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China’s Reaction to Trump’s Election Win

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Xinhua Commentary Series: Spotlight on the U.S. Presidential Election

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Wu Guoguang: Xi Jinping’s Reversal of the Course, Will China’s Transition be Peaceful or Marked with Bloodshed?

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Cheng Xiaonong: U.S.-China Strategic Relations Have Crystallized

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LTN: China Announced the Suspension of Issuing Ordinary Passports

Major Taiwanese news network Liberty Times Network (LTN) recently reported that China is restricting the border entry and exit of Chinese nationals in the name of controlling the spread of COVID-19. The Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council of China held a press conference. Liu Haitao, Director of Border Inspection and Management of the Chinese National Immigration Administration, announced that, to be strict in preventing the importation of the epidemic, China will tightly restrict the flow of people across borders for non-emergency and non-essential purposes. Travel documents, such as ordinary passports, will not be issued until further notice. Liu blamed these restrictions on a “very obvious” epidemic rebound overseas. Liu also announced detailed policies governing the human flow at international airports, sea ports and land entry points. Land entries still allow cargo transportation. Chinese passports include Diplomatic Passports, Service Passports, Ordinary Passports and SAR (Special Administrative Regions) Passports.

Source: LTN, August 4, 2021
https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/3627324

Briefings | | |   Social Stability

Zoom to Pay $85 Million to Users after Lying about Privacy

Well-known Chinese news site Sina (NASDAQ: SINA) recently reported that popular video conferencing provider Zoom Video Communications will have to pay $85 million to its users as part of the settlement of a class-action lawsuit. The company was accused of lying about offering end-to-end encryption on its services; as well as providing user data to Facebook and Google without permission. This came nine months after Zoom agreed to security improvements and a “prohibition on privacy and security misrepresentations” in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission. However, the FTC settlement didn’t include compensation for users. In addition to payments, Zoom agreed to over a dozen major changes to its practices. Zoom later issued a statement promising, “The privacy and security of our users are top priorities for Zoom.” Back in 2020, it was revealed that Zoom did not offer end-to-end encryption despite claiming to do so. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic forced more people to work from home, Zoom’s user base has increased fivefold. In April 2021, the company had 497,000 customers with more than 10 employees, compared to only 81,900 in January 2020. Zoom said that, as more people get vaccinated and return to work, its growth may slow down.

Source: Sina, August 2, 2021
https://finance.sina.com.cn/tech/2021-08-02/doc-ikqciyzk8970558.shtml

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology

Apple Added New Flagship Chinese Assembler

Popular Chinese technology news site CNBeta recently reported that Apple has given Chinese electronics maker Luxshare Precision Industry a big promotion, tapping the company for iPhone 13 Pro production. Alongside long-term partners Foxconn and Pegatron, Luxshare is a new assembler making the latest flagship models. This move by Apple is highly unusual, as it used to only allow new faces to assemble old models. It appears that Apple is expanding the diversification of its supply chain for risk management, while also gaining bargain chips in negotiations with Foxconn and Pegatron. However, Apple’s high end model iPhone 13 Pro Max remains exclusively in the hands of Foxconn. In addition to Luxshare, Lens Technology will begin to provide metal frames for the iPhone; Sunny Optical will provide iPhone lens; Goertek and Luxshare will share the manufacturing orders for AirPods 3; and BOE Technology will also supply OLED displays for the iPhone, starting this year. The stock prices of these Chinese companies have all increased significantly.

Source: CNBeta, August 4, 2021
https://www.cnbeta.com/articles/tech/1161825.htm

Briefings | | |   Information/Technology US-China Relations

Sputnik: China’s Mask Exports More Than Tripled

According to the data from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, China has increased its total exports of personal protective equipment (PPE) by nearly three times.

In 2019, China’s total PPE exports reached US$ 22.9 billion, and in 2020 they will reach US$88.1 billion.

The total amount of China’s exports of PPE to the EU increased from US$3.9 billion in 2019 to US$ 23.4 billion in 2020. As for Russia, according to data from the Russian Customs Service, the total imports of medical PPE and disinfection products from China has increased from US$570 million in 2019 to US$2.01 billion in 2020.

The total amount of China’s exports of PPE to the U.S. has increased from US$7.1 billion to US$24.6 billion.

It is reported that China’s substantial increase in the production of PPE didn’t stop the price of this product from rising in 2020. Among its products, the price of a mask in April 2020 increased by 720.8 percent compared to December 2019.

Source: Sputnik, August 6, 2021
https://sputniknews.cn/china/202108061034216950/

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Japan Announced Missile Plan to Deal with China’s Threat

According to the Japanese newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun, in 2022, to prevent China from crossing the first island chain, Japan will deploy a missile force on Ishigaki Island. The island is 300 kilometers (186 miles) away from the coast of Taiwan.

Yomiuri Shimbun quoted an official from Japan’s Ministry of Defense who mentioned that an army force of 500 to 600  is expected to be deployed on Ishigaki Island. One of the troops will be equipped with shore-to-ship missiles and surface-to-air missiles, and the other will be a security force that can respond to armed attacks and large-scale natural disasters. The missile range will cover northern Taiwan just to deter China.

In addition, Japan’s Ministry of Defense is also planning to install electronic warfare units on the U.S. Island before the end of 2023 and build a new Self-Defense Force base on Magog Island.

On August 3, Japan’s Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told the Financial Times that, as China continues to increase its security threat to Taiwan, the international community should pay more attention to Taiwan. Other experts also believe that China’s threat to Taiwan has caused a backlash in other Asian countries.

Source: Deutsche Welle, August 5, 2021
https://p.dw.com/p/3yYxN

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Swiss Student Lost PhD Fellowship after He Criticized China

A Swiss media exposed that a professor at the University of St. Gallen suspended the academic relationship he had with a PhD student because the student criticized China. The university also ended the student PhD fellowship with the university.

On August 3, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, a Swiss, German-language newspaper reported that a PhD student at the University of St. Gallen lost his PhD fellowship after tweeting a criticism of China. The incident took place in March 2020. The student goes by the name of Oliver Gerber as pseudonym. Gerber told the media that his professor received “an angry email” from China complaining that Gerber had spread “neo-Nazi” content on twitter. The professor terminated his academic ties with Gerber and also warned Gerber that he should moderate his political speech on the social media platform. A couple of days later, Gerber received a notification from the University of St. Gallen that they disabled his school email.

Gerber began his PhD research on environmental pollution at the University of St. Gallen in the spring of 2017. The subject is closely related to China. Gerber received a three-year government scholarship from a university in Wuhan, China. He met his Chinese girlfriend while he was in Wuhan, but he soon discovered that China’s censorship system affected his academic studies. When he submitted an article about re-education camps, he was given the lowest score.

Before Christmas in 2019, Gerber returned to Switzerland for the holiday. However, he couldn’t return back to Wuhan because of COVID. He began to use Twitter to condemn the Chinese government for the initial coverup of the new pandemic and for the repression in Xinjiang. He also criticized Xi Jinping. He said he was only active on Twitter for 10 days and had 10 followers.

The University of St. Gallen portrayed a different version of why Gerber was dismissed. It alleged that Gerber requested the cancellation of his registration at the University of St. Gallen while he was in China and denied that the University is influenced by China.

In recent years, Swiss universities have expanded their cooperation with China. The University of St. Gallen currently has 15 project agreements with China. However, the school emphasized that the department where Gerber was enrolled did not receive funds from China.

Source: Radio Free Asia, August 5, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/sw-study-08052021091941.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

China’s Armed Police Trained Cuba’s Black Berets

On August 3, 2021, the Russian news agency Sputnik reported that, in February 2021, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) appears to have sent a group of China’s Armed Police officers to Cuba to train the Cuban Black Berets, a special forces unit under the Cuban Ministry of the Interior. Beijing Today reported the Sputnik article. Information from the U.S. media indicates that Black Berets played a crucial role in squashing the unprecedented protests in Cuba last month.

According to Beijing Today, the Sputnik article shows group photos of Chinese Armed Police officers and Cuban Black Berets. In the pictures, the Black Berets are holding Russian SVD sniper rifles. The Chinese officers were training the Black Berets on sniper rifle shooting.

An article that Beijing Today posted stated that experts believe China’s dispatch of experienced instructors to Cuba has taught the White House a lesson. It stated that the training solidified the combat capabilities of these elite forces in the Cuban Ministry of the Interior. It is not a good thing for the United States.

This was not the first media report indicating that China provided military training to Cuba. On May 27, 2010, the CCP media China Central TV (CCTV), broadcasted on its military channel (Junshi Jishi) a program on training Cuba’s Black Berets titled, “Chinese Armed Police as ‘Foreign Teachers.’” From November 2008 to January 2009, in 55 days, four Chinese Armed Police officers taught the Cuban Black Berets mixed martial arts, hostage rescue, and handling “large scale riots” to close to a hundred Cuban students. The training was held at the training base for the special forces of the Cuban Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to the CCTV program, senior generals from the Cuban Ministry of Internal Affairs awarded “Special Contribution” medals (“extremely high honors”) to the Chinese officers.

In 2016, China’s Armed Police in the Ningxia Autonomous Region (central-north China) also sent instructors to Cuba. From April 19 to May 21, 2016, they provided training across six categories to the Cuban special forces. The Chinese media reports show group photos of the Chinese officers and the Cuban Black Berets. The purpose of the trip was to “consolidate the traditional friendship between the Armed Police Force and the Cuban Ministry of Internal Affairs along with its affiliated police forces, and to deepen the practical cooperation between the two parties.” China’s Armed Police instructors “demonstrated excellent military skills and good style. They also successfully completed the glorious and arduous training tasks assigned by the heads of the [Chinese Communist] Party committees at the headquarters.” Again, the Cuban Ministry of Internal Affairs awarded “Special Contribution” medals to the Chinese officers.

Sources:
1. Beijing Today, August 4, 2021
http://www.beijingtoday.com.cn/military/573216

2. China News, May 28, 2010
http://www.chinanews.com/gn/news/2010/05-28/2311268.shtml

3. China Military, May 27, 2016
http://www.js7tv.cn/news/201605_46656.html; more group photos at https://kknews.cc/zh-cn/military/og2yge6.html

 

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Former CCP Official: What’s behind the Latest Round of the CCP’s Anti-U.S. Propaganda?

On August 4, 2021, People’s Daily, a media mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) published a strongly worded commentary against the United States. From July 20 to August 4, 2021, the CCP’s mouthpiece issued a total of 16 anti-U.S. commentaries, one a day. According to analysts, this is extremely rare in the 42 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. These commentaries are under the pen name “Zhong Sheng” (or central voice, the homophone in Chinese, i.e., the voice of the CCP Central Committee).

In his article on August 5, 2021, Dr. Wang Youqun, the primary speechwriter for Wei Jianqun, former CCP  Politburo standing member, explained the reasons behind China’s intensive anti-U.S. campaign. The recent anti-U.S. propaganda campaign launched by the CCP is part of the CCP’s new strategy to confront the United States and it helps to avert attention from the escalating domestic conflicts the CCP is facing.

According to Dr. Wang, the CCP’s strategy toward the United States has gone, roughly, through three stages: confronting the United States from the establishment of the CCP in 1949 to the visit of U.S. President Nixon on February 21, 1972; manipulating the United States from 1972 until the overall deterioration of Sino-US relations in 2020; confronting the United States from 2020 to the present.

In 2020, when the COVID-19 (or “CCP virus”) spread from Wuhan to the United States, it caused the worst blow since World War II to all aspects of the U.S. economy, politics, and social life. Meanwhile, in 2020, the CCP made several moves against the United States. These actions  include the CCP warship military exercise at Midway Island in the Pacific Ocean from January to February 2020; the announcement of the completion of the “Fortress Area” for strategic nuclear submarines in the South China Sea in March 2020; the announcement of the completion of deployment of China’s spacecraft in June 2020; the launching of the most intensive military exercises in more than 40 years from the Bohai Sea, to the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and the mainland in July 2020.

On January 11, 2021, Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the Party School of the Central Committee. He stated, “The world today is undergoing major changes unseen in a century.” The general trend of the world is “rising in the east and falling in the west.” “but the times and trends are on our side” and “the side of the world today. The biggest source of chaos is in the United States.” “The United States is the biggest threat to my country’s development and security.” . . .

These statements set the official tone for the CCP’s strategic shift toward confronting the United States. During the Sino-U.S. Tianjin talks on July 25-26, 2021, the CCP fiercely bombarded the United States, indicating that the CCP’s strategy against the United States has taken shape.

Dr. Wang also believed that the CCP launched the recent anti-U.S. propaganda campaign to divert attention from domestic conflicts.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. For centuries, the CCP has suppressed its people with “high pressure” means.  Today, the following social, economic and political conflicts have reached an unprecedented level in a number of ways:

  • Conflicts among top CCP leaders and factions, Xi Jinping, Jiang Zemin, the Communist Youth League group, the CCP elders, CCP princelings, and others on the redistribution of power at the 20th National Congress of the CCP;
  • Conflicts between the current CCP leadership and those senior officials investigated and disciplined for corruption;
  • Conflicts between the CCP and business interests such as those behind Ant Group who are prohibited from listing in Shanghai and Hong Kong, those behind the Didi Chuxing Company that the CCP cracked down on within days of its IPO in Wall Street, and the investors behind the education and training companies recently restricted from public financing;
  • Conflicts between the very few powerful families of the CCP leadership that have monopolized China’s most profitable industries and the more than 600 million people with a monthly income of only 1,000 yuan ($154.24);
  • Conflicts with the Hong Kong people; and
  • Conflicts with the persecuted groups such as the Uyghurs, Christians, Falun Gong, human rights lawyers, private entrepreneurs, citizen journalists, the 1989 Tiananmen massacre survivors, pro-democracy activists, and many other groups.

Source: Epoch Times, August 4, 2021

https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/21/8/4/n13139401.htm

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations