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Deutsche Welle: German Automobile Industry Maintains Close Ties with the CCP

Recent research by the German Economic Institute (IW) showed that Germany’s direct investment in China in the first half of the year reached a historic high. Between January and June this year, German companies directly invested 10 billion euros (US $10 billion) in China. In the past, the half year record was 6.2 billion euros.

The German government authority, the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs & Energy, is working to modify its China policy. It will tighten the guarantee for companies’ overseas investments.

However, Germany’s automobile industry is moving in the opposite direction. Former CEO Herbert Diess of Volkswagon insisted that China’s business is important to Germany. The Chairman of Daimler AG said that sales from China accounted for one third of Mercedes-Benz sales. On June 28, Audi and its Chinese partner First Automobile Works (FAW) officially kicked off a new energy vehicle project with an investment of over 35 billion yuan (US $ 5 billion) in Changchun City, Jilin Province. On June 23, the BMW Group launched its new plant “Rida Plant” in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province. The project, costing RMB 15 billion, is by far the largest single investment by BMW in China’s market.

Source: Deutsche Welle, September 7, 2022
https://www.dw.com/zh/为什么德国部分工业界同柏林对华政策唱反调/a-63044035

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Head of Xinhua News Agency: Actively Control Online Media So it Serves as the Party’s Mouthpiece

Fu Hua, Director of the Xinhua News Agency, published an article on September 2 in which he talked about building Xinhua into an international first-class media.

Fu stressed that Xinhua agency is a main component of the Communist Party’s news and public opinion work. Xinhua agency has been developing its power in news reporting, opinion guidance, public influence, and credibility on the mobile internet. “We will strive to build a new international first-class all-media organization, lead the online media, perform our duties as Chinas’ mouthpiece, eyes and ears, as the think tank of the Party Central Committee, and better carry out our mission of bearing the flag, uniting the people, promoting culture, and displaying China’s image.”

Fu said that facing the complicated international environment, Xinhua News Agency has put in a lot of effort to build up overseas social media accounts in order to increase its message to the world. The total number of fans of its overseas accounts is over 280 million and several celebrity news reporters’ accounts have more than one million fans. They have been able to tell China’s story, promote China’s voice, and promptly clarify and counter any attacks on China’s core interests.

Sources:
1. Shanghai Security News, September 2, 2022
https://news.cnstock.com/news,yw-202209-4950785.htm
2. China News Agency, September 4, 2022
https://www.cna.com.t

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China’s State Think Tank: China’s AI Technology Is Leading the World

The 2022 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) was held in Shanghai from September 1 to 3. At the conference, the China Institute of Science and Technology Information, an institute under China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, released the “2021 Global AI Innovation Index Report”

The report assessed 46 countries on their AI innovation index and divided them into a list of four tiers. Tier 1 has only the U.S. and China, both of which have a significant lead over the countries in the other tiers. Tier 2 has 9 countries, including South Korea and the U.K. Tier 3 has 13 countries, including Sweden and Luxemburg. Tier 4 has 22 countries, including India and Russia.

The report said that, in recent years, China’s AI capabilities have kept increasing. The gap between its overall score and that of the U.S. has been closing. The strength of China’s AI capabilities are in the following areas:

  1. Increasing in the influence of its open source projects.
  2. Maintaining the world’s number one position in the number of super-computing centers and being among the world’s top 500 centers. By June 2021, China had 188 super-computing centers in the world’s top 500.
  3. Prospering its AI companies. By September 2021, China had 880 AI companies.
  4. Increasing in AI output, including AI thesis and patent applications and authorizations.
  5. Rapid development of technologies of 5G and the Internet of Things.

Source: SINA, September 3, 2022
https://finance.sina.com.cn/jjxw/2022-09-03/doc-imqmmtha5790621.shtml?cref=cj

 

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

China Continues Lockdown and COVID Control against Its Citizens Even During and After Earthquake

On September 5, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Sichuan Province in southwestern China. Nevertheless, and despite the imminent danger, local officials continued the strict COVID control measures and locked residents inside their apartment buildings.

The quake took place in Luding County and caused landslides involving both rocks and boulders. According to state media reports on September 8, the death toll so far has risen to 86.

China’s state media reported several aftershocks in nearby areas. The US Geological Survey also detected a smaller magnitude 4.6 tremor which hit eastern Tibet less than an hour after the initial quake.

Online videos showed that, despite the quake, local authorities stayed firm on the Communist Party’s COVID control measures.

One video showed that residents rushed downstairs in their apartment buildings, but only found the gate was locked and they could not get it to open.

Another one showed that a staff member guarding the gate argued with the people who wanted to get out, “Let me ask you, did the building collapse?” (meaning: if the building did not collapse, residents should just stay in it.)

