China
Germany warns of ‘consequences’ if China sends arms to Russia
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says there would be “consequences” if China sent weapons to Russia for Moscow's war in Ukraine, but he's fairly optimistic that Beijing will refrain from doing so.
Scholz's comments came in an interview with CNN that aired Sunday, two days after he met U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington.
U.S. officials have warned recently that China could step off the sidelines and begin providing arms and ammunition to Moscow. Ahead of his trip, Scholz had urged Beijing to refrain from sending weapons and instead use its influence to press Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
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Asked by CNN if he could imagine sanctioning China if it did aid Russia, Scholz replied: “I think it would have consequences, but we are now in a stage where we are making clear that this should not happen, and I’m relatively optimistic that we will be successful with our request in this case, but we will have to look at (it) and we have to be very, very cautious.”
He didn't elaborate on the nature of the consequences. Germany has Europe's biggest economy, and China has been its single biggest trading partner in recent years.
Back in Germany on Sunday, Scholz was asked after his Cabinet met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen whether he had received concrete evidence from the U.S. that China was considering weapons deliveries and whether he would back sanctions against Beijing if it helped arm Russia.
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“We all agree that there must be no weapons deliveries, and the Chinese government has stated that it wouldn’t deliver any," the chancellor replied. “That is what we are demanding and we are watching it."
He didn't address the sanctions question.
Von der Leyen said that “we have no evidence for this so far, but we must observe it every day.”
She said that whether the European Union would sanction China for giving Russia military aid “is a hypothetical question that can only be answered if it were to become reality and fact.”
Foxconn to make iPhones in new Indian factory, in shift from China
Foxconn is going to build another Apple iPhone manufacturing plant in a 300-acre new factory in India’s Karnataka, the country’s Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and the state Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai have said.
According to them, the manufacturing facility will employ 100,000 people, reports NDTV.
The investment, one of Foxconn’s largest single expenditures in India to date, comes as global businesses increasingly move away from China as Washington-Beijing tensions grow.
In the outskirts of Bengaluru, land has been made available to Foxconn, the leading manufacturer of iPhones. The 300-acre site is said to be one of the largest manufacturing units for Apple’s iPhones.
The Taiwanese company is planning to invest US$ 700 million in the new plant to ramp up local production, according to a Bloomberg report.
The factory may also assemble Apple handsets, Bloomberg said, quoting sources.
Foxconn might manufacture some components for its budding electric vehicle industry at the new site, added the report.
“Bengaluru was the preferred destination for global companies and had been a forerunner in attracting investment,” Foxconn Chairman Young Liu said after visiting the factory site.
Foxconn, meanwhile, continues to produce iPhones at its massive manufacturing facility in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou, where it currently employs some 200,000 people.
Foxconn has made a significant investment in India twice now. In a facility in Tamil Nadu, the firm is already producing iPhones of the latest generation.
Foxconn reported earnings of USD 206 billion in 2021, placing it second globally in the production of Apple phones. According to reports, Foxconn is the biggest producer of electronics worldwide. It ranked 20th in the Fortune Global 500 as of the previous year.
There are 173 campuses and offices for Foxconn spread over 24 countries or regions, including those in China, Japan, Vietnam, the Czech Republic, and the US.
Quad FMs, wary of China’s might, push Indo-Pacific option
The top diplomats of Australia, India, Japan and the United States said Friday their Indo-Pacific-focused bloc is not aimed at countering China but released a statement littered with buzzwords and phrases that reflect growing unease over China’s influence in the region.
Meeting in New Delhi, the four foreign ministers barely mentioned China by name and insisted that the so-called “Quad” is designed to boost their own national interests and improve those of others through enhanced cooperation in non-military areas.
Yet their comments at a joint public event and the written statement made clear the grouping exists to be an alternative to China with repeated references to the importance of democracy, rule of law, maritime security and the peaceful settlement of disputes all of which Beijing regards with suspicion when coming from Quad members.
“We strongly support the principles of freedom, rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes without resorting to threat or use of force and freedom of navigation and overflight, and oppose any unilateral attempt to change the status quo, all of which are essential to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and beyond,” the ministers said in the statement.
In a direct shot at China, which has become increasingly aggressive in the Pacific and alarmed its smaller neighbors by pushing claims to disputed maritime zones, the ministers said they viewed with concern “challenges to the maritime rules-based order, including in the South and East China Seas.”
“We strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo or increase tensions in the area,” they said. “We express serious concern at the militarization of disputed features, the dangerous use of coast guard vessels and maritime militia, and efforts to disrupt other countries’ offshore resource exploitation activities.”
