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Oriental Daily: U.S. Bans Military Use of Seaports that Employ Chinese Logistics Platform LOGINK

Oriental Daily News, Hong Kong’s number one newspaper in circulation since 1976, recently reported that the U.S. 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, just signed into law by President Biden, contains provisions that prohibit the Pentagon from using any seaport that relies on China’s national logistics platform (LOGINK).

LOGINK is a key project sponsored by China’s State Council. Led by the Chinese Ministry of Transportation and the National Development Commission, LOGINK is a Chinese government transportation infrastructure project enabling the distribution and management of logistics information. The system is deployed to more than 20 ports around the world: 6 in Japan, 5 in South Korea, 1 in Malaysia, at least 9 in Europe, and 3 in the Middle East.

Under the new U.S. National Defense Authorization Act, Congress authorized a study of how foreign forces at the 15 largest container ports in the United States affect U.S. national and economic security, and the Secretary of State is to begin negotiations with U.S. allies and partners to have relevant countries to remove LOGINK software from their ports.

Senator Tom Cotton and Representative Michelle Steel, who sponsored the legislation, pointed out that China’s national logistics platform allows Beijing to monitor the U.S. military supply chain, which relies on commercial ports. LOGINK enables such monitoring by tracking the movement of cargo and ships .through a centralized system. Steele said LOGINK operates under the management of the Chinese government and that the threat posed by the software is very serious.

Beijing has invested in about 100 ports in more than 60 countries.

Source: Oriental Daily News, December 24, 2023
https://orientaldaily.on.cc/content/china_world/odn-20231224-1224_00178_003/

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Information/Technology

People’s Daily: China Has Improved Relations With These Countries in 2023

People’s Daily reported that China has elevated its relationship with the following countries in 2023:

  • All Weather Partnerships: Venezuela, Ethiopia
  • Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships: Turkmenistan, Gabon, Kyrgyzstan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Solomon Islands, Georgia, Zambia, Timor-Leste, Uraguy, Vietnam
  • Comprehensive and High-Quality Forward-Looking Partnerships: Singapore
  • Strategic Partnership: Pakistan, Benin, Syria, Columbia, Nicaragua

Source: People’s Daily, December 21, 2023
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2023/1221/c1001-40144239.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

China-Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline Transmitted 20 Billion Cubic Meters of Gas in 2023

China Oil and Gas Pipeline Network Corporation announced that, as of early December, the China-Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline has transmitted over 20 billion cubic meters this year, reaching a historical high. It has transmitted over 50 billion cubic meters of gas since its inception on December 2, 2019.

The China-Russia Eastern Gas Pipeline is the third long-distance cross-border pipeline supplying natural gas into China, following the Central Asian pipeline and the China-Myanmar pipeline. China’s portion of the pipeline starts from Heihe City in Heilongjiang Province and extends south to Shanghai, with a total length of 5,111 kilometers.

Source: Xinhua, December 15, 2023
http://www.news.cn/energy/20231215/2b453f6a1bcc4699abb398bd35a45acc/c.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

India’s Largest Stock Exchange Surpasses Hong Kong

The combined market capitalization of stocks listed on India’s largest stock exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), has surpassed that of listings on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE). Shanghai-based Chinese financial news site East Money recently reported that, as optimism about India’s economic prospects grows, the NSE is now the seventh largest stock exchange in the world.

According to the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), the total market capitalization of stocks listed on NSE was US$3.989 trillion as of the end of November, while the total market capitalization of stocks listed on the HKSE was US$3.984 trillion. In terms of total market value of listed stocks, the NSE currently ranks behind the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq Stock Exchange, Shanghai Stock Exchange, Euronext, Tokyo Stock Exchange, and Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

India’s main benchmark stock index NSE Nifty 50 hit another high recently. The index has gained nearly 16 percent so far this year and is on track for its eighth straight year of gains.

India currently has the world’s fastest-growing large economy. Despite global economic headwinds, India’s economic growth this year is expected to reach 6.3 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). International ratings agency S&P Global recently said in a report that India will remain the world’s fastest-growing economy for at least the next three years. By comparison, Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index has fallen 18 percent so far this year. The index is on track for this year to be its fourth straight year of losses, the worst among major Asia-Pacific stock markets.

