Xi Jinping’s recipe for total control: An army of eyes and ears; Former CIA agent admits he was a Chinese spy
U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs to meet next week, as military drills around Taiwan end
Welcome to this issue of The China Brief. Today is May 25, 2024. Here at The China Brief, we bring you the latest news on China's politics, economy, and society from global media sources, along with exclusive expert analysis. If you find our content helpful, please subscribe to our newsletter.
Xi Jinping’s recipe for total control: An army of eyes and ears
Japan Times
A recent article highlights the surveillance tactics employed by the police in Beijing. In one police station, there is a wall covered in sheets of paper, each representing a building in a local apartment complex. These sheets contain detailed information on the residents, including their names, phone numbers, and other personal details. The units are color-coded, with green indicating trustworthiness, yellow indicating a need for attention, and orange indicating a need for strict control. In the case of a particular third-floor apartment, it was marked in yellow because the residents frequently changed and were considered high risk. The police officer planned to follow up on them later.
Former CIA agent admits he was a Chinese spy
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, a former CIA officer and FBI contract linguist, has pleaded guilty in a Honolulu courtroom to spying for China for at least a decade. The US Justice Department said in a court filing it had amassed "a war chest of damning evidence" against him, including an hour-long video of Ma and an older relative, also a former CIA officer, providing classified information to Chinese intelligence officers in 2001. Ma pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to gather or deliver national defence information to a foreign government. He faces a 10-year sentence.
U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs to meet next week, as military drills around Taiwan end
Japan Times
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun next week in Singapore. The meeting comes as China concludes two days of military exercises near Taiwan. This will be the first face-to-face talks between the two defense chiefs in nearly a year and a half, as the U.S. and China aim to repair their strained military relationship.
South China Morning Post
China, South Korea, and Japan are set to hold a leaders' summit this weekend, marking their first meeting in over four years. While the summit is not expected to yield major outcomes or significantly improve relations, it carries symbolic significance and highlights the shifting geopolitical landscape in the region. Relations between South Korea and Japan have improved in recent months, following a controversial compensation agreement over forced labor during World War II. The two countries have restored various agreements and engaged in security cooperation. However, their relationship with China has deteriorated due to escalating US-China rivalry and concerns over China's military power. Issues such as South Korea's economic shift away from China and Japan's release of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant have strained bilateral ties. Despite the challenges, the three countries are coming together to address regional stability, economic uncertainties, and supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Divergences on geopolitical issues and Taiwan are expected to loom large over the summit, but the three countries may find common ground in areas such as renewable energy and climate change mitigation.
Guatemala says China's rejection of shipments could be linked to Taiwan ties
Nikkei Asia
China has rejected some shipments from Guatemala, possibly due to the country's diplomatic relationship with Taiwan. Guatemala is one of only 12 countries that has diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory. The Guatemalan president speculated that China's rejection of shipments could be related to the recent inauguration of Taiwan's new government. Guatemala exported $82 million worth of goods to China last year. The Guatemalan government is working to resolve the issue but has not received a response from China.
US extends probe into chip-gear maker Applied Materials, possibly over shipments to China’s SMIC
South China Morning Post
Applied Materials, the largest US semiconductor equipment maker, has disclosed that it received another subpoena from the US Department of Commerce in May. This comes as regulators request more information on shipments to China. The company is currently under investigation for potentially evading export restrictions on China's top chip maker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC). Applied Materials supplies chip-making tools to Samsung Electronics and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and reported that 43% of its total revenue came from China in the second quarter.
South China Morning Post
China's stimulus plan to revive the property market may not be enough to refloat the sector. The plan includes over $41 billion for local governments to buy unsold homes, but potential buyers are still expecting falling prices and are skeptical about delivery dates. The property market in China has been struggling for over three years, and the new policies do not seem to be changing buyer sentiment. The country currently has a significant amount of unsold homes and unfinished or delayed pre-sold homes that need attention. Experts believe that rebuilding buyer confidence in the market is crucial for its revival, and it may take a while to absorb the excess inventory and stabilize prices.
USTR extends some Chinese tariff exclusions, but many to fall away
Japan Times
The U.S. Trade Representative's office has announced an extension of the China Section 301 tariff exclusions on 352 Chinese imports and 77 pandemic-related categories. Some exclusions will be extended until June 14, while others will be extended until May 31, 2025. This means that certain goods, such as animal-feeding machinery and blood pressure monitors, will continue to be exempt from import tariffs. The tariffs were originally imposed by the Trump administration in 2018 and 2019 as a response to what it deemed as unfair trade practices by China.
NATO chief: China support for Russia crucial to course of Ukraine war
Yahoo US
China's support for Russia in the war against Ukraine is a crucial factor, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. He claims that China is fuelling the war by increasing its exports of machine parts, microelectronics and other technologies to Russia, which are being used to produce missiles, tanks and aircraft for use against Ukraine. Stoltenberg called on NATO states to send Ukraine more weapons and ammunition, including air defence systems and long-range weapons.
South China Morning Post
Jiang Mengnan, a Chinese woman with a hearing impairment, has married, much to the delight of her many online fans. Jiang lost her hearing at six months old after being given the wrong medication for pneumonia. Despite her disability, she excelled academically and achieved high grades throughout her education. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees in pharmacy from Jilin University and is currently pursuing a PhD in tumour immunology and machine learning at Tsinghua University. Jiang's wedding, held in her hometown in Hunan province, went viral on social media. Online observers expressed their admiration and well wishes for her future. Jiang considers herself a strong individual and hopes that others will hold her to the same standards as anyone else, despite her hearing impairment.
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