In an oblique reference to China, as well as Russia, which have blocked actions at the U.N. Security Council and other institutions on matters ranging from Ukraine to Myanmar, North Korea, trade, technology and health, they said they “are committed to cooperate to address attempts to unilaterally subvert the UN and international system.”
And, just a day after China and Russia thwarted the Group of 20 largest industrialized and developing nations from adopting a joint communique on Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Quad specifically endorsed language to which Beijing and Moscow objected. That included a line that said “the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible.”
“We underscored the need for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter,” they added, repeating another line China and Russia had refused to agree to at Thursday’s G-20 foreign ministers meeting that were also held in the Indian capital.
Speaking at a group event at India’s Raisina Dialogue, the four ministers maintained that the Quad does not seek conflict with China or to antagonize it but rather to promote democracy, good governance, transparency, digital security and global health and disaster relief.
“As long as China abides by the law and international norms and acts under international institutional standards this is not a conflicting issue between China and the Quad,” Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa said in a rare direct reference to China.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the group is not designed to blunt China’s rise by demanding that countries align with Quad members or Beijing.
“Our proposition is not to say to countries in the region ‘You have to choose’,” he said. “Our proposition is to offer a choice, a positive alternative.”
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar agreed.
“I prefer to think about what we are for, not about what we are against,” Wong said.
“We do offer more choices.” Jaishankar said. “We do collectively offer something different. Countries are interested, many of them are looking as the Indo-Pacific as a changing theater and how to define themselves.”
'China gives big loans to countries to make them dependent on it'
China, one of the world's largest single creditor nations, gives big loans to developing and least developed countries to make them dependent on it, US geopolitical expert Richard Benkin said Thursday.
Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Djibouti, the Maldives, and Montenegro are "victims" of China's debt trap diplomacy, he added.
The US expert was speaking at the seminar "Debt Trap Diplomacy: A Robust Threat and Corruption Institutionalized" organised by The Asian Age in the capital Thursday.
The Asian Age Chairman Shoeb Chowdhury presided over the programme. The Asian Age Editor-in-Charge Selim Omrao Khan and Advisory Editor AKM Shameem Chowdhuri were also present.
"Pakistan has turned into a failed state as a result of taking Chinese loans," Benkin said.
He referred to Sri Lanka as another country that has plunged into insurmountable woes because of getting cobwebbed with Chinese financial deals.
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Other speakers talked about the "syndicated corruption" that has been taking place in various countries through Chinese financial schemes.
"Financial vices like" money laundering have taken a monstrous shape in many countries for their involvement with Chinese debts and Chinese projects, they said.
Also, the discussants called upon the Bangladesh government not to fall into Chinese financial traps.
Former secretaries Mostafizur Rahman and Kamal Uddin Talukder, UN Disability Rights Champion Abdus Sattar Dulal, former ISPR director Shaheenul Islam, Professor Mohammed Nuruzzaman of North South University, Professor Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah of Dhaka University, Bangladesh Christian Association President Nirmol Rozario, Daily Ittefaq Associate Editor Mohshin Habib, Advocate Saikat Paul and The Asian Age Senior Business Reporter Nasir Uddin Shah were also present at the programme.
Taiwan says 25 Chinese planes, 3 ships sent toward island
China sent 25 warplanes and three warships toward Taiwan on Wednesday morning, the island’s Defense Ministry said, as tensions remain high between Beijing and Taipei’s main backer Washington.
The ministry said 19 of those planes crossed into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone while the ships were continuing to operate in the Taiwan Strait. It said Taiwan responded by scrambling fighters, dispatching ships and activating coastal missile defense systems to “closely monitor and respond.”
China stages such incursions on a near-daily basis, part of what are termed “gray zone” tactics, aimed at intimidation and wearing down Taiwan’s equipment, exhausting its personnel and degrading public morale. Those also include cyberwarfare and disinformation campaigns, along with a relentless drive to deprive Taiwan of diplomatic allies.
Taiwan has responded by upgrading its fleet of F-16 fighter jets and ordering 66 more of the planes from the U.S., while purchasing a range of other weaponry and extending its mandatory term of military service for all males from four months to one year.
Relations between Beijing and Washington, Taiwan’s primary ally and source of defensive weaponry, have spiraled over China’s actions toward the island, trade, technology and the South China Sea.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a visit to Beijing last month after the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the U.S. east coast, drawing furious protests from China.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary, and has been rapidly expanding its military to meet that challenge should it arise.
