De Chinese Wouden, woensdag 3 mei: Canada
Het nieuws vanuit vakantievierend China blijft zowel rustig als verontrustend. Zo is er een nieuw rapport van Safeguard Defenders dat samen met eigen onderzoek van Reuters bevestigt dat China steeds vaker mensen uitreisverboden oplegt, ook buitenlanders. Nieuws over de toenemende Chinese zelf-isolatie heb ik al eerder toegelicht. Daarom minder commentaar vandaag, maar wel veel aandacht voor een excellente jeremiade van het excellente China Media Project.
Maar als je toch nog actueel nieuws wil, dan zou ik je verdiepen in de zaak van Chinese beïnvloeding en manipulatie van de Canadese politiek. Dat is een schandaal dat daar al tijden speelt. Lekken uit de veiligheidsdienst CSIS lijken een reactie te zijn op frustratie binnen de gelederen over een gebrek aan actie van de regering van Justin Trudeau’s Liberals. Dat is pikant, omdat juist de Liberals deels geholpen zouden zijn. Nu bevestigt CSIS dat een zittende parlementariër en zijn familie in China inderdaad een doelwit van Peking zouden zijn geweest.
💡 Speak plainly, Mr Chairman – China Media Project: ‘These elaborate Russian dolls of rhetoric, painted with pretty phrases like “common prosperity” and “win-win cooperation,” may look to some in the outside world like real plans and strategies, an entire structure of responsible and well-thought-out proposals — even a “China solution” (to use another favored CCP buzzword). But they are always intimately connected to domestic power claims that have no business in practical and earnest deliberations over such important questions as peace in Ukraine.’
‘Because the core of this language is raw power at home, and its further elaboration and justification through global ambition, even the base blocks can be rearranged when it suits the Party’s interests.’
‘The distinctiveness of CCP-speak is not a gift to human civilization. In fact, it is a growing international problem. An abyss of potential misunderstanding lies between the reprehensible rantings of Lu Shaye (a style Xi Jinping has nurtured among his diplomats) and the absurd “Maospeak” of mainstream CCP discourse.’
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
Universiteiten weren vaker Chinese promovendi: „We waren hier passiever, maar dat is echt veranderd” – NRC
Aanvulling op de verslaggeving van Trouw gisteren.
Watching China in Europe, May 2023 – Noah Barkin: ‘European diplomats, who have traveled to Beijing over the past month, speak of a new level of vitriol being aimed at the United States by Chinese interlocutors.’
‘In conversations with EU officials in recent weeks, Chinese officials have threatened to follow through on threats to restrict exports of solar technologies if Europe were to move toward a more restrictive approach on transfers of sensitive technologies, as von der Leyen promised.’
‘Besides the warnings and pleas for Europe to return to a mutually beneficial business relationship, however, Chinese officials are offering little on issues of concern to Europe, I was told.’
Air France wil staatssteun om concurrentie met China aan te kunnen – BNR 🇫🇷
EU capitals propose Chips Act for medicines – POLITICO Europe 🇪🇺
Foreign minister to signal need to ‘de-risk’ links between Ireland and China – The Irish Times 🇮🇪
‘The UN General Assembly adopted resolution on @UN / Council of Europe @coe cooperation by 122 votes, including key G20 partners such as China, Brazil, India and Indonesia We welcome resolution, which clearly qualifies war against Ukraine as “aggression by the Russian Federation”’ – Josep Borrell, Twitter
‘Here's an interesting development. China (but also Armenia, Kazakhstan, and many others) vote "yes" to a UN General Assembly resolution (A77/L65) that terms Russian actions against Georgia and Ukraine as "aggression". Let's take a closer look at what this could possibly mean.’ – Sergey Radchenko, Twitter
La réunification complète de la Chine est la seule manière de maintenir intégralement le statu quo dans le détroit de Taiwan – Ambassade de la République Populaire de Chine en République Française 🇫🇷
De Franse ambassade in Frankrijk gaat er weer hard tegenaan in reactie op bezoeken van Franse senatoren en parlementariërs aan Taiwan en berichtgeving in de Franse pers over het land. Dit lijkt mij een teken dat Lu Shaye niet helemaal gemuilkorfd is.
Tech War 💽💥
TikTok parent ByteDance’s ‘sensitive words’ tool monitors discussion of competitors, China, Trump, and Uyghurs – Forbes: ‘Forbes found more than 50 lists in the ByteDance tool with the word “TikTok” or “U.S.” in the title, and internal materials show that the tool was accessed by TikTok employees in the last year.’
EU and US warn Malaysia of ‘national security’ risk in Huawei’s bid for 5G role – FT: ‘after it decided to review a decision to award Ericsson a RM11bn ([US]$2.5bn) tender to build a state-owned 5G network.’ 🇪🇺
Schrijven de ambassadeurs ook een brief aan Duitsland?
