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European Airlines Suspend China Flights Amid Rising Competition from Chinese Carriers

In mid-October, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, and LOT Polish Airlines successively announced the suspension of their flight operations to Beijing and Shanghai. This news comes after earlier suspension of flights to and from China by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

The reported reason was that Chinese airlines have a unique advantage due to the Russia-Ukraine War. Since the start of the war, Russia has closed its airspace to 36 countries and regions, including Europe, forcing European airlines to take longer detours when flying to China. However, China has a special relationship with Russia and thus Chinese airlines can continue flying over Russian airspace as usual. This allows Chinese airlines to have shorter flight times, less fuel consumption, and potentially lower ticket prices. Chinese airlines are expanding while the European airlines are retreating. Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Hainan Airlines have all added new routes from China to Europe. (Note: this situation didn’t happen between the U.S. and China, since the U.S. insisted on the reciprocal rule: that Chinese airlines need to match the U.S. airlines’ operations.)

Some European airlines are dissatisfied with the situation and are asking their governments to take “non-market” special measures to curb Chinese competitors. In July of this year, Austria rejected China Eastern Airlines’ proposal to launch a Shanghai-Vienna route, saying that “Russia’s current airspace restrictions and China Eastern’s competitive advantage over the local Austrian Airlines would be against the overall economic interests.” Air France-KLM and Lufthansa are actively lobbying their governments to take action to address the imbalance in competition on China-Europe routes.

Source: Creaders.net, October 19, 2024
https://finance.creaders.net/2024/10/19/2786525.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

Xinhua Commentary: War Will Continue Between Hamas and Israel Though Israel Killed Sinwar

Xinhua News Agency published a commentary on Israel’s killing of Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar, who planned and executed the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. It quoted several analysts who all predicted that the war between Hamas and Israel will continue. “Analysts believe that Sinwar’s death is unlikely to mark a turning point for peace in Gaza, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will continue, with the regional situation possibly worsening further.”

Yonatan Freeman, an international relations scholar at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said that Sinwar’s death might weaken the fighting resolve of some Hamas militants, but Hamas as a whole will continue to fight against Israel.

Mohamed Elmasry, an expert from Doha Institute in Qatar, stated that unless the root causes of the Gaza war are addressed, the cycle of violence may persist. “As for the root causes, they are well known, including Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land, the apartheid system established by Israel, and the blockade of Gaza, among others.”

A new bulletin jointly released by the International Labor Organization and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics on October 17th shows that since the new round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict began a year ago, the poverty rate in Gaza has reached nearly 100 percent. Ruba Jaradat, Regional Director of the ILO for Arab States, stated that the losses caused by the war in Gaza are not limited to casualties, severe humanitarian disasters, and material destruction, but have fundamentally altered Gaza’s socioeconomic structure, while also severely impacting the economy and labor market of the West Bank.

Source: Xinhua, October 18, 2024
http://www.news.cn/world/20241018/8f566136a685418ca20082323b268eb5/c.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

Chinese Government Spokesperson Defends Possible Further Chinese Trade Barriers Against Taiwan

Chinese state media outlet People’s Daily recently reported on comments made by a government spokesperson on the topic of measures that Beijing has taken to restrict trade with Taiwan. The below is from the People’s Daily report:

At the regular press conference of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council (mainland China) on October 16th, a reporter asked: “The Ministry of Commerce recently announced that it would consider taking further measures based on the conclusions of the investigation into trade barriers with Taiwan. The Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council stated that ‘the mainland is using economic and trade relations as a political weapon to coerce Taiwan into complying with its political demands.’ What is your response to this?”

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, responded that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan have long unilaterally restricted a large number of products from the mainland, harming the interests of relevant industries and enterprises in the mainland. Since the final conclusions of the investigation into Taiwan’s trade barriers were released, the DPP authorities have not taken any actual steps to lift trade restrictions on the mainland. Instead, they have intensified efforts to obstruct normal economic and trade exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait, harming the interests of mainland enterprises and the well-being of the people. The further measures being considered, based on the conclusions of the investigation into Taiwan’s trade barriers, are necessary actions in response to the DPP authorities’ obstinate and unrepentant behavior.

