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NYC Bans All Government Devices from Using TikTok

Well-known Chinese news site Sohu (NASDAQ: SOHU) recently reported that New York City has joined the many U.S. states and jurisdictions that have banned the use of the video-sharing app TikTok on government devices.

The report stated that, on August 16th, New York City’s Network Department asked that TikTok be removed from government equipment within 30 days, citing so-called “security concerns.” According to Sohu, this is the latest move of the U.S. government that unreasonably suppressed Chinese companies and technology applications. This series of “prohibitions” by the United States violate the principle of fair competition.

A spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in the statement that government personnel will be unable to access the app and its website on city devices as well as city networks. According to the article, many government departments in New York City have TikTok accounts, including Mayor Adams, who has 11,600 followers. The NYC Department of Health also has nearly 50,000 followers on TikTok. After the ban was issued, these city-operated accounts all announced that they would end operation by the end of August. The Politico website stated that more than 30 states across the United States have banned employees from using TikTok on government equipment.

Source: Sohu, August 17, 2023
https://www.sohu.com/a/712608913_121332532

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

People’s Daily: “Strike Hard!” – CIA Spy Busted by Chinese National Security

People’s Daily reported that a Chinese national, last name Zeng, has been arrested for spying on behalf of the US. According to the article, Zeng was born in July 1971 and works at a Chinese military industrial company. Zeng had access to important classified information. When Zeng was sent to study in Italy by the Chinese government, an official named “Seth” from the U.S. Embassy in Italy approached him and eventually recruited him to be a CIA spy. Zeng signed a spy agreement with the U.S. and participated in CIA examinations and training. After returning to China, Zeng met secretly with CIA personnel many times, providing a large amount of core intelligence information to the U.S. and receiving money from the U.S.

The People’s Daily article follows CIA Director William Burns’ recent statement that the U.S. has made progress in rebuilding its spy networks in China, as well as the U.S.’ recent arrest of two Navy servicemen accused of transmitting military information to China.

Source: People’s Daily, August 11, 2023
http://society.people.com.cn/n1/2023/0811/c1008-40054456.html

Briefings | | |   Defense/Military US-China Relations

Guangming Daily: It Is Not China But the U.S. That Does the Economic Coercion

Guangming Daily has published a response to recent criticism from the international community, saying that it is not Communist China that conducts economic coercion of Asia-Pacific countries; rather it is the U.S. that is coercive.

The article said that the U.S. aims to create a new narrative to rally allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region, building an “anti-economic coercion” coalition against China’s rise. The U.S. seeks to create a hostile external public opinion environment for China, and the U.S.’ intensified portrayal of China’s “economic threat” is for the purpose of excluding China from the global supply chain, critical technology, and trade systems. This approach, camouflaged as exposition of China’s “economic coercion,” is, in reality, economic coercion by the U.S. against China.

The article further argues that this “economic coercion” by the U.S. will fail for the following reasons:

  1. Many Asia-Pacific countries understand the damage caused by the U.S.’ “economic coercion” and won’t support it.
  2. The U.S.’ “economic coercion” tactic is against the trend of openness and inclusion in the Asia-Pacific region, and therefore it is against the interest of the countries in this region.
  3. The U.S.’ effort of using this “economic coercion” to promote the “de-Chinaization” of the Asia-Pacific economy is nothing but a foolish and unrealistic delusion.

Source: Guangming Daily, August 3, 2023
https://news.gmw.cn/2023-08/03/content_36741488.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations

Xinhua: Chinese and Russian Think Tanks Say AUKUS Is Promoting Nuclear Proliferation

China’s state-run Xinhua news reported on August 3rd that the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association and the Russian Center for Energy and Security Studies jointly released a research report in Vienna, Austria, titled “The Risks of AUKUS Nuclear Submarine Cooperation on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Mechanisms and Global Security.” The report claims that AUKUS, a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, is intensifying the risk of nuclear proliferation. The report additionally says that AUKUS “poses a serious challenge to the international nuclear non-proliferation system and the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), severely threatening regional peace and stability.”

The report says that AUKUS cooperation “undermines international norms and creates negative impacts on various non-proliferation mechanisms, nuclear safety, and security, leading to increased arms competition and global insecurity.”

Li Song, the Chinese representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna,  said that AUKUS nuclear submarine cooperation should be handled through consultation and consensus among the member states of IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency. He said that China will continue to work towards promoting “open, inclusive, and sustainable” intergovernmental discussion processes at the IAEA.

Source: Xinhua, August 3, 2023
http://www.news.cn/world/2023-08/03/c_1129784778.htm

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend US-China Relations

UDN: Alfred University Closed Its Confucius Institute

United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, recently reported that Alfred University, which is in New York, recently announced that it will close its Confucius Institute before the end of June. The university received a grant from the Pentagon to carry out a research project on sensitive hypersonic weapons, which drew concerns from Congress starting on October. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of the United States for the fiscal year 2021 prohibits the Department of Defense from providing funds to higher education institutions that have Confucius Institutes. Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, pointed out that, due to this ban, as of June last year, more than 100 American colleges and universities had closed their Confucius Institutes. Gallagher pointed out that unless Alfred University closes its Confucius Institute or applies for a government exemption, the subsidized research program will become illegal. The Confucius Institute is just one of many tools in the Chinese Communist Party’s toolbox, and Beijing may also use research partnerships, talent programs, and other initiatives to acquire sensitive technology that will advance the People’s Liberation Army. According to the statistics of the National Association of Scholars, under the joint control of the executive and legislative branches of the United States. In recent years, as of March 22 this year, a total of 108 Confucius Institutes in the United States had been closed or wee being closed, and currently only 13 remain.

Source: UDN, June 17, 2023
https://udn.com/news/story/6813/7241414

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

China’s Police Shared Experiences on Conducting Operations Overseas

Recently overseas media reported that Chinese police from Qingtian County, Zhejiang Province published their “successful” experiences in conducting operations in other countries. The article was published in the second issue of the Zhejiang Police College Publication in 2019.

There are 330,000 Chinese from Qingtian County who live in 128 foreign countries and regions. These diasporas have established 314 diasporas associations.

The police experience article talked about their work of combining “one concept, two overall plannings, three collaborations, four major mechanisms, and five areas of governance.”

“Two overall plannings” included the planning for domestic and overseas,words, two battlefields. Domestic planning – visit the relatives (inside China) of the overseas “stability maintenance” targets (usually the political activists/dissidents whom the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) views as a threat to its rule in China). Overseas planning – send working groups abroad to meet with the Chinese diasporas.

“Three collaborations”: One is to collaborate with Chinese embassies and consulates and  them to reach out to local Chinese diaspora groups. Two is to collaborate with the leaders of diaspora associations – Qingtian police has established regular collaborative mechanism with 230 Chinese diaspora associations and maintained regular contacts with 150 influential diaspora leaders. Three is to collaborate with the people who were the former police officers or relatives of former police officers.

The article also talked about strengthening the party’s leadership, including expanding the party organization’s reach to the overseas Chinese diaspora associations and establishing a party structure inside the Chinese diaspora associations via the party organs at China’s embassies and consulates.

The Qingtian police created a “Police-Diaspora Station” service center. Its online system started operation in 2018. The Qingtian police led the efforts, with Chinese diaspora associations participating in and providing offices. The service center has organized video conferences, information sharing sessions, regular meetings, and timely service. It created 15 sub-centers in 11 countries including Spain, Italy, and France.

The “four major mechanisms” includes establishing a “grid-management” mechanism, with larger diaspora associations as the base, and diaspora leaders, diasporas who are party members, and overseas police liaisons as the expanding points, to manage the diaspora communities. It has “successfully” handled 15 cases of a few diasporas’ protests against the CCP or its leader’s visit.

The “five areas of governance” listed anti-Falun Gong as its first area. It quoted that Qingtian police guided the “World Chinese Diaspora Anti-Cult Association in Spain” to protest the Shen Yun performance held in Barcelona in 2014.

Source: Epoch Times, May 25, 2023
http://cn.epochtimes.com/gb/23/5/25/n14003947.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics US-China Relations

State Media: “As Expected, China Did not Indulge the US, It Rejected Meeting of Defense Ministers”

A Chinese media commented that China has rejected U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s request to meet with China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu as not to “spoil” the U.S. (as one might spoil a child).

The article stated:

Why did China reject the meeting request? The U.S. should reflect on itself. In the past year, the U.S. created many frictions and caused Sino-U.S. relations to hit rock bottom. The U.S. has maliciously speculated about China’s military threat to the U.S., continued to impose malicious sanctions on China, and even embarrassed China in the diplomatic field. It wants to restore high-level communication, especially on military matters, to avoid misjudgments by either side that might lead the two countries into military conflict. This is for the U.S.’s own interest – so that it can continue its military surveillance and border provocation and not to worry about getting its military into danger.

Not removing the sanction on Li Shangfu is another reason for China to reject the meeting.

Since 2021, China has rejected or not answered more than 10 requests initiated from the U.S. Department of Defense on key leadership contact. The U.S. should look at itself for reasons – it has unshirkable responsibility for damaging the relationship between China and the United States.

Source: Net Ease, May 30, 2023
https://www.163.com/dy/article/I5VL0HNG05562BTO.html

Briefings | | |   @CS US-China Relations

CBN: LinkedIn to Shut Down Chinese Jobs App

China Business Network (CBN) recently reported that Microsoft’s workplace social media network, LinkedIn, just announced layoffs and that it will shut down its job-seeking application service in China. The company further said it plans to cut 716 jobs as demand fluctuates. It is worth noting that LinkedIn continues to downsize its business in China. The company decided to withdraw most of its Chinese business in 2021, and it shifted its business focus in China to meet the needs of job hunting and recruitment, and no longer produce content. After the latest business adjustment, LinkedIn said that, due to fierce competition and a challenging macroeconomic environment, it will take its only remaining application InCareers offline on August 9. However, a company spokesperson said LinkedIn would maintain a presence in China to help companies with operations in China recruit and train workers abroad. LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky said in a letter to employees, that the company will be offloading more work to external partners in the future, who will then take on some of LinkedIn’s current work. The company also said the move to cut positions in sales, operations and support teams is aimed at simplifying the company’s operations and will move towards a more flattened management structure for faster decision-making. Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016 for an estimated US$26 billion. According to Microsoft CEO Nadella previously revealed that, in 2021, LinkedIn’s global annual revenue was about US$10 billion.

Source: CBN, May 9, 2023
https://www.yicai.com/news/101751217.html

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations