London — British police have charged three men with assisting the Hong Kong intelligence service amid growing concern that hostile states are trying to interfere with democracy and economic activity in the U.K. 

The three men were among 11 people arrested earlier this month in Yorkshire and London by counterterrorism police using provisions of a new law that allows suspects in national security and espionage cases to be detained without warrant. The eight other suspects were released without charge. 

Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, 38, Matthew Trickett, 37, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, are also charged with foreign interference, the Metropolitan Police Service said. They will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday. 

“A number of arrests were made and searches carried out across England as part of this investigation,” Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s counterterrorism command, said in a statement. “While led from London, the Counter Terrorism Policing network has been crucial to disrupting this activity.” 

The announcement comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak prepares to deliver a speech on Monday in which he is expected to say that Britain is facing an increasingly dangerous future due to threats from an “axis of authoritarian states,” including Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Tensions with China flared last year after a parliamentary researcher was arrested on suspicion of spying for Beijing, charges that Chinese officials called a “malicious smear.” 

Hong Kong’s security bureau, Hong Kong police and the office of China’s foreign ministry in Hong Kong didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. 

The British government last year passed a new national security act that gave police additional powers to tackle foreign espionage. The legislation was needed to combat the “ever-evolving” threat of foreign interference and in “response to the threat of hostile activity from states targeting the U.K.’s democracy, economy, and values,” the government said. 

The arrests in the current case were made on May 1 and 2. The investigation is continuing, police said. 
…

SYDNEY — An investigation by Australia’s public broadcaster accuses China’s secret police service of tracking down dissidents living overseas.

A former Chinese spy now living in Australia told Australian Broadcasting Corp.’s Four Corners program that a unit of the Chinese secret service had been operational in Sydney as recently as last year.

The spy – named only as “Eric” – has described a shadowy world of deception and abduction.  The former Chinese agent told ABC how he’d been ordered by the secret police in Beijing to target dissidents overseas, including in India, Thailand, Canada and Australia.

‘Eric’ said he would gain their confidence and lure them to countries where they could be kidnapped and sent back to China.  

He told journalists from the investigative Four Corners program that he fled last year to Australia.  

Australia’s domestic spy agency has not confirmed any of the details of the alleged Chinese spy ring.

‘Eric’ said he worked as an undercover agent for a unit within China’s federal police and security agency, the Ministry of Public Security, between 2008 and early 2023.

The specialist division is called the Political Security Protection Bureau, or the 1st Bureau, and targets so-called enemies of the Chinese state.  It is alleged to have been working in Sydney as recently as last year.

‘Eric’ told the ABC that he was speaking out to expose the truth.

“I believe the public has a right to know the secret world.  I worked for the Chinese Political Security Department for 15 years,” he said.  “Today, it is still the darkest department of the Chinese government.”

The ABC said is the first time anyone from China’s secret police has ever spoken publicly. It is using a pseudonym to protect his identity.

Peter Mattis is a China analyst at the Jamestown Foundation, a U.S-based conservative defense policy research organization.  He told the ABC’s Four Corners program that Beijing wants to curb dissent among the Chinese diaspora.

“The Political Protection Bureau has also had a role in trying to silence dissidents as well as to map dissident networks.”

The ABC has said that it has seen hundreds of secret documents and correspondence that back up ‘Eric’s’ allegations.

The broadcaster has reported that Chinese authorities have used anti-corruption campaigns to return more than 12,000 alleged fugitives to China in the past decade.

Chinese authorities have not yet commented on the allegations made in the Australian documentary.

There has also been no response from ASIO, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization to the claims.
…

Cairo — Chinese companies won four bids to explore Iraqi oil and gas fields, Iraq’s oil minister said Sunday as the Middle Eastern country’s hydrocarbon exploration licensing round continued into its second day.

The oil and gas licenses for 29 projects are mainly aimed at ramping up output for domestic use, with more than 20 companies pre-qualifying, including European, Chinese, Arab and Iraqi groups.

Chinese companies have been the only foreign players to win bids, taking nine oil and gas fields since Saturday, while Iraqi Kurdish company KAR Group took two.

There were notably no U.S. oil majors involved, even after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia met representatives of U.S. companies on an official visit to the United States last month.

China’s National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) -Iraq won a bid to develop Iraq’s Block 7 for oil exploration that extends across the country’s central and southern provinces of Diwaniya, Babil, Najaf, Wasit and Muthanna, said oil minister Hayan Abdul Ghani.

ZhenHua, Anton Oilfield Services and Sinopec won bids to develop the Abu Khaymah oilfield in Muthanna, the Dhufriya field in Wasit and the Summer field in Muthanna respectively, the minister said.

Iraq’s main goal with its sixth licensing round was to increase gas output that it wants to use to fire power plants that rely heavily on gas imported from Iran.

However, no bids were made on at least two fields with large gas potential, potentially undermining those efforts.

Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest oil producer behind Saudi Arabia, has been hampered in its oil sector development by contract terms viewed as unfavorable by many major oil companies as well as recurring military conflict and growing investor focus on environmental, social and governance criteria.
…

washington — Dozens of Uyghurs who fled China a decade ago and have been indefinitely detained in Thailand are getting conflicting explanations from the U.N. refugee agency and Thai authorities on why their cases are still in limbo.

“If we speak out about our condition or our situation here, it will attract media attention, the world will know, Thai authorities will find out. Then our situation here will worsen, and we might lose all communication with the outside world,” said one detainee in a rare interview with VOA.

“That’s why we refrain from speaking out for the time being,” added the man, asking to be identified only as Ahmad.

Ahmad said Uyghur detainees do not have phones to communicate with the outside world but said they sometimes can borrow a phone from a new detainee. That’s how Ahmad and others were able to communicate with VOA.

Rights organizations accuse Beijing of repressive policies that amount to human rights violations and even genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, which China has repeatedly denied.

