Geo-Strategic Trend - 127. page

Global Times recently published an official commentary suggesting that, in the West, the United States is marginalizing the European Union. The article indicated that the combined size of the EU economy is not only larger than China’s, but also outweighs the U.S. economy. However, the EU’s international influence is far weaker than that of the U.S. and its international competitiveness is far behind the U.S. as well. It is obvious that the EU’s weakness is the result of a lack of cohesion. The EU members sometimes act on their own. How can the EU improve? First, the EU should not be “constrained” by the U.S. and it should have an independent opinion. Second, the EU has a very weak military position and it has a high dependency on U.S. military protection. The EU’s own security is like a sand castle on the beach. Third, the idea that the EU and the U.S. share the same common values is in fact not true. It is because a lot of these “values” are there to serve the U.S.’ national interests, not the EU’s. The EU has become numb due to long “U.S. rule.” In the meantime, it has become very sensitive about the rise of China. The EU should adjust its strategy and prevent itself from being lost.

Source: Global Times, March 25, 2019
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2019-03/14607756.html?agt=15422

In recent years, the government of Denmark has been rejecting Communist China’s infiltration. The government even apologized to the people who had been blocked from protesting against the Chinese officials in Denmark and refused China’s planned construction of an airport in Greenland. Denmark Telecom (TDC) finally chose to cooperate with Ericsson not Huawei. The Epoch Times reported that, on April 4th, Danish parliamentarians hosted a seminar that was held in the National Assembly. The conference was called, “Denmark and China’s Strategic Cooperation Seminar.” The host was Senator Kenneth Kristensen Berth, who hopes that the seminar will allow more Danish scholars, experts, and media people to pay attention to Communist China’s infiltration of Denmark.

During the seminar, two incidents were revealed which demonstrated China’s attempt to threaten Denmark. Søren Espersen, Vice President of the Danish People’s Party and President of the Foreign Affairs Committee shared about the first one. About one year ago, just before the Danish Foreign Affairs Committee was about to visit Beijing, somehow China learned that the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government in exile was going to visit the Danish Parliament and hoped to meet with the Danish National Assembly President Pia Kjærsgaard. Later, when Committee were having a meeting with a Chinese official, they received a harsh verbal warning from a high level party official that Assembly President Pia Kjærsgaard must refuse the visit from the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government in exile. After the committee returned back to Denmark, one day, the administrator of the Foreign Policy Committee even received an angry call from the Chinese Embassy accusing Søren Espersen of meeting with the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government in exile.

Thomas Fought, a Danish radio station 24/7 (Radio 24syv) investigative reporter who participated in the seminar as a guest, revealed the second case.  He said that, during the investigation of an incident in which Chinese tourists made a claim of mistreatment by Swedish police in 2018, he found that Communist China had been manipulating everything behind the scenes. He then made a radio series “Kina I Kulissen” and received the “Kristian Dahls Mindelegat” award from the Danish Media Federation in 2019. According to Fought, when he was looking at a large amount of information in the investigation of the Communist China’s interference in Shen Yun’s performance in Denmark, he came across one unnoticed piece of evidence. He said, “I found an internal email from the Royal Theatre, which read, ‘In order to comply with the rules of Denmark, I must point out that I met with the cultural department of the Chinese (Communist China) Embassy in August 2017 because they were considering renting the theatre for the Chinese New Year event to be held in February 2018. At the end of the meeting, they wanted to know if we had been communicating with Shen Yun and instructed us not to allow them (Shen Yun) to rent our facilities.'” Fuoght said that many people in Denmark have always believed that there was no evidence that Communist China had suppressed Denmark, but this was the evidence of that suppression.

Source: The Epoch Times, April 6, 2019
http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/19/4/5/n11166357.htm

Analysts at the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI) believe that the Chinese government is conducting cyber espionage that targets Sweden as a means of gaining an economic advantage.

The analyst Johan Englund, who wrote the FOI report published on March 21, stated, “What I have found is that cyber espionage is one of several methods that China uses to achieve its strategic objectives. There are legal methods such as corporate acquisitions, research collaborations, and hiring foreign experts, but there is also illegal cyber espionage.”

