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Briefings - 172. page

CNA: Taiwan Sets up Fund to Invest in Lithuanian Industries

Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that the Taiwanese Representative to Lithuania said that the Taiwan National Development and Reform Commission will set up a US$200 million “Taiwan Central and Eastern European Investment Fund” to invest in Lithuanian industries. The initial plan will give priority to the technology sector and the relevant details will be discussed with the Ministry of Economic Innovation of Lithuania. Initial investments will focus on industries that will strategically benefit both parties and will start to operate in a few months. The Taiwanese central bank will support the new fund. After last year, when Lithuania  allowed Taiwan to open a representative office in the country under the name “Taiwan,” it has been facing pressure from China to reverse its decision. However, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that he had not been consulted on the naming issue. The spokesperson for Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis confirmed that the Government of Lithuania looks forward to developing business, scientific, technological and cultural relations with Taiwan, and that the people of Lithuania and Taiwan are close because of shared values and an open society based on the foundation of innovation.

Source: CNA, January 5, 2022
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/202201055013.aspx

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Lianhe Zaobao: North Korea Announced it Will not Participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that the North Korean Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports sent a letter to the Chinese Olympic Committee, the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Paralympics Organizing Committee, and the General Administration of Sports of China. The letter said that, due to the conspiracy activities of hostile forces as well as the global epidemic of infectious diseases, North Korea could not participate in the coming Winter Olympics Games. The North Korean Ambassador to China conveyed the letter when he met with the responsible officials of the General Administration of Sports of China. North Korean also pointed out in the letter that the United States and its followers are trying to hinder the smooth holding of the Beijing Winter Olympics. North Korea sent the letter to the General Administration of Sports of China on the day when they tested a hypersonic missile. In theory, North Korean athletes can still participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics as individuals, but based on North Korea’s travel ban, their athletes won’t be able to go abroad to participate in the competition.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, January 7, 2022
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20220107-1230472

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Global Times: Japan Signed New Agreement with the U.S. after the Australian Agreement

Global Times recently reported that the Japanese and American governments signed a cooperation research agreement on defense equipment after the “Security Consultative Committee” (2+2) meeting attended by the foreign affairs and defense cabinet officials of the two sides. The agreement is aimed at countering the development of new weapons such as hypersonic missiles that China and North Korea have advanced. The joint statement of the meeting issued by both Japan and the United States repeated some of the same information about many negative China-related issues, such as the human rights concerns related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong, the importance of peace and stability in Taiwan, the East and South China Sea issues, the Senkaku Islands being subject to the Japan-US Security Treaty, as well as other issues. This was the first Japan-US “2+2” meeting since Fumio Kishida took office as Prime Minister of Japan. It is worth noting that just one day before, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison held a video conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and signed a historic defense and security cooperation agreement. Before that, Japan had only signed such an agreement with the United States. The Australian Agreement was viewed as a blatant interference in China’s internal affairs, against the backdrop of China’s rising military and economic power.

Source: Global Times, January 7, 2022
https://world.huanqiu.com/article/46IsIXTegrG

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military Geo-Strategic Trend US-China Relations

Taiwan Bought Lithuanian Black Rum Because China Blocked it

Major Taiwanese news group Eastern Media International recently reported that, ever since Lithuania and Taiwan set up representative offices in each other’s capital last year, the Chinese Communist Party has been angry. Chna launched an economic and trade retaliation against Lithuania. On December 18 last year, Taiwan Liquor Company received a message from the Taiwan representative in Lithuania, and the Taiwanese Ministry of Finance, saying that there were 20,400 bottles of Lithuanian black rum blocked by Chinese Customs and the rum was about to face the fate of drifting in the Pacific. Taiwan Wine Company immediately approached the seller and acquired this shipment of black rum. In the meantime, Lithuanian beer has its own wholesaler in Taiwan. Together with private resellers, the sale of Lithuanian beer in Taiwan has exploded 24 times. Taiwanese consumers are cheering for Lithuania’s support of Taiwan’s position on the world stage.

Source: ETToday, January 3, 2022
https://finance.ettoday.net/news/2160176

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

AI Finance Hosts Broadcast for 70 Days without Anyone Knowing Host Was Not Real

National Business Daily has several daily TV programs reporting on financial news. One of them is “N Xiao Hei Financial News” with a male host and another one is “N Xiao Bai Mutual Funds” with a female host.

