Month: February 2023

Reforms will mean more power for Communist Party leader Xi Jinping: analysts

Chin@Strategy

Structural reforms by the ruling Chinese Communist Party leadership that could bring government security and intelligence branches under the direct control of the ruling party, rather than the country’s cabinet, suggest a further bid to consolidate political power in the hands of leader Xi Jinping as well as a possible preparation for war, analysts said. Party leader Xi Jinping told a high-level political meeting in Beijing on Tuesday that the upcoming session of China’s rubber-stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress, would see the party strengthen “unified leadership” over scientific and…

What is in the CHIPS Act, Aimed at Childcare Expansion and National Security

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The Biden administration unveiled new rules Tuesday for its “Chips for America” program to build up semiconductor research and manufacturing in the United States, beginning a new rush toward federal funding in the sector. The Commerce Department has $50 billion to hand out in the form of direct funding, federal loans and loan guarantees. It represents one of the largest federal investments in a single industry in decades and highlights deepening concern in Washington about America’s dependence on foreign chips. Given the huge cost of building highly advanced semiconductor facilities,…

China Welcomes Belarusian Leader Amid Concerns About Ukraine

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President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for a three-day visit in which China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, is expected to meet with him, lending support to one of Russia’s staunchest allies amid growing concerns in the United States and Europe about China’s position on the war in Ukraine. Mr. Lukashenko, who has led Belarus since 1994, allowed Russia to use his country as a staging ground to invade Ukraine more than a year ago, which resulted in Western sanctions against Minsk. A 68-year-old authoritarian, Mr.…

Reuters Reporters’ Online Accounts Faked to Approach China Activists

Chin@Strategy

HONG KONG —  Two Reuters journalists had their identities faked by an unknown person or people who then used sham social media accounts to engage with Chinese activists on several online platforms over several months. The false representations of the two journalists, Shanghai bureau chief Brenda Goh and Hong Kong-based correspondent Jessie Pang, starting in late November, appeared on platforms including Instagram and the Telegram message app. The impersonator or impersonators were seeking information about a group linked to protests the same month against China’s strict COVID-19 controls, according to…

Canada bans TikTok on government devices over security risks

Chin@Strategy

Canada has joined the US and EU in enacting a sweeping ban preventing TikTok from being installed on all government-issued mobile devices, as western officials take action over the Chinese-owned video-sharing app. Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, did not rule out further action. “I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones, many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices,” he…

Li Keqiang’s Legacy: A Recommitment to Reformism

Chin@Strategy

Advertisement After ten years as China’s premier, Li Keqiang looks destined to be remembered as the country’s weakest head of government in decades, whose influence has paled in comparison to current strongman leader Xi Jinping. This imbalance was vividly illustrated at the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s 20th National Congress last October, where Li’s faction was emphatically outmaneuvered by Xi and his allies. But perceived legacies and actual achievements are not the same thing. This is especially true in China, where strict control of official narratives can heavily distort the public…

Young Chinese feeling ‘political depression’ amid hopelessness about future

Chin@Strategy

Feeling disheartened about the future, Chinese graduate student Qi Cui took an online quiz a few years ago that suggested she was depressed. She thought she would feel better once she started her new job and the COVID pandemic eased. But the sense of despair has persisted, and even worsened. Now, as she reads the news about Xi Jinping’s tightening grip on power and China’s intensifying clampdown on dissent, she realizes something more is going on. Qi, who is in her early 30s, has concluded that she is experiencing something…

South Korea, US, Japan Meet on Supply-Chain Resilience

Chin@Strategy

SEOUL —  Officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan have held their first economic security dialogue, South Korea’s presidential office said Tuesday, amid efforts to strengthen the resilience of supply chains and develop technology. Though Japan and South Korea are at time uneasy neighbors, the three countries are keen to expand cooperation in various fields in the face of increased global tensions, a more assertive China and an unpredictable North Korea. “This dialogue is meaningful in expanding bilateral economic security cooperation with the United States to the trilateral…

Beijing’s ‘reunification’ plan for Taiwan ‘on fast development track’, NPC deputy says

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Li made the remarks days before this year’s meetings of the top legislative and political advisory bodies – known as the “two sessions” – begin on Saturday. A series of new policies, including on Taiwan, are expected to be unveiled during the gathering, along with the defence budget and a government reshuffle. Comments made by NPC deputies such as Li can provide some insight into Beijing’s policymaking, which remains largely secretive. Advertisement In the interview, Li – who is also dean of the Taiwan Research Institute at Peking University –…