Geo-Strategic Trend - 35. page

Huanqiu (a.k.a. The Global Times), a Chinese state-run newspaper, reported that China’s Embassy to Russia posted an article on the open internet complaining that the Russian government had mistreated five Chinese citizens. There have been many previous incidents where Russian authorities treated Chinese citizens badly, but the Chinese government has always remained silent in the past.

The Huanqiu article said that the Chinese Embassy to Russia lodged a complaint with the Russian authorities on August 4, 2023, after five Chinese citizens were prevented from entering Russia via the Karauzek border checkpoint in Astrakhan Oblast. The individuals’ tourist visas were canceled and they were denied entry to the country. Upon receiving a distress call, the consular staff at the Chinese Embassy to Russia investigated the situation, consoled the affected individuals, and promptly contacted the Russian authorities to seek a resolution. The embassy requested that Russia facilitate the reapplication for visas and ensure the smooth entry of the affected individuals as per their initial request.

According to the article, the Chinese Embassy reviewed videos uploaded by the individuals on August 2 that showed the Russian border personnel questioning them for 4 hours. After reviewing the video, the Chinese Embassy took immediate action. Embassy staff met with Russian authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Federal Border Guard Service, and the Federal Security Service, to express concerns over the incident. The embassy criticized the “excessive and brutal enforcement actions” of the Russian border guards, which “seriously harmed the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens.” They emphasized that such behavior was not in line with “the friendly relations between China and Russia or the increasing trend of friendly exchanges” between the two countries’ people. The embassy urged Russia to “thoroughly investigate the incident, take active measures to rectify the negative impact, and ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future, while respecting and safeguarding the dignity and legitimate rights of Chinese citizens.”

The article stated that the reported reason for the detention was a discrepancy between the Chinese nationals’ intended destination within Russia and the destination that they had given on their visa applications.

Source: Huanqiu, August 4, 2023
https://hqtime.huanqiu.com/article/4DzJZ1NrAwU

Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported that a Taiwanese Army Colonel surnamed Xie is suspected of leaking national defense secrets to a designated intermediary in China. The Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office recently ordered the investigation; Xie and others were questioned and their homes searched, leading to arrests for violating the Criminal Code’s provisions on offenses related to foreign states.

Colonel Xie was stationed at the 601st Special Forces Brigade in Longtan District, Taoyuan City. He is suspected of recruiting spies within the Taiwanese military. Xie’s brigade is one of the Army’s most powerful aerial firepower units, responsible for significant defense tasks in the northern region of Taiwan including the central Taipei area.

The ongoing investigation into Xie revealed that he may have developed an intelligence-gathering spy network comprising active-duty and retired Taiwanese military personnel. According to compiled data from court records and reports by Taiwan’s mainstream media, at least 21 active-duty or retired Taiwanese military officers with ranks of captain or higher have been convicted of engaging in espionage activities for China in the past decade.

Source: Deutsche Welle, August 2, 2023
https://www.dw.com/zh/再爆共谍案台陆军中校涉嫌泄密被羁押/a-66416539

University of Erlangen–Nuremberg has become the first German university to suspend cooperation with the China Scholarship Council (CSC). The university cited concerns about the potential risk of espionage by Chinese students as the reason for the decision.

The CSC is a Chinese government agency that is responsible for providing scholarships to Chinese students who want to study abroad. The agency has been accused of using its scholarships to control Chinese students who study abroad.

In 2022, a report by the German newspaper Die Zeit found that the CSC was requiring Chinese students who studied in Germany to sign agreements that prohibited them from criticizing the Chinese government or participating in political activities. The report also found that the CSC was requiring Chinese students to maintain contact with the Chinese embassy in Germany and to return to China after completing their studies.

The CSC has denied allegations that it has engaged in censorship and control. The agency said that its scholarships are designed to help Chinese students gain the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the global economy.

The suspension of cooperation between University of Erlangen–Nuremberg and the CSC is a sign of the growing tensions between Germany and China. The two countries have been at odds over a number of issues, including trade, human rights, and the South China Sea. The suspension of cooperation is likely to have a significant impact on German-Chinese relations. The university is one of the most prestigious in Germany, and it is a major center for research and innovation.

Source: Deutsche Welle, July 29, 2023
https://p.dw.com/p/4UXSZ

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that, according to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center, the 24 countries surveyed generally have negative views on China’s foreign policy and few countries believe China will do the right thing in international affairs.

Around 57 percent surveyed believe that China interferes in the affairs of other countries to a large or considerable extent. Nearly 70 percent of the respondents in the United States, Canada, Australia, Spain, Japan and South Korea believe that China interferes in the affairs of other countries. Among the 24 countries, the median negative perception of China is 67 percent; among them, 13 countries have a negative perception reaching historic highs, ranging from 34 to 87 percent.

The negative perception of China in developed countries has always been higher than that in middle-income countries. However, this year the negative opinion of major middle-income countries has also increased. Among middle-income countries, the negative opinion of China held in Argentina, Brazil and India reached record high levels ranging from 34 to 67 percent. Among high-income countries, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Australia have also reached record high negative opinions on China, ranging from 51 to 87 percent.

The survey asked Americans to list the countries that pose the greatest threat to the United States, and only three countries made the list, China (50 percent), Russia (17 percent) and North Korea (2 percent). The survey also showed that, in the United States, Canada, and most Western European and Asia-Pacific countries, about half of the people said they have no confidence in the Chinese government at all. In Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, however, the majority of respondents have confidence in the Chinese government.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, July 28, 2023
https://www.kzaobao.com/shiju/20230728/143706.html