Chen Binhua further noted that the DPP authorities and “Taiwan independence” forces often label the mainland’s policies benefiting Taiwan as “United Front actions.” He emphasized that the united front has always been an important strategy of the Chinese Communist Party to win hearts and gather strength. In the new era, the CCP’s main task of the united front is to uphold broad unity and solidarity, continuously consolidate and develop the most extensive patriotic united front.

Source: People’s Daily, October 16, 2024
http://tw.people.com.cn/n1/2024/1016/c14657-40340652.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend

China Strengthens Cultural Ties with Indonesia’s Muslims to Change Their Views on Xinjiang

Via its program of “cultural exchange and collaboration,” Beijing has made progress in reshaping the view of Indonesia’s Muslims on Xinjiang .

China has established free Chinese language courses at the Istiqlal Mosque in Indonesia, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia. In addition, the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta invited staff at the mosque to visit Xinjiang last year. The Chinese government covered all their expenses, including airfare and accommodation, and arranged and accompanied them for all visits. This trip gave the staff a completely different perspective on Xinjiang: In their view, Xinjiang has developed much better than what the media reports, and China has granted religious freedom to the people of Xinjiang.

In 2018, Muhammadiyah and the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), two of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organizations, publicly condemned China’s actions against the Xinjiang Uyghurs and demanded an explanation from the Chinese government. In recent years, China has actively worked with these two organizations to gain their trust. In October 2022, Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, voted against having a debate on Xinjiang’s human rights issues at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Source: VOA, October 16, 2024
https://www.voachinese.com/a/china-cultural-outreach-to-muslims-in-indonesia/7823041.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

Israeli Politicians Attended ROC’s National Day Celebration But Not the PRC’s

YNET, the electronic newspaper of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s largest media group, published an article titled: “A paragon for Taiwan, a sting for China: this is how the war affected Israel’s perception towards the two rivals.”

Itamar Eichner, a senior Israeli diplomatic correspondent, wrote the article. He discussed that when Republic of China (Taiwan) hosted its National Day reception at the Taipei Representative Office in Israel this year, hundreds of guests attended, including eight cross-party members of the Knesset from the ruling Likud party, the opposition Yesh Atid party, and the National Unity party, as well as five mayors of major cities. On the contrary, when the People’s Republic of China (PRC) hosted its National Day reception at the Chinese Embassy two weeks ago, only Uri Makleb, Deputy Minister of Transportation of Israel, attended as a representative from Israel; no elected members of the Knesset attended. There were only 70 guests in total.

The report analyzes the reasons. Since the Hamas terror attack on Israel, China (PRC) has completely ignored Israel’s concerns. On the one hand, China has aligned itself with the so-called “Axis of Evil,” including Iran, by continuously condemning Israel’s efforts to rescue hostages in Gaza, and on the other hand, it disregarded Israel’s request for China to assist in rescuing Israeli hostages with partial Chinese ancestry. Meanwhile, Taiwan has consistently supported Israel in its resistance against Hamas since the war began, standing firm in its shared values with Israel.

Source: Central News Agency, December 13, 2024
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aopl/202410130137.aspx

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend

German-Funded, Chinese-Built: Namibia’s Largest Solar Project Highlights Complex Global Energy Partnerships

In September 2024, Namibia’s national power company signed an agreement with two Chinese companies to build the country’s largest solar power station. Notably, 80% of the project’s funding (70 million euros) comes from Germany’s KfW Development Bank, while the remaining funds will be provided by Namibia’s national power company.

The project, located in Rosh Pinah in southern Namibia, will be built by China’s Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation Company and Chint New Energy Development Company. Expected to be operational by Q2 2026, the plant will increase Namibia’s total photovoltaic capacity from 500,000 to 600,000 kilowatts, significantly reducing the country’s dependence on imported electricity from Zambia and South Africa.