Source: East Money, December 12, 2023
https://finance.eastmoney.com/a/202312122930706147.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Lianhe Zaobao: British Companies in China Expect A Tougher Year Ahead

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported on the latest survey results from the British Chamber of Commerce in China. The business confidence survey of around 300 British companies in China indicated that 60 percent of surveyed companies believe that doing business in China is more difficult this year than last year. The top three reasons that made it more difficult for them are economic factors, geopolitical factors and regulatory factors.

The report pointed out that due to the slow recovery of China’s economy after Covid-19 and the influence of geopolitical issues, British companies in China are in a state of hesitation, and many companies have postponed their investment decisions. About 55 percent of the surveyed companies said they will reduce or maintain investment levels in China operations next year. Around 42 percent of the respondents believe that the uncertainty of other countries’ trade policies towards China in the past year had a negative impact on their business operations.

The report pointed out that 2024 will be a critical year for the development of relations between China and the West, and that China’s relationship with the West is likely to become an important factor driving changes and decisions for companies that are “stagnant.”

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, December 12, 2023
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/china/story20231212-1455731

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

Japan Says China May be Underreporting Increase in CO2 Concentration

Japan’s Ministry of the Environment has questioned the accuracy of China’s reported annual increase in carbon dioxide concentrations. According to Japan’s greenhouse gas observing satellite, IBUKI, China’s annual CO2 concentration increase ranged from 0.6 to 1.2 ppm between 2009-2022. However, international databases calculating China’s emissions based on information published by China, such as fossil fuel consumption and number of power plants, estimate an annual increase of just 0.2 to 0.8 ppm. No such discrepancies were found for Japan and the United States using similar methodology.

Japan claims China’s published information may be inaccurate and will present these findings at the upcoming 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai. A Japanese senior official stated that inaccurate emissions reporting from major emitters like China could undermine global emissions reduction targets, as it skews calculations on progress.

Through satellite observation technology, Japan aims to improve transparency in emissions reporting. Reliable, accurate emissions data is crucial for setting and meeting climate change targets among all nations. Japan intends to keep contributing objective emissions data gathered through satellite monitoring to further emissions transparency, accountability, and broader climate action. The findings question whether China has been forthcoming in reporting its emissions and climate mitigation progress to date.

Source: Radio France International, December 8, 2023
https://rfi.my/AAEy

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

UDN: South Korean President Visits the Netherlands to Form A Chip Alliance

Taiwanese news group United Daily News (UDN) recently reported that South Korean President Yoon Seok-yue is in the Netherlands for a state visit. Yoon’s trip is focused on increasing cooperation between the two countries related to the semiconductor industry — he said that this trip marked a key turning point for the “South Korea-Netherlands Semiconductor Alliance” and that discussing chip cooperation was the “top priority” of his visit.

Yoon stated in an interview that high-tech chips are the lifeblood of the modern global economy, and that South Korea accounts for about 60 percent of the world’s supply of memory chips. He said that the Netherlands is home to semiconductor production equipment manufacturer ASML, and the two countries have been cooperating “in an exemplary manner” for many years, contributing to the stability of the global semiconductor supply chain.

The semiconductor industry is being buffeted by geopolitical turmoil. ASML supplies South Korea’s major chip manufacturers Samsung and SK Hynix. During President Yoon’s visit, he will visit the ASML headquarters. The “South Korea-Netherlands Semiconductor Alliance” is expected to include the countries’ respective governments, enterprises and universities. This is the first time a South Korean head of state has paid a state visit to the Netherlands since 1961, when South Korea and the Netherlands first established diplomatic relations.

Source: UDN, December 11, 2023
https://udn.com/news/story/6811/7631837?from=udn_ch2_menu_v2_main_cate

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Information/Technology

Former President of Micronesia: The CCP Coerces, Bribes, and Infiltrates Pacific Island Countries

David Panuelo, the Former President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), stated that Beijing is infiltrating various Pacific island nations through economic coercion, bribery, and other means.

He gave an example, stating that when the Vice President of Micronesia was still a senator, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempted to bribe him with a bag full of money, but he refused.

He said that Chinese diplomatic personnel contacted him when he was

He mentioned that during his visit to Beijing, Chinese diplomatic personnel specialized in Pacific island nations contacted him to conveyed the intentions of the CCP leader, Xi Jinping. They emphasized that China would “fulfill all requests made by Micronesia.”

In July of last year, when he traveled to Fiji to participate in the Pacific Islands Forum, he was followed by two Chinese men. Micronesia discovered that they were working at the Chinese Embassy in Fiji, and one of them was an intelligence officer.

Source: Epoch Times, December 1, 2023
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/23/12/1/n14128093.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend