More South Koreans Express Concern Over Chinese Imports Under the China-Korea FTA
South Korea is facing growing criticism over the industrial impact of its free trade agreement (FTA) with China as Chinese manufacturing has rapidly upgraded. The former complementary relationship—South Korea supplying components while China handled assembly and processing—is shifting as Chinese intermediate goods increasingly penetrate the Korean market. Korean media have warned that lower-priced Chinese products are putting pressure on domestic manufacturers, particularly in electronic components, auto parts, machinery, and consumer goods.
Park Seung-chan, director of the China Business Research Institute and a professor at Yongin University, wrote in January that more than 80 percent of South Korea’s exports to China had historically consisted of intermediate goods. As China’s manufacturing sector has advanced, Korean exports of materials, components, and equipment to China have declined, while Chinese intermediate goods have gained market share in South Korea.
Korean businesses are also concerned about China’s regulatory environment. As South Korea and China negotiate a second phase of the FTA covering services and investment, Korean media have noted that China today is substantially different from when the FTA took effect in 2015. While China promotes greater market opening, it has also strengthened economic-security regulations, including anti-espionage and data-security laws. Korean companies may still face administrative delays, distribution restrictions, and preferential treatment for Chinese state-owned enterprises.
South Korean lawmaker Choi Soo-jin described the FTA’s 10-year record as marked by “three consecutive years of trade deficits (from 2023 to 2025)” and damage to domestic manufacturing. The debate has increasingly shifted from the FTA’s tariff benefits to how South Korea can maintain domestic manufacturing competitiveness as China’s industrial capabilities expand.
Source: Creaders.net, September 27, 2026
https://news.creaders.net/world/2026/09/27/3052003.html
European Intelligence Agencies Reportedly Examine Global CEOs Dinner Club Over Possible CCP United Front Links
The Global CEOs Dinner Club, a self-described nonprofit social organization that brings together business leaders and political figures in Brussels, is seeking to expand into France. According to Euronews, a Western intelligence official said the club’s activities have characteristics associated with influence-building and intelligence gathering and resemble tactics used by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) United Front. French investigative outlet La Lettre reported that the organization has attracted the attention of Western intelligence agencies and raised concerns among senior European officials.
The club was founded in Brussels in March 2025 by Yifei Yang, who previously studied in China and at a private European institution in Nice, France. Yang denied that China is behind the organization, telling Euronews, “We are neutral.” She said the club’s goals are to “have an impact on society” and “build sustainable businesses.” The club currently has about 20 members from France, Belgium, Denmark, Japan, China, and Singapore, with annual membership fees of €2,400 for individuals and €5,000 for companies. Yang said 10 percent of the club’s revenue is donated to NGOs and charities.
Since its establishment, the club has organized events bringing together business figures and people connected to Belgian and EU politics to discuss topics including sustainability, diversity, technology, AI, and semiconductors. In June, it hosted an event at Brussels’ Hotel Amigo titled “Exploring the Future of AI and Semiconductors,” featuring Matthias Diependaele, Minister-President of the Flemish Government, and Luc Van den hove, former CEO and current president of Belgian semiconductor research center imec. The club is also planning to expand into France, including a women executives’ event reportedly scheduled for November at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris.
A Western intelligence official declined to confirm whether their agency is investigating Yang but said the activities described were consistent with United Front methods. A reliable source reportedly also confirmed to Belgian Dutch-language newspaper De Morgen that European intelligence agencies are examining the club’s founder, particularly amid growing European concerns over the strategic importance of semiconductors.
Source: Aboluo, October 2, 2026
https://www.aboluowang.com/2026/1002/2440831.html
Chinese Brokerages in Hong Kong Tighten Curbs on Mainland Investors as Beijing Moves to Stem Capital Outflow
A growing number of Hong Kong brokerages are restricting mainland Chinese investors from trading in the city’s stock market, in what is part of Beijing’s broader effort to prevent capital from flowing out of the country, according to a report by Chinese financial outlet Yicai.
Under the new rules, mainland investors who log into their Hong Kong accounts from a mainland IP address can only sell holdings and withdraw funds. They cannot deposit money or buy stocks. Investors logging in from Hong Kong IP addresses are unaffected. The restrictions began at Xingzheng International on September 7 and at Guotai Junan International on September 26, while Orient Financial Holdings will follow in October. Several firms also no longer open new accounts for people holding only mainland identification.
