De Chinese Wouden, woensdag 21 februari: Kinmen onder druk
In de nieuwsbrief van maandag vestigde ik al de aandacht op de verbale Chinese uitdaging van de status quo rondom het door Taiwan gecontroleerde eilandje Kinmen nadat twee Chinese stropers omkwamen tijdens een achtervolging door de Taiwanese kustwacht. Nu heeft Peking de daad bij het woord gevoegd. Chinese kustwachtschepen gingen rondom de zone gingen varen. Een Taiwanese toeristenboot is onderworpen aan een inspectie van 30 minuten. Dinsdag was een schip van Chinese kustwacht kort in de zone. Speldenprikken op een doelwit voor de deur.
Kinmen is een makkelijke plek voor China om druk uit te oefenen op Taiwan. Het eilandje ligt letterlijk in het zicht van de Chinese stad Xiamen – de veerboot tussen Kinmen en Xiamen vaart in 30 minuten heen en weer. Het eilandje was tot 1949 onderdeel van de Chinese provincie Fujian en heeft de vormgevende Japanse koloniale overheersing van Taiwan nooit meegemaakt. De inwoners van Kinmen – slechts 130.000 op een totaal van 23,6 miljoen Taiwanezen – identificeren zich ook weinig als Taiwanees. Het is eigenlijk een absurd wonder dat Taipei nog altijd de controle heeft over Kinmen.
Naast makkelijk is Kinmen ook een relatief nutteloos doelwit. In de Koude Oorlog diende het eilandje als vooruitgeschoven post van de propagandaclaim van Chiang Kai-shek dat de ROC het Vasteland terug zou nemen. Nog altijd herdenkt men de artilleriestrijd van 23 augustus 1958. Nu is Taiwan zijn eigen, democratische weg gegaan. Voor de rechtgeaarde Taiwanese nationalist is het trouw KMT-stemmende eilandje dat nauw samenwerkt met de Chinese autoriteiten in Fujian soms vooral een bron van mogelijk verraad.
China zou Kinmen zo in kunnen nemen. De politieke en diplomatieke gevolgen zouden groot zijn. Het zou vervelend zijn voor de inwoners. Maar de strategische consequenties zijn niet zo groot. Peking heeft belang bij speldenprikken uitdelen om psychologische druk uit te oefenen op Taiwan en de internationale gemeenschap. Peking heeft er geen belang bij om Taipei en bondgenoten excuses te geven tot grote stappen als reactie op de inname van een eilandje dat in het geval van een volledige invasie toch geen rol van betekenis zal spelen.
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Netherlands the guest of honour country as Taipei book fair opens – Focus Taiwan: ‘Speaking at the show's opening ceremony, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Taiwan and the Netherlands are like-minded democracies that cherish freedom and human rights, and she hoped that the book fair would further strengthen bilateral ties.’
‘Dutch representative to Taiwan Guido Tielman said the Netherlands and Taiwan share a long history that dates back to 1624, when the Dutch first arrived on Taiwan’s shores.’
‘Christianne Mattijssen, deputy director-general for Culture and Media at the Netherlands’ Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, said in her speech that “the Netherlands’ presence in Taiwan was a part of my country’s colonial history.” “And increasingly, we acknowledge the dark sides of these periods as well. Today we want to come to terms with our historical responsibilities,” she said.’ 🇳🇱
Voor de DPP is het koloniale verleden in de eerste plaats niet zozeer een zwarte bladzijde als een manier om Taiwan te onderscheiden van China en banden met Nederland aan te halen.
Interview: Story of persecuted Dutch woman Selma in Mao’s China showcased at book fair – Focus Taiwan 🇳🇱
Remarks by Ambassador Tan Jian at the Chinese New Year Dinner by Netherlands Hong Kong Business Council and Netherlands China Business Council – Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of the Netherlands 🇳🇱
China must see need to reform WTO rules, says EU trade chief – Reuters: ‘China needs to play a constructive role in talks at the World Trade Organization to reform global trade rules on industrial subsidies or risk rivals setting their own policies at China's expense, the European Union's trade chief said on Monday.’ 🇪🇺
China firms in EU firing line as Hungary yields to anti-Russia sanctions package – SCMP: ‘Media reports have named the companies as mainland China-based Guangzhou Ausay Technology Co Limited, Shenzhen Biguang Trading Co Limited, Yilufa Electronics Limited, and the Hong Kong-based RG Solutions Limited.’