Industry insiders revealed that only three Chinese companies and one Indian company bid for the project, with no German companies participating despite German funding. One anonymous German solar company operating in Namibia noted that this pattern of “German money, Chinese construction” is common in such energy projects.

The situation raises questions about China’s growing influence in Africa, particularly given that the EU has designated China as a systemic competitor. However, KfW board member Christiane Laibach emphasized that the bidding process followed international standards and was objective and economical.

Namibia, with its sparse population of 3 million and abundant desert regions, has become an attractive location for green energy facilities due to its dry subtropical climate and abundant sunshine. Germany, Namibia’s former colonial ruler, is heavily investing in green power projects in the country, partly to produce hydrogen for its own energy transition, though these projects have raised environmental concerns about their impact on fragile desert ecosystems.

Source: Deutsche Welle, October 9, 2024
https://p.dw.com/p/4lZhQ

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

RFI Chinese: Indonesia Asks Google and Apple to Block Temu App

According to Radio France Internationale (RFI) Chinese Edition, Indonesian Minister of Communications and Information Budi Arie Setiadi recently stated that Indonesia has asked Google and Apple to block the Temu app so that it cannot be downloaded in Indonesia. The Temu e-commerce platform is a product of Chinese cross-border e-commerce vendor PDD Holdings. The move by the Indonesian government is aimed at protecting the country’s small- and medium-sized businesses from having to compete with cheap products offered on the Temu platform.

Temu’s rapid overseas growth has triggered scrutiny in several countries. It’s low-cost business model involves sending packaged goods to customers by direct mail from China. The platform connects consumers directly with factories in China to significantly reduce cost by taking advantage of loopholes in the international small package mailing system.

Budi called the business model “vicious competition.” He said “we are not here to protect e-commerce, but small and medium-sized companies. We must protect millions of Indonesian businesses.” Budi also stated that the Indonesian government would block Temu from making any investment in Indonesia’s local e-commerce sector.

The Indonesian government is planning to impose similar blocking measures on Shein, another Chinese e-commerce platform. Last year, Indonesia forced TikTok to shut down its e-commerce services in the country with the aim of protecting the data of local merchants and users.

Source: RFI Chinese, October 11, 2024
https://tinyurl.com/rsp3h93k

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Leaked Document Exposes CCP United Front Network in Germany

Twenty-one investigative journalists from ten countries recently published a secret document containing the names of hundreds of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agents operating in multiple countries. The original source was said to be a list of supporters of the CCP’s United Front Works provided by a person in mainland China. German television channel RTL investigated the section of the document related to Germany.

An NTV reporter contacted a Chinese informant in Germany who confirmed that the people on the list are contacts of the CCP’s United Front Works. “(The United Front) is a very large network. These people are responsible for promoting the CCP’s propaganda. They also try to influence city councils and other government institutions. This is how (the CCP) wants them to influence local politics in Germany.”

These United Front contacts are not traditional spies. Instead, they are more like “influence agents.” In other words, they are people in the West who create a favorable environment for the CCP, control Chinese communities, or suppress critics.

These “overseas Chinese” on the list hold either Chinese passports or have been naturalized as German citizens. The CCP has even targeted the descendants of Chinese immigrants. There are 60 million people in the Chinese diaspora globally.

For example, Mei Weiping (梅维平) is on the list. He is involved in the alumni network of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and has served as the head of a subsidiary of the Beiersdorf Group. In China, he organized cooperation with a university, passing the company’s knowledge to China. He attended the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an event related to the United Front. He has been invited to watch the military parades multiple times as a guest of honor and praised the CCP’s military strength.

One influencer on the list, Liu Yuanhua (刘元华), has more than 400,000 followers on German Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Photos show her posing with Baden-Württemberg’s Governor Winfried Kretschmann, Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir, and Stuttgart’s Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz.

Another person on the list, Kwong Weisen (邝伟森), head of the Hamburg Chinese Overseas Association, also has close connections with top federal political figures. This restaurant owner has a photo with then Hamburg’s First Mayor Henning Voscherau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has visited the restaurant multiple times.

Source: Epoch Times, October 9, 2024
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/24/10/9/n14347471.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics