Briefings - 214. page

Xinhua News Agency reported that, on July 7, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) of China was deliberating the “Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law (Draft).”

A spokesperson of the Standing Committee was quoted as saying that “certain Western countries, out of a need for political manipulation and ideological bias, have grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs on issues related to Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and have imposed ‘sanctions’ on China in accordance with their own laws.”

The spokesperson said that, many people proposed that it was necessary for the country to enact a special anti-foreign sanctions law to provide “strong legal support and protection for China to counter discriminatory measures from foreign countries in accordance with the law.”

In addition, the Standing Committee of the NPC also proposed in one report to “enrich the legal ‘toolbox’ to deal with challenges and prevent risks, considering the sanctions and interference.”

In recent years, China and Europe and the United States have been engaged in battles of sanctions against each other over Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Following China’s imposition of the national security law on Hong Kong, the U.S. sanctioned 14 vice chairmen of the National People’s Congress, as well as Hong Kong and the Macau Affairs Office Director Xia Baolong, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and a couple of senior Hong Kong officials, among others. In retaliation, China sanctioned former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a group of “anti-Beijing” Members of Congress by banning them from entering China, Hong Kong and Macau.

Source: Central News Agency, June 8, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202106080034.aspx

On June 7, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, in his annual speech to German diplomats, criticized Hungary without naming it. “We can’t let ourselves be held hostage by the people who hobble European foreign policy with their vetoes. If you do that then sooner or later you are risking the cohesion of Europe. The veto has to go, even if that means we can be outvoted.”

Hungary is seen by the media as a Trojan horse that China planted into Europe. It has become the spokesman for China in the EU and has repeatedly prevented the body from condemning human rights in China, putting Europe under the risk of being divided. After Hungary used its veto three times within two months to prevent the EU from issuing statements on Hong Kong’s national security law and electoral reform, German Foreign Ministry of State Secretary Miguel Berger tweeted against Hungary. “Hungary again blocked an EU statement on Hong Kong. Three weeks ago it was on the Middle East. Common foreign and security policy cannot work on the basis of a blocking policy.”

Asked to comment on the Friday veto, the Hungarian government’s media office said EU sanctions on China were “pointless, presumptuous and harmful.” Hungary blocked an earlier EU statement in April criticizing China’s new security law in Hong Kong, thereby undermining the bloc’s efforts to confront Beijing’s curbing of freedoms in the former British colony.

Berger’s tweet raises concern because it is unusual for a member state to criticize another member state publicly over diplomatic issues, reflecting the fact that other EU countries, especially large ones like Germany, are getting closer to the bottom of their tolerance for Hungary. Some member states and the EU may already be thinking of taking action against Hungary.

Three weeks ago, Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, complained about Hungary’s obstruction and warned that the other 26 member states may issue their own joint statement on Hong Kong. Maas called on the EU to stop making decisions on foreign action by unanimity. Because the EU’s foreign policy decisions are made by unanimous vote, any member state can boycott them, making it difficult for the EU to speak out in a unified voice.

The EU said it would investigate Hungary for violating democratic values. The European Court of Justice said that Hungary’s public displeasure with the EU and its request to dismiss the accusation of serious violations of democratic values against Hungary was rejected. Next, Hungary will be investigated by the European Court of Justice and, if it is found to be in serious violation of democratic values, it will be subject to economic and political penalties .

Source: Radio Free Asia, June 9, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/cl-06092021142842.html

On May 26, news website Politik revealed that the resignations of two former MPs in New Zealand in 2020 had been orchestrated after the National and Labour party leadership received security briefings over growing concerns about their links to Beijing.

On May 27, in a personal column in the New Zealand Herald, Matthew Hooton, political adviser to Todd Muller, who was leader of the New Zealand National Party in 2020, confirmed that their departure was the result of the intervention of intelligence agencies.

Yang Jian, an MP from the National party and Huo Raymond, an MP from the Labour party resigned last July within 11 days of each other. Yang had served as MP for 10 years and Huo had served for seven years. During their terms as MP, they were frequently spotted participating in the events that the Chinese consulate or the United Front Department had organized. In 2017, two weeks before New Zealand’s September 2017 general election, Financial Times and Newsroom.co.nz reported that Yang has been teaching at a Chinese military institution for over 15 years. However, he did not disclose the teaching experience in his citizenship application. In 2019, Yang accompanied the leader of the National Party and met with Guo Shengkun, China’s secretary of Political and Legal Affairs.

In 2017, Anne Marie Brady, a Chinese scholar at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, published the report called, “Magic Weapons.”  The report listed a number of encounters that Yang and Huo had with Beijing’s United Front organization in New Zealand. The report mentioned that both Yang and Huo openly supported the Belt and Road initiative. Huo set up the Belt and Road Research Association in New Zealand and named himself as the Chairman. Huo organized a fund-raising banquet for the current Mayor of Auckland and raised over US$188,000. The participants were mostly Chinese. One of the items auctioned during the fund raising was the book Xi Jinping Talks about Governance Theory. Xi Jinping had signed the book. A Chinese buyer paid 150,000 New Zealand dollars (US$109,000) for the book. In addition, Huo once prevented New Zealand from inviting the Dalai Lama to visit. He told New Zealanders that the Dalai Lama was a separatist and a slave owner. In September 2019, he also introduced Beijing’s “New and Old Tibet” exhibition to New Zealand.

Source: Epoch Times, May 31, 2021
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/5/31/n12987469.htm

On June 1, China’s General Administration of Customs announced a list of unqualified imported children’s products. Swedish clothing brand H&M and U.S. sports brand Nike are on the list for using hazardous materials. H&M and Nike were targets of a boycott in China after Chinese netizens unearthed old statements from the brands stating that they had taken a stand against cotton sourced from the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang over concerns about reports of forced labor involving the Muslim Uyghur minority.

The official website of the General Administration of Customs (GAC) of China reported the quality of some imported children’s products investigated over the past year, involving 81 batches of imported children’s products in five categories: clothing, toys, toothbrushes, shoes, and pacifiers and bottles. Among them, ten brands including H&M, Nike, MUJI, ARCELO BURLON, Bonton, GAP, GU, mikiHOUSE, STORY LORIS, and ZARA allegedly failed to pass the standard for rubbing color fastness, or the ability to sustain the original color of dyed fabrics when rubbing. GAC claimed there is a risk that dyes or harmful substances may be absorbed by the human body through the skin, mouth and other health hazards.

Source: Central News Agency, June 1, 2021
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202106010379.aspx