Geo-Strategic Trend - 98. page

Well-known Chinese news site Sohu (NASDAQ: SOHU) recently reported that French-owned telecommunications giant Orange Belgium officially announced it selected Nokia’s 5G technology to deploy its 5G network throughout Belgium. Orange decided to build its future 5G infrastructure on top of its current Ericsson network. Orange Belgium also operates in Luxembourg, where Nokia 5G technology will also be used. In the meantime, Orange Belgium’s competitor Proximus also announced the decision to use Nokia in its Belgium and Luxembourg networks. Belgium is the focal point of the United States on pushing out Huawei since the EU Executive Branch and the EU Parliament are located in Belgium’s capital, the City of Brussels. The U.S. sanction on Huawei brought the deep worry that Huawei may not be capable of keeping up with supply. Huawei commented on Orange’s decision, saying this is a loss in a fair bidding process, and Huawei respects fair play. Huawei has been serving the Belgium market for over ten years.

Source: Sohu, October 12, 2020
https://m.k.sohu.com/d/488169663?channelId=1&page=1

Hong Kong Economic Times (HKET), the leading financial daily in Hong Kong, recently reported that the British government has been drafting a National Security and Investment Bill to govern sensitive technology related to foreign investments, especially in the areas of defense and infrastructure. The draft was planned to be discussed in the Cabinet after its completion by the end of this month. The Parliament is scheduled to review and approve the Bill next month, at the earliest. The biggest debate about the new bill was regarding the authorization of cabinet members to overturn past or current investment projects. British laws rarely have retroactive power. The British government has been considering legislation to regulate national security related foreign investments since the last quarter of 2019. It is widely recognized as a move against Chinese investments. Prime Minister Johnson already ordered the phase-out of Huawei equipment. The most sensitive project with Chinese involvement is the Hinkley Point C nuclear project.

Source: HKET, October 14, 2020
https://bit.ly/2IGXEGo

The Indian government issued warning letters to Amazon’s Indian unit and Walmart’s Flipkart, stating that the two e-commerce companies did not indicate the country of origin for the goods sold on their platforms, a violation of government regulations.

Reuters reported on Saturday, October 17, that at a time of intense India-China relations, the letter that the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution issued on Friday showed that the Indian government has strengthened the implementation of the regulation as one of its attempts to slash imports of goods made in China.

The Ministry gave these two companies 15 days to explain why the goods sold on the platform did not indicate the country of origin, and threatened that it would then take action. However, the letter did not mention the specific actions to be taken, referring only to legal actions that have provisions for fines.

After the bloody border conflict between India and China broke out in June of this year, relations between the two countries have continued to escalate. India has since blocked at least 177 mobile applications from China, and Chinese products exported to India have also met with additional inspections and delays.

Source: Voice of America, October 17, 2020
https://www.voachinese.com/a/amid-tensions-with-china-india-warns-amazon-flipkart-over-country-of-origin-rule-20201017/5625414.html

China’s investment in data collection has increased in recent years, with its tentacles extending around the globe. There have been concerns about the news that China will cooperate with the United Nations to establish a data center.

Xi Jinping, the head of Chinese Communist Party, said at the general debate of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, “China will set up a UN Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Center and an International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals to facilitate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

According to the Chinese government website and state media, as early as April last year, the Ministry of Natural Resources signed a memorandum of intent with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs in Beijing to initiate preparations for the establishment of a United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre in Deqing, Zhejiang. The work aims to share global geospatial data and promote exchanges and cooperation among UN member states in the field of geographic information. In addition, the National Bureau of Statistics of China and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs will jointly establish the big data research institute which will also be located in Hangzhou, less than an hour away from Deqing.

Ms. Rosett, an adjunct fellow with the Hudson Institute, wrote a Wall Street Journal opinion article in which she stated, “Mr. Xi’s promised U.N.-China geospatial and big-data complex would allow for detailed mapping of everything from topography and infrastructure to human behavior, across time and around the globe. China under its own steam is already collecting and in some cases pilfering troves of data world-wide. However, the U.N. badge of legitimacy would make it easier for Beijing to secure flows of data from member states, influence U.N. standards and norms for such data collection, shape the results, feed them into the U.N. system—and project the Chinese Communist Party’s techno-tyranny around the world.”