Ahmad said Uyghurs who escaped China in 2014 with the help of traffickers crossed into Thailand and were arrested by Thai authorities for illegally crossing the border. They have been held in immigration detention since then.

“We fled repression in China,” Ahmad said. He added that he and other Uyghurs in Thai detention feel they have been “abandoned” by the world over the past decade.

Over the years, there have been several news reports on the plight of the Uyghurs in Thai detention, but so far, their situation has stayed the same.

“The world has heard our appeals, but the rules of the United Nations and other [international] organizations have not yet worked in our favor,” he said.

UNHCR vs. Thai authorities

Earlier this month, an investigation by The New Humanitarian news agency obtained documents that showed the Thai government in 2020 petitioned the U.N. refugee agency, or UNHCR, “to play a more active role in resolving the Uyghurs’ indefinite detention, and that agency staff advised against doing this.”

UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch stated that due to confidentiality constraints and a desire not to undermine efforts to resolve this sensitive matter, the UNHCR cannot publicly elaborate on its approach to addressing the situation.

“Despite requests, however, at no stage have we been permitted to access the group or engage with them for the purpose of facilitating solutions. We are engaged in close discussions with the Thai authorities,” Baloch told VOA in an email. “UNHCR has and continues to proactively raise this issue with the Thai authorities.”

Thailand has not ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not have laws that give refugees legal status, but according to the UNHCR, Thailand hosts 82,400 refugees from Myanmar in temporary shelters.

Life in detention

A rights activist familiar with the situation in Bangkok, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisals from Thai authorities, said 43 Uyghurs are being detained at the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok. Additionally, five Uyghurs who attempted to escape immigration detention and were later arrested are imprisoned in Thailand.

“At least five to six people live in a room measuring four meters wide and eight meters long,” the activist said. “There are around 25 rooms on each floor of the five-story detention building, with one toilet and shower in each room,” and the detainees sleep on the floor.

The activist said when the Uyghurs first crossed the border into Thailand 10 years ago, there were more than 350 of them.

“Initially, with humanitarian assistance from Turkey, over 170 women and children were taken to Turkey and settled in the city of Kayseri in 2015,” the activist told VOA. “Subsequently, Thai authorities handed 109 mostly male Uyghur refugees to China weeks later,” leaving more than 50 Uyghurs still awaiting their fate in Thai detention.

“After Thai authorities deported 109 Uyghurs to China, Uyghurs in Turkey protested and stormed the Thai consulate in Istanbul, which made Thai authorities very uncomfortable with the Uyghur issue,” he said. “Since then, Thailand has been reluctant to deal with the rest of the Uyghur refugees.”

At the time of publication, Thai officials had not responded to numerous requests for comment from VOA.

Last year, Human Rights Watch reported that two Uyghur refugees in their 40s died while in Thai immigration detention and called on Thailand to “end the indefinite detention” of Uyghur asylum seekers from China.

According to a February letter to Thai authorities from a group of United Nations special rapporteurs, the deaths of two Uyghur refugees last year brought the total number of Uyghur deaths in Thai immigration detention centers to five, including two minors.

“We would like to bring to the attention of your Excellency’s Government information we have received concerning the detention conditions of 43 Uyghur migrant individuals that may amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or even torture,” the letter said.
…

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Philippines said Saturday it has deployed ships to a disputed area in the South China Sea, where it accused China of building “an artificial island” in an escalating maritime row. 

The coast guard sent a ship “to monitor the supposed illegal activities of China, creating ‘an artificial island,'” the office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a statement, adding that two other vessels were in rotational deployment in the area. 

Philippine coast guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela told a forum there had been “small-scale reclamation” of the Sabina Shoal, which Manila calls Escoda, and that China was “the most probable actor.” 

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Philippine assertions, which could deepen the bilateral rift. 

The Philippine national security adviser called Friday for expelling Chinese diplomats over an alleged leak of a phone conversation with a Filipino admiral about the maritime dispute. 

Beijing and Manila have been embroiled for a year in heated standoffs over their competing claims in the South China Sea, where $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually. 

China claims almost all of the vital waterway, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in 2016 that Beijing’s claims had no basis under international law. 

China has carried out extensive land reclamation on some islands in the South China Sea, building air force and other military facilities, causing concern in Washington and around the region. 

A Philippine vessel has been anchored at the Sabina Shoal to “catch and document the dumping of crushed corals over the sandbars,” Tarriela said, citing the “alarming” presence of dozens of Chinese ships, including research and navy vessels. 

Tarriela said the presence of Chinese vessels at the atoll 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the Philippine province of Palawan coincided with the coast guard’s discovery of piles of dead and crushed coral. 

The coast guard will take marine scientists to the areas to determine whether the coral piles were a natural occurrence or caused by human intervention, he said. 

He added that the coast guard intends to have a “prolonged presence” at Sabina Shoal, a rendezvous point for Philippine vessels carrying out resupply missions to Filipino troops stationed on a grounded warship at the Second Thomas Shoal, where Manila and China have had frequent maritime run-ins. 
…

HONG KONG — Eight Chinese cities have joined a program allowing their residents to travel to Hong Kong on their own, rather than as part of a tour group, as part of efforts to boost Hong Kong’s economy. 

Hong Kong is battling to revive its economy following a national security crackdown and COVID-related controls, which led to many locals and expats leaving the city and caused tourist numbers to dwindle to a fraction of prepandemic levels. 

The Individual Visit Scheme began in 2003 as part of a cooperation agreement between mainland China and Hong Kong to boost the city’s economy by allowing Chinese residents to apply for individual travel, rather than in a tour group. 

Fifty-one cities have already joined the program and will be joined by Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, Hohhot in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Harbin in Heilongjiang Province, Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Lanzhou in Gansu Province, Xining in Qinghai Province, Yinchuan in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Urumqi in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. 

