Geo-Strategic Trend - 101. page

As the Wuhan pneumonia epidemic has highlighted the global dependence on electronic products and technologies required for remote work and teaching, the European Union (EU) has become worried that, in the production of smartphones and related products, it will increasingly have to rely on raw materials that other countries supply. The EU recently proposed a new strategy to reduce its dependence on China, Chile, South Africa and other countries through the establishment of the “European Raw Materials Alliance.”

On September 4, 2020, Vice President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic pointed out that 75 to 100 percent of the majority of the metals that the EU uses come from countries outside of the European Union, and China provides 98 percent of its rare earth supply. The EU realized that it is necessary to reduce risks in the supply of critical raw materials during the era of green and digital transformation. Critical raw materials have increased from 27 in 2017 to 30 in 2020. The reason for the EU to regard these materials as “critical” is mainly that there is either an insufficient supply or the concentration lies in a handful of suppliers.

In addition, Turkey supplies 98 percent of the borate that the EU consumes; 68 percent of the cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Chile supplies 78 percent of lithium, and South Africa supplies 71 percent of the platinum.

“We have to change our approach drastically,” said Sefcovic. He added, “We are largely dependent on unsustainable raw materials from countries with much lower environmental and social standards, less freedom and poor, unsustainable economies.”

By 2050, the EU will need around 60 times more lithium, essential for e-mobility, and 15 times more cobalt, which is used in electric car batteries. Therefore, the EU must accelerate its independence in the supply of raw materials. “We need to make better use of the resources within the European Union, where we would apply the highest environmental and social standards,” Sefcovic said.

The EU’s new strategy is to establish the “European Raw Materials Alliance,” consisting of industry stake holders, investors, the European Investment Bank, and member states to ensure the supply chain of mineral raw materials. Supply diversification also requires partnerships. Starting next year, the European Commission hopes to start partnerships with Canada, Australia, and interested African countries.

Source: Radio Free Asia, September 4, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/cl-09042020125542.html

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi commented in a joint press conference with Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide that China made it clear that it would not like to see the politicization of the Nobel Prize. There have been Norwegian lawmakers as well as U.S. congressmen who nominated Hong Kong Residents as the Nobel Peace Prize candidate. Although the Nobel Prize Committee is independent from the Norwegian government, yet its decisions may still impact the government’s relationship with China. Wang Yi’s recent visit was the first time a Chinese Foreign Minister visited in 15 years. Wang urged the Norwegian government to “cherish” the opportunity to have a “healthy” relationship and promised more “openness” from China.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, August 29, 2020
http://www.uzaobao.com/cngov/2020-08/2977148.html

Wu Ruoxuan, a Doctor from Taiwan, was shocked to learn from the editor of Eye and Vision, a medical journal that Springer Nature publishes, that in accordance with the relevant Chinese policies of the journal and the Springer Nature Group, she must use “Taiwan, China” as her nationality; otherwise her paper would not be published. After Wu posted her story on social media, it drew criticism on the issue of political censorship in the academic journal industry.

In the written correspondence that Radio Free Asia obtained from Springer Nature, it stated that, for journals that they own, the author can decide how they wish to present their academic affiliations. However, since Eye and Vision is a journal that the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in China owns, it must comply with a “different set of regulations.” With its headquarter in London, Springer Nature is the world’s largest academic publisher. It owns more than 3,000 journals including Nature and Scientific American. In November 2017, Springer Nature was also condemned for cooperating with its Chinese partners and blocking at least several hundred articles on Taiwan, Tibet, human rights, and politics from its Chinese website.

According to the website of the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Eye and Vision is an international English journal sponsored by the Wenzhou Medical University. It was launched in October 2014. Qu Jia, the director of the Eye Optometry Hospital is the chief editor. The journal was set up under China’s initiative to “improve the international influence of China’s Science and Technology Journal” which is a plan backed by the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The goal is to “open a channel to improve the globalization of journals in the Chinese scientific research community.”

It has become a new trend for China to start publishing journals on its own, to cooperate with foreign publishers, or to acquire foreign publishers directly. “Chinese technology and culture going global” is a phrase that the official Chinese media have often used. In 2019, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Holding Company acquired the French EDP Sciences publishing house founded by famous scientists, including Madame Curie. Xinhua reported at the time that this was an important step for China Science and Technology to implement its globalization strategy.

Source: Radio Free Asia, August 26, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/jt-08262020113515.html

China’s state media People’s Daily reported that, on August 25, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Democratic Revolutionary Party (RPD) of Panama held the opening ceremony of an online seminar for party cadres. Song Tao, head of the CCP’s International Liaison Department, said that, under the joint promotion of General Secretary Xi Jinping and Panama’s leader, over the past three years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, there have been “fruitful cooperation results.” The purpose of this online seminar was to “implement the important consensus of the two heads of state, and contribute to the development of Sino-Panama relations.” Song discussed the content of the third volume of Xi Jinping’s writings on State Governance. Fujian’s provincial CCP Committee Secretary Yu Weiguo talked about Fujian’s social economic development under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought and expressed willingness to strengthen cooperation with Panama in areas such as the “Belt and Road Initiative.”

Panama’s RPD reportedly agreed with Xi Jinping’s idea of a “community with a shared future for mankind,” and stated that it firmly adheres to the one-China principle and is willing to participate actively in the “Belt and Road Initiative.”

Source: People’s Daily, August 26, 2020
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2020-08/26/nw.D110000renmrb_20200826_6-03.htm