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Monthly Archives: March 2025 - 3. page

UDN: Foreign Direct Investment into China Fell in First Two Months of 2025

United Daily News (UDN), one of the primary Taiwanese news groups, recently reported that on official data released by China’s Ministry of Commerce covering January and February of this year. According to the report, foreign direct investment (FDI) into China was RMB 17.121 billion yuan (around US$2.365 billion), a year-over-year decrease of 20.4 percent. Investment in China by the UK, Germany and South Korea reportedly increased by 87.9 percent, 54.7 percent and 45.2 percent, respectively.

U.S. President Trump imposed a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods on February 4, and on March 4 the U.S. imposed an additional 10 percent tariff on China. UDN wrote that “China is trapped in the haze of a trade war.”

In order to respond to tariffs and to retain foreign investment, the China’s Ministry of Commerce and National Development and Reform Commission announced a “2025 Stabilizing Foreign Capital Action Plan.” The Ministry explained that “some companies have moved their new investment to other countries” in light of geopolitical factors.

Source: UDN, March 15, 2025
https://udn.com/news/story/7333/8609828

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources Geo-Strategic Trend

Lianhe Zaobao: U.S. Considering Visa Restrictions on Over 40 Countries

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that the U.S. government is considering imposing visa restrictions on citizens of 43 countries. The U.S. State Department has drafted a preliminary list of countries whose citizens will be subject to varying degrees of visa restrictions.

The 43 countries on the list are divided into three groups: red, orange and yellow.

  • Countries in the red group will see all visas issuance suspended. These countries include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
  • Countries in orange group will face heavy restricts on visa issuance; only wealthy business tourists will be able enter the United States, and they will be required to undergo an interview when applying for a visa. These countries include Russia, Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan.
  • Countries in yellow group will be required to “improve their situation within 60 days” or else face being moved into one of the orange or red groups. There are 22 countries listed in the yellow group, including Angola, Benin, and Cambodia.

U.S. President Trump signed an executive order on the day of his inauguration asking the State Department to list countries for which the U.S. has insufficient visa screening processes, as well as the countries for which it may be necessary to be partially or completely banned visa issuance enabling visits to the U.S.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, March 15, 2025
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/world/story20250315-6021758

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend

American Students Share Experiences Regarding CCP-Organized Exchange Program

During his visit to the U.S. in November 2023, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping announced in San Francisco that China would invite 50,000 American youths to visit China for “exchange and study.”

Two students from Duke University shared their experiences after participating in a CCP-organized exchange camp last summer. Kyle Abrahm said, “Every city we visited had some kind of innovation museum. When you walked into these museums, they were spotless, and besides the tour guides, we were the only people there. That’s when I started to feel that everything was artificially staged and controlled because we didn’t actually experience any real cultural exchange. What we got was exactly what the regime wants to show us.” He added, “The guides always talked about China’s strengths, China’s resilience, and China’s innovation: ‘Look at what we are doing,’ and they constantly compared their data to the U.S. It all felt like they were trying to say, ‘This is how we are beating the U.S.’”

Matthew Rodriguez recounted an incident during a discussion at the Kunshan Chinese Opera Museum. An American student raised a question about Shen Yun Performing Arts, a group whose performers are mainly practitioners of Falun Gong that showcases traditional Chinese culture predating the CCP’s rule. (Editor’s Note: the CCP has been persecuting Falun Gong for 26 years since 1999.) The Chinese hosts quickly avoided the sensitive topic, which then led to an argument at the event.

Source: Epoch Times, March 10, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/3/10/n14454651.htm

Briefings | | |   @CS Government/Politics US-China Relations

President of Taiwan Labels China as Hostile Foreign Force and Brings Back Taiwanese Military Tribunal System

Amid worries that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has increasingly infiltrated Taiwan’s military with spies, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te convened a high-level national security meeting on March 13 and officially announced the restoration of the Taiwanese military tribunal system. This system will handle major cases involving active-duty soldiers accused of treason, espionage, and aiding the enemy. He stated that “China is intensifying its infiltration and espionage activities within our military. Last year, 15 active-duty and 28 retired military personnel were prosecuted for involvement in CCP espionage cases, making up 66% of all such cases.”

Lai went on to call China a “hostile foreign force,” the first time he had used such language. Lai stated that the CCP is “using various means to undermine Taiwan’s national defense and even develop armed organizations within the island, drawing widespread attention.”

Source: VOA, March 14, 2025
https://www.voachinese.com/a/taiwan-to-restore-military-court-in-response-of-spies-in-its-army-20250313/8009636.html

Briefings | | |   @CS Geo-Strategic Trend

Veteran Journalist on Structure of CCP State Media Control Mechanism

A veteran journalist who worked for over 20 years at China’s largest financial media group, serving as the head of the news center’s reporting department, recently gave an interview with New Tang Dynasty Television on the topic of the Chinese state media’s extensive censorship and fake news practices.

