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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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Xinhua Commentaries: “Exposing the Three Major Political Deficits of the U.S.”

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Chinese Police Forced German-Chinese to Provide Information on Overseas Protesters

A recent investigation by German news outlet Correctiv has uncovered the case of a young German-Chinese man who was pressured by Chinese authorities to provide information about Chinese-Germans critical of the Chinese government. The man, identified as Alex, was interrogated by police upon his arrival in China and was shown photos of himself participating in anti-government protests in Germany. After hours of questioning, Alex provided fake names of two protesters he knew. Correctiv has verified his account through conversations and evidence such as photos and chat records.

German security agencies are currently investigating the incident. If confirmed, this incident will further strain the already tense relations between Germany and China. Ulrich Lechte, a spokesperson for the Free Democratic Party parliamentary group, and Jürgen Hardt, the deputy chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, have called on the German Foreign Ministry to issue travel warnings for China in response to this incident.

The German Foreign Ministry has stated that German citizens of Chinese descent have consular protection rights, and they are unaware of any Chinese refusal to recognize the German citizenship of ethnic Chinese Germans. The ministry acknowledged previous cases where China did not fully comply with its international obligations when dealing with ethnic Chinese who obtained foreign citizenship.

This incident adds to the list of instances where Chinese authorities have pressured Chinese citizens or ethnic Chinese living abroad. In a previous investigation, it was revealed that the Chinese government exerts strict control over Chinese students studying in Germany, particularly those receiving scholarships from the China Scholarship Council. These students are required to sign agreements promising not to engage in activities detrimental to China’s interests and regularly report to the Chinese embassy. Several Chinese students expressed fears of government surveillance and harsh reactions from the Chinese consulate if they participated in protests in Germany.

The German Foreign Ministry has not indicated whether travel warnings for China will be updated in light of this incident.

Source: Deutsche Welle, July 8, 2023
https://p.dw.com/p/4TcNi

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Vietnamese Government Orders Removal of Chinese TV Series due to Nine-Dash Line Dispute

The live-action movie “Barbie” has been banned in Vietnam due to a disagreement over the depiction of the “nine-dash line” map, which China uses to define its territorial claim in the South China Sea. Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries do not recognize this line. In addition, the Vietnamese government ordered Netflix and the local telecommunications company FPT to remove the Chinese TV series “Flight To You” from their platforms as it also featured scenes with the disputed map.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture’s Film Bureau claimed that although FPT had blurred the “nine-dash line” map in the TV series, it still contained “inappropriate content” that violated Vietnamese national sovereignty and film laws. The investigation identified specific episodes of the series, stating that they included unacceptable visuals, dialogues, and subtitles related to the disputed map.

The Vietnamese Film Bureau sent a letter to FPT, pointing out that despite blurring the map, the TV series had other unacceptable plot points and scenes that were deemed unsuitable for broadcast in Vietnam. Netflix and FPT were given 24 hours from July 10 to remove the series and submit a written report to the Film Bureau by July 12.

According to a Taiwan Central News Agency report, Netflix and FPT have already taken down the entire series in Vietnam. The series remains available in other regions. The report also mentions previous instances where the “nine-dash line” map caused controversies, such as its appearance on the official website of a South Korean concert in Hanoi and the ban of the Hollywood film “Uncharted” in Vietnam.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled at The Hague in 2016 that China’s claim to the “nine-dash line” lacked a legal basis and is not valid under international law.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), July 11, 2023
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202307110080.aspx

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Wang Yi’s Comments on China’s Foreign Relations Law

China passed the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Foreign Relations” on June 28, 2023. Wang Yi, China’s number one official in charge of foreign affairs, holding the titles of Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) Politburo member, Director of CCP Central Committee’s Foreign Affairs Work Committee, and State Council member, published a lengthy report on People’s Daily to praise the significance of the law.

Wang stated that the law represents Xi Jinping’s ideas on conducting foreign affairs, as well as the work of the CCP’s leadership on the matter. He also suggested that law offers a weapon for China to better fight against foreign forces.

Wang stated the following:

“(1) The enactment of the law on foreign relations is a major achievement in implementing Xi Jinping Diplomatic Thought in the form of law.”

