De Chinese Wouden, woensdag 21 december
Het nieuws over mogelijke verplaatsing van nog meer productie van Apple naar buiten China geeft mij het excuus om nogmaals twee van mijn stokpaardjes aan te voeren. Michael Pettis schreef over reële economische groei en waarom in het Chinese BBP eerder input dan output is. Scott Rozelle heeft baanbrekend onderzoek geleid naar de gebrekkig geschoolde beroepsbevolking en hoe dit de transitie van China van lagelonenland naar hoge-inkomensland kan doen blijven steken in de middeninkomensval. Daarbovenop komen de vastgoedproblemen. Het einde van het Chinese groeimodel komt nu terwijl corona een mokerslag uitdeelt aan het gezondheidssysteem en consumentenvertrouwen. Apple staat symbool voor een beweging die gevaarlijk uit kan pakken voor de Partij.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Germany should help China-EU ties develop ‘not subject to a third party’, Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 tells president Frank-Walter Steinmeier – Reuters 🇩🇪
Telefonat mit Präsident Xi Jinping – Der Bundespräsident: „Der Bundespräsident unterstrich das gemeinsame Interesse Chinas und Europas an einem Ende des Krieges sowie an der Achtung der ukrainischen Souveränität und dem Abzug russischer Truppen, die dafür notwendig sind. Er bat Xi, seinen Einfluss auf Russland zu nutzen und in diesem Sinne auf Putin einzuwirken.“ 🇩🇪
Xi says China and Germany partners of dialogue, development, cooperation, and for handling global challenges – Xinhua: ‘China supports the strategic autonomy of the EU, and hopes that the EU will adhere to the basic position of China and the EU as strategic partners of each other’
China blocks EU’s efforts to form WTO panels on Lithuania export freeze and hi-tech patents – SCMP: ‘[Brussels] will again request that panels to hear the cases are formed in January. China will no longer be able to veto the proceedings at this point since member states can only block such requests once.’ 🇪🇺
Building confidence to advance China-EU cooperation – New ambassador Fu Cong for EUractiv: ‘The decades-long relationship shows that China and the EU are partners rather than rivals.’ 🇪🇺
Europe beware: China isn’t going to unfriend Putin any time soon – Matthew Brooker for Bloomberg 🇪🇺
China in Georgia: A developing relationship – Irina Arabidze for China Observers in Central and Eastern Europe: ‘Western donors and the Asia Development Bank fund many leading projects, but the Chinese companies have secured the largest tenders and are the sole implementers.’ 🇬🇪
Russia and China are sharing strategies to undermine Nato, says top US diplomat – FT 🇷🇺
CICC unit joins Luxembourg Stock Exchange to tap foreign funds for Chinese firms and their clients – SCMP 🇱🇺
Taiwan has learned a lot from the war in Ukraine—it’s time Europe caught up – Nathalie Tocci for POLITICO Europe 🇪🇺
Beetje ongemakkelijk gebruik van het woord ‘één-Chinabeleid’.
Taiwan seeks quick progress on long-stalled EU investment deal – Reuters 🇪🇺
Visiting European Parliament group calls for EU-Taiwan BIA – Focus Taiwan 🇪🇺
China covid 🦠
Na drie jaar leert China pas met het coronavirus samen te leven – Trouw
China confirms it had narrowed how it defines a Covid death, adding weight to speculation that its strikingly low official tally is hiding the true picture of the chaos unleashed by this month’s abrupt pandemic pivot – Bloomberg
Social media posts about crowded funeral homes and crematoriums in China could indicate a rise in Covid deaths that aren’t being reported in government figures – Bloomberg
Covid spreading faster than ever in China. 800 million could be infected this winter – NPR
The world fears a new China COVID wave, ponders how to help Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 – Reuters
US offers Covid vaccines to China to stem outbreak – AFP
Potential China wave is ‘wild card’ for ending covid emergency, WHO advisors say – Reuters: ‘“The question is whether you can call it post-pandemic when such a significant part of the world is actually just entering its second wave,” Dutch virologist Marion Koopmans, who sits on a WHO committee tasked with advising on the status of the COVID emergency, told Reuters.’
Chinese zorg kraakt onder coronagolf: „Wie geen koorts heeft, werkt gewoon door” – NRC
China naarstig op zoek naar ziekenhuisbedden voor coronapatiënten – NOS
China rushes to boost intensive care beds, doctors and stocks of medicine as Covid surges – The Guardian
China races to bolster health system as COVID surge sparks global concern – Reuters
China’s state drugmakers scramble to stock pharmacy shelves amid run on covid medicines – Caixin Global
Taiwan officials urge public to stop buying Panadol in bulk and sending them overseas – The Straits Times: ‘While Dr Wang did not mention China, it is believed that some customers have been sending boxes of the medicine across the Taiwan Strait’
Gezien het belang van China voor de mondiale levering van medicijnen en grondstoffen voor medicijnen zou een instorting of heroriëntatie van de Chinese medische industrie ook voor de Europese gezondheidszorg gevolgen hebben.