Hong Kong city leader John Lee said, “These eight cities are all provincial capital cities with large populations, significant economic growth and high spending power.” 

Although recent official figures showed the territory growing 2.7% in the first quarter compared with the year before, local businesses have described shopping malls as “dead,” with low foot traffic and shops covered with “for lease” or “coming up soon” signs. 

One lawmaker recently told the city’s legislature that more than 20,000 companies had deregistered in the first quarter of 2024, up more than 70% from the same period last year. 

China imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020 after months of pro-democracy protests in 2019. In March, authorities enacted another set of security laws that some foreign governments say further undermine rights and freedoms. 

The Hong Kong and Chinese governments have repeatedly said the security laws have brought stability.
…

london — Chinese President Xi Jinping departed Hungary on Friday after a five-day trip to Europe, his first visit to the continent in five years. Xi pledged to work with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in a new “multipolar world order.” Analysts say Beijing is courting its allies in Eastern Europe to exploit Western divisions.

Xi left Budapest after having signed 18 bilateral agreements to increase economic and cultural ties during his two-day stay in Hungary. The two countries announced what the Chinese president termed a “new-era, all-weather, comprehensive strategic partnership.”

“We are ready to take this as a new starting point to push our relations and practical cooperation into a golden voyage,” Xi said Thursday at a news conference.

“The two sides will strengthen the docking of development strategies, deepen cooperation in the fields of economy and trade, investment and finance, push forward the construction of key projects such as the Budapest-Belgrade Railway,” he added.

Current Chinese investment projects in Hungary amount to over $17 billion, according to Budapest, with further investments from Beijing to follow, including in several electric car and battery plants.

The European Union accuses Beijing of unfairly subsidizing the industry and undercutting its own carmakers, which China denies.

Multipolar world

But Xi’s visit was about more than money. China and Hungary sent a geopolitical message to the West.

“We used to live in a one-center world order. Now we live in a multipolar world, and one of the pillars of this new world order is the Republic of China — the country which now defines the course of world and economic politics,” Orban told reporters Thursday.

Hungary sees dual benefits in wooing China, said analyst Andras Hettyey of the University for Public Service in Budapest. “The government believes that this will be beneficial for the Hungarian economy as a whole. But I think we shouldn’t forget that this also comes with political allegiances or political ties — a political bond between Hungarian leading politicians and Chinese leading politicians,” he told VOA.

War on Ukraine

Xi and Orban discussed Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. The West accuses China of aiding Moscow’s war through economic support and the sale of dual-use goods that can be used in weapons. Beijing denies the accusations.

Hungary’s Orban also maintains close political and economic ties with Russia, and echoed his Chinese counterpart’s claim that they are working toward peace.

“Our voice in Europe is a lonely one. Europe today supports war. The only exception is Hungary, urging immediate cease-fire and peace talks. And we support all international efforts towards peace, and thus we support the Chinese peace initiative presented by President Xi Jinping,” Orban said.

Ukraine has said it will not negotiate until invading Russian troops leave its territory.

Western anger

Orban’s traditional allies in the European Union and NATO have voiced concerns about his close ties with Beijing and Moscow and have criticized a perceived backsliding of democracy in Hungary.

That won’t bother Budapest, said Hettyey. “In fact, it might be even a point of which our government will be proud. Because by now there is a very strong alienation between the Hungarian government and its Western partners, to the point where the present Hungarian government does not want to achieve, does not deem important to have a good reputation in the West,” he said.

There were small demonstrations against the Chinese president’s visit, including by pro-Tibetan and Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners. Teams of people in red baseball caps — whom the Chinese Embassy in Budapest described as “volunteers” — confiscated protesters’ flags.

Serbia visit

Prior to visiting Hungary, Xi visited Serbia, another European ally with close ties to Moscow — and which is, like Hungary, a partner of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative and has received billions of dollars in infrastructure and industrial investment.

The visit to Belgrade coincided with the 25th anniversary of NATO’s accidental bombing of the Chinese Embassy in the city, which killed three people, prompting an apology from the United States.

During his visit, Xi reaffirmed Beijing’s view that Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, is still part of Serbia. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reiterated his country’s acceptance of the “One China” principle, which considers Taiwan as part of China.

Exploiting divisions

Earlier in the week, Xi visited France, meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. There were few indications that Xi is prepared to offer concessions on Chinese trade practices or on its support for Russia.

The Chinese president did, however, praise his French counterpart’s desire for “strategic autonomy” — the idea that Europe should reduce its security reliance on the United States. China is seeking to exploit divisions in the West, said analyst Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at SOAS, University of London.

“The ‘united front’ approach of divide and rule is integral to Chinese foreign policy, particularly under Xi Jinping. And that is, of course, reflected in the choice of all three countries that Xi Jinping would visit.

“So, the more that China can charm Europe and persuade Europeans not to work with the Americans, the better,” Tsang told VOA.
…

washington — China has quietly resumed cooperation with the United States on the repatriation of Chinese migrants illegally stranded in the U.S., The Associated Press reported Thursday.

The U.S.-China repatriation cooperation resumes amid the influx of Chinese migrants across the southern border of the United States.

China halted the cooperation in August 2022 as part of retaliation over the visit to Taiwan by then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Beijing considers the self-ruled island a breakaway province that must one day reunite with the mainland — by force if necessary — and opposes any official contact between Taipei and foreign governments, especially Washington, which supplies weapons for Taiwan to defend itself.

Since the cooperation was halted, the U.S. has seen a spike in the number of Chinese migrants entering illegally from Mexico.

U.S. border officials in 2023 arrested more than 37,000 Chinese nationals at the southern border, nearly 10 times more than in 2022.

China’s Foreign Ministry this week told the AP Beijing was “willing to maintain dialogue and cooperation in the area of immigration enforcement with the U.S.” and would accept Chinese nationals who were deported.

The resumption came after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in April told NBC News the U.S. and China were holding high-level talks on the issue.

Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, a senior policy analyst at the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute, said negotiations may increase the number of deportations of Chinese migrants in the short term. But he said the real effect on migrants’ decision-making process depends more on U.S. resources and capacity to conduct more removals.

“Prior negotiations with Venezuela, for example, did not lead to large increases in removals from the United States partially because it takes time to change structures and implement these measures,” he told VOA.

The New York Times reported that 100,000 Chinese nationals are living in the U.S. despite final orders for deportation.

The number of Chinese migrants illegally entering the U.S. on its southern border has shown a downward trend this year, after a record spike in December.

U.S. Customs and Borders Protection (CBP) said that while there were nearly 6,000 arrests of Chinese nationals in December, there were 3,700 in January, 3,500 in February, and just over 2,000 in March.

Soto attributed the drop to stronger visa and border enforcement, but also to China’s censoring online information about the route.

“Because technology has become so entrenched in how migrants learn and select travel routes today, unlike in prior years when these were more heavily based on personal knowledge and networks,” he told VOA, “it is likely that censoring content in mainstream channels can make it more difficult to travel along existing routes.”

Social media platform Douyin, the Chinese version of the short video sharing platform TikTok, has since last year been quietly cracking down on content about “Zouxian,” which means “walk the line” in Mandarin.

The term refers to Chinese migrants illegally crossing borders, including into the U.S. from Mexico and South America. It became a popular topic on the Chinese internet a few years ago and was used to search for information and tips on the route.

Reuters reported last year that many Chinese migrants found at the U.S. southern border said they found out how to travel there on Douyin.

Yang Yinhua, 31, told VOA he had no idea what the word “Zouxian” meant until last summer when he was introduced to the phrase while reading news about how dangerous the journey could be. He tried to look it up on China’s biggest search engine, Baidu, but couldn’t find much useful information. In August, someone he met on the internet invited him to join a group chat on Douyin.

Group members shared information and tips about how to Zouxian to other countries, including the U.S. Yang said the chat quickly reached the maximum number of participants, which was 500. It was one of the six Zouxian group chats created by a user called Yunfei. Yang said all six chats were filled within weeks.

“Nobody was living a decent life during the last five or six years,” he told VOA. “The ruling party wasn’t making the people feel happy like it used to.”

When Yang’s mother died alone during the pandemic, he blamed China’s draconian COVID-19 policy and decided it was time to leave his home country.

By October, he had a plan to travel to the U.S. by way of Turkey, Ecuador and the Mexico-U.S. border.

But Yang noticed Douyin started blocking Zouxian content. Yang and others in the group chat had to invent new words to continue discussing the route because the platform kept censoring certain key words.

By the end of October, Yunfei had deleted all videos he posted about getting to the U.S., Yang said. Then Douyin suspended Yunfei’s account and shut down all six of his chat groups.

As soon as he left China, Yang stopped using Douyin and moved to the messaging application Telegram, where he joined a group chat also set up by Yunfei.

But by the time Yang entered the chat, Yunfei had already left. In April, Yang said, the chat was taken over by what he called “little pink patriots,” a derogatory nickname for those expressing pro-Beijing views.

On TikTok, the international version of Douyin owned by the same parent company ByteDance, users noticed in January that content about Zouxian and the U.S.-Mexico border were being blocked.

“No results found,” the app says when you search for the term “Zouxian.” It adds that the phrase “may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines.”

According to TikTok’s community guidelines, content considered harmful cannot be displayed. That includes hate speech, sexual violence, harassment, human exploitation and more.

“We do not allow human exploitation, including trafficking and smuggling,” the guidelines read.

VOA tested Douyin in May and found that, aside from a few news clips about Chinese migrants traveling to the southern border of the U.S., “Zouxian” does not return any details about the route. Search results for locations including “Ecuador,” “Guatemala” and “Panama” likewise show no results for Zouxian.

For many Chinese migrants, Douyin was one of the few sources of online information on the route. China’s internet firewall blocks social media sites Facebook, YouTube and X in China.

VOA reached out to ByteDance for comment but received no response by the time of publication.

Wang Yaqiu, director of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan at human rights organization Freedom House in Washington, said the phenomenon of Zouxian reflects many Chinese people’s dissatisfaction with Beijing, which she thinks can partly explain Douyin’s crackdown.

“I think the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] is embarrassed that so many Chinese people want to flee the country even through such risky means. It exposes CCP propaganda about the Chinese economy and how good people’s life are to be a sham,” she wrote to VOA.

In March, the bodies of eight Chinese migrants were found washed up on a beach in southern Mexico after the boat they were on capsized.

Despite China’s censorship of the route, Yang evaded border patrols to cross into the U.S. in early December with his sister. He lives in California, works at a warehouse and has no desire to return to China.

Aline Barros contributed to this report.
…

WASHINGTON AND SAN FRANCISCO — U.S. President Joe Biden is set to announce new tariffs on China as soon as next week, targeting strategic sectors, including electric vehicles, according to two people familiar with the matter. 

The full announcement, which could take place as soon as Tuesday, is expected to largely maintain existing levies, according to one of the people. An announcement could also be pushed back, the person said. 

The tariffs were also set to include semiconductors and solar equipment, according to one of the people. 

Details on the precise value or categories of tariffs that would be imposed were sketchy, but the administration was said to have zeroed in on areas of interest within strategic competitive and national security areas, one of the people said. 

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office made its recommendations to the White House weeks ago, but a final announcement was delayed as the package was debated internally, according to one of the sources and an additional person familiar with the matter. 

Biden, a Democrat seeking reelection in November, is looking to contrast his approach with that of Republican candidate Donald Trump, who has proposed across-the-board tariffs that White House officials see as too blunt and prone to spark inflation. 

The White House and the office of the U.S. Trade Representative declined to comment. Bloomberg News first reported the story. 

The measures could invite retaliation from China at a time of heightened tensions between the world’s two biggest economies. Trump’s broader imposition of tariffs during his presidency prompted China to retaliate with its own levies. 

Biden has said he does not want a trade war with China even as he has said the countries have entered a new paradigm of competition. 

Both 2024 presidential candidates have sharply departed from the free-trade consensus that once reigned in Washington, a period capped by China’s joining the World Trade Organization in 2001. 

In 2022, Biden launched a review of the Trump-era policy under Section 301 of the U.S. trade law. Last month, he called for sharply higher U.S. tariffs on Chinese metal products, but the targeted products were narrow in range, estimated at more than $1 billion of steel and aluminum products, a U.S. official said. 

Biden also announced launching an investigation into Chinese trade practices across the shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors, a process that could lead to more tariffs. 

The Biden administration has also been pressuring neighboring Mexico to prohibit China from selling its metal products to the United States indirectly from there. 

China has said the tariff measures are counterproductive and inflict harm on the U.S. and global economy. 
…

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ national security adviser called on Friday for Chinese diplomats to be expelled over an alleged leak of a phone conversation with a Philippine admiral in a significant escalation of a bitter row over the South China Sea.

China’s embassy in Manila had orchestrated “repeated acts of engaging and dissemination of disinformation, misinformation and malinformation,” with the objective of sowing discord, division and disunity, Eduardo Ano said in a statement.

Those actions “should not be allowed to pass unsanctioned without serious penalty,” he said.

China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the call to expel diplomats. The office of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The two countries have been embroiled in a series of heated standoffs this past year in disputed areas of the South China Sea as the Philippines, emboldened by support from the United States and other allies, steps up activities in waters occupied by China’s vast coast guard.

China has accused the Philippines of trespassing and of treachery, while Manila has scolded Beijing for what it says is a policy of aggression and dangerous maneuvering inside its exclusive economic zone.

The expelling of diplomats could intensify a row that has so far seen heated exchanges, diplomatic protests and the ramming and water-cannoning of Philippine ships at two disputed shoals, the closest of which is more than 850 kilometers away from mainland China.

Ano was referring to a news report this week of an alleged leak of a call between a Chinese diplomat and a Philippine admiral discussing a dispute over the South China Sea, which carried a transcript that showed the admiral agreeing to concessions with China.

According to the transcript published by the Manila Times, the admiral agreed to China’s proposal of a “new model,” where the Philippines would use fewer vessels in resupply missions to troops at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, and notify Beijing about missions in advance.

Reuters has not heard the reported phone conversation and could not verify the contents of the published transcript. The report said the conversation had taken place in January and the transcript was provided by a “ranking Chinese official,” which it did not name.

‘Interference operations’

Ano said he backed the defense minister’s call for the foreign ministry to take appropriate action against embassy officials, who he claimed recorded an alleged phone conversation in violation of Philippine laws, including its anti-wiretapping act, as well as serious breaches of diplomatic protocols.

“Those individuals in the Chinese Embassy … and those responsible for these malign influence and interference operations must be removed from the country immediately,” he said.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday the embassy in Manila had released details about “relevant communications” between the two countries on managing the situation at the Second Thomas Shoal, where the Philippines has stationed troops at a grounded warship.

Lin, in comments shared by the embassy, did not elaborate on what details or communications were released, or when, but said “facts are clear and backed by hard evidence that cannot be denied.”

“The Philippines has insisted on denying these objective facts and seeks to mislead the international community,” Lin added.

China has long been vexed by the Philippines’ maintaining a small group of marines at the Second Thomas Shoal aboard a rusty ship that was intentionally grounded on a reef 25 years ago.

Beijing has repeatedly said the Philippines had agreed to tow that ship away, which Manila has rejected.

Manila-based political analyst Julio Amador said expelling diplomats should be part of the Philippines’ diplomatic tool kit and Chinese Embassy officials had shown they did not value their working relationships with Philippine officials.

“Diplomacy is based on trust, yet China is trying to make it look like all meetings between its diplomats and Philippine government representatives are negotiations with binding results,” he said.

“It has no right to make demands on the Philippines on how the latter manages areas over which it has sovereign rights.”
…

Washington — Seoul is mulling over sharing advanced military technology with the U.S., the United Kingdom and Australia through what is known as AUKUS Pillar II, a move that would enhance its security capabilities at the risk of angering its powerful neighbor, China.

AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership formed among Australia, the U.K. and U.S. in 2021 to push back against China’s growing aggression in the Indo-Pacific.

The Pillar II of AUKUS aims to deliver and share advanced military technology among its partners, including hypersonic, artificial intelligence (AI) and cyber technology. Its Pillar I is designed to deliver nuclear-powered attack submarines to Australia.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, objected to the arrangement, telling VOA’s Korean Service on Monday, “Despite being called a ‘trilateral security partnership,’ AUKUS is essentially about fueling military confrontation through military collaboration.”

“It creates additional nuclear proliferation risks, exacerbates the arms race in the Asia-Pacific and hurts regional peace and stability. China is deeply concerned and firmly opposed to it,” Pengyu said. He made the comments without naming South Korea.

Seoul has not been admitted officially to AUKUS but talks about South Korea’s inclusion in Pillar II were held between Seoul and Canberra earlier this month.

On May 1, after a meeting with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles in Melbourne, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik told reporters that he had discussed with his Australian counterparts the possibility of joining AUKUS Pillar II.

A U.S. Defense Department spokesperson told VOA’s Korean Service on May 2 that “AUKUS partners have developed principles and models for additional partner engagement.”

The spokesperson added that the U.S. “will undertake consultations in 2024 with prospective partners regarding areas where they can contribute to and benefit from this historic work.”

Talks about bringing Japan into Pillar II are even more advanced.

Washington announced during a U.S.-Japan summit on April 10 that the three AUKUS partners are “considering cooperation with Japan on AUKUS Pillar II advanced capability projects.”

