China news roundup / Nachrichten 2024-03-25

about 1 month ago

UK imposes sanctions after Chinese-backed cyber-attacks

"Two people and a company have been sanctioned over cyber-attacks.
[...] The UK sanctions will freeze assets, barring UK citizens and businesses from handling their funds or resources. A travel ban will also prevent them from entering or remaining in the UK."

--- Well, what the UK government calls sanctions...
Just as feared, Cameron was able to soften the blow quite a bit, it seems.

"The Chinese ambassador is being called in to be held "to account for China's conduct in these incidents", Mr Dowden said"

--- Now that will show them!

"The MPs targeted are all members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, which scrutinises, and often criticises, the activities of Beijing.
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former minister Tim Loughton and the SNP's Stewart McDonald all faced harassment, failed hacks and impersonations by groups seeking to influence foreign dignitaries.
They are calling for the UK to go further and send a clear message, designating China "a threat""

--- Won't happen as long as Cameron has enough influence. (Of course, it's not just Cameron. You can blame Sunak et al. just as well.)

""We need much more robust action to show China that this is absolutely unacceptable and there are consequences and those consequences will be followed through. But at the moment, they're not.""

--- Yep.

"This marks a major change from just a few years ago, when British leaders aimed to usher in a "Golden Age" with China.
The prime minister then was David Cameron, who is now the foreign secretary."

--- Phhh ..., a 'major change'. Sounds just like Scholz's Zeitenwende after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He announced a sea change in German policies, but what happened was piecemeal at best.

Biden administration indicts and sanctions Chinese hackers accused of sweeping espionage campaign against US targets

"Seven Chinese men were indicted in US federal court in the Eastern District of New York and accused of being part of a yearslong hacking effort that resulted in the “confirmed and potential compromise” of data belonging to millions of Americans, some of “which could be released in support of malign influence” targeting US democratic institutions, the indictment states."

--- Well, the US action is not really more severe than the UK's, considering that the accusations are just as bad:

"The alleged hacking effort was vast. Over the course of just a few months in 2018, the hackers sent more than 10,000 malicious emails to senior US officials (and their advisers) in the White House, Justice Department and other agencies, and to Democratic and Republican senators in more than 10 states, according to the indictment. The hackers allegedly posed as prominent US journalists as a ruse to try to get targets to click on the emails."

--- What else do you need to decide on a thougher reaction?

China vows to treat foreign firms equally amid industrial upgrade push

""China will fully guarantee national treatment for foreign companies, so that more foreign companies can invest in China with confidence and peace of mind," Vice Commerce Minister Guo Tingting said at the China Development Forum in Beijing.
Guo did not give details about how China would guarantee "national treatment", or the equal treatment of locals and foreigners as per World Trade Organization (WTO) principles"

--- Empty promises. China has never followed the rules & won't start now.

Philippines summons China envoy to protest ‘aggressive actions’ in South China Sea

"Manila on Monday summoned a Chinese envoy to strongly protest the “aggressive actions” of the China Coast Guard in the South China Sea, following an incident that left three crew members aboard a Philippine supply boat injured."

--- Now we have video from board the Philippine ship attacked by the Chinese coast guard. If anyone tells you that it's not a big deal to use watercannon, just show them this.

Threats, fear and surveillance: how Beijing targets students in the UK who criticise regime

Chinese scammers in Myanmar move trafficking victims to casino in rebel territory

Are Hong Kong's days as a global business hub over?

--- China Uncensored: "Is This How the Taiwan War Starts?"

--- ANC: "Defense chief tells China to bring claims to int’l arbitration"

--- Sky News: China are 'very aggressive competitors with clear, global ambition' | Former MI6 chief

--- CNBC: China will only allow investments from companies that directly benefit them

--- CNBC: Domestic demand is the biggest thing missing from China's growth equation

--- Bloomberg: China's WuXi AppTec In Crosshairs of US Draft Biosecurity Bill

"Minutes before AMD's CEO shook hands with Wang Wentao this wkd, #AMD was banned on Chinese govt PC"

Premierminister und Pandas - Markus Söder in China

"Insgesamt darf man bei Söders aktuellem Reisepensum zudem noch eine weitere Frage stellen: Versucht da ein Möchtegern-Kanzlerkandidat gerade, sich außenpolitisch zu profilieren?"

--- Was wäre da besser als ein Besuch in einer genozidalen Diktatur?

"Legendär ist zudem nach wie vor ein Besuch von CSU-Übervater Franz Josef Strauß beim „Großen Vorsitzenden“ Mao Tsetung 1975. Strauß habe das Tor nach China geöffnet - das wolle er fortführen, sagt Söder."

--- Tja, die CSU scheint ein gewisses Faible für kommunistische Diktatoren zu haben.

Deutsche Solaranlagen-Hersteller rufen um Hilfe

"Teile der Solarbranche fordern, im Solarpaket einen sogenannten Resilienzbonus zu verankern. Das bedeutet: Betreiber von Photovoltaik-Anlagen sollen eine gesonderte Förderung bekommen, wenn sie einen bestimmten Anteil an deutschen oder europäischen Komponenten verbauen. Das soll die Abhängigkeit von China verringern. Bezahlen müsste diese Subvention der Staat über das Erneuerbare Energiegesetz.
Dagegen sträubt sich innerhalb der Ampelkoalition die FDP. Finanzminister Christian Lindner sagte gestern im Bericht aus Berlin: "Wenn ich hier mit dem Geld der Steuerzahlerinnen und Steuerzahler einzelne Branchen oder einzelne Unternehmen fördern würde - dann hat das weder für die Resilienz des Standortes Deutschland, also unsere wirtschaftliche Sicherheit, noch für das Gelingen der Energiewende eine Auswirkung. Es ist einfach nur zum Vorteil von einzelnen Interessenten.""

--- Wie wäre es stattdessen mit Strafzöllen auf chinesische Importe, die die Vorteile durch chinesische Subventionen ausgleichen? Aber -hey- damit würde man u.U. Kaiser Xi verärgern. & das möchte Scholz bestimmt nicht.

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