De Chinese Wouden, woensdag 8 februari: nog geen details ballon, EUvsDisinfo, Tibet
De Amerikanen hebben de eerste stukken van de neergeschoten ballon gevonden, dus we gaan nu hopelijk snel zien of het Pentagon gelijk had dat het inderdaad een surveillanceballon betrof.
VN-experts waarschuwen voor de gedwongen assimilatie van Tibetanen in China. Over Tibet horen we de laatste jaren niet zo veel meer, omdat het ouder nieuws is dan Xinjiang en omdat Peking er beter is geslaagd de regio af te grendelen voor buitenlandse journalisten. Dat betekent niet dat er daar niks gebeurt.
Iemand nog iets gehoord van Chinese straf voor Tsjechië voor het telefoongesprek van Petr Pavel met Tsai Ing-wen? Of is Peking ook te druk met De Ballon?
Nederland en Europa 🇳🇱🇪🇺
EU to launch platform to fight Russian and Chinese disinformation – POLITICO Europe: ‘A so-called Information Sharing and Analysis Center within the EU’s foreign services’ 🇪🇺
1st EEAS Report on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Threats – EEAS StratCom: ‘Official Russian actors were involved in 88 analysed FIMI incidents. Chinese actors were involved in 17. In at least 5 cases, both actors engaged jointly.’ 🇪🇺
China energy rethink can keep Europe warm – Yawen Chen for Reuters 🇪🇺
Complaint against Chinese State TV filed in France – Safeguard Defenders: ‘regarding CCTV1’s broadcast of forced televised confessions across the European Union through French Satellite operator Eutelsat.’ 🇫🇷🇪🇺
Abhängigkeit von Peking: FDP-Außenpolitiker Lambsdorff fordert „einen umfassenden China-Stresstest“ – Der Spiegel 🇩🇪
Finnish MP Mikko Karna blasts Chinese aggression during meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen – Taipei Times 🇫🇮
Mensensmokkelnetwerk met Chinese prostituees opgerold in centrum Brussel – De Standaard: „Volgens het persbericht ronselde de organisatie vrouwen in China met als doel om hen over te brengen naar Europa. Hier werden ze gedwongen om zich te prostitueren.” 🇧🇪
Ballonenupdate 🎈
Afgelopen jaren ten minste vijf Chinese spionageballonnen boven Amerikaanse luchtruim – NRC
Chinese spy balloons under Trump not discovered until after Biden took office – CNN
Balloon recovery begins as US weighs what China leaders knew – Bloomberg: ‘The latest information only deepened the administration’s conviction that the balloon wasn’t “mainly” a weather-monitoring device as Chinese officials have claimed.’
US Navy divers begin pulling up Chinese spy balloon debris – AP
💡 The lessons from the Chinese spy-balloon: Sino-American mistrust is morphing into a new cold war – The Economist’s Chaguan
China tries to play down balloon dispute with censorship and memes – The New York Times: ‘Its apparent permission of humorous responses over more substantive debate could be an effort to allow an outlet for nationalist feeling, said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.’
Costa Rica says China apologises for balloon ‘incident’ over its airspace – Reuters
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s Regular Press Conference on February 7, 2023 – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China: ‘The airship [sic] does not belong to the US. It belongs to China.’ ‘It didn’t pose any threat to any person or to the national security of the US. The US should have properly handled such incidents in a calm and professional manner not involving the use of force, yet they decided to do otherwise, which is a clear overreaction.’
China refused call with Pentagon chief on day of balloon downing, according to US – AFP
Zeitentechwarwende ⏱️💽
Nederlandse chips in Chinese vliegtuigen en raketten? Nee dus – Gerrit van der Wees in Trouw 🇳🇱
Amerikaans machtsvertoon zet ASML en Nederland klem – Luuk van Middelaar in NRC 🇳🇱
💡 Tech war: starved of chips, China’s bid to topple US as No 1 economy faces ‘unprecedented’ pressure – SCMP: ‘Below the surface, a string of industries — from driverless cars to high-speed computing to artificial intelligence — are already feeling the pain, and the economic toll is only likely to grow.’
Taiwan nudges start-ups to shun China and go to Japan instead, amid supply-chain decoupling – SCMP
Japan’s chip equipment makers set up shop near Intel, TSMC, and Samsung – Nikkei Asia
Overige
China buitenland en defensie
GOP preps anti-China economic salvo – POLITICO: ‘Imposing sanctions on companies tied to China’s military, admitting Taiwan to the IMF, banning use of the digital yuan by U.S. money services businesses and requiring Treasury to report on risks from the Chinese financial sector.’
China provides emergency aid to Türkiye and Syria – Xinhua
China hasn’t given up on the Belt and Road: Beijing’s development aid plan is less flashy—but no less ambitious – Matt Schrader and J. Michael Cole for Foreign Affairs
Quick View: China’s resumption of outbound group tours a boon for the world – Xinhua
Heb jij China al bedankt vandaag?
China economie
Cover Story: China’s economy appears headed for uneven rebound – Caixin Global: ‘Left behind in the recovery was consumer spending, especially for big ticket items such as cars and real estate.’
US-China trade hit record in 2022 despite tensions – Nikkei Asia
Granary funds feed big ‘rats’ and ‘worms’ – Dim Sums: ‘Apparently exasperated with the web of misdeeds uncovered, CCDI issued a lengthy essay last week explaining the Opinion on grain corruption.’
China binnenland
💡 China: UN experts alarmed by separation of 1 million Tibetan children from families and forced assimilation at residential schools – UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
China’s graft busters investigate deputy of quasi military group in Xinjiang – Caixin Global: ‘Jiao Xiaoping, a deputy commander of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps’
‘Absolute loyalty’ top priority as China readies security for crucial legislative meetings – SCMP
For China’s officials, leaving zero-Covid behind is far harder than enforcing it – Karman Lucero for SCMP: ‘strategies have succeeded when tied to clear metrics of success (such as increasing GDP numbers or keeping Covid-19 cases at zero), they tend to produce more mixed results when the goals are more vague or open-ended.’
Optimisation: another word for messy – China Media Project: ‘The CCP invests so much of its credibility and legitimacy in the idea that it governs effectively and “scientifically,” always for the benefit of the people, that the story of success is always written before the outcome.’
In China’s Covid fog, deaths of scholars offer a clue – The New York Times
Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 stresses grasping and advancing Chinese modernisation – Xinhua: ‘Party leadership is vital to the fundamental direction, future and success of Chinese modernization, and defines the fundamental nature of Chinese modernization’ ‘it dispels the myth that “modernization is equal to Westernization,” presents another picture of modernization, expands the channels for developing countries to achieve modernization, and provides a Chinese solution to aid the exploration of a better social system for humanity.’
Hong Kong
Taiwan buitenland en defensie
💡 China’s appointment of veteran diplomat points to two-pronged approach to Taiwan – Benjamin Kang Lim for The Straits Times: ‘Beijing will step up “Xi’s two-pronged approach towards Taiwan”, a party insider told The Straits Times, requesting anonymity. Mr Song will be responsible for the soft socio-economic part, while the newly appointed generals in the Central Military Commission (CMC) will take charge of the hard military approach.’ ‘“The appointments of Zhang Youxia and He Weidong sent an explicit message to Taiwan and the rest of the world that we will brook no foreign interference in our domestic affairs. Taiwan is China’s Taiwan,” the party insider said, in an obvious swipe at the US.’
Chinese government woos Taiwan opposition KMT ahead of pivotal presidential vote in January 2024 – Bloomberg
Envoy Hsiao Bi-khim 蕭美琴 [Xiāo Měiqín] back in Taiwan to brief government on relations with Washington – Focus Taiwan: ‘did not disclose more details of these meetings, saying only that several major projects between Taipei and Washington were ongoing.’ ‘has previously described rumors of a vice presidential bid as unfounded’
Taiwan to speed drone development, take lessons from Ukraine war – Reuters
Taiwan weapons firm test-fires cruise missile believed to be capable of striking central and eastern China – SCMP
Taiwan increases donation to Turkey to US$2 million – Focus Taiwan
Taiwan binnenland en economie
DPP suspends Tainan city council speaker and deputy speaker for 3 years following vote-buying claims – Taipei Times
Partijvoorzitter en vicepresident William Lai Ching-te 赖清德 (DPP) was burgemeester van Tainan van 2010 t/m 2017…
US firms in Taiwan making ‘contingency’ plans amid China tensions – Reuters
台南正副議長邱莉莉林志展涉賄選 民進黨停權3年 – 中央锁