China news roundup / Nachrichten 2024-04-04
Central Asia leaders overlook plight of Uyghurs to woo China
"Any resentment among Central Asian leaders over China’s treatment of its Uyghur minority was swept aside during recent tours of the region by the chairman of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the Chinese minister of public security."
--- There was not much resentment to be swept aside.
"The tepid responses from powers like the U.S. and the EU have not only failed the people of East Turkistan [Xinjiang] but have also encouraged Central Asian countries to deepen their ties with China"
--- Meh. Central Asian leaders are all-too happy to receive (often literally) Chinese money. &:
"It's important to keep in mind that all Central Asian countries are authoritarian, and the same concerns that the U.S. has toward the situation in China also apply to the regimes in Central Asian countries"
--- They don't care too much about their own populations. Why would they care about the Uighurs? Arab leaders are very similar in that regard:
Arab politicians praise China’s policies in Xinjiang
"A delegation of Palestinian and other Arab politicians praised China’s policies in Xinjiang during a visit to the northwestern region, sparking criticism from experts and Uyghur rights advocates for not highlighting the plight of fellow Muslims living in the region.
The delegation was led by Bassam Zakarneh, a member of Fatah's Revolutionary Council of Palestine and made up of politicians from Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Jordan and Tunisia, according to a report by the Global Times."
--- All champions of human rights, as we know.
"The delegation head said that “people of all ethnic groups live a good life, enjoy full freedom of religious belief, and have smiles on their faces,” according to the report"
--- No dancing? Chinese Xinjiang propaganda without dancing Uighurs is not complete.
Tech war: China could face US, EU curbs over legacy chips
"If China were to flood the market with legacy chips subsidized by Beijing, Western chipmakers could be quickly priced out, industry insiders warn. They point to a similar dumping of cheap Chinese solar panels"
--- Same playbook in pretty much every industry.
"Over the next three years, China's legacy chip capacity is set to grow to 39% of the overall market, thanks to Beijing's subsidies, according to data by Trendforce. A separate forecast by Gavekal Dragonomics sees China adding more chip-making capacity this year than the rest of the world combined — a million more legacy chips per month than last year."
--- Not as dramatic as in some other sectors, but complacency kills (Western industries).
"Western countries won't be able to ramp up chip production fast enough to offset any shortage of chips from China in the event of tit-for-tat retaliation"
--- Some idiots in the West use this as a reason against 'decoupling': 'Hey, we cannot completely separate from the Chinese industries. Therefore it would hurt us if there is a conflict between China & the West. Hence we shouldn't change anything & just keep buying from China.'
In the USA - even though the Biden administration's 'tough on China' policy is more show than substance - there is a bit more realism at work: Targeting Chinese Chips, US to Push Dutch on ASML Service Contracts
Why are more German firms moving from China to Japan?
"Fully 38% of German companies taking part in a recent business survey said they are relocating production facilities from China to Japan, while 23% are also shifting regional management functions in the same direction, with economic, political and social stability the primary considerations."
--- Hmm, that's not what previous surveys have shown. If it turns out to be true, it would be quite surprising that so many (relatively speaking) German companies were actually relocating & not only thinking about it.
Chinese mourners turn to AI to remember and ‘revive’ loved ones
"For as little as 20 yuan (£2.20), Chinese netizens can create a moving digital avatar of their loved one, according to some services advertised online. So this year, to mark tomb-sweeping festival on Thursday, innovative mourners are turning to artificial intelligence to commune with the departed."
--- Another of those pseudo trends that journalist find in China? A few hundred or thousand people experiment with this & - whoops - we have an article with another new trend.
Violent storms kill 7 people in eastern China including 3 who fell from their apartments
"Authorities are investigating how the three people fell. Media reports suggested they may have been blown out by extremely strong winds. A resident on the 20th floor of the building told online outlet Jimu News that her family had to hold on to avoid being blown away, and that they were so frightened that they stayed up all night."
--- Extremely strong winds of up to 118 km/h. Modern Chinese buildings are built to last.
China’s crackdown highlights murky world of local finances
Belgian research powerhouse turns hawkish on China
--- ABC News (AUS): "China offers police support to Tonga ahead of Pacific Islands Forum"
--- WION: Is China slowly taking over Russia's far east region? | Gravitas
China: DNA enthüllt Aussehen eines Kaisers aus dem 6. Jahrhundert
"»Unsere Arbeit hat historische Figuren zum Leben erweckt«, kommentiert Co-Autorin Pianpian Wei. »Bisher musste man sich auf historische Aufzeichnungen oder Wandmalereien verlassen, um sich ein Bild davon zu machen, wie die Menschen der Antike aussahen. Wir sind in der Lage, das Aussehen des Xianbei-Volkes direkt zu zeigen.«"
--- Der Stand der Wissenschaft in China. Derartige Genanalysen sind eigentlich schon lange Standard.
Mal abgesehen davon zeigt die Analyse einer einzigen Person herzlich wenig über das gesamte Umfeld dieser Person.