A day after talks with the South Korean defense minister, Marles met with the Japanese Defense Minister Kihara Minoru and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Hawaii where they reaffirmed their consideration for Japan’s involvement in Pillar II.

A spokesperson for the British Defense Ministry told VOA’s Korean Service on May 2 that the U.K. “will continue to seek opportunities to engage allies and close partners as work on AUKUS Pillar 2 progresses, however, no decisions have been made on which countries, beyond Japan, we could collaborate with.”

The spokesperson said any decisions on bringing other states into the arrangement would be announced at an appropriate time.

Terence Roehrig, a professor of national security and Korea expert at the U.S. Naval War College, said, “There is a strong possibility that South Korea will join AUKUS Pillar II” as it “has a solid reputation in developing advanced technologies” such as “semiconductors, AI, hypersonic, robotic, and unmanned systems.”

Roehrig continued, “No doubt, Beijing will protest Seoul’s inclusion,” but “South Korea has much to gain from joining AUKUS, and if managed carefully, can reduce the risk of any major Chinese response.”

Melanie Hart, the China policy coordinator for Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose Fernandez at the State Department, said the U.S. will do all it can to help South Korea if it is faced with a Chinese economic retaliation. She made the remark in an interview with South Korean media Yonhap earlier in the month.

David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, said Seoul’s involvement in AUKUS fits into South Korea’s goal of becoming a global pivotal state and its alignment with countries supporting a rules-based international order.

He said Beijing would expose “its own weakness and malign activities if it chooses to attack South Korea” economically and that Seoul should not base its decision on how China might respond.

Michael O’Hanlon, director of research in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, agreed that Seoul would be a good fit for AUKUS. But, he said, “South Korea must have its main eye on North Korea” whereas AUKUS is focused on China.

Therefore, he continued, “There are limitations to what could likely be expected in any tightening of the collaboration.”

An involvement in AUKUS would entail “significant cost-sharing,” said James Przystup, senior fellow at Hudson Institute and Japan chair specializing alliance management in the Indo-Pacific. But both Seoul and Tokyo joining the Pillar II “is an idea whose time has come.” 
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belgrade, serbia — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Serbia this week brought out a crowd waving Serbian and Chinese flags and praising the “ironclad” friendship of two countries. Elsewhere in the West, it raised many questions about Serbia’s future role in Europe. 

Analysts say that was exactly the idea. At a time of global rivalry between Beijing and Washington, the messages Xi delivered from Belgrade appeared aimed at a much wider audience. 

Xi and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic signed a number of bilateral agreements on Wednesday, which followed the 25th anniversary of NATO’s bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade during NATO’s 1999 campaign to halt the ethnic cleansing of Albanians in Kosovo. The U.S. apologized for that action, calling it “a mistake.” 

David Shullman, an expert on China with the Washington-based Atlantic Council, told VOA that Xi’s arrival in Belgrade on the May 7 anniversary was aimed at sending a broader message in the context of the war in Ukraine: that China is not a “warmonger” like the U.S. and NATO. 

Chinese messaging, Shullman said, “parrots Russia’s messaging about the war in Ukraine, about not putting a blame on Russia, but putting a blame on the U.S., NATO for ‘fanning the flames’ of the war, continuing to support the Ukrainians, and that China is the one that’s the force for peace and stability. …  

“There is an awareness in the Chinese system [that] this is a key binding point between China and Serbia, and it fits into that message that China has been pushing about NATO and the U.S.” 

China’s president referred to the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in an op-ed published Tuesday in Serbia’s pro-government newspaper Politika: “The people of China value peace, but they will never allow a historical tragedy to happen again.”  

Paul McCarthy, director for Europe at the International Republican Institute in Washington, agreed that the timing of Xi’s visit was no accident. 

“I think that Xi’s entire visit to Europe was organized around the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing,” he said. “It is too symbolic an opportunity for the Chinese to miss and underlines, so to speak, the position of Serbia and the strategic disagreement with the West that has been going on for 25 years.” 

Xi and Vucic signed a statement on the two countries’ “shared future,” which the Serbian president described as being a level above the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership the two countries agreed to in 2016. 

According to the Atlantic Council’s Shullman, Xi has often used the phrase “shared future” to indicate he wants a new balance of power in the world. 

“The story of a shared future is how China wants to establish a global order that is less U.S.-led, that is multipolar, that is a more ‘democratic’ international order — as the Chinese say,” he said. 

“In essence, it is an order that is no longer led by the U.S. and in which China plays a more significant role.” 

He added: “The fact that Serbia is spoken of as the first European country that will be part of the community and ‘common future’ shows that for Chinese leaders, especially Xi, Serbia is of great importance … as an economic partner and as a country that is a candidate for the EU.” 

In addition, Xi’s visit to Serbia signaled to Washington that China has reliable partners in Europe and that the U.S. “will not be able to completely win over Europe to its side.”  

China owns mines and factories across Serbia and has provided billions of dollars’ worth of funding for roads, bridges and various facilities, becoming Serbia’s key partner in much-needed infrastructure development.  

Still, some experts say the future of cooperation between Belgrade and Beijing is uncertain, given the complicated relations between the U.S. and China. 

Vuk Vuksanovic, a senior researcher at the Belgrade Center for Security Policy, told VOA that broadening cooperation between Serbia and China from a strategic partnership to the level of “building a community of Serbia and China with a common future in the new era” is little more than a diplomatic game that suits both governments at the moment. 

He added that the future relationship depends much more on Beijing than on Belgrade.  

“The previous strategic partnership agreement was a joint statement from 2009 that had warm rhetoric but did not actually bring about any monumental transformation of those relations,” he said. 

“And that was until the moment when China showed greater interest in the Balkans due to the Belt and Road Initiative,” a massive, Chinese-led global infrastructure development strategy. “I think the key question for the U.S. will be whether that cooperation will include some major project in the field of defense and high technology.” 

