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China Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesperson: US’ Malicious Intent Well Understood Globally

According to Chinese state media outlet Xinhua News Agency, on November 11 a reporter at the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s regular press conference asked: “According to reports, on November 8th, the U.S. State Department issued a statement supporting the Philippines’ enactment of the ‘Maritime Zones Law,’ stating that this law aligns Philippine domestic law with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 South China Sea arbitration ruling. The U.S. values the Philippines’ leadership in upholding international law, particularly in the South China Sea, and urges countries to align their maritime claims with international maritime law as reflected in UNCLOS. What is China’s response to this?”

Lin Jian, the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson, responded that “the U.S., motivated by its geopolitical interests, has continuously instigated and encouraged the Philippines to provoke disputes and infringe on China’s rights in the South China Sea for many years,” and that “the U.S. has the malicious intent of sowing discord – a motive well understood by the world.”

“The U.S. repeatedly demands that other countries abide by UNCLOS, yet it refuses to join the convention itself. This is a classic example of hypocritical ‘double standards,’” Lin said. He added that the South China Sea arbitration case itself violates UNCLOS and is nothing more than a political farce; its so-called ruling is illegal and invalid.

Source: Xinhua, November 11, 2024
http://www.news.cn/world/20241111/971595e582a14647a174547196b585aa/c.html

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Chinese Blogger: Sinwar is a “Sacred Warrior”

After Israel released a video of the death of Hamas leader Sinwar, a Chinese blogger wrote an article praising Sinwar as the “sacred warrior.” The article, being in line with the Chinese government’s pro-Hamas position, was widely circulated on Chinese media. The following are some key excerpts from the article:

The world wonders why Hamas, a resistance group with limited equipment and logistical support, can stand against the powerful Israeli invasion force. Why has the 300,000-strong, heavily armed Israeli army been unable to take Gaza in a year, suffering over 30,000 casualties? This video offers the best answer.

According to Israeli media, Hamas leaders are allegedly indulging themselves in luxury mansions, with none of them on the front lines. But what’s the reality? The former leader, Ismail Haniyeh, lost over 60 family members to Israeli attacks. If he wanted a life of luxury, he could have taken his family to Qatar, but he didn’t. His family stayed in Gaza, suffering tremendous losses. In the end, Haniyeh himself was assassinated.

Sinwar, despite being severely injured and losing an arm, refused to surrender. Even when he couldn’t hold a gun, he was determined to resist with a stick if necessary. That’s why Gaza has held on until today and will continue to stand.

Israel’s release of this video (editor’s note: referring to the video of Sinwar’s death) backfired. According to Israeli claims, Hamas leaders live in luxury, but the video showed Sinwar on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s son has spent years in a luxury villa in Miami.

Many pro-colonial voices urge the Palestinian people to give up resistance and accept a life under the iron rule of the Israelis. What is the outcome? Fatah surrendered long ago, but did that stop Israel’s occupation of the West Bank? On the contrary, Israel has accelerated its expansion since the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Since Fatah’s surrender, Israel has “confiscated” over 30 square kilometers of West Bank land, leaving Fatah with less than 2,500 square kilometers under fragmented control, surrounded by Israeli military and armed settlers. So, it’s not that the Palestinian people choose to resist out of nothing; it’s that resistance is the only option. Even if you want to bury your head in the sand like an ostrich, doing so is simply not feasible.

Israel will not conquer Gaza in a year, nor in two. The Israeli government often accuses others of anti-Semitism or Nazism, using political correctness as a weapon. But they haven’t considered that if they leave no path for others, if they drive up the price of bread to unaffordable levels, if they label even basic acts of resistance as terrorism, they can’t blame the world for turning against them and for moderate tactics giving way to extreme measures.

Source: Sohu, October 25, 2024
https://www.sohu.com/a/820262668_120899619

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Indonesia Expels Chinese Coast Guard Vessel in Natuna Sea Waters Three Times

On October 21, Indonesia reported that China’s Coast Guard ship 5402 entered the northern waters of the Natuna Sea without permission on three occasions, disrupting seismic survey activities conducted by a unit under Indonesia’s state-owned oil and gas company in the area. Indonesian authorities communicated with the Chinese vessel via radio. The Chinese side insisted that the waters it entered were under Chinese jurisdiction. In the end, Indonesia deployed a patrol plane and patrol ship to expel the Chinese vessel.

The same Chinese vessel entered the waters again on October 23 and was expelled by Indonesia.

On October 24th, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded to the incidents, stating that the Chinese Coast Guard vessel was patrolling within waters under Chinese jurisdiction. Lin said that China is willing to strengthen communication and consultations with Indonesia through diplomatic channels to properly handle maritime issues between the two countries.

On the next day, October 25, the same Chinese vessel entered the waters again. And again, Indonesia expelled it.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, October 27, 2024
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/sea/story20241027-5254193

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European Parliament Condemns China’s Interpretation of UN Resolution 2758, Supports Taiwan’s International Participation

On October 24th, the European Parliament passed a resolution titled “ Misinterpretation of UN resolution 2758 by the People’s Republic of China and its continuous military provocations around Taiwan” with 432 votes in favor, 60 against, and 71 abstentions. The resolution offered the clearest stance to date on UN Resolution 2758, emphasizing that it does not take a position on Taiwan’s participation in the United Nations General Assembly. The resolution strongly opposes the People’s Republic of China’s misinterpretation of history and international rules, which it uses to block Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations. It calls on the EU to use diplomatic and economic measures to counter China’s coercion. The resolution describes Taiwan as a key, like-minded partner for the EU in the Indo-Pacific region and encourages the EU and member states to deepen cooperation and exchanges with Taiwan in areas such as economic investment, the semiconductor supply chain, disaster relief, and civil defense. It also calls for continued support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).