He categorized China’s media landscape into four major sectors:

  1. Traditional Media – This includes newspapers, magazines, television, and radio. These are controlled by various levels of the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda departments in a top-down hierarchical structure, where each level monitors the one below it, ultimately leading to self-censorship.
  2. State-Run Internet Media – This refers to the websites of major state-controlled media outlets. These platforms operate under the same strict supervision as traditional media.
  3. Privately-Owned News Websites – While these websites do not have a direct government organization overseeing them, they fall under the control of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). The CAC put pressure on website owners, who in turn instruct their editors on what content is acceptable, effectively enforcing censorship through an indirect but systematic approach.
  4. Independent (Social Media a.k.a. “Self-Media”) Platforms – This sector appears relatively free on the surface, as it lacks an official regulatory body. However, platforms like WeChat implement strict content review mechanisms and follow CAC directives. As a result, accounts and groups are frequently deactivated. “I myself have had my accounts deactivated four or five times, which is considered relatively few. Some of my friends have been banned more than 20 times,” the journalist stated.

Source: Epoch Times, March 9, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/3/8/n14454037.htm

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Xinhua: Nezha 2 Sets New Tone for CCP’s “Culture Going Abroad” Effort

{Editor’s Note: The Chinese animated movie “Nezha 2” reportedly generated $2 billion in box office revenue in China. However, there have been reports that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took measures to boost viewership of the movie by ordering organizations and companies to take all their employees to watch it. The CCP is now pushing the movie to the global market.
Regarding the movie’s content, some criticized it on the following grounds: though the movie was based on Chinese legend of divine powers, it twisted the traditional stories around and promoted the idea that an individual beings can determine their own fate by disregarding the will of the divine.}

An article by Xinhua News Agency praised the movie for setting a new benchmark achievement for the CCP’s “culture going abroad” initiative.

After becoming the highest-grossing film in Chinese cinema history and setting a new global record for the highest box office earnings in a single market, Nezha: Rebellion of the Demon Child (hereinafter referred to as Nezha 2) has officially embarked on its journey to international markets. Starting from February 13th, Nezha 2 will be released in multiple countries and regions, including Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Li Wei, Chairman of 1905 Pictures, believes that by reconstructing narratives and leveraging innovative technology, the film breathes new life into ancient mythology. Its success validates the effectiveness of the “traditional culture + contemporary expression + industrialization” model. “It can be said that Nezha 2 has ‘found a balance between Eastern aesthetics and global storytelling,’ offering a cultural example that coexists beautifully alongside Hollywood animation narratives. Chinese animated films are striving to transition towards ‘cultural resonance.’”

“We need to creatively tell Chinese stories and convey China’s voice by integrating cultural uniqueness with an international perspective,” Li Wei added.

Source: Xinhua, February 14, 2024
https://app.xinhuanet.com/news/article.html?articleId=cfe535905f5d4271327c39f0de0c5e3a

Briefings | | |   Government/Politics

Wang Yi Discusses CCP’s Interpretation of UN Resolution 2758

At the press conference of the National People’s Congress on March 7, 2025, Chinese Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that the United Nations’ (UN) General Assembly Resolution 2758 did not clearly define Taiwan’s international position, countering the view held by most Western nations.

According to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, Wang offered his own interpretation of the resolution: “In 1971, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly passed Resolution 2758, restoring all legitimate rights of the People’s Republic of China at the UN and expelling representatives of the Taiwan authorities from all UN bodies. This resolution fully settled China’s representation issue including Taiwan, and completely ruled out the possibility of ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan.'”

Wang claimed that Taiwan’s only designation at the UN is “Taiwan Province of China” and that Taiwan has never been, and will never be, a country. He warned that advocating for “Taiwan independence” equates to splitting China, that supporting such a movement constitutes interference in China’s internal affairs, and that condoning it undermines stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Wang Yi stated that the view held by Western countries is “a blatant challenge to the authority of the United Nations and the post-war international order,” calling such views “absurd and dangerous.” He said that “those spreading such views need to brush up on basic knowledge.”

Source: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, March 7, 2025
https://www.mfa.gov.cn/wjbzhd/202503/t20250307_11570172.shtml

Briefings | | |   Geo-Strategic Trend Government/Politics

Chinese Solar Energy Giants Report Heavy Losses in 2024

On February 27, multiple Chinese photovoltaic (solar power) companies simultaneously released their 2024 performance reports. Three leading companies in the industry—Trina Solar, JinkoSolar, and Daqo New Energy—reported a combined non-GAAP net loss of 8.8 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion).

  • JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. reported total revenue of 92.62 billion yuan in 2024, a year-on-year decrease of 21.96 percent, with a net loss of 1.012 billion yuan.
  • Xinjiang Daqo New Energy Co., Ltd. recorded total revenue of 80.33 billion yuan, down 29.15 percent from the previous year, with a net loss of 2.638 billion yuan. Its basic earnings per share (EPS) stood at -1.59 yuan, a 162.35 percent decline year-on-year.
  • Trina Solar Co., Ltd. reported revenue of 74.11 billion yuan, a 54.62 percent drop year-on-year, with a net loss of 5.199 billion yuan. Its EPS was -1.27 yuan, reflecting a 147.04 percent decline.

According to Huaxia Energy Network’s report on March 1, the ten companies in the photovoltaic industry with the most losses collectively reported losses exceeding 50 billion yuan. Many companies blamed their losses on falling solar panel prices. Source: Epoch Times, March 2, 2025
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/25/3/2/n14448431.htm

Briefings | | |   Economy/Resources