‘EU leaders directly raised the names of 13 other Chinese entities they said were providing Moscow with sanctioned goods with President Xi Jinping during a summit in Beijing in December.’ 🇪🇺
China agrees to lift ban on Spanish beef imports – AFP: ‘Albares said Sunday that he and Wang “agreed to support the solution of the two states: Palestinian and Israeli” to end the conflict.’ 🇪🇸
China ready to work with EU to uphold free trade, multilateralism, foreign minister Wáng Yì 王毅 says – Reuters 🇪🇸
Taiwan’s new Legislature forms French and Polish parliamentary friendship groups – Focus Taiwan 🇫🇷🇵🇱
Kinmen/Quemoy
Taiwan drives away Chinese coast guard boat as frontline island tensions rise – Reuters: ‘A Chinese coast guard boat, numbered 8029, entered Taiwan’s waters near Kinmen on Tuesday morning’
China coast guard boarded Taiwanese tourist boat near frontline island Kinmen, Taiwan says – Reuters
Volgens de Taiwanese kustwacht kwam het in het verleden wel vaker voor dat toeristenboten van de ene kant door omstandigheden kort in de wateren van de andere kant terechtkwamen. Nu was het echter een reden voor de Chinese kustwacht om een Taiwanese boot met toeristen aan een inspectie van 30 minuten te onderwerpen.
After incident, Chinese boats patrol waters near Taiwan-held Kinmen – Focus Taiwan: ‘The vessels belonging to the China Coast Guard (CCG) were shown on the Chinese website to be navigating in waters to the east, southeast and south of the main island of Kinmen’
Q&A: Taiwan and China’s dispute over the waters around Kinmen – Focus Taiwan
Beijing asserts maritime claim after Kinmen fishermen deaths but escalation unlikely, analysts say – The Straits Times
Relatives of Chinese men who died in Taiwan Coast Guard chase arrive in Kinmen to hold funeral rituals – Focus Taiwan
Two surviving fishermen return to China after Taiwanese coastguard pursuit turns deadly – SCMP
Premier Chen Chien-jen 陳建仁 urges reciprocal cooperation amid cross-Strait maritime dispute – Focus Taiwan: ‘Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the KMT determined that representatives from all parties would gather for a bipartisan consultation to discuss the timing and format of a special report on food safety issues to be presented by the premier, before Chen was allowed to brief.’
De KMT blokkeerde het laatste verslag van premier Chen namens President Tsai om te protesteren tegen aangetroffen toevoegingen in varkensvlees in Taichung. Aandacht vragen voor favoriete anti-DPP beschuldigingen is ook belangrijk, natuurlijk.
Tech War 💽💥
China vows to centralise technology development as the country navigates US trade curbs designed to limit its advancement – Bloomberg: ‘The party will refine a mechanism whereby technological works are led by the Central Committee, according to state broadcaster CCTV citing a central government meeting led by President Xi Jinping.’
China’s Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 hypes up obstacle-crushing economic reforms as expectations for third plenum reach fever pitch – SCMP: some China-watchers say Monday’s meeting could also signal that preparatory work is well under way for the […] third plenum’
Stellantis wil handen ineenslaan met concurrenten om Chinese ev’s het hoofd te bieden – BNR
China’s BYD 比亚迪 plans to launch high-end luxury models from this year – Reuters
China’s Xpeng 小鹏 to boost spending to survive ‘bloody sea’ of EV competition – FT
EU opens investigation into TikTok over online content and child safeguarding – The Guardian 🇪🇺
Dutch government says China seeks military advantage from ASML tools – Reuters: ‘Van Leeuwen said that ASML tools are used to make advanced semiconductors that can go into “high-value weapons systems and weapons of mass destruction” and the Dutch government focuses on “the risk of undesirable end use” when reviewing export licensing decisions.’
Reuters heeft antwoorden van 6 februari op kamervragen ontdekt op de website van de Tweede Kamer, wat het beschrijft als ‘a Feb. 5 note, seen by Reuters.’