According to the report, which is based only on open source research, Sweden’s open and innovative economy, as well as its advanced manufacturing sector, leave Sweden particularly exposed to cyber espionage activities from China.

The Swedish security police earlier warned that the activities of Chinese intelligence agencies in Sweden are one of the main threats to its national security.

Sources:
1. Sputnik News, March 25, 2019
http://sputniknews.cn/politics/201903251028015015/
2. FOI, China’s industrial cyber espionage, March 21, 2019
https://www.foi.se/rapportsammanfattning?reportNo=FOI%20MEMO%206698

Major Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily recently reported that European leaders met on March 21 to synchronize their position towards China. This is the first time the EU countries have gathered to deal jointly with China at the top level. The European Union intended to list China as one of its competitors. Some French officials even commented that the traditional EU members’ “naive” attitude towards China is ending. According to a document that Reuters obtained called, “EU-China: A Strategic Outlook,” the EU identifies China as an economic competitor in search of a technological leadership position. China is also a “systemic rival” in terms of its governing model. The EU has been complaining about the EU’s economic openness versus China’s different operating model, which has been in existence for some time now. As the second largest economy in the world, China should no longer enjoy the status of a developing country. The EU got a wake-up call just recently on China’s One Belt One Road program. The EU realized that China is throwing investments and loans at some EU members in exchange for influence. The Eastern Europe democratization could face a failure in light of this divide-and-conquer strategy from China.

Source: Apple Daily, March 21, 2019
https://tw.appledaily.com/new/realtime/20190321/1537141/

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that, starting March 18, in an unusual move, Xinhua published three editorial articles three days in a row attacking Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s President. Some Taiwanese scholars even wondered what it meant. If China cannot accept Tsai Ing-wen, does it suggest that China wants to deal with other candidates who favor more Taiwan Independence instead?

According to RFA, all three Xinhua articles targeted Tsai’s recent counter-measure proposal against Xi Jinping’s “One Country, Two Systems” policy for Taiwan. In one article it attacked Tsai’s interpretation that the “One Country, Two Systems” policy would destroy Taiwan. It also said that Tsai’s proposal that the “Republic of China Taiwan” is an unidentified new term has exposed her intention to keep the two countries separated as they are. Another article accused Tsai Ing-wen of having colluded with “foreign forces.” It claimed that Tsai’s government took the initiative to act as an anti-China pawn for external forces. It elevated the level of US-Taiwan exchanges, strengthened military cooperation with the U.S., offered to conduct “security dialogues” with Japan, and vigorously established a tightened military atmosphere in the Taiwan Strait during an interview with foreign media. In the third article, it stated that after the defeat in the recent election in Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen made a desperate attempt to protect her personal power even it meant that it would disrupt the peace in the Taiwan Strait.

According to a commentator in the RFA article, these editorials were published just days before Tsai Ing-wen’s scheduled visit to three countries in the pacific islands from March 21 to 28. Meanwhile whether Tsai will make a stop in the U.S. has become a key focus. In addition, the U.S. Taiwan Association and the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry have jointly launched the “Indo-Political Democratic Governance Consultation.” This has gained considerable attention from the mainland because it could enable the U.S. to interfere with internal Taiwan affairs.

Source: Radio Free Asia, March 20, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/hcm1-03202019100642.html

In Beijing on Wednesday, March 20, visiting Philippine Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin Jr. had a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website then published an article that quoted Locsin’s words stated when he was at that meeting. Locsin said that not a single country like China has brought hope to the world and that China’s unique institutional advantages and one-party rule have enabled China to bring about development achievements that other countries have not matched. The leadership of the Chinese Communist Party has played an irreplaceable role. Historically, Western countries have oppressed developing countries through colonialism and imperialism. China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative, while realizing its own development, has brought about the mutual prosperity of other countries.

After taking office in 2016, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has consistently criticized Western countries, especially the United States, for interfering with his bloody anti-drug campaign. The Philippine government accuses Western countries of attaching conditions when providing aid, such as demanding respect for human rights, while China does not attach any human rights conditions.

Source:
Website of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March 20, 2019
https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/web/wjbzhd/t1646923.shtml