Xiaoice, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system developed by Microsoft Software Technology Center, announced on December 20, 2021, that it had broadcast those two programs with AI virtual hosts for 70 days. Until the announcement, the general public didn’t realize those hosts were not real persons. Apparently the technology was able to make the AI persons appear close enough to their original human hosts. Also the whole content editing was a streamline of full automation, without human involvement. That way, National Business Daily could broadcast AI TV programs 24/7.

Source: Phoenix, December 20, 2021
https://tech.ifeng.com/c/8C7ltJX9sCF

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Information/Technology

Global Times Commentary: Blinken Used Beautiful Words to Sell U.S.’ Strategic Malice

Below is an excerpt from a commentary published in China’s state media Global Times:

“U.S. Secretary of State Blinken delivered a speech on (December) the 14th in Indonesia. It was the first stop on the Southeast Asian tour to promote the United States’ ‘commitment to the security and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific.’ He once again hypocritically elaborated on the concept of a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific,’ claiming that the purpose of the United States in defending a rule-based order is not to suppress any country, but to protect the right of all countries to choose their own path and to ensure that they are free from coercion and intimidation. He also expressed that the United States hopes to avoid conflicts in the Indo-Pacific region.”

“Blinken’s words are empty lies. He has performed using the extreme that the Western politicians use, “noble vocabulary” to convey strategic maliciousness.”

“From the moment when the United States returned to the Asia-Pacific region, to the Indo-Pacific strategy currently in force, what the U.S. has totally been pursuing is a geopolitical plan. Washington has greatly increased its military presence in the South China Sea, expanded its visibility in this region, and intervened in the political process here. All of this is directed at China and is intended to suppress China’s rise.”

“The entire region needs to be able to manage the presence of the United States and make it as harmless as possible. This region must not be ‘dominated’ by the United States, because once that happens, all countries in the region will become tools and materials for serving the United States’ global hegemony.”

Source: Global times, December 14, 2021
https://opinion.huanqiu.com/article/45z9JHkC7rF

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

2021: More Small Businesses Folded Than Opened

China has issued updated guidance for businesses that wish to close their doors. In 2021, for the first time in twenty years, small business closures exceeded new openings .

On December 29, 2021, five state agencies jointly issued the “Guidelines for Enterprise Deregistration (Revised in 2021).” The five state agencies are the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs, and the State Administration of Taxation.

Before a business officially terminates, the Guideline requires the company must declare its dissolution, establish a liquidation team, liquidate its property, pay taxes, clear up debts, and pay employee wages and social insurance. After the liquidation, the business can deregister and ceases to exist.

The authorities updated the deregistration guideline after the time when many small businesses folded in 2021.

According to the South China Morning Post, in the first 11 months of 2021, about 4.37 million Chinese small and micro businesses closed their doors. That was more than three times the number of small and micro enterprises that opened in the same period.

On average, more than 390,000 small and micro businesses deregistered each month in 2021, compared to 370,000 in 2020. The deregistration in 2021 also outnumbered new registration for the first time in 20 years.

It is predicted that the 2021 annual deregistration is likely to exceed the all-time high of 4.45 million in 2020. The 2020 number almost doubled that of 2019, and the 2019 number was about ten times that of 2018.

Small and micro businesses are an important foundation of China’s national economy, accounting for half of China’s tax revenue, 60 percent of GDP, and 80 percent of urban employment.

Sources:

China Central TV, December 29, 2021
https://news.cctv.com/2021/12/29/ARTIl4ZXOwvvYGcfrkqwHLUp211229.shtml

Zaobao.com, December 31, 2021
https://www.kzaobao.com/shiju/20211231/107661.htmlthe

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Cui Tiankai: The United States Is Bound to Contain China, China Must Be Fully Prepared

According to the official website of the China Institute of International Studies, on December 20th, Cui Tiankai, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and former ambassador to the United States, attended the 2021 International Situation and China’s Foreign Affairs Conference jointly organized by the China Institute of International Studies and the China Foundation for International Studies . Cui delivered a special speech regarding the development of Sino-U.S. relations.

Cui Tiankai pointed out in his speech that Sino-US relations will remain tortuous and turbulent in the future, and China must be fully prepared for this. “The historical stage of the current Sino-U.S. relations status will continue for some time. The United States will not willingly accept the rise of a big country with a very different social system, ideology, cultural traditions and race.

Cui said that The United States is bound to do everything possible to suppress China. China must be fully prepared and not fight battles without full confidence, nor engage in emotional or exhaustive battles.

Source: Sina, December 22, 2021
https://news.sina.com.cn/c/2021-12-22/doc-ikyakumx5610514.shtml

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations