China news roundup / Nachrichten 2024-12-16

1 day ago

Xi brought down powerful rivals in the military. Now he’s going after his own men

"Experts say Xi’s purge of a longtime acolyte points to a familiar dilemma for autocrats, including his predecessor Mao Zedong: after eliminating political rivals, the supreme leader never stops looking for new threats to their absolute hold on power – including from their own close circle."

--- Emperors' paranoia. A common phenomenon.

"“We cannot find a more apodictic acolyte of Xi than Miao,” Char said. “If Miao is eventually indicted of graft, clearly Xi himself had not anticipated the obscene extent of corruption that exists among PLA elites.”"

--- Or maybe, just maybe, emperor Xi is becoming ever more paranoid.

Xi Jinping urges party to ‘turn knife inward’ to tackle corruption

"“We must have the courage to turn the knife inward and eliminate their negative impact in a timely manner to ensure that the party is always full of vigour and vitality.”"

--- Wouldn't it be nice, if emperor Xi himself would turn the knife inward & push? He should lead by example.

China retail growth slows, agency calls for 2025 support

"Broadly positive Chinese economic data for November released on Monday also showed slower-than-expected growth of 3.3% in retail sales, much slower than in October and well adrift of the 4.6% forecast.
The slowdown came as a surprise because Beijing has been working to boost stimulus programs and encourage consumption."

--- A surprise only if you trust Chinese official numbers & believe in CCP promises. This 'broadly positive data' again only shows that the reality is at best stagnation.

EU adopts new Russia sanctions targeting China, shadow fleet

"The Chinese additions will be the first fully-fledged sanctions on the country which include a travel ban and asset freeze.
"The step to fully-fledged sanctions sends an important signal to the Chinese. We take this very seriously," an EU diplomat said.
[...] Diplomats said the previous Chinese listings in Russian sanctions packages only involved export controls, rather than an overarching sanction."

--- Finally, but still too little. So little in fact, that the only Chinese reaction will probably be verbally.

Philippines ratifies defense pact with Japan, amid China tensions

"China had earlier criticized the signing of the RAA and reiterated that bilateral cooperation should not “target” third parties."

--- Translation: 'You should not be allowed to defend yourself against Chinese aggression.'

China-Made Air Fryers Busted Trying to Use Owner's Phone to Record Audio

"A report by UK consumer group "Which?" uncovered that smart devices, including air fryers by Xiaomi, Tencent, and Aigostar, request invasive permissions like audio recording and location tracking to function properly. Some products transmit personal information to servers in China, while others include trackers for marketing purposes."

--- Don't use anything Chinese that connects to the internet. Very simple solution.

Yunnan Muslims protest outside government building as imam detained

Taiwanese rapper says he ‘took money’ from China’s United Front operatives

Sri Lanka walks a tightrope between India and China

--- China Uncensored: "China's No. 1 Export? Environmental Devastation"

--- Sky News (AUS): Xi Jinping placing ‘more weight’ on China’s security than economic growth

EU verhängt erstmals Sanktionen gegen Putin-Komplizen in China – und schließt Häfen für 52 russische Schatten-Tanker

"Zum ersten Mal seit Beginn der russischen Invasion beschloss die EU auch umfassende Sanktionen gegen Akteure aus China. Sie treffen eine Geschäftsfrau und sechs Unternehmen. Ihnen wird vorgeworfen, Russland dabei zu helgen, Sanktionen zu umgehen oder wichtige Teile für Drohnen und mikroelektronische Bauteile an die russische Militärindustrie zu liefern. Mit den Betroffenen dürfen EU-Bürger keine Geschäfte mehr machen. Zudem werden in der EU vorhandene Vermögenswerte eingefroren. Die Geschäftsfrau darf nicht mehr in die EU einreisen."

--- Wurde auch Zeit. Man darf aber bezweifeln, daß sich durch diese eher kümmerlichen Sanktionen irgendwas ändert. Mal abwarten, ob China überhaupt darauf reagiert.