The resolution condemns the military exercises and ongoing provocations by the People’s Liberation Army around the Taiwan Strait and commends the restraint shown by the Taiwanese government.

Source: Radio Free Asia, October 25, 2024
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/htm/taiwan-european-parliament-china-united-nations-2758-10252024015324.html?encoding=simplified

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China Commemorates 74th Anniversary of Chinese Army’s Participation in Korean War, North Korea Officials Absent From Celebration

Xinhua News Agency reported that October 25 was the 74th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) entering the Korean War to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea. On this day, the China’s Ambassador to North Korea, Wang Yajun, led embassy diplomats, representatives of Chinese enterprises in North Korea, media, overseas Chinese, and Chinese students in a wreath-laying ceremony at the China-North Korea Friendship Tower in Pyongyang, paying deep respect to the fallen CPV heroes. Also, on October 21, Wang, along with embassy diplomats and representatives of Chinese enterprises, media, and overseas Chinese, visited the CPV Martyrs’ Cemetery in Yangde County, South Pyongan Province, to honor the martyrs.

However, the report didn’t mention the participation of any North Korean officials.

Compared to a year ago, Chinese media reported that many North Korean officials attended the same event at the China-North Korea Friendship Tower, including Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly Kang Yun-sok, Deputy Minister of the International Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea Mun Song-guk, Deputy Minister of National Defense Kim Min-sok, Deputy Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho, Deputy Minister of Foreign Economic Affairs Ryu Eun-hye, Deputy Minister of Culture Pak Kyong-chol, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and Chairman of the DPRK-China Friendship Association Pak Kyong-il, and Deputy Chairman of the Pyongyang City People’s Committee Hong Kim-chol. On the same day, ceremonies were held at the CPV Martyrs’ Cemeteries in Hoechang, Anju, and Kaesong, where local North Korean officials and residents laid wreaths.

Source:
1. Xinhua, October 25, 2024
http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/20241025/20526d8048d047e7a2910072aab88844/c.html
2. chinamartyrs.gov.cn, October 27, 2023
https://www.chinamartyrs.gov.cn/shengji_gzdt/shengjigjhz/202404/t20240412_411655.html

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CCP Leverages U.S. Legal System to Counter U.S. – Trying to Stop Sanctions and Criticism

Voice of America (VOA) reported that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is leveraging the U.S. legal system, using the law as “both a sword to attack opponents and a shield to protect its interests.”

Chinese drone manufacturer DJI filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) on October 18, alleging that DOD’s inclusion of the company on the list of companies cooperating with Beijing’s military was erroneous and had caused significant financial losses. China’s semiconductor firm, AMEC, filed a similar lawsuit in the U.S. on August 16. Previously, Chinese companies Xiaomi and Hesai successfully removed themselves from the list by suing DOD. Analysts told VOA that these Chinese companies’ success was not due to a lack of military involvement, but because they exploited loopholes in the U.S. Administrative Procedure Act.

In addition, the CCP can use its state power and resources to hire top-tier U.S. law firms to start legal battles to coerce or even silence organizations or individuals from criticizing it.

Li Rui, Mao Zedong’s former secretary and a senior member of the CCP, left behind diaries detailing the inner workings of the party and his own views. According to his wishes, his daughter, Li Nanyang, handed over the diaries to the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in California. However, Li Rui’s widow, Zhang Yuzhen, filed a lawsuit in Beijing in April 2019 to reclaim the diaries (so that she could take them back to China) and won the case. Stanford University filed a countersuit in the U.S. This ongoing legal battle has lasted for over five years and required Stanford, Li Nanyang, and her attorney’s law firm to spend thousands of hours. Zhang Yuzhen hired four different law firms, three of which are among the largest in the U.S. Li Nanyang’s attorney pointed out that Zhang would not be able to hire those U.S. attorneys on her own, which Zhang neither confirmed nor denied.

Anna Puglisi, a former senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, published a scholarly paper in May 2024 titled “How China’s Hybrid Economy Distorts Competition.” The paper highlighted the CCP’s direct or indirect relationship with companies like BGI Genomics and MGI Tech, and how China uses market access to protect its own global companies and undermine other global players. In June and July of this year, Puglisi received letters from prominent U.S. law firms hired by BGI and MGI, accusing her of defamation and demanding that she and Georgetown University retract the paper and cease related analysis.

In May 2019, Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM), a nonprofit based in Washington, testified during a congressional hearing on transportation and infrastructure, stating that BYD and CRRC, two Chinese companies, are state-owned and state-supported, and had begun securing lucrative contracts funded by U.S. taxpayers to provide rail transit vehicles and electric buses for major U.S. cities. He warned that this trend would systematically undermine the competitive landscape of the U.S. locomotive and vehicle manufacturing industries. BYD filed a defamation lawsuit against AAM and several of its employees. The lawsuit dragged on for nearly two years, with several dismissals and unsuccessful appeals, until October 2022, when the Supreme Court refused to hear BYD’s appeal, ruling that BYD failed to prove that AAM’s statements were defamatory. However, the chilling effect of the lawsuit became apparent when AAM’s insurance company, Hartford, partially canceled AAM’s insurance in April 2021.

Source: VOA, October 23, 2024
https://www.voachinese.com/a/ccp-us-law-repression-20241020/7817608.html

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