News that caught our eye / The week ending May 26, 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.
Chinese comedian arrested after joke about army / May 18, 2023
Chinese comedian Li Haoshi was arrested by Chinese police for using a quote to encourage excellence in the military by President Xi to describe the behavior of his dogs chasing a squirrel. Li apologized for his comment. A representative of China’s Culture Ministry described the comment as slanderous of the PLA (BBC News).
China overtakes Japan as world's top car exporter / May 19, 2023
Increased sales to Russia pushed China into the world’s top exporter of automobiles, edging out Japan in the first quarter of 2023 and previously beating Germany in 2022. Sanctions against Russia opened the door for China as other automakers cut ties. Production of New Electric Vehicles (NEV’s) rose by 90% over 2022 (BBC News).
Takeaways on Chinese loans pushing poor countries to brink of collapse / May 18, 2023
Recently discovered undisclosed loans from Chinese banks to “shell companies” of countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zambia, exposes an even more troubling light on the economic plight these countries are facing. They are close to default and collapse, and Chinese blanks refuse to offer solutions (AP News).
In one border town, China and Russia appear be growing closer / May 20, 2023
Heihe, a Chinese border town on the Amur River that separates China from Russia, shows evidence of a strong economic and cultural exchange between the two countries. Bi-lateral trade between the two countries increased by 30% in 2022. Sanctions and the war in Ukraine have pushed the countries together (NBC News).
Zelensky dominates summit as G7 leaders call out China / May 20, 2023
President Zelensky made a surprise visit to the G7 summit in Japan on Saturday, adding a spark of excitement to the rather placid conference. The G7 countries continued to vow to “starve” Russia out of Ukraine through more sanctions, but at the same time blamed China for economic coercion in the Indo-Pacific (BBC News).
G7 takes stand against China’s “economic coercion” / May 21, 2023
The G7 issued strong statements against China as they met in Japan over last weekend due to China’s authoritarian actions against nations that displease Beijing. They fear “being held hostage” by China’s coercion, but at the same time, they are speaking as diplomatically as possible because they are all integrated with China economically (BBC News).
China and Ukraine force rivals Japan and South Korea to rethink / May 21, 2023
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s growing territorial ambitions in the China Sea have brought Japan and South Korea together politically and working in tandem to step up their military preparedness against North Korea and China. China claims the two countries are doing Washington’s bidding against China (NBC News).
Isolating China will be ‘impossible & dangerous,’ analyst says after G7 summit / May 22, 2023
Shifting from the Biden administration’s buzz word, “decoupling,” which describes the West’s efforts to break from dependency on China’s economy, to “de-risking,” is a sign that any large economic separation from China is unlikely and even dangerous, according to one analyst. 2022 saw a record high in trade between the two countries (CNBC).
Biden admin pulls grant for energy firm with Chinese ties in stunning reversal / May 22, 2023
After awarding a grant to battery producer Microvast in 2022, the Dept. of Energy pulled the grant from the company, although no specific reason was given for the reversal. Microvast, however, is under control of the CCP, which can step in at any time to influence the direction of the company. (Fox News).
Russia, China sign new agreements, defying Western criticism / May 24, 2023
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin visited Beijing this week and signed agreements with China on trade and sports cooperation. The West’s sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine has brought the two nations together economically, politically and militarily. Trade between the two nations reached a new record high in 2022 (Al Jazeera).
Canada inquiry into China election meddling claims ruled out / May 23, 2023
A Canadian government appointed official reported that an inquiry into China’s meddling in Canada’s last two elections would not be possible because the sensitive information involved should not be under public review. Rather, public hearings into the manner that agencies share such intelligence would be appropriate. Trudeau agreed (BBC News).
China-backed hackers spying on US critical infrastructure, says Five Eyes / May 24, 2023
Microsoft and the “Five Eyes Intelligence Network,” made up of the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, reported that a Chinese hacking group called Volt Typhoon has been spying on critical US infrastructure, including in Guam, a strategic center in the event of an Indo-Pacific crisis (The Guardian).
China faces a new Covid wave that could peak at 65 million cases a week / May 25 2023
A new Covid variant, XBB, is hitting China this Spring and is expected to peak at the end of June. While infections could reach 65 million new cases per week, the government and the Chinese people seem to be taking the “surge” in stride. Nobody wants to go back to zero-Covid (NBC News).