The International Republican Institute’s McCarthy said it is unclear how the agreements between Serbia and China and the plans for a “common future” will affect Serbia’s relationship with the West. 

Still, he noted, a free-trade agreement between China and Serbia that comes into force in July “turns Serbia more towards the East,” raising the question of “how serious is Serbia on its European path.” 

He added: “I have to say that, from Washington’s perspective, they might feel like they’re losing the battle for Serbia’s heart, so to speak.” 

This article originated in VOA’s Serbian Service with contributions from Dino Jahic, Marko Protic and Stefan Miljus.
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johannesburg — What’s the future of Artificial Intelligence in Africa?

When that question is entered into the AI platform ChatGPT, it answers that it “holds immense potential for transformative impact across various sectors,” notably health care, agriculture and education.

Human experts tend to agree, and AI is fast becoming the latest frontier in U.S.-China competition on the continent.

“To advance in AI research and innovation, African countries will need significant investments in computing infrastructure,” said Chinasa T. Okolo, a Center for Technology Innovation fellow at The Brookings Institution. “The U.S. and China could potentially be good partners to help with such initiatives.”

In the coming years, researchers predict AI companies will run out of data in English and Western languages but that is not the case in Africa where much more data is still needed, Okolo said.

“Thus, by investing in Africa, companies from AI superpowers like the U.S. and China stand to gain valuable data that they could use to build services and systems to be sold back to African countries,” she said.

South Africa’s AI drive

One country on the continent that is rapidly pursuing AI is South Africa.

At a government summit on AI in April, Mondli Gungubele, the minister of communications and digital technologies, said, “The era of generative AI is just beginning, and as a country and a continent we cannot and must not allow ourselves to be left behind.”

South Africa has already established the Artificial Intelligence Institute of South Africa, or AIISA, and it is rolling out “hubs” at universities across the country. It was created to ensure that the country’s industries and sectors benefit from AI, said Hitekani Magwedze, spokesman for the ministry of communications and digital technologies.

“Through the AIISA, we have now created AI hubs in manufacturing and services, farming and agriculture, automotive and transportation, and military and defense,” with more sectors planned, Magwedze told VOA. 

“South Africa has global partnerships with major countries such as U.S. and China in the G20 and BRICS,” he said. “These leading countries see South Africa as a gateway into Africa and the developing countries agenda.”

Magewedze said AI can help with unemployment, inequality and poverty in the country.

In May, Tshwane University of Technology will launch a new AI Career Tech Center in collaboration with U.S. tech giant, Intel.

“The AI hubs across the country are partnering with strong partners from the international community to achieve the objectives of the AI institutes,” said Anish Kurien, Acting Director of the university’s AIISA hub.

Earlier this month, South Africa’s Department of Defense launched a Defense Artificial Intelligence Research Unit at the country’s military academy.

“There is a need for African solutions to African challenges, and AI is an enabling technology of the [Fourth Industrial Revolution] which will play a role in solving many of the social issues facing our beloved continent,” Wayne Dalton, the deputy director of the new research unit, told VOA.

When asked about U.S.-China involvement, Dalton said, “South Africa’s AI strategy and goals are in their infancy” but “there will be plenty of opportunities for the U.S. and China to help us achieve these goals.”

The increased focus on AI in South Africa comes at a time when public opinion has increased for China and slightly decreased for the U.S., according to a new Gallup report released in April.

Trends in public opinion may not necessarily apply to collaboration on the AI front, and African nations will partner with parties that can offer the most value, said Okolo.

“While the U.S. government has provided substantial aid to African countries, China took a different approach by leading with infrastructure investments, which will increasingly become important as African countries aim to bolster their telecommunications and data infrastructure,” she said.

China and US interest

The U.S. has already invested in AI in Africa. Silicon Valley giant Google opened its first AI lab in Ghana, while IBM has research facilities in Kenya and South Africa.

At an American Chamber of Commerce Business Summit in Nairobi last month, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced a partnership to enable U.S. companies to invest in AI and data centers in Kenya.

Lisa Walker, managing director for Africa operations at Prosper Africa, a U.S. government trade initiative, told VOA the organization is advancing partnerships under U.S. President Joe Biden’s Digital Transformation with Africa strategy.

“Prosper Africa launched the Africa Tech for Trade Alliance in April of last year. Today, there are 24 private sector partners under this Alliance including industry leaders like Google, AWS, Intel, Cisco Systems, Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, UPS, DHL, FedEx and others,” she said.

China also has taken an interest in AI in Africa. For over a decade, China has been investing in the continent’s internet infrastructure and connectivity through President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.

In April, a China-Africa Internet Development and Cooperation Forum was held in the China’s southeastern coastal city of Xiamen and attended by representatives from some 20 African countries.

“Africa is an important participant in scientific and technological progress. The development and application of AI is of great significance to the developing countries, including China and African countries,” Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told VOA.

As for U.S.-China competition in AI, Liu said, “China is willing to carry out communication, exchanges and practical cooperation with all parties, including Africa and the United States, on AI global governance to ensure that AI always develops in the direction of human civilization and progress.”

During their meeting in San Francisco last year and a recent phone call, Liu said, Chinese and U.S. leaders agreed to promote cooperation in the field of AI. Liu added that the two sides will soon hold the first intergovernmental dialogue on AI.

Prosper Africa’s Walker had a different take when asked about U.S.-China competition, saying U.S. companies had “incomparable brand value.”

“It’s the focus on mutual growth, local job creation and shared prosperity that continues to set American tech companies apart from international competitors,” she said.

However, Brookings Institution fellow Okolo is more pessimistic about U.S.-China involvement in Africa.