Source: Radio Free Asia, October 14, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/hj-10142020135400.html

BBC Chinese Edition recently reported that the Pew Research Center just released multi-national poll results which indicated a significant decline in China’s reputation among 14 advanced Western countries and Asian countries. The Japanese result showed an 86 percent negative response.  Sweden, the first country in the West that established a formal relationship with China, was second with a poll that showed 85 percent negative. Australia had the third highest negative view about China, with 81 percent of the people surveyed choosing negative. This is a 24 percent expansion from last year. In the United Kingdom 75 percent of the people reported a negative view, which represents a 19 percent expansion from last year. The United States negative number is at 73 percent, which is the highest in 15 years and is a 20 percent increase since President Trump took office. An average of 78 percent among all the people surveyed distrusted Xi Jinping and 61 percent thought China did poorly in dealing with the pandemic. Among nine countries, negative views against Xi increased by 10 percent in the past year.

Source: BBC Chinese, October 6, 2020
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world-54442667

On October 6, U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo participated the quadrilateral security dialogue, or Quad, with Japan, India and Australia. He also accepted an exclusive interview with the Nikkei. During the interview, the reporter asked whether the United States was prepared to defend Taiwan if China unilaterally attacked Taiwan. Pompeo said that the “U.S. is committed to reducing cross-strait tensions,” the mission of the Trump administration in the world. The United States “looks to bring peace, not conflict.” It is shameful that the Communist Party of China instigates tensions with Vietnam, Japan, as well as a series of incidents in the Himalayas (the Sino-Indian border). “This is the Chinese using coercive power. This isn’t how great nations operate.” Pompeo also stressed that “appeasement is not the answer” and the U.S. is the best partner for security with Taiwan and Japan.

The U.S. has a NATO agreement with European countries but there is no similar agreement with the countries in the Asia Pacific region. Facing China’s rapid increase in military and economic influence, security cooperation among many countries is indispensable. Pompeo said. “When one talks about security, one is talking about economic capacity and the rule of law, the ability to protect intellectual property, trade agreements, diplomatic relationships, and all of the elements that form a security framework. It is not just military.” He also stressed that the democratic countries should unite and strengthen the foundation to “counter the challenge that the Chinese Communist Party presents to all of us.”

Source: Liberty Time News, October 6, 2020
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/3313495

On Wednesday, October 7, an Indian independent journalist Aditya Raj Kaul posted the full text of a letter from the Chinese Embassy to India on Twitter. The letter gave instructions to Indian media on how to “properly” report the 109th anniversary of the Republic of China’s National Day on October 10th.

The letter started out by saying, “Regarding the so-called forthcoming ‘National Day of Taiwan,’ the Chinese Embassy in India would like to remind our media friends that there is only one China in the world, and the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory.”

The letter then claimed these “facts” are recognized by the UN and represent the “universal consensus of the international community.” It went on to mention that countries with diplomatic relations with China, including India, should all honor the “one China” policy.

The Chinese embassy then stressed, “Taiwan shall not be referred to as a ‘country (nation)’ or the ‘Republic of China’ and the leader of China’s Taiwan region (shall not be referred to) as ‘President,’ so as not to send the wrong signals to the general public.” The letter then ended with a thinly veiled threat, “We are willing to maintain communication with media friends on China-related reports.”

The incident invited widespread attention. Nicola Smith, Asian correspondent of the Daily Telegraph also commented on Twitter. “Can’t imagine the Indian media will be told what to do by the Chinese embassy, particularly given the border tensions. (There is) also a factually inaccurate statement. The One China principle, as understood by Beijing, is NOT the ‘universal consensus of the international community.’”

Aditya Raj Kaul asked on Twitter, “Is this an indirect threat to Indian media who cover Taiwan?” He forwarded the letter to the official Twitter accounts of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Digital Diplomacy Lab.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a response on Twitter saying, “India is the largest democracy on Earth with a vibrant press & freedom-loving people. But it looks like communist China is hoping to march into the subcontinent by imposing censorship.” Digital Diplomacy Lab also posted a cartoon that showed President Tsai Ing-wen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi were toasting together.

On Thursday October 8, the Indian media responded to the Chinese Embassy with action. The mainstream Indian newspapers Indian Express and The Statesman each published a full-page advertisement for Taiwan’s October 10th National Day, and a notice on a special TV report on Taiwan.

Source: Radio Free Asia, October 8, 2020
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/in-ad-10082020095552.html