Industry sources attribute the changes to an enforcement plan issued in May by the China Securities Regulatory Commission and seven other agencies. It sets a two-year period of intensive enforcement, after which offshore firms must fully shut down mainland-facing websites and trading services. Online brokers Futu, Tiger and Longbridge adjusted their mainland business in June. Analysts note that mainland residents’ annual $50,000 foreign-exchange allowance cannot legally be used for overseas securities investment, which is the policy’s underlying rationale.
Not all firms have acted. China Merchants Securities International and Huatai International still allow normal buying, and some foreign institutions are waiting to see how enforcement unfolds.
Officials are steering investors toward approved channels: Stock Connect, the Qualified Domestic Institutional Investor scheme and the Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect. A Hong Kong-based analyst said all three have limits, including tight QDII quotas, a Greater Bay Area restriction on wealth connect, and a 500,000 yuan ($70,000) threshold for Stock Connect. Impact on Hong Kong’s stock market is expected to be limited.
Source: Yicai, October 1, 2026
https://www.yicai.com/news/103383593.html
Iranian TV Commentator: China Halted Covert Satellite Support to Tehran
Mehdi Kharratian, an Iranian state TV pundit reportedly close to Iran’s security establishment, said China had provided Tehran with covert assistance, including satellite imagery that helped Iran target U.S. naval forces. Kharratian said the support was halted after details of the assistance emerged in the media. He cited a Wall Street Journal report as the reason China stopped the support.
Kharratian said the satellite imagery had helped Iran target an American destroyer and suggested that Chinese entities had provided the imagery. The Wall Street Journal reported in September that U.S. officials had linked high-resolution satellite imagery obtained by Iran from Chinese entities to a deadly Iranian strike on a U.S. base in Jordan. The report also said U.S. officials were examining whether Chinese assistance was helping Tehran track and target American warships. Washington did not accuse the Chinese government itself of directly providing the imagery.
Kharratian also said China had become increasingly reluctant to engage openly with Tehran because of Iran’s confrontation with Washington. He said China had reportedly told Iranian officials, “Do not come to us until you resolve your problem with the United States,” while portraying Beijing as willing to continue working with Tehran behind the scenes but wary of the political risks of visible cooperation.
Source: Iran International TV, October 4, 2026
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202610046693
About 150 Chinese Teachers Leave Philippine Schools Amid Concerns Over CCP United Front Activities
About 150 Chinese teachers working at Chinese-language schools in the Philippines have reportedly begun returning to China in batches since late September, amid concerns over alleged Chinese Communist Party (CCP) United Front activities and national security. The departures affect several prominent Chinese-Filipino schools and come as tensions between Manila and Beijing continue to rise over maritime disputes.
The concerns were heightened by reports from Ray Powell, founder and director of the Stanford-affiliated SeaLight project. Powell’s reports alleged that PCERC, which coordinates more than 100 Chinese-language schools in the Philippines, has close ties to the CCP’s United Front system. The reports also highlighted PCERC programs that bring Chinese teachers to the Philippines and send Filipino-Chinese students to Chinese universities for training. They cited a seminar at Jinan University at which Chinese scholars reportedly questioned Philippine sovereignty over the Batanes Islands, as well as a 2025 essay competition jointly organized by PCERC and the Philippine Association for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. subsequently warned the public to remain vigilant about China-related cultural and educational exchanges, saying United Front activities are a core part of the CCP’s strategy and that foreign-funded academic exchanges could potentially be used to establish footholds and collect intelligence. He also said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had instructed intelligence and law-enforcement agencies to take evidence-based action against malicious activities, while cautioning against anti-foreign sentiment or prejudice toward the Chinese-Filipino community.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila rejected the allegations as a “malicious smear campaign” against China-Philippines educational exchanges. The Philippine Chinese Education Research Center (PCERC) and the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FFCCCII) said the teachers’ return was approved by the Chinese Embassy and relevant authorities, citing safety concerns raised by the teachers’ families.
Source: The Epoch Times, October 6, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/10/5/n14863967.htm
China Promotes Patriotic Education Among Hong Kong and Macao Youth Through Flag-Raising Activities in Beijing
Beijing is continuing to promote “patriotic” education among young people in Hong Kong and Macao as the Chinese Communist Party has tightened its political control over the two regions, after substantially terminating the autonomy originally promised under “One Country, Two Systems.”
Xinhua News Agency reported that from September 18 to 22, the Hong Kong and Macao governments, the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Chinese Communist Party and the State Council, and the Beijing municipal government organized a “Salute to the National Flag” themed visit to Beijing for representatives of flag-raising teams from schools and universities in the two regions.
About 1,000 representatives from flag-raising teams at 121 primary and secondary schools and 21 universities in Hong Kong and Macao participated. The delegation was led by Hong Kong Chief Secretary for Administration Chan Kwok-ki and Macao Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Leong Wai-ling.
During the visit, participants attended the national flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square and visited the Great Hall of the People, the Palace Museum, and the National Museum of China. They also visited the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Honor Guard Regiment, as well as schools, cultural and technology institutions, companies, and rural communities in Beijing.
Source: Xinhua, September 18, 2026
https://www.news.cn/20260918/f3857342e36a40e6b87f1df3c5bdde4c/c.html
Prominent Chinese Economists Urge Stronger Fiscal Measures to Address Local Government Debt
At the 2026 Tsinghua PBC School of Finance Chief Economists Forum on September 19, several prominent Chinese economists said local government debt has become a more urgent economic problem than the real estate sector and called for more expansionary fiscal and monetary policies. During a roundtable on macroeconomic policy and global rebalancing, economists including Lin Yifu of Peking University, Yao Yang of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Li Xunlei of Zhongtai International, and Ju Jiandong of Tsinghua University’s PBC School of Finance said the central government should issue more debt to replace local government debt.
Ju said that faster and larger central government bond issuance to replace local debt has become an important tool for supporting economic growth. Li said local governments face heavy debt and arrears pressures, with a 2027 deadline for clearing outstanding payments, making debt replacement an urgent priority. Yao said local government debt is currently China’s biggest economic problem and is more serious than the property market. He estimated that a chain of interconnected debts arising from local government debt has reached about RMB 30 trillion. Both Yao and Lin called for the government to address the problem with the same level of determination used to resolve China’s banking-sector bad loans around 2000.
At that time, the Ministry of Finance issued special government bonds to recapitalize the four major state-owned banks and established four asset-management companies to absorb their non-performing loans. Lin argued that much of today’s local government debt was incurred in support of central government fiscal policies. Because the borrowing ultimately involves banks, he said that if local governments cannot repay, the losses could eventually fall on the banking system and the Ministry of Finance, making debt replacement the preferred approach.
Source: 21st Century Business Herald, September 20, 2026
https://www.21jingji.com/article/20260920/herald/c9d4680a5be88c901027977f013cb3a2.html
China Plans to Expand BeiDou Industry to More Than RMB 1 Trillion
At a September 22 press conference, Li Chao, Deputy Director of the Policy Research Office and spokesperson for China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said China plans to expand the BeiDou satellite navigation industry to more than RMB 1 trillion (US$140 billion) within five years during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period (2026–2030). The goal is to achieve new breakthroughs in the market-oriented, industrial-scale, and international development of BeiDou applications.
The NDRC plans to advance key technologies, including high-end chips, critical components, and integrated algorithms, while promoting the integration of BeiDou with artificial intelligence, satellite internet, and other technologies. China will also strengthen institutional support by advancing the implementation of the Satellite Navigation Regulations of the People’s Republic of China and improving industry standards, testing, and certification systems.
In 2025, China’s BeiDou industry generated more than RMB 629 billion in total output, with more than 30,000 related enterprises and institutions employing over 2 million people. BeiDou is widely used in transportation, agriculture, maritime fishing, and energy. More than 12 million commercial vehicles are equipped with BeiDou, while more than 3.5 million terminals are used in agriculture and about 70,000 fishing vessels use BeiDou services.
BeiDou positioning services are also integrated into about 1.4 billion smartphones, more than 50 million electric vehicles, 14 million shared bicycles, and 160 million wearable devices in China. BeiDou-related products have been exported to more than 140 countries and regions. China also plans to deepen international cooperation through technology exchanges, talent development, joint demonstrations, and participation in global satellite-navigation governance.
Sources: People’s Daily, September 23, 2026
http://finance.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0922/c1004-40803710.html