“(2) The enactment of the law on foreign relations is an important measure to strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the CCP Central Committee on foreign affairs.”

…

“(6) The enactment of the law on foreign relations address an urgent need to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. At present, China’s development has entered a period of the coexistence of strategic opportunities and risks and challenges, with increased uncertainties and unpredictable factors. In the face of serious challenges, we must maintain strategic determination, know and meet the difficulties, dare to fight, and be good at fighting. This includes the use of the weapon of laws and continuous enrichment and improvement of the legal “toolbox” for foreign affairs struggle, and full use of the law as a “stabilizer” for international order. The enactment of the foreign relations law, the clearly opposing of all hegemony and superpower politics, the opposing of any unilateralism, protectionism, bullying, and foreign interference, sanctions, sabotage and other acts against our country, and the clear enactment of legal provisions on countermeasures and restrictions will have preventive, warning, and deterrent effect, offering our country the legal basis to exercise anti-sanctions and anti-interference, and offering us legal means to safeguard national interests and maintain world peace.”

Source: People’s Daily, June 29, 2023
http://politics.people.com.cn/n1/2023/0629/c1001-40023485.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

China State Media Uniformly Talked About People in Western Countries Not Having Enough Food to Eat

A Chinese netizen found that China’s state media collectively reported that people in Western countries do not have enough food. He concluded that “the official media’s intensive spreading of news that foreigners don’t have enough to eat is to tell you that hard times are coming (to you).” (Editor’s note: The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) logic is to tell Chinese people that people in other countries are in a horrible state and therefore, when hardship comes to the Chinese, they can justify or accept it since they are no worse off than those foreigners.)

The netizen gathered screenshots of several CCP controlled media around June 30:

  • Xinhua News Agency said, “One in every seven Brits didn’t have enough to eat last year;”
  • People’s Daily claimed, “Australia’s low-income families face severe cost-of-living pressure;”
  • China Daily claimed, “Homeless people in New York shelters hits record high of over 100,000;”
  • Xinmin Evening News, a media owned by Shanghai government, claimed, “One fifth of the German population is at risk of poverty;”
  • The Global Times reported, “Japanese media: Inflation soars, Japanese elderly can’t afford to eat fish.”

Source: Aboluo website, July 3, 2023
https://www.aboluowang.com/2023/0703/1922399.html

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Government/Politics

Global Times: China Announced Gallium and Germanium Export Controls

Global Times recently reported that China’s Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs announced the implementation of export controls on items related to gallium and germanium. This has aroused great concern, and some worry that rare earths could be the next target. The Goldman Sachs Group predicted that the West may need to invest more than US$25 billion to rival the supply of rare earths from China. China’s rare earth production accounts for 90 percent of the world’s total refined production. As extremely important scarce strategic resources, gallium and germanium are widely used in cutting-edge technology fields such as satellite communications, solar cells, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. At present, these two rare metals are listed as 35 key minerals by the United States and 61 key raw materials by the European Union. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that items related to gallium and germanium have obvious military and civilian dual-purpose uses. And it is a common international practice to implement export controls on items related to gallium and germanium. China announced the measure just before U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen’s visit to China. Some media outlets said that China’s move was intended to send a signal to the U.S. – China is demonstrating it won’t let repression go, China can fight back.

Source: Global Times, July 7, 2023
https://world.huanqiu.com/article/4Dbx4VTZ5Va

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

Sixteen Chinese Auto Makers Signed a Letter of Commitment

Well-known Chinese news site Sina (NASDAQ: SINA) recently reported that, after experiencing a fierce price war started by Tesla, the Chinese auto industry ushered in an important moment. Witnessed by relevant government agencies, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) and 16 auto companies signed the “Letter of Commitment to Maintain a Fair Market Order in the Auto Industry.” These 16 auto companies, including Tesla China, account for more than 90 percent of the Chinese auto market share. The Letter of Commitment requires auto companies not to disturb the order of fair competition in the market with abnormal prices, and at the same time not to exaggerate and falsely advertise. Tesla was the first to start a price cut frenzy. CAAM said the Commitment ensures that all parties will abide by industry rules and regulations, standardize marketing activities, maintain a fair competition order, and not disrupt the market’s fair competition order with abnormal prices. It also requires all parties to “carry forward the core values of socialism,” actively fulfill social responsibilities, and take active roles in stabilizing the economic growth, strengthening market confidence and preventing risks. Industry insiders expressed the belief that the Letter of Commitment is also a normative measure by the Chinese government against this year’s large-scale price war and unfair competition among car companies.

