnen, en politici uit Taiwan (vermoedelijk KMT) die Peking zeiden de formuleringen van Tsai niet te accepteren.
Han Kuang drills shift to extended defensive force on day 7 – Taipei Times
President Lai inspects Kaohsiung naval mine drill as Han Kuang enters day 6 – Focus Taiwan
Urban resilience drills begin Tuesday – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Former military personnel ‘True Blue Army’ call for recall vote support – Taipei Times: ‘criticizing the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for what they described as a shift toward pro-China positions.’
Emergence of ‘True Blue Army’ illustrates shifts in contemporary Taiwanese politics – New Bloom: ‘An example proves a viral photo from April that showed the ROC flag flying side by side with a flag that called for Taiwanese independence during a recall rally.’
In wake of typhoon Danas, KMT criticised over funding cuts – New Bloom: ‘The agricultural sector is politically significant in Taiwan, despite its limited size.’
Taiwan’s central bank tells foreign investors to stop violating capital controls – FT: ‘The warning comes as the central bank seeks to rein in the New Taiwan dollar’s sharp rally without being labelled as a currency manipulator by the US.’
Environment ministry rolls out sector-specific rules for greenhouse gas emissions tracking – Taipei Times
38 years after 38 years of martial law, Taiwan’s democratisation remains incomplete – New Bloom: ‘today’s anniversary means that Taiwan has now spent more time free of martial law than under it.’
‘the KMT has not confronted its authoritarian past, instead doubling down on it.’