Geo-Strategic Trend - 103. page

As the “Five Eyes Alliance” countries are taking countermeasures against China’s telecom giant Huawei, Huawei continues to accelerate its expansion in Africa.

Al Jazeera ran an exclusive report on July 15 that Brunhilde Cornelius, a city councilor in Namibia’s capital city Windhoek, disclosed that, in order for Huawei to obtain an exclusive contract for 5G network construction in the city, a local politician was bribed and asked to give up her opposition to the deal.

Earlier this year, Cornelius publicly opposed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city council and Huawei. According to Al Jazeera, Cornelius filed a charge with the police on June 19. Cornelius, who is also the secretary-general of the opposition Rally for the Democracy and Progress Party (RDP), alleged the bribe was offered by Nicanor Ndjoze, her colleague who is also the RDP’s director of elections. Ndjoze allegedly paid bribes on behalf of his nephew, Reckliff Kandjiriomuini, the head of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) division of the City of Windhoek (COW).

Cornelius said that Ndjoze mentioned a bonus fund of about US$2.4 million, which could be used for potential beneficiaries of the deal that would give Huawei the exclusive right to develop local 5G network construction. She was told that she could receive an amount between US$300,000 and US$360,000 dollars. According to Cornelius, Ndjoze told her on May 12 that she could get the money if she gave up her opposition to the MOU. Allegedly, Ndjoze also told Cornelius that his nephew, Kandjiriomuini, led the transaction with Huawei. Kandjiriomuini hoped that Ndjoze would help persuade his party members to accept bribes and sign the MOU.

Andy Keiser, a former professional staff member of the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee testified before the U.S. Congress in June 2018, exposing that Huawei and ZTE have been subject to corruption investigations, charges, or corruption convictions in as many as 21 countries in the past 12 years. In 2009, Nuctech, a Chinese state-owned IT firm was involved in a bribery and corruption case in Namibia.

Source: Radio Free Asia, July 17, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/bribe-07172020091246.html

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that Deutsche Bank just announced its new Asian-Pacific CEO Alexander von zur Muehlen will move the office of his new regional headquarters to Singapore. He is replacing  Werner Steinmueller, who is retiring and still has his office in Hong Kong. Another member of the leadership team of the Bank, Kamran Khan, will also move to Singapore. Singapore has long been the competitor of Hong Kong to be the central hub of the Asian-Pacific financial market. Nearly all major banks like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Citigroup have their Asian Chiefs in Hong Kong. However, in the past couple of years, Hong Kong’s political stability has been under serious question and is now at the center of the storm between China and the U.S. Currently Singapore also has Credit Suisse as well as UBS who have their Asian-Pacific chiefs there. Singapore has played a significant role in Deutsche Bank’s Asian-Pacific strategy for many years.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, July 16, 2020
http://www.uzaobao.com/bolg/20200716/74896.html

United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, recently reported that the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Hong Kong said that several leaders did not receive their visas upon renewal. Four of the five group leaders in the Hong Kong Office left Hong Kong and returned to Taiwan. The Office is still operating. The Taiwanese government concluded that the officials were refused their visas due to the fact that they did not agree to sign the document that recognizes the “One China” policy. The Office performs the equivalent functions of an embassy in Hong Kong. Currently the Hong Kong Office does not even have a Chief Officer. The Taiwanese media described the situation as the direct result of the new Hong Kong National Security Law taking effect. In addition to top level group leaders of the Office, multiple secretary personnel are also waiting for visa renewals. The Hong Kong government did not respond to their renewal applications. The Office is still providing Taiwan visa services to foreigners and Hong Kong local residents. The Hong Kong government declined to comment on this matter.

Source: UDN, July 17, 2020
https://udn.com/news/story/7331/4709076

The British newspaper The Times reported on July 10 that Cambridge University’s Jesus College produced a paper accused of “reputation laundering” for Huawei and that it had received £200,000 (US $255,000) from the Chinese state and £155,000 (US $198,000) from the telecom giant, despite repeated warnings from British intelligence about Huawei’s possible espionage activities for Beijing.

In February, the UK-China Global Issues Dialogue Centre, which is under Jesus College, published a white paper on global communications reforms, which gave a favorable portrayal of Huawei. The paper also said that “transnational governance” of the technology industry “needs to consider differences in the normative standards accepted by different countries.”

The Times also revealed that, in September 2018, when the UK-China Global Issues Dialogue Centre was created, it banked £200,000 (US $255,000) from an agency of China’s State Council, the country’s administrative authority. Jesus collage also confirmed that it received £155,000 (US $198,000) from Huawei last September to “cover a two-year research co-operation.”

Zhu Rui, a doctoral student from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that Huawei, nominally a private company, is the property of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). When Jesus College turned a blind eye to the potential consequences and accepted donations from Huawei, it was subjecting its academic freedom to the influence of the CCP. On issues of religious freedom, human rights, and democracy, it cannot say what it wants to say, as if someone’s throat is being choked.

Teng Biao, a legal scholar living in exile in the United States, who has been studying the CCP’s overseas infiltration, criticized Jesus College for selling its soul for money. “Many universities around the world have kowtowed to the Chinese government for money and have conducted self-censorship. This is a typical example of China’s accelerated infiltration and expansion. With the almost unlimited financial resources that the Chinese government has plundered from its people, it is able to use economic means to buy favorable political expressions about Beijing.”

RFA found that the cooperation between Jesus College and Huawei is only the tip of the iceberg of Cambridge University’s connections with China. The Cambridge Centre for Chinese Management (CCCM), under Cambridge’s Judge Business School, has Tian Tao, a senior adviser from Huawei, and Hu Yanping, former SVP at Huawei among its directors.

The China Centre, a separate entity, is also affiliated with Jesus College and a charitable trust oversees it. It organizes a two-week training course for executives from Chinese state-owned companies. Professor Peter Nolan, 71, one of the charity’s trustees, is the director of the China Centre and a fellow at Jesus College. He became the first ever “Chong Hua” professor at Cambridge, a role founded in 2012 “to further the study of China.” According to The Times, the daughter of former Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao backed the professorship with a £3.7 million donation she made. The Times reported that the charitable trust which oversees the China Centre was sent £55,000 in November 2018 from a group linked to China’s State Council.

Huawei’s donations to British academic and scientific research institutions have attracted broad attention. At the beginning of last year, Oxford University said it would suspend accepting donations or sponsorships from Huawei. RFA also reported earlier that Huawei provided £5 million in research funding to Imperial College London and a super-fast 5G network to the university. Because the university is studying the corona virus, the incident triggered widespread public criticism; the criticisms allege that Huawei has a mission to interfere with virus research and affect the university’s objectivity in virus investigations. As early as 2017, Huawei and British Telecoms jointly announced a new round of a five-year cooperation plan, which will invest £25 million to establish a joint research team with Cambridge University.

Source: Radio Free Asia, July 13, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/uk-donate-07132020041327.html

Radio Free Asia (RFA) recently reported that, according to the Italian newspapers Il Tempo and La Verite, Pope Francis’ speech on July 5 removed the content related to the Hong Kong situation from the original draft that was released. The Vatican Press Room did not explain why. The original draft included a call for social freedom, the protection of religious freedom, and sincere dialogues. The removal appeared to be an emergency decision since the Vatican distributed the original content to reporters at 11 am on the same day the Pope gave the speech. The removed contents also said the Pope will continue to pray for the Hong Kong Catholic Church and the kind people in Hong Kong. On his blog, retired Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B questioned exactly how Chinese President Xi censored the Pope’s freedom of speech.

Source: RFA, July 7, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/va-pope-07072020124527.html?encoding=simplified