In memos and testimony, top U.S. officers have called for heightened preparations, saying China sees a shrinking window for action and may move on Taiwan within a few years.
China says it prefers peaceful unification between the sides, but the Taiwanese public overwhelmingly favors the current state of de-facto independence.
Wednesday’s incursions were relatively modest by recent standards. During China’s National Day weekend in 2021, Beijing dispatched 149 military aircraft southwest of Taiwan in strike group formations. In August, in response to a trip to Taiwan by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, China staged war games surrounding the island simulating a blockade and fired missiles over it into the Pacific Ocean.
Along with ordering new hardware from the U.S., Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has been pushing for a revitalization of the domestic defense industry, including producing conventionally powered submarines.
5 die in SW China mine as hope fades for 47 trapped in north
At least five workers were killed in a roof collapse at a mine in southwestern China, as hope appeared to be fading for 47 miners trapped under tons of rubble after a mining disaster last week in northern China.
Deadly mine disasters occur regularly in China, although authorities have reduced their toll greatly by emphasizing safety and closing smaller operations that lacked necessary equipment.
In the mine in Sichuan province, 25 miners were underground when part of the roof collapsed Sunday morning. Five were killed, three were badly injured and the others escaped, the provincial Department of Emergency Management said. Reports said the mine did not produce coal, but gave no details.
Meanwhile, rescue efforts were continuing at the open-pit mine in the Inner Mongolian region’s Alxa League. The death toll remains six with six others pulled from the rubble alive. The cause for the collapse of a mine wall six days ago is under investigation and an unknown number of people have been detained.
Also Read: 9 workers found dead in China mine explosion; toll now 10
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an “all-out” search-and-rescue effort and local authorities have ordered inspections and safety improvements at other mines in Inner Mongolia that produce much of the coal, metals and rare earths the Chinese economy depends on.
Calls to the Ministry of Emergency Management rang unanswered on Monday. The last official report on the rescue effort Saturday said two corridors had been cleared to bring in more equipment and ground-penetrating radar had also been deployed.
Previously, more than 1,000 rescuers were sent to the scene, using heavy machinery, along with life-detection equipment and rescue dogs.
Hours after the initial cave-in, another landslide halted rescue efforts for several hours during the crucial period for rescuing survivors. Since then, crews were carefully excavating by layers to avoid causing more landslides.
CIA chief: China has some doubt on ability to invade Taiwan
U.S. intelligence shows that China’s President Xi Jinping has instructed his country’s military to “be ready by 2027” to invade Taiwan though he may be currently harboring doubts about his ability to do so given Russia’s experience in its war with Ukraine, CIA Director William Burns said.
Burns, in a television interview that aired on Sunday, stressed that the United States must take “very seriously” Xi’s desire to ultimately control Taiwan even if military conflict is not inevitable.
“We do know, as has been made public, that President Xi has instructed the PLA, the Chinese military leadership, to be ready by 2027 to invade Taiwan, but that doesn’t mean that he’s decided to invade in 2027 or any other year as well,” Burns told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
“I think our judgment at least is that President Xi and his military leadership has doubts today about whether they could accomplish that invasion,” he said.
Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war that ended with the Communist Party in control of the mainland. The self-governing island acts like a sovereign nation yet is not recognized by the United Nations or any major country. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter formally recognized the government in Beijing and cut nation-to-nation ties with Taiwan. In response, Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act, creating a benchmark for a continuing relationship.
Taiwan has received numerous displays of official American support for the island democracy in the face of growing shows of force by Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory. President Joe Biden has said that American forces would defend Taiwan if China tries to invade. The White House says U.S. policy has not changed in making clear that Washington wants to see Taiwan’s status resolved peacefully. It is silent as to whether U.S. forces might be sent in response to a Chinese attack.
In Sunday’s interview, Burns said the support from the U.S. and European allies for Ukraine following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of that country may be acting as a potential deterrent to Chinese officials for now but said the risks of a possible attack on Taiwan will only grow stronger.
“I think, as they’ve looked at Putin’s experience in Ukraine, that’s probably reinforced some of those doubts,” Burns said. “So, all I would say is that I think the risks of, you know, a potential use of force probably grow the further into this decade you get and beyond it, into the following decade as well.
“So that’s something obviously, that we watch very, very carefully,” he said.
Beijing official in Hong Kong warns US envoy after speech
A Chinese diplomat accused the U.S. consul general in Hong Kong of interfering in its affairs after he said the city's freedoms were eroding and warned the American not to cross political “red lines.”
Consul General Gregory May gave a video address last month in which he expressed concern over diminished freedoms in Hong Kong and said its reputation as a business center depended on adherence to international standards and the rule of law.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office in Hong Kong said its commissioner Liu Guangyuan met with May recently to express objections to his “inappropriate” words and deeds.
“Liu also drew three red lines for US consul general and US consulate general in Hong Kong, which is not to endanger China’s national security, not to engage in political infiltration in Hong Kong, and not to slander or damage Hong Kong’s development prospect,” his office said in reply to inquiries from The Associated Press.
Liu also urged May to abide by diplomatic ethics, the office added.
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An unidentified U.S. consulate spokesperson said that while they do not generally comment on private diplomatic meetings, they will not hesitate to express publicly or privately the United States' deep concern over the erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy.
May, in his address to the U.S. Center for Strategic & International Studies, also cited a decision by China’s legislature that lets Hong Kong's executive branch decide whether foreign lawyers can be involved in national security cases in the city.
The decision was made after the city's top court allowed pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai to hire a British lawyer to represent him as he fights collusion charges that could bring a life prison sentence if he is convicted.
Liu's office accused May of slandering the rule of law and freedom in Hong Kong when he questioned the legal decision made in Beijing and other changes in Hong Kong's governance.
Read More: What is China’s peace proposal for Ukraine War?
The U.S. and other democracies have been critical of China’s crackdown on political freedoms in the former British colony, which was handed back to China in 1997 with a promise by Beijing to keep Western-style liberties under a “one country, two systems” framework.
Hong Kong is among a raft of issues that have sent ties between Beijing and Washington to their lowest level in years, including technology and trade, human rights, threats against Taiwan, and China’s claims in the South China Sea.
China calls for Russia-Ukraine cease-fire, peace talks
China, a firm Russian ally, has called for a cease-fire between Ukraine and Moscow and the opening of peace talks as part of a 12-point proposal to end the conflict.
The plan issued Friday morning by the Foreign Ministry also urges the end of Western sanctions imposed on Russia, measures to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities, the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, and steps to ensure the export of grain after disruptions caused global food prices to spike.
China has claimed to be neutral in the conflict, but it has a “no limits” relationship with Russia and has refused to criticize its invasion of Ukraine over even refer to it as such, while accusing the West of provoking the conflict and “fanning the flames" by providing Ukraine with defensive arms.
Read more: UN approves resolution calling for Russia to leave Ukraine
China and Russia have increasingly aligned their foreign policies to oppose the U.S.-led liberal international order. Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed the strength of those ties when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow this week.
China has also been accused by the U.S. of possibly preparing to provide Russia with military aid, something Beijing says lacks evidence.
Given China's positions, that throws doubt on whether its 12-point proposal has any hope of going ahead — or whether China is seen as an honest broker.
Before the proposal was released, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it an important first step.
“I think that, in general, the fact that China started talking about peace in Ukraine, I think that it is not bad. It is important for us that all states are on our side, on the side of justice,” he said at a news conference Friday with Spain's prime minister.
Read more: Russia, China show off ties amid maneuvering over Ukraine
State Department spokesman Ned Price said earlier Thursday that the U.S. would reserve judgment but that China’s allegiance with Russia meant it was not a neutral mediator. “We would like to see nothing more than a just and durable peace ... but we are skeptical that reports of a proposal like this will be a constructive path forward,” he said.
Price added that the U.S. hopes “all countries that have a relationship with Russia unlike the one that we have will use that leverage, will use that influence to push Russia meaningfully and usefully to end this brutal war of aggression. (China) is in a position to do that in ways that we just aren’t.”
The peace proposal mainly elaborated on long-held Chinese positions, including referring to the need that all countries' “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity be effectively guaranteed."
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It also called an end to the “Cold War mentality" — it's standard term for what it regards as U.S. hegemony and interference in other countries.
“A country’s security cannot be at the expense of other countries’ security, and regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs,” the proposal said. “The legitimate security interests and concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and properly addressed.”
China abstained Thursday when the U.N. General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution that calls for Russia to end hostilities in Ukraine and withdraw its forces. It is one of 16 countries that either voted against or abstained on almost all of five previous resolutions on Ukraine.
The resolution, drafted by Ukraine in consultation with its allies, passed 141-7 with 32 abstentions, sending a strong message on the eve of the first anniversary of the invasion that appears to leave Russia more isolated than ever.
