News that caught our eye / The week ending June 2, 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.
US charges two over China-backed plot against Falun Gong / May 27, 2023
Two Chinese born American citizens were arrested in Los Angeles for attempting to revoke Falun Gong’s tax-exempt status in the US through the IRS, allegedly on behalf of the CCP. An undercover police officer posed as an IRS agent to uncover the plot. Falun Gong urges Chinese citizens to renounce communism (Al Jazeera).
Yunnan protest: Mosque closure sees clashes with security forces / May 30, 2023
China’s efforts to “Sinicize” religion has led to protests outside a mosque in Nagu, Yunnan. The government ordered that the mosque’s new dome roof and additional minarets be removed, likely because they did not reflect Chinese culture. Several protesters have been arrested, and citizens are encouraged to turn in remaining protesters (BBC News).
There are Christian Uyghurs, too: new organization launched in London / May 31, 2023
A group of Uyghur Christians, calling themselves the World Uyghur Christian Union (WUCU), held their inaugural meeting in London in May, dedicating themselves to spreading the gospel among their people, citing the historical presence of Nestorian Christianity in their region dating back before the arrival of Islam (Bitter Winter).
Sinicization of Christianity Comes to Hong Kong / May 24, 2023
The CCP is mandating the “Sinicization” of Christian churches in China and now Hong Kong, but the cultural changes are more than aesthetic, it includes adapting to socialism and the oversight of the CCP. Protestant church leaders met in Hong Kong where the message was, unfortunately, mandatory adaptation to socialism (Bitter Winter).
China deletes 1.4 million posts in crackdown on 'self-media' accounts / May 27, 2023
The Cyberspace Administration Center (CAC) of China closed 67,000 online accounts and punished over 900,000 other accounts by cutting off followers or suspending profit-making privileges in a two-month time period this Spring. The CAC claims it was deleting fake accounts and false information (Reuters).
China’s industrial profits tumble 18% in April as demand sputters / May 26, 2023
China’s post-pandemic economic recovery took a nose-dive in the first quarter of 2023 when it comes to “industrial profits,” and April’s 18% drop from the same month last year indicated a continuous soft demand for goods both domestically and internationally. The demand for steel in May also slumped, lowering prices (NBC News).
Hong Kong stocks touch bear market territory / May 31, 2023
Hong Kong’s benchmark index dipped into bear market territory on Wednesday but closed just above the 20% level of bear market territory. The market had hit a high at the end of January based on China’s anticipated post-pandemic economic recovery. All of that gain disappeared by Wednesday’s slump (CNBC).
China’s C919 takes maiden commercial flight—and first bite from Boeing / May 28, 2023
China’s first single aisle commercial airplane flew from Shanghai to Beijing last week, marking the country’s attempt to enter the aviation market against Boeing and Airbus with its own domestic brand. Such competition is tough as other plane manufacturers have abandoned plans because they simply can’t compete (The Wall Street Journal).
China plans to land astronauts on moon before 2030, expand space station / Ma7 27, 2023
China’s space program plans to expand its space station, land on the moon and is currently sending a replacement crew to its space station, including a first-time Chinese civilian. The country’s first manned space mission occurred in 2003 but was excluded from the International Space Station (AP News).
Elon Musk: Tesla boss on first China trip in over three years / May 30, 2023
Musk arrived in Beijing this week, meeting with China’s foreign minister Qin Gong and its industry minister, Jin Zhuanglong. Musk hopes to build a second Tesla plant in China, this one to make “megapack” batteries. China accounts for 1/3 of Tesla’s global sales (BBC News).
China rejects Biden admin. request for meeting between military leaders / May 30, 2023
Although previous heads of the Biden Administration have met with their Chinese counterparts this year, the Chinese government declined an invitation from the US for their defense ministers to meet this week. China blames the US for trying to suppress China and its goals, and for supporting Taiwan (Fox News).
Chinese jet flew past nose of U.S. plane, Pentagon says / May 30, 2023
On Saturday, a Chinese fighter jet flew in front of a US surveillance plane in the South China Sea, risking the safety of the US jet and its crew. The Pentagon states that the US plane was flying in international waters. China claims that the plane threatened China’s security and sovereignty (NBC News).
China, India kick out nearly all of each other’s journalists as rivalry escalates / May 30, 2023
After the June 2020 border clash in the Ladakh region between China and India, relations between the nuclear superpowers have soured to the point that both countries have rejected extending visas to each other’s journalists. Media representatives state that journalists provide cultural understanding and perspectives, so the loss of journalists makes matters worse (WSJ).
Xi Jinping tells national security team to prepare for ‘worst-case scenario’ / May 31, 2023
The CCP’s National Security Commission met this week, with President Xi urging members to be on high alert for domestic and foreign threats against China’s national security, including the development of AI. But China uses AI to suppress its own citizens by using facial, voice and even walking gait recognition to identify potential threats (Fox News).
US gov sent $1.3B to China/Russia for gender equality, cat and Wuhan research / May 31, 2023
Senator Joni Ernst revealed that the US government has sent over a billion dollars to China and Russia over the last 5 years, including $2 million to the Wuhan Lab, over $750,000 for cat treadmill experiments in St. Petersburg, and almost $100,000 for a New Yorker Magazine exhibition in China of female cartoonists’ work (Fox News).
China’s 'debt-trap' crippling poor economies, endangering US national security / May 31, 2023
At one time, developing nations scrambled to obtain loans from China, which China was eager to give. But now, many of those nations are unable to make their payments, giving China the ability to take over the sites and use them as strategic bases of operations—One Belt, One Road (Fox News).
To compete with China, the U.S. should increase immigration, decrease gov. regulation / May 24, 2023
This Cato Institute scholar takes issue with some of the US's approach to China. E.g., he maintains that to compete with China, the U.S. should admit more immigrants and cut back on government regulation. He advocates for the US to compete with China using its traditional strengths: openness and competition (The China Project).
In China, Elon Musk talks ‘intelligent networked vehicles’ / May 31, 2023
Tesla CEO Elon Musk met with Chinese dignitaries this week in China, praising the country for its development potential. Tesla has a large plant in China and plans to build a second one. Musk favors “de-risking” over “de-coupling” when it comes to East-West relations and the potential for a fractured global market (Al Jazeera).