In surveillancestaat China is het mobieltje zowel vloek als zegen – FD
Beijing human rights activist immobilised by Covid-19 app – AP
Zeitentechwarwende ⏱️💽
A united front: How the US and the EU can move beyond trade tensions to counter China – Tobias Gehrke and Majda Ruge for ECFR: ‘The EU’s immediate response to the IRA has focused on seeking exemptions from the discriminatory clauses. […] This approach is not likely to be effective.’ ‘The EU would be wiser to focus on what actually matters to the US: China. It should deliver a clear and simple message that the IRA makes it more costly and less likely for EU states to align with the US on China.’ 🇪🇺
Trade bans for you, exports for us: US restrictions on semiconductor exports to China hit European companies harder than its own – FT Trade Secrets 🇪🇺
Europe reacts after Washington’s latest swipe against the World Trade Organization for ruling against Trump-era steel and aluminum tariffs – POLITICO Europe 🇪🇺
America v WTO: The high costs of trashing trade rules – Vikram Khanna in The Straits Times
Wat de krantenlezer lees in Singapore…
Europe’s great catch-up on China – Robbie Gramer and Rishi Iyengar for Foreign Policy: ‘The slow sea change in Brussels could do much to smooth over underlying tensions between Washington and its European allies’ ‘Europe could also face new pressure from Capitol Hill next year to harden its stance on China as Republicans take over the House of Representatives’ 🇪🇺
Apple to start making MacBooks in Vietnam by mid-2023 – Nikkei Asia
China calls on local manufacturers to protect nation’s role as the world’s factory as Apple diversifies its supply chain – SCMP
王文涛:加快建设贸易强国(认真学习宣传贯彻党的二十大精神) – 《人民日报》(2022年12月20日 第09版):“构建新发展格局,要求以国内大循环为主体、国内国际双循环相互促进,一方面内循环牵引外循环,塑造我国参与国际经济合作和竞争新优势;另一方面外循环促进内循环,在参与国际循环中提升国内大循环效率和水平,实现内外循环的顺畅联通。”
In het stuk dat SCMP boven legt minister Wáng Wéntāo 王文涛 nog eens uit, hoe de al vaak genoemde theorie van ‘binnenlandse-internationale dubbele omloop’ (domestic-international dual circulation) werkt. De binnenlandse omloop is het belangrijkste, terwijl te beide omlopen elkaar ondersteunen: aan de ene kant trekt de binnenlandse omloop de internationale, waardoor het competitieve voordelen creëert voor China; aan de andere kant stimuleert de internationale omloop de binnenlandse omloop, waardoor het beter loopt. M.a.w. uiteindelijk gaat het (logischerwijs) allemaal om het stimuleren van de onafhankelijke binnenlandse economie.
India overtakes China in M&A fees for western banks for first time – FT
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
China is building up several unoccupied land features in the South China Sea, according to Western officials – Bloomberg
US stands with Philippines amid Beijing’s ‘escalating’ incursions in South China Sea – The Straits Times
India stuurt meer troepen naar de grens met China in de Himalaya – Trouw
China-India border dispute is a ticking time bomb in regional politics – Shi Jiangtao for SCMP: ‘Beijing’s handling of the border crisis is perplexing.’
Amid border row with China, defence forces to induct ‘Pralay’ missiles that can strike targets 500 km away – India Today
No, Mauritius will not give China a military base on the Chagos Islands – Peter Harris for The Diplomat: ‘The decision for Britain to exit the Chagos Archipelago should be straightforward.’
Australia seeks to resolve China trade woes as foreign minister heads to Beijing – Reuters
South African flying school executive investigated by police in Australia – Reuters
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 talks with Cote d’Ivoire’s president Alassane Ouattara over phone – Xinhua: ‘Cote d'Ivoire firmly adheres to the one-China principle, firmly upholds multilateralism, actively supports the Belt and Road Initiative, Ouattara said’
China economie
World Bank cuts China growth outlook on covid and property woes – Reuters
Chinese exporters lose some of their edge from a weakening yuan – Caixin Global
Hong Kong
Hong Kong and Macau leaders to visit Beijing December 21-24 – Reuters
Hong Kong scraps Covid-19 rapid test requirement to enter bars, lifts restaurant capacity limits – HKFP
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Taiwan to open representative office in Montreal – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan military to lengthen boot camp training for voluntary soldiers – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan binnenland en economie
November exports plunge over 23% year-on-year, worse than forecast – Focus Taiwan
Opposition NPP questions bill to stop convicts running for office – Taipei Times
Prosecutors seek to annul election of Miaoli magistrate-elect Chung Tung-chin 鍾東錦 (Zhōng Dōngjǐn) over vote buying – Focus Taiwan
DPP and KMT candidates present contrasting campaigns for legislative by-election – Taipei Times
Ik ben het persoonlijk eens met de inhoud van dit artikel, maar moet wel toegeven dat de Taipei Times de politiek van zijn Groene eigenaar laat doorschemeren bij de berichtgeving over de campagne van Enoch Wu.