While China has not been openly critical of Moscow, it has said that the present conflict is “not something it wishes to see,” and has repeatedly said any use of nuclear weapons would be completely unacceptable, in an implied repudiation of Putin’s statement that Russia would use “all available means” to protect its territory.
Read more: China blasts Pentagon official’s Taiwan visit, military ties
“There are no winners in conflict wars," the proposal said.
“All parties should maintain rationality and restraint ... support Russia and Ukraine to meet each other, resume direct dialogue as soon as possible, gradually promote the de-escalation and relaxation of the situation, and finally reach a comprehensive ceasefire," it said.
China blasts Pentagon official’s Taiwan visit, military ties
China on Wednesday sharply criticized a visit to Taiwan by a senior Pentagon official and reaffirmed it has sanctioned Lockheed Martin and a unit of Raytheon for supplying military equipment to the self-governing island democracy.
The comments from the Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office underscore the dramatic deterioration in relations between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan, technology, spying allegations, and, increasingly, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Asked about the reported visit by Michael Chase, deputy assistant secretary of defense for China, office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said China “resolutely opposes any official interaction and military collaboration” between the U.S. and Taiwan.
Efforts by Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party to cement the island’s independence with foreign assistance are “doomed to failure,” Zhu told reporters.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary, and has been stepping up its military and diplomatic harassment. The sides split amid civil war in 1949, and China’s authoritarian Communist Party has never held sway over the island.
Also Read: Congress delegation visits Taiwan in tense US-China moment
A Pentagon spokesperson did not comment directly on Chase’s visit, repeating that “our commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region.” Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said it had no information about any such visit.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said a “new round of tensions” in the Taiwan Strait was a result of the Taiwanese authorities’ attempts to “seek independence with U.S. support, as well as the U.S. intention to contain China with Taiwan.”
“We urge the U.S. to ... stop any form of official U.S.-Taiwan contacts, stop meddling in the Taiwan issue and stop creating new factors of tension in the Taiwan Strait,” Wang said at a daily briefing.
Tensions between the U.S. and China again ratcheted up last month after Washington accused Beijing of sending a spy balloon that was shot down over the American East Coast. Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a trip to Beijing in the wake of the incident and said over the weekend that the United States was concerned China would provide weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
China, which has declared a “no limits” friendship with Russia, has pointedly refused to criticize Moscow’s actions, blaming the U.S. and NATO for provoking the Kremlin, and has blasted the punishing sanctions imposed on Russia. Russia, in turn, has strongly backed China over Taiwan.
Also Read: Why China's stand on Russia and Ukraine is raising concerns
On a visit to Moscow Tuesday, the Communist Party’s top diplomat Wang Yi said relations between Moscow and Beijing are “solid as a rock” and will “stand the test of the volatile international situation.”
Russia and China have an “excellent opportunity to continue close strategic cooperation and contacts to protect our shared strategic interests,” Wang said.
Wang Wenbin, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said he had no information about a possible visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow this spring.
A delegation of U.S. lawmakers visiting Taiwan met on Tuesday with President Tsai Ing-wen, who said she looked for increased cooperation on issues from security to climate change.
On Monday, the delegation met with the head of the legislature as part of their five-day visit. They include Reps. Ro Khanna of California, Tony Gonzales of Texas, Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts and Jonathan Jackson of Illinois.
The congressional team held talks with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s founder Morris Chang, considered the father of the island’s world-leading microchip industry that is now investing heavily in U.S. production.
Khanna and Auchincloss are both members of the new House select committee focused on competition with China.
Amid the flurry of exchanges, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and head of the National Security Council Wellington Koo were in Washington on Tuesday for what are believed to be security meetings.
They were filmed by Taiwan’s private TVBS television station entering the offices of the body the U.S. uses to oversee relations with Taiwan in lieu of formal diplomatic ties. Washington cut formal relations in 1979 in order to establish ties with Beijing, but remains the island’s chief political and military ally.
China has increasingly lashed back at the increase in exchanges with Taiwan by officials and elected representatives from the U.S. and other democratic nations. China’s campaign of diplomatic isolation has left Taiwan with just 14 formal allies, although it retains robust unofficial relations with dozens of other countries.
Last Thursday, China imposed trade and investment sanctions against Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Technologies Corp.’s Raytheon Missiles and Defense, barring them from importing goods into China or making new investments in the country.
The Ministry of Commerce declared they had been added to the “unreliable entity” list of companies whose activities are restricted because they might endanger national sovereignty, security or development interests. It wasn’t clear what impact the penalties would have.