A picture showed a notice posted for the residents: “Hello Everyone! An earthquake just took place. Please do not be panic. Please wear your mask and go upstairs back to your home. During the COVID control period, (you) should not go downstairs, take a walk, or gather into groups. Outdoor activities are prohibited. Thank you!”

When volunteers arrived on site to help with rescues, the first thing authorities did was to give them a COVID test.

Source: Epoch Times, September 5, 2022
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/9/5/n13817657.htm

 

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics Social Stability

Article Praising the Policy of Closing the Country from the World

The Chinese Academy of History, under China’s Academy of Social Science, recently published an article on “closing the country.” It set up a project team to research the foreign policy of two dynasties in China’s history: the Ming and the Qing. The team published this article, arguing that the policy to “close the country from the world” was the proper foreign policy at that time, or the right choice to deal with the Western countries.

The Chinese Communist Party has a tradition of using history to give hints about current affairs or policies. Many people questioned  whether this article is to reverse the “opening up” policy that the CCP has adopted since Deng Xiaoping’s time and instead move into a “closed country” stage.

Source: United Daily News, August 30, 2022
https://udn.com/news/story/7331/6575481

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

India Is Helping Sri Lanka to Reduce its Reliance on The CCP

In an interview with the New Tang Dynasty (NTD) TV, Cleo Paskal, a researcher at the U.K. policy institute Chatham House, said that India is helping Sri Lanka to reduce its dependence on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Paskal said that India has provided loans and sent fertilizer to Sir Lanka. It has been trying, regarding the political war, to create a situation for Sri Lanka in which it is not-so-dependent on the CCP.

By August 2022, Sri Lanka had US $10 billion in debt. Of that amunt,, 44 percent was owed to Beijing. Japan holds 32 percent and India holds 10 percent.

India has become Sri Lanka’s lifeline. It provided around US $4 billion in lines of credit and swaps, to sustain Sri Lanka’s economy.

India also opposes the docking of China’s spy ships at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port. In December 2017, Sir Lanka rented the Hambantota Port to China for 99 years, to convert to equity the US $1.4 billion that it owed to China and didn’t have means to pay back, .

Source: Epoch Times, September 4, 2022
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/9/3/n13816991.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

Attorneys In China Are Required to Sign Commitment to Practice That Endorses the Party’s Leadership

A local Commitment to Practice statement for attorneys was posted on the Internet. Attorneys are required to sign in order to practice law. The statement specified that the signee agree to five promises. The first promise is to “Uphold the guidance of Socialism with the Chinese Characteristics of Xi Jinping’s new era, to uphold the authority of the communist party’s central committee with Xin Jinping as the core and central leadership, and to endorse the communist party’s leadership.”

The second item is to follow the law for attorneys , attorney’s business ethics and practice disciplines, and other requirements for attorneys. The third to fifth items are to follow the regulations on attorney’s interactions with other legal professional, follow the management of the judicial administrative office and the attorney association, and to establish the right law practice ideas.

The exposed picture is said to be a local version. However, attorneys are saying different regions have similar commitment documents for them to sign and they all stress  following the party’s leadership.

Source: Epoch Times, August 29, 2022
http://cn.epochtimes.com/gb/22/8/29/n13813299.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

For The First Time, Taiwan Shot Down China’s Drone

On September 1, for the first time, Taiwan’s military force shot down a civilian drone from China after sending a warnings to China not to invade its air space.

China views Taiwan as a rebel-occupied island and claims it is a part of China’s own territory. China has escalated tension in the Taiwan Strait for several months. Recently, a few dozen airplanes flew into Taiwan’s air space on a daily basis. After U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island  China has fired missiles in the area surrounding Taiwan.

China also sent civilian drones to the Taiwan-controlled islands that are closer to the mainland. On the Internet, China even displayed the image of Taiwanese soldiers.’Their faces were taken by the drone at a short distance.

Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan, gave the order on Tuesday to the Ministry of National Defense to take necessary and strong countermeasures in a timely manner to defend national security. Tsai said that, though Taiwan would not provoke disputes. that did not mean that it would not take proper actions.

On the same day, shortly after President Tsai’s order, Taiwan fired warning shots at China’s drones for the first time in Kinmen, a Taiwan-controlled island opposite to China’s Xiamen City. The Chinese drones flew away.

On Thursday, troops on the islet warned another Chinese drone but to no effect. Then they shot down the drone, with its remains falling to the sea.

Source: U.S. News and World Report, September 1, 2022
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-09-01/taiwan-shoots-down-unidentified-drone-in-kinmen

Briefings | | |   @CS Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend