China news roundup / Nachrichten 2024-11-25

27 days ago

Is China headed for new White Paper protests?

""The government now fears the White Paper Movement more than the Tiananmen Square incident, as it directly targets Xi Jinping's authoritarian regime," said Yicheng Huang, an exiled White Paper protester who now lives in Germany."

--- Phhh... Western media like to talk to exiled dissidents. Nothing wrong with that, but they should be a bit more careful in drawing conclusions from what these dissidents say. More often than not, they suffer from wishful thinking. Protests can pop up anywhere at any time in China, usually over local grievances, but it's highly dubious that we could see some nationwide protest movement anytime soon.

"China has seen a string of deadly attacks in recent weeks, including mass stabbings and car rammings by individuals who acted out personal frustrations by randomly attacking strangers.
The violence came as a surprise to many in China. The country takes pride in its strict gun and knife control policies, as well as its overall public safety."

--- A surprise? Although in official news most of these mass killing( attempt)s are ignored, most people in China know about them. Low crime rates are just government propaganda, sadly all-too often believed by Western journalists.

China's safety inspection tour prompts widespread store closures

"Reports emerged from Guangdong’s Chaozhou and Shantou cities that night markets, barbecue stalls and street hawkers were shutting up shop ahead of the inspections, for fear of getting hit with a hefty fine."

--- This could come closest to a nationwide protest, if this were to spread outside Canton. But it is a rather passive form of protest.

"Local authorities later issued warnings to businesses that closing down could result in their being targeted for more stringent inspections in future"

--- That could get ugly for some people. Most of these businesses don't make a lot of money. The large fines mentioned in the article would ruin many.

"A legal professional from Guangdong who gave only the surname Chen for fear of reprisal said many see safety inspections as the government trying to boost revenues when local coffers are empty."

--- Yep.

EU not close to deal with China on EV tariffs, officials say

"Bernd Lange, chairman of the European Parliament's trade committee, told a German broadcaster on Friday that an agreement between the 27-nation EU and China to replace the tariffs with something else was close.
But EU officials, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the talks with Beijing said this was not correct, because while the talks were continuing, there were still stumbling blocks that prevented a deal."

--- Makes sense. It would have been strange for the EU to suddenly accept minimum prices when it refused them before.

EU To Target Chinese Firms With Asset Freezes, Visa Bans For Aiding Russia In Ukraine

"While the EU has hit Chinese entities in the past with sanctions as part of Brussels' effort to curtail evasion, those measures have consisted of bans that prevent EU companies from having business dealings with those firms. This proposal marks the first effort to blacklist Chinese companies or individuals with visa bans and asset freezes over helping Russia procure dual-use goods that can be used on the battlefield."

--- Good. Could be interesting to see how the CCP reacts.

As Chinese buyers snap up Chiang Mai properties, Thais fear for future

"Visitors who walk through a new housing development in Hang Dong, a district of Chiang Mai, might think they’ve stumbled into a slice of China because Chinese letters dominate storefront signs.
This isn’t isolated to Hang Dong. Across Chiang Mai, Thailand’s northern cultural capital, Chinese investment is rapidly reshaping entire neighborhoods – and raising alarm about the city’s future identity and economic independence.
“If Chinese investors seriously enter the dormitory business and buy up properties to rent at higher prices exclusively to Chinese tenants, people living paycheck to paycheck who rent cheap accommodations will definitely struggle,”
[...] The Chiang Mai Provincial Office reported that the city has a population of about 1.62 million Thai nationals, 7,190 Chinese and about 150,000 people from other nationalities.
In addition to the 7,190 residents, many other Chinese take advantage of tourist visas allowing them to stay in Thailand for up to 60 days per visit. In Chiang Mai, it is common for Chinese nationals to use this route to reside and conduct business, according to authorities.
[...] Thai law restricts foreign condominium ownership to 49% of total units and bars foreigners from owning land or houses. Yet Chinese investors have found creative ways around these restrictions, often using Thai nominees to hold their businesses."

--- 'Laws? We are Chinese, we only follow Chinese laws.'

China Concedes to US Ally Japan Near Maritime Flashpoint

US bars 29 more Chinese companies over Uyghur slave labor

China flies balloon close to Taiwan, Taipei says

--- China Uncensored: "Bunny Boob Girl: Chinese Influencers Will Do ANYTHING for Fame"

China-Taiwan-Konflikt: USA erarbeiten militärische Notfallpläne für mögliche Krisensituation

"Die USA arbeiten einem Medienbericht zufolge für den Fall einer Krisensituation in Taiwan an Plänen zur Entsendung von Soldaten nach Japan und auf die Philippinen.
Die Pläne sollen in einen ersten gemeinsamen Einsatzplan einfließen, der im Dezember erstellt werden soll, wie die japanische Nachrichtenagentur Kyodo am Sonntagabend berichtete."

--- Gähn. Scheint mal wieder so eine Nachricht zu sein, die v.a. in deutschen Medien die Runde macht. Es riecht nach Krieg. Oder auch nicht. Wäre schon ziemlich hirnrissig, wenn Staaten wie die USA keine Notfallpläne für Krisen & Kriege hätten.