US concerned by China’s ‘punitive’ actions toward American firms, says ambassador Burns – Reuters
Moves to curb technology trade with China are limited, common-sense efforts to avoid strengthening a military rival, the top US diplomat in Beijing said – Bloomberg
US envoy to China says next steps to improve relations are up to Beijing – SCMP
Asia stands to lose big from US-China trade war, says IMF Asia-Pacific chief – Nikkei Asia
China gaat staalfabriek bouwen in Saoedi-Arabië – FD
Kantelpunt 🌏⏱️
Een nieuwe Amerikaanse strategie voor een nieuw tijdperk – Luuk van Middelaar in NRC
💡 China’s exit bans multiply as political control tightens under Xi Jinping – Reuters: ‘The Reuters analysis of records on exit bans, from China's Supreme Court database, shows an eight-fold increase in cases mentioning bans between 2016 and 2022.’
New Report: Trapped — China’s Expanding Use of Exit Bans – Safeguard Defenders
Don’t bother investing in China unless you’re Chinese – Shuli Ren for Bloomberg
Beijing’s ‘men in black’ step up scrutiny of foreign corporate sleuths – FT: ‘Police have also visited one of the China offices of expert network Capvision’
China’s ‘American food hegemony’ narrative – Dim Sums: ‘According to the narrative, the United States disingenuously promotes free trade in agricultural goods while abusing its monopoly power to create global food crises in 1978, 2008 and 2022 in order to cement its dominance and control over other countries.’
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
CSIS confirms to Michael Chong MP that he and family were targeted by China – The Globe and Mail
Conservative MP Michael Chong says Trudeau government knew China targeted his family but didn’t warn him – Toronto Star
China’s foreign minister travels to Myanmar to meet military ruler – Nikkei Asia
China and Myanmar agree to promote comprehensive strategic cooperation – Xinhua: ‘China supports Myanmar in advancing its political transition process’
Tibet’s exiled government pushes China on sovereignty claims in bid for leverage – FT: ‘The government in exile says Tibet’s relationship with imperial Chinese dynasties fell well short of vassalhood, and the region was clearly independent before being forced to accept rule from Beijing in 1951.’
Is China’s Korla laser ASAT site hacking Western satellites? – Army Technology
As Philippines moves closer to US, will region change tack on China? – SCMP
China economie
In beeld: de reis die je spullen vanuit China over zee afleggen (en waarom maar een handvol bedrijven daarvan profiteert) – De Correspondent
China binnenland
China laat burgerjournalist Wuhan die over corona schreef na drie jaar vrij – RTL Nieuws
China’s cash-strapped local governments stuck with bill for neighbourhood surveillance – FT: ‘This grassroots governance overhaul has made it difficult for local authorities to axe people.’
Shanghai police track Uyghurs and foreign journalists visiting Xinjiang – IPVM: ‘All this is made possible by connecting directly to Shanghai’s Alibaba police cloud.’
In just 3 months, China’s internet censor has closed over 4,000 websites and removed 55 apps – SCMP
Dit soort cijfers vermengen vaak echte oplichters met politieke slachtoffers.
Hong Kong
Democratically-elected seats slashed to 20% for local Hong Kong elections, candidates to be vetted – HKFP
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
Several Japanese lawmakers set to visit Taiwan this week – Focus Taiwan
Security stepped up as 25 US defence contractors arrive in Taipei for forum – Taipei Times
Taiwan binnenland en economie
Former president Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁 (DPP) files petition against proposed lifetime ban on holding elected office for money-laundering convicts – Taipei Times: ‘Chen Shui-bian was released by Taichung Prison on medical parole in 2015 after serving six years for a graft conviction. The terms of the parole, which Taichung Prison drew up and the former president agreed to, forbid him from taking part in political meetings or rallies, giving speeches, talking about politics or accepting interviews from the media.’
Wordt steeds minder goed vol te houden dat hij echt op ‘medisch verlof’ is.
Terry Gou 郭台銘 apologises for nuclear proposal – Taipei Times: ‘Gou also apologized for saying that he hopes to run the government like a corporation. “We will not need the legislature to provide oversight; we will do it ourselves,” he said earlier.’
Als het niet al duidelijk was, wordt het nu steeds duidelijker dat hij niet de KMT-kandidaat gaat worden.
CDC warns enterovirus outbreak could hit Taiwan next week – Focus Taiwan
In mijn Taiwan-krantensample van 2008 voor mijn promotieonderzoek kwamen klachten over het falen van de nieuw ingezworen president Ma Ying-jeou (KMT) om de enterovirus-uitbraak van dat jaar te stoppen verschillende keren terug, aan beide kanten van het politieke spectrum.
柯文哲籲蔡英文召開國是會議 – 自由時報:「台灣民眾黨主席柯文哲積極備戰2024總統大選,今天受政大學生會及學生議會邀請入校與青年對談,對於敏感的兩岸議題,柯文哲認為重點在如何於中美之間平衡,並建議總統蔡英文應召開國是會議建立國內共識。」