Geo-Strategic Trend - 15. page

Spanish King Felipe VI conducted a state visit to Beijing from November 10 to 13, 2025. During his meeting with Xi Jinping, the two leaders witnessed the signing of 10 agreements covering areas such as food safety, plant quarantine standards, language education, and cooperation in space and astronomy.

Spain has maintained a relatively friendly stance toward China compared with other EU countries. Analysts note that Spain’s left-leaning government is seeking closer ties with China as a strategic hedge against deteriorating relations with the United States, which has criticized Spain for not meeting NATO spending targets and for policy differences on issues including Gaza. Chinese investment, including greenfield projects, offers an alternative source of economic support for Spain amid these tensions.

Madrid is also pursuing broader diplomatic influence within the EU and the Asia-Pacific region. Spain’s recent foreign policy emphasizes supply chain cooperation with Japan and South Korea while deepening commercial links with China. Beijing, meanwhile, aims to reduce trade friction with the EU arising from its heavily subsidized electric vehicle industry and to mitigate export pressures from U.S. tariffs. President Xi proposed that Chinese and Spanish companies jointly explore Latin America and other third-party markets, leveraging Spain’s historical ties to these regions.

Source: Radio France International, November 12, 2025
https://www.rfi.fr/cn/专栏检索/要闻解说/20251112-西班牙国王访华之微妙外交之路-双方各有何求?utm_slink=rfi.my%2FCB4Q

China has been actively recruiting South Korean technology talent through its so-called “Thousand Talents Program,” sparking growing concerns about brain drain in South Korea. According to a Yonhap News Agency report from Seoul on November 12, the Korean scientific community is calling for domestic reforms to prevent further talent loss by ensuring both senior and young researchers have adequate opportunities for development.

The recruitment campaign is highly sophisticated and personalized. Chinese authorities not only extend job offers but also collect detailed personal information about potential recruits, including their annual salaries, family relationships, research fields, and working conditions. Based on this intelligence, they present tailored proposals featuring substantial research grants and competitive compensation packages.

Data submitted to National Assembly member Choi Soo-jin reveals the scale of China’s outreach. Last year alone, 149 researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology received recruitment emails from Chinese entities, while government-funded research institutions received over 600 such messages.

A May survey by the Korean Academy of Science and Technology found that 61.5 percent of respondents had received job offers within the past five years, with 82.9 percent of those offers coming from China.

China’s strategy varies by age group. For researchers under 45, 87.5 percent were offered research positions with benefits equivalent to those given to Chinese returnees. For those over 55, China presented diverse options including short-term research projects, consulting positions lasting more than a year, and teaching opportunities.

Younger researchers cited favorable employment conditions and research environments as primary motivations for considering these offers, while senior researchers pointed to inadequate institutional support in South Korea. A researcher from the Korean Academy emphasized that losing top talent poses serious national risks and urged the government to create better environments for doctoral-level professionals and foster greater interaction between senior and junior researchers.

Source: Yonhap News Agency, November 12, 2025
https://cn.yna.co.kr/view/ACK20251112002000881

CCP mouthpiece Xinhua News Agency reported on November 13th that Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a reply letter to young sinologists from across the globe, encouraging them to “serve as bridges connecting Chinese and foreign civilizations.”

In his letter, Xi “expressed appreciation upon learning that the scholars enjoy studying the Chinese language, value Chinese culture, and actively contribute to advancing sinological research and cross-cultural exchange.” He praised their “dedication to deepening mutual understanding through academic work.”

Xi noted that, while sinology originates in China, it “belongs to the world and stands as a spiritual asset shared by all humanity.” He expressed hope that these young scholars would “continue their studies in step with China’s development, further strengthening their research and interpretive work.” He encouraged them to “present an authentic, multidimensional, and comprehensive view of China to international audiences, fulfilling their role as messengers who foster dialogue between civilizations.” Xi also called on them to “contribute their wisdom and effort” to “building a community with a shared future for mankind,” a central element of the Chinese Communist Party’s ideology under his leadership.

Xi’s letter was written in response to a message from 61 young sinologists representing 51 countries who were invited to participate in the 2025 World Chinese Language Conference, scheduled to take place in Beijing from November 14 to 16. In their letter to Xi, the scholars shared their experiences conducting China-related research and expressed their desire to deepen their understanding of Chinese studies while serving as bridges for civilizational exchange.

Source: People’s Daily, November 14, 2025
https://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/pc/content/202511/14/content_30114818.html

Singapore’s primary Chinese language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao recently reported that the European Commission is exploring ways to force EU member states to gradually remove Huawei and ZTE equipment from their telecommunications networks. European Commission Vice-President Henna Virkkunen plans to translate the Commission’s 2020 recommendation to stop using high-risk vendors in mobile networks into a legally binding requirement.

As trade and political relations with China and EU become increasingly strained, EU is increasingly concerned about the risks posed by Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturers. There are concerns that handing control of critical national infrastructure to companies with close ties to Beijing could harm national security interests. Amidst the global push for rapid deployment of high-speed fiber optic cables to expand high-speed internet access, Virkkunen is also exploring restrictions on the use of Chinese telecommunications equipment suppliers in fixed-line networks.

The European Commission is also considering measures to compel non-EU countries to reduce their reliance on Chinese telecommunications equipment suppliers, including halting payments to countries that purchase Huawei equipment through the Global Gateway program. The Global Gateway Program is a global infrastructure investment strategy proposed by the European Union, with a planned investment of up to 300 billion Euros between 2021 and 2027.

Although the UK and Sweden banned the use of Chinese telecommunications equipment suppliers many years ago, countries such as Spain and Greece still allow Chinese equipment in their domestic communication networks. EU China hawks warn that this inconsistency will pose significant security risks.

Source: Lianhe Zaobao, November 11, 2025
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20251111-7799149