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
Germany becomes first EU country to forge strategic partnership with Mongolia – The Diplomat 🇩🇪
Australia boosts navy funding to build largest fleet since WWII – Nikkei Asia 🇦🇺
National security authority accuses CIA of ‘bringing suit against its victims’ in bilingual article, showing anti-spy moves justified, legitimate – The Global Times 🇺🇸
Japan’s defence ministry takes part in Singapore Airshow for first time – Nikkei Asia 🇯🇵
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
Turkey detains six suspected of spying on Uyghurs for China – Reuters: ‘Prosecutors in Istanbul identified seven people believed to be gathering information on notable individuals from the Uyghur community and some associations tied to them in Turkey, Anadolu said’ 🇹🇷
Elon Musk’s X (Twitter) allows China-based propaganda banned on other platforms – Ars Technica
Posing as Americans, Chinese accounts on X aim to divide and disrupt – The Washington Post: ‘X hasn’t sent a representative in months to biweekly information-sharing meetings with other social media companies’ 🇺🇸
US says it and allies will act if China dumps goods on global markets – FT: ‘Two senior Treasury officials told the Financial Times that a US delegation made its concerns clear in a recent visit to China’ 🇺🇸
Trump’s massive China tariff hike threat seen coming in two steps – Nikkei Asia 🇺🇸
China building up tech for ‘censorship apparatus’ with global reach, US congressional advisory report says – Nikkei Asia 🇺🇸
Censorship Practices of the People’s Republic of China – US-China Economic and Security Review Commission 🇺🇸
China’s special envoy on Afghan affairs Yuè Xiǎoyǒng 岳晓勇 urges US to unfreeze Afghanistan assets – The Global Times: ‘Yue, who attended the meeting, told the Global Times on Tuesday that it is a pity that dialogue with the Taliban authorities has not been realized so far this year.’ 🇦🇫
China economie
China cuts 5-year mortgage rate by record margin to aid property sector – Nikkei Asia
China’s smaller cities face years-long housing glut as sales languish – Nikkei Asia: ‘The gap [with bigger cities] has spelled trouble for the sales of big private real estate companies that expanded aggressively in small cities.’
Het verhaal van China is er eentje van ongelijke ontwikkeling. De mensen die nu achteruit gaan zijn de voormalige fabrieksarbeiders en de mensen die in de kleinere, armere regio’s wonen.
Chinese Premier Lǐ Qiáng 李强 called for ‘pragmatic and forceful’ action to boost the nation’s confidence in the economy at State Council meeting – Bloomberg
China’s economic reforms hinge on creative and courageous changes, state media says in warning of a ‘wasted opportunity’ – SCMP: ‘Effective and targeted reforms are essential to stimulate the vitality of all market participants, the state-run Economic Daily said in a front-page commentary on Monday’
China’s securities watchdog solicits proposals to revive market – Reuters
Top financial watchdogs tell China’s finance sector to follow Chinese Communist Party values – Reuters
China seen cutting mortgage reference rate for first time since June – Reuters
China rate cut shows lack of options for boosting economy – Nikkei Asia
Chinese tourists flock to Southeast Asia as overseas travel bounces back – Reuters
China binnenland
Chinese companies revive Mao Zedong-era militias – FT: ‘China’s state-owned enterprises have begun setting up in-house reserve military units’ ‘PAFDs could play an important role in maintaining domestic security’
CCP Central Committee issues regulations on study of Party’s history – Xinhua
China’s would-be powerhouse Hunan wants officials to ‘emancipate their minds’ – SCMP: ‘a clear reference to the party’s efforts to kick off much-needed market reforms after the death of leader Mao Zedong in 1976.’ ‘“Now in Hunan, it basically aims to strengthen Xi’s Thought and better serve Xi’s goals.”’
Emancipating the mind is unifying the mind 解放思想就是统一思想 heette de slogan onder Xi een tijdje terug.
China LGBTQ community hangs tough in dissent amid repression – Nikkei Asia: ‘China's broadcasters must “resolutely put an end to sissy men and other abnormal aesthetics,” according to the national TV regulator, using a pejorative Chinese slang term for effeminate men.’
Hong Kong
Hong Kong to redefine how poverty is measured after 2-year delay in releasing number of poor in population – HKFP: ‘The NGO said that based on analysis of data from Census and Statistics Department, there were 1.36 million people living in poverty in the first quarter of 2023.’
Er wonen meer dan zeven miljoen mensen in Hong Kong.
Messi: niet om politieke redenen op de bank gebleven in Hongkong – RTL Nieuws
Hong Kong population boosted by mainland Chinese inflow in 2023 – Nikkei Asia
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Taiwan’s Control Yuan takes defence ministry’s Armaments Bureau to task – Taipei Times: ‘after scandals involving abuse of authority, corruption and collusion.’
DPP lawmakers launch Asian amity associations – Taipei Times: ‘inter-parliamentary amity associations with Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and for New Southbound Policy nations generally’
Taiwan hoping for show of ‘goodwill’ from China on group travel ban – Focus Taiwan
Almost all former diplomatic allies are repaying loans, ministry says – Taipei Times
Taiwan binnenland en economie
KMT obstructs premier Chen Chien-jen 陳建仁’s likely last report to parliament – Taipei Times: ‘after a spat between caucuses about how and when Chen should deliver a special report on food safety.’