China news roundup / Nachrichten 2022-06-24
Chinese premier calls for more coal production as electricity demand soars
"As people sought to escape the heat this week, state media reported, citing the State Grid Corp of China, that electricity demand was up 8.8% in north-west China compared with last year, and by 3.2% in northern China. Records for maximum electricity loads were broken in Shandong, Henan and Jiangsu.
The premier, Li Keqiang, “urged tapping into advanced coal capacity, securing power supply and resolutely preventing power outages amid the peak summer season”"
--- Just a temporary increase, I'm sure. As Carbon Brief told us today, China's development of alternative energy sources is going great. Everything will be fine.
"Last month China posted its third consecutive quarter of emission reductions, a feat that analysts said was achieved because of Covid restrictions, curbs on the property development market, and efforts to boost clean energy."
--- See? Efforts to boost clean energy! Ignore the fact that the major reason for emission reduction is economic trouble.
China’s lockdowns and heavy rains ease coal shortage
"Hydro output in the first five months totalled 435 billion kWh, up from 368 billion kWh in 2021, surpassing the previous seasonal record of 400 billion kWh in 2019.
The surge in hydro generation has been driven by the unusually heavy rainfall which has lashed southern China since the start of the year."
--- Which I'm sure will also be counted as a success for alternative energy.
Japan says Chinese coast guard ships in longest violation of its territorial waters in a decade
"At one point on Thursday, one of the Chinese vessels came within 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) of the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, known in China as the Diaoyu Islands, well past the internationally recognized 12-mile (19.3 kilometer) limit that defines a country's territorial waters, according to the coast guard."
--- Funny that, considering that the PRC just a few days ago told us that there are no international waters, that territorial waters are to be respected & that US ships crossing the Taiwan Strait (not even close to China's 12-mile zone) are a provocation. Absolutely no hypocrisy here, of course. We just have to accept that the whole world is China's sacred territory.
BERLIN’S STRANGE PLÖT ON CHINA
"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s top foreign policy advisor isn’t convinced that China and Russia are strategically aligned. Speaking on Tuesday, Jens Plötner contradicted not only the U.S. but also EU officials, saying: “It would be a mistake to lump China and Russia together now.” He warned that attempts to decouple economically from China would result in a “self-fulfilling prophecy” of Beijing and Moscow teaming up even more.
[...] “I believe our goal must be to try to reduce systemic rivalry [with China] as far as possible,”"
--- "Scholz’s top foreign policy advisor". Should be clear now that it is not just Scholz. Large parts of the SPD (Social Democratic Party, left of centre) are in the appeasement camp, if not outright russophile & authoritarian-friendly.
China ambassador tells Australian protesters ‘no such thing as absolute freedom’
"“Freedom of speech is different from absolute freedom,” Xiao said.
“In this world, there’s no such thing as absolute freedom. Freedom is freedom within rules and laws.”
Xiao said audience members “should respect the law and order” and “keep quiet while we’re speaking”"
--- Translation: 'Only freedom with Chinese characteristics should be allowed. Freedom of speech means, you shut up & let the CCP talk.'
s.a.: Human rights protesters heckle Chinese ambassador to Australia
Small banks in China are running into trouble. Savers could lose everything
"As many as 400,000 banking customers across China were unable to access their savings, according to an estimate in April by Sanlian Lifeweek, a state-owned magazine.
That's a drop in the ocean of China's vast banking system, but about a quarter of the industry's total assets are held by around 4,000 small lenders, which often have opaque ownership and governance structures and are more vulnerable to corruption, say experts, and the sharp economic slowdown."
--- More vulnerable to corruption? Dubious. It's just that corruption easier becomes obvious in smaller banks.
They are more vulnerable not to corruption, but to its results, because they have smaller funds to cover up losses incurred due to corruption.
"In Henan, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission has put the blame on the private investment firm that holds large stakes in all four lenders."
--- Oh, yes, it's that private company's fault! Absolutely no connection to the local government or CCP cadres inside the bank.
""The central government regulators seem to be incapable of enforcing those regulations aimed at preventing this kind of bank run from occurring," said Frank Xie, the Chinese economy expert. He added that corruption was "rampant" at local levels of financial institutions.
"Perpetrators such as the person stealing millions from the depositors often get shielded by accomplices in governments and in the upper-level management of the banks,""
--- Yep. & that goes for all banks, not just small rural ones.
Two killed as Nio electric car falls from third floor office in Shanghai
--- China Uncensored features the weekend news headlines again:
--- Sky News (AUS): "Chinese ambassador claims address protest is not an 'expression of free speech'"
Nach der Industrie jetzt die Wissenschaft – Deutschland geht auf Distanz zu China
"Alle Forschungsergebnisse stehen durch die enge Bindung der Forschung an den Staat potenziell auch dem Militär zur Verfügung. „Wir müssen davon ausgehen, dass jegliche Forschung, insbesondere in Wissenschaft und Technologie, die die Partei in ihr Militär oder andere spezifische Bereiche ihrer Wirtschaft einfließen lassen will, auch dort landet“, sagt Didi Kirsten Tatlow"
--- In China gibt es keine Trennung zwischen Staat (= KPCh = VBA) & Wissenschaft. Jede wissenschaftliche Erkenntnis kann beim Militär landen. Dessen sollte sich jeder Entscheidungsträger in Deutschland inzwischen bewußt sein.
"Genützt haben all die Richtlinien und Beratungsstellen bisher offenbar nicht genug, wie kürzlich die Recherchen eines europäischen Journalistenverbunds um das Recherchenetzwerk „Correctiv“ zeigten: Danach haben mindestens 48 deutsche Hochschulen und Organisationen wie die Fraunhofer-Gemeinschaft mit militärischen oder militärnahen Einrichtungen in China kooperiert."
--- Naivität & Geldgier. (& bei so manchem Wissenschaftler wohl auch die Idee, daß die Kommis doch die Guten sind.)
Sicherheitsexperten: China könnte bei Nato-Gipfel dank Huawei mithören
"Sicherheitsexperten befürchten, dass China beim Nato-Gipfel in Madrid Ende des Monats mithören könnte. Der britische Mobilfunkanbieter Vodafone hat vor dem Nato-Gipfel vom 28. bis 30. Juni seine Mobilfunkkapazitäten rund um das Konferenzzentrum erweitert. „Dabei wurde Technologie des chinesischen Anbieters Huawei verwendet“"
--- Wer ist dümmer, NATO oder Vodafone?
