Radio France Internationale (RFI) Chinese Edition recently reported that Nexperia (headquartered in the Netherlands), owned by Chinese company Wingtech, is in the process of acquiring Britain’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, Newport Wafer Fab (NWF). The move raised doubts about British national security. UK Prime Minister Johnson stated in the British Parliament last Wednesday that his national security adviser will look into the acquisition. The analysts expressed the belief that this obviously represents a reversal of the British government’s policy on this case. At the moment when the UK-China relationship is strained and the global chip shortage intensifies, the overseas investment situation of Chinese companies is increasingly under scrutiny. This acquisition case is particularly concerning. It is worth noting that, only one day before the Prime Minister made the comments in Parliament, his spokesperson told reporters that the government thought, “It would be inappropriate to intervene at this moment.” The Chinese government holds around a 30 percent stake in Wingtech.

Source: RFI Chinese, July 7, 2021
https://bit.ly/3k1bjbZ

On July 9, the Taliban spokesman stated that they have made territorial gains and secured 85 percent of the region in Afghanistan. They also see China as a friend and welcome China to return to invest in Afghanistan. In response to the comment, Hu Xijin, the Chief Editor of Global Times, published a post on weibo boasting that the Taliban and China are friends.

Hu wrote in the post: “Now you understand how stable and powerful China’s diplomacy is. The United States has been fighting in Afghanistan for 20 years. More than 2,000 soldiers have been killed. It cost the U.S. one trillion U.S. dollars. The Taliban sees the U.S. as an enemy, and the Afghan government sees the U.S. as a selfish escapee. China’s approach, however, makes us friends with both Kabul and the Taliban. What’s important is that we will always be friends with Afghanistan.”

People posted comments trashing Hu’s post. One person wrote, “Who agrees that you and the Taliban are friends?” “Are we at a point that we need to be friends with the Taliban and use it as an achievement to show off?” “My views of the world, life and values are completely destroyed.” “Do we have no friends?” “It turns out that terrorists are also politically correct. Those who commit so-called terrorist attacks in Hong Kong must be killed without mercy! Meanwhile, Taliban terrorists can be friends. As a person and a country, you really have no bottom line. ”

Source: 163.Com, July 12, 2012
https://www.163.com/dy/article/GEML1RSU055250DA.html

While July 1 was Canada’s National Day, the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) in Canada held events to celebrate the centennial of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Since mid-June, the messages about the “July 1 Party Centennial Campaign” have been circulating on WeChat among Canadian users. The CSSA’s at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and Simon Fraser University (SFU), as well as the Chinese Consulate in Vancouver organized the event. The event encourages students to submit artistic and literary works to express their so-called “love for the country and the Party.” Words in praise of the CCP were everywhere in the works of the winners of the awards that the organizers announced. For example, “The Chinese Communist Party has led the Chinese people to miracles that have shocked the world,” “We were born under the red flag and grew up in the spring breeze, and the shining five stars are our faith.”

A student at the University of British Columbia came from an immigrant family in Hong Kong. He told Radio Free Asia that clashes between Chinese and other students on university campuses have already occurred over Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues. The CSSA’s way of doing things is weird. Not all CSSA members are international students, and many are Canadian citizens or residents.

This is one of numerous examples of how Chinese authorities influence campus affairs in Canada.

Source: Radio Free Asia, July 8, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/lf-07082021140950.html

On July 8, China’s official People’s Daily newspaper reported on the cooperation and economic relationships between China and Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries.

In February 2021, the head of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, hosted the China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Summit in Beijing via video link and delivered a keynote speech.

In 2020, the China-CEE trade volume exceeded US$100 billion for the first time, a growth of 8.4 percent over 2019. In the first four months of this year, China-CEE bilateral trade totaled US$40.71 billion, which was 47.9 percent higher than the same period in 2020.

On May 27, the 100 MW photovoltaic (PV) power plant project in Kauposzburg, Hungary’s largest PV power plant, was put into operation. The China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CMC), a subsidiary of China General Technology Group invested in and built the PV plant. After grid connection, It is expected to generate 130 million kWh of electricity annually.

The “China-CEE Energy Cooperation Report” that the China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute released shows that, as of September 2020, Chinese enterprises had invested more than 4 billion euros in wind power, photovoltaic and other fields in Central and Eastern Europe. The Chinese new energy vehicle, lithium battery and parts manufacturers have set up factories in CEE countries to integrate into the European new energy vehicle industry supply chain. Key energy cooperation projects such as the Dabar hydroelectric power station in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Pancevo combined-cycle power station in Serbia are under construction.

Montenegro is the leader of those China-CEE countries in the environmental protection cooperation mechanism. The key projects that Chinese enterprises constructed in Montenegro include the Mozura wind power station and the first phase of eco-renovation of the Pljevlja Thermal Power Station.

Source: People’s Daily, July 8, 2021
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2021-07/08/nw.D110000renmrb_20210708_1-17.htm