Source: Sina, July 7, 2023
https://finance.sina.com.cn/nextauto/2023-07-07/doc-imyzurcf9154228.shtml

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources

Fiji Renamed Taiwan Representative Office under Pressure from Beijing

The Fiji government, under pressure from Beijing’ changed the name of Taiwan’s Representative Office in its country from “The Republic of China (Taiwan)” to “Taipei.”

The previous Fiji government had a closer relationship with China. Under China’s pressure, on March 15 it renamed the Taiwan representative office to “Taipei Trade Office in Fiji.” It later signed a secret treaty with China on police exchanges, which allowed China to station a police force in this Pacific island country. A pro-democracy multi-party joint government took power earlier this year after the general election. The new government restored the Taiwan office’s original name from “Trade Mission of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Republic of Fiji.’  However, 3 months later the Fiji government reverted it back to “Taipei Trade Office in Fiji.”

Zhou Jian, China’s Ambassador to Fiji, expressed that China appreciated Fiji for following the “one China” principle. He said that he had successfully convinced the Fiji government to rename the Taiwan office.

Fiji also faced a strong backlash from China after its new Prime Minister started to consider stopping the police exchange treaty with China.

Source: Voice of America, June 22, 2023
https://www.voachinese.com/a/fiji-changes-taiwan-diplomatic-mission-name-back-to-trade-office-20230622/7148002.html

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

Xi Jinping Struggles to Get Officials to Follow His Urge to Move to Xiong’an

NTDTV  reported that, although Xi Jinping appears to have the dominant power in China, he is having a hard time getting officials to join his Xiong’an (雄安) initiative.

Xi raised the idea of developing the Xiong’an New Area (雄安新区) in 2017. It is located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Beijing and 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Baoding City, Hebei Province. Xiong’an wll serve two purposes: one, it will be a development hub for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei economic triangle, and two, it will be, a place to absorb the non-capital-city-related functions from Beijing to reduce Beijing’s overgrowing size. Several years have passed, Xiong’an’s development has still not fully taken off. One reason is that people, especially those who have power or connections, do not want to leave Beijing to move to Xiong’an.

Xi re-kicked off the Xiong’an efforts this year. In May, Xi visited Hebei Province and chaired a meeting to coordinate the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei development. At the meeting, Xi urged that landmark projects be moved  out of Beijing and  enterprise’ headquarters and their second- and third-tier subsidiaries, as well as startup companies, be reallocated to Xiong’an. At another Xiong’an conference meeting on May 10, Xi said, “(Companies and institutes) cannot decide whether to move on their own preference. If they need to move, they must move. They cannot do the move on the surface but return back (to Beijing) in reality.”

However, Xi’s harsh words didn’t result in much movement. From June 7 to 9, Hebei Provincial Party Secretary Ni Yuefeng and Governor Wang Zhengpu went to Beijing to visit central government’s agencies, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee’s departments, and enterprises, to ask them to set up more projects in Xiong’an.

On June 30, Xi Jinping chaired a CCP Politburo meeting to review “The Opinion on Several Policies and Measures on Develop Xiong’an New Area with High Standard and High Quality.” The meeting stressed to “continuously push landmark projects to Xiong’an.”

On July 3, Cai Qi, CCP Politburo Standing Committee member, held a meeting with the Capital City Planning and Development Committee. The meeting asked its committee member organizations to “take the lead in implementing the (move-to-Xiong’an) plan and supporting the work to help Beijing.”

These repeated efforts from Xi, Cai Qi, and Hebei provincial leaders showed that officials in Beijing are silently resisting Xi’s call to move to Xiong’an.

Source: NTDTV, July 4, 2023
https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/07/04/a103742825.html

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics