News that caught our eye / The week ending September 29, 2023
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NOTE: The news reports below are not in chronological order. There is often a time lag in their reaching the US and in gaining our attention. These reports reflect the opinions of a variety of news sources.
China just stopped exporting two minerals the world’s chipmakers need / September 22, 2023
China’s exports of gallium and germanium fell to zero in August as China retaliates against US tech sanctions by disallowing exports of these minerals required for a variety of tech products. The block caused the price of gallium to fall 20% in China (CNN Business).
Crowd Roars as Xi Opens Hangzhou Asian Games / September 23, 2023
President Xi opened the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Saturday, receiving great fanfare as he took his seat amongst other dignitaries, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Nearly 12,000 athletes participated in the games. Locals in the city dealt with traffic blockades and even halted shipping over safety concerns (VOA).
India's pushback on China denying wushu players, Minister cancels visit / September 22, 2023
Three athletes from Arunachal Pradesh, a province of India, were not able to download their accreditation cards in order to board a flight to take them to the Asian Games in China, so they were unable to participate. India lodged a formal complaint with China, but China claims that the athletes refused to accept the visa (The Hindustan Times).
China to help reconstruct war-battered Syria / September 22, 2023
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with President Xi Jinping last week and announced a “strategic partnership” with China offering to help rebuild the war-torn country as part of its “Belt and Road” initiative. China has been increasingly involved in Middle Eastern negotiations in an attempt to provide an alternative to the US-led international order (Al Jazeera).
Taiwan concerned about situation 'getting out of hand' with China drills / September 23, 2023
Taiwan’s defense minister issued caution on Saturday regarding China’s increasingly provocative military exercises around Taiwan with the concern that the increased activities might trigger an accidental response. China has been conducting its military drills even off the eastern coast of Taiwan where Taiwan has two air bases (Reuters).
China says drills around Taiwan to ‘combat arrogance of separatists’ / September 27, 2023
When asked why China was carrying out so many drills around Taiwan, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office stated that it was responding to “combat the arrogance of Taiwan independence separatist forces,” referring to Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party (Al Jazeera).
US launches new economic working groups with China to quell tension / September 24, 2023
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated on Friday that the US and China will have “working groups” from both countries collaborate with one another to discuss economic and policy issues in an effort to stabilize relations between the superpowers. Yellen visited China in July (Al Jazeera).
China sentences Uyghur scholar to life in jail / September 23, 2023
Rahile Dawut, a 57-year-old professor of Uyghur folklore and ethnic minorities in northwestern China was sentenced to life in prison for “splittism” a crime endangering national security. She is the latest in a growing list of intellectuals imprisoned by China since 2016 (BBC News).
South China Sea: Philippines removes Chinese barrier in contested area / September 25, 2023
As three Chinese coast guard ships installed a 1000-foot floating barrier near the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, a Philippine vessel arrived and workers dismantled the barrier. The Chinese workers issued warnings to the Philippine vessel, but once they saw media personnel on the Philippine ship, they disbanded (BBC News).
Beijing aims to snatch the South China Sea. US Navy is backing down / September 26, 2023
Author Thomas Sharpe warns that China’s attempts to “normalize” its illegal maneuvers to claim all of the South China Sea threaten not only the local economy in that region but also the global food supply and economy. If the US continues to reduce its naval forces, the time may come when nobody will be able to stop China from achieving its goals (The Telegraph).
‘Batwoman’ scientist warns another coronavirus outbreak is ‘highly likely’ / September 24, 2023
Chinese virologist, Shi Zhengli, stated in a report that another 20 coronavirus strains exist that could infect humans sometime in the future. She, and her co-authors, called for global preparedness, but fatigue from the recent Covid outbreak has many people avoiding the topic, preferring to “move on” (SCMP).
Evergrande debt setback, Oceanwide blow rattle China property stocks / September 25, 2023
China’s realty sector was hit with more bad news this week as China Evergrande Group and China Oceanwide Holdings both hit obstacles in their bids to restructure debt and avoid liquidation. The property sector accounts for about 25% of China’s economy (Reuters).
China warns EU: show restraint when countering Beijing’s trade tactics / September 25, 2023
After Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU’s trade chief, expressed concern over the trade imbalance between the EU and China, the effect of Russia’s war in Ukraine on the food supply, and the threat of Chinese subsidized electric vehicles flooding the global market, China countered by advising the EU to not get bullish in their relationship with China (SCMP).