“While I’ve seen rising interest in Africa from the U.S. and China, I believe it’s honestly hard to say how well these countries are interested in specifically working with African countries to advance AI innovation,” said Okolo. “While American and Chinese researchers often collaborate with each other in academic AI research, these countries themselves are vying to be leaders within the ‘AI race.'”

According to the recently released AI Index Report from Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, the U.S. was the leading source of top computer programs known as AI models last year, with 61 compared to China’s 15. However, it found that China led globally in terms of AI patents with 61.1%, while the U.S. accounted for only 20%.
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HONG KONG — A top public relations executive from Chinese technology firm Baidu apologized Thursday after she made comments in a series of videos that critics said glorified a culture of overwork. 

Baidu’s head of communications Qu Jing sparked a public outcry in China after she implied in the videos that she was not concerned about her employees as she was “not their mom” and said she only cared about results. She also said that the relationship between her and her subordinates was purely an “employer-employee relationship.” 

The backlash was swift, with many on social media platforms like Weibo criticizing Qu for her lack of empathy. 

Qu posted an apology Thursday on her private WeChat account, where she “sincerely apologized to all netizens” and clarified that she had not sought Baidu’s permission before posting the videos. 

Qu said that her short videos did not represent Baidu’s stance. Baidu operates China’s dominant search engine as well as Ernie Bot, an artificial intelligence service similar to ChatGPT. 

“Many of the criticisms are very pertinent, I am reflecting deeply and humbly accept them,” she said. “There are many inappropriate (things said) in the video that caused external misunderstandings about the company’s values and corporate culture, causing serious harm. I sincerely apologize.” 

Qu also pledged to improve her communication and management style and care more for her colleagues. 

Baidu did not immediately comment. 

Chinese online media outlet 36Kr reported Thursday that Qu had left her position at Baidu. The Associated Press was not able to independently verify Qu’s departure. 

The videos, which have since been taken down, came at a time when many young people in China are pushing back against a culture of competition and grueling hours in the workplace. 

Qu received criticism for a range of subjects she mentioned in the series of short videos on Douyin. 

In the series, she brought up an incident of certain employees who sent hundreds of complaint letters against her to the office, and threatened to ruin their careers by ensuring that they could never again find a job in the industry. 

In one of the videos, she criticized an employee who refused to go on a 50-day business trip during the COVID-19 pandemic. China had implemented strict travel restrictions that at times included weeks of quarantine for travel even within the country. 

“Why should I take into consideration my employee’s family? I’m not her mother-in-law,” Qu said, adding that if employees refused to go on such business trips then they would not get salary raises or job promotions. 

Chinese technology firms have long been criticized for their long working hours. 

A public debate was sparked in recent years over the “996” work culture, where employees in technology firms were expected to work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. The issue was also spotlighted after the deaths of two employees of Chinese e-commerce firm Pinduoduo, one of whom collapsed suddenly on the street on her way home from work. 

Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, also faced criticism in 2019 for endorsing the 12-hour workday culture, saying that those who enjoyed their work would not find the “996” practice to be a problem.
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Last year, Congress called for an investigation into 100 reported incidents of Chinese nationals attempting to enter U.S. military bases and other sensitive sites around the world. Officials on the island of Guam – which hosts some of the most strategically important U.S. bases in the Pacific – says they too are at risk and are asking for help in protecting their shores.  VOA’s Jessica Stone reports.
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Beijing — Two of China’s wealthiest cities said Thursday they would lift all restrictions on buying homes, joining a growing list of urban areas rolling back curbs as they look to prop up the faltering property market.

Many Chinese cities imposed restrictions and tough credit requirements on home purchases well over a decade ago in an effort to tamp down soaring prices and rampant speculation.

But they are now reversing those policies in a bid to stem an economic slump characterized by a debt crisis among developers, low demand and falling prices.

The eastern city of Hangzhou — home to 12.5 million people — said Thursday it had ditched all purchase restrictions “to promote the [market’s] stable and healthy development”.

“From the date of issuance… those who buy lodgings within the bounds of this city will no longer have their purchasing qualifications reviewed,” it said.

Hangzhou, a major innovation hub home to tech giants such as Alibaba, is one of the most desirable and expensive places to buy property in China.

In a separate announcement, the northwestern city of Xi’an, which has a population of 13 million, said it had also cancelled all such restrictions.

The announcements quickly racked up more than 230 million views on social media site Weibo, where many users were doubtful the policy would make any difference.

“With Hangzhou’s house prices, what’s the point of cancelling buying restrictions? I still can’t afford it,” wrote one commenter.

Bill Bishop, publisher of the influential Sinocism newsletter, called the move “a sign of desperation.”

“If this does not goose sales there will be more trouble as prices will have to adjust downward a lot,” he wrote on social media site X.

More than 20 cities have abolished home purchase restrictions since the beginning of last year, according to an AFP tally.

Chengdu in southwestern China said last month it would no longer look at prospective buyers’ household registration documents, social security and other conditions before greenlighting purchases.

Several of the biggest cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, have partly lifted curbs but have resisted dumping them entirely.

Property and construction account for more than a quarter of China’s gross domestic product, but the sector has been under unprecedented strain since 2020.

That year, authorities tightened developers’ access to credit in a bid to reduce mounting debt.

Since then, major companies including Evergrande and Country Garden have teetered on bankruptcy, while falling prices have dissuaded consumers from investing in property.

Measures introduced by the central government to support the sector have so far had little effect.

And President Xi Jinping has largely stuck to his often-touted maxim that “houses are for living in, not for speculation.”

Last month, the International Monetary Fund said China’s economic recovery from the pandemic could falter if the crisis was not properly addressed.

“Without a comprehensive response to the troubled property sector, growth could falter, hurting trading partners,” it warned in its World Economic Outlook report.
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Washington — The United States has revoked certain licenses for exports to Chinese tech giant Huawei, the Commerce Department said, drawing opposition from Beijing on Wednesday.

The move came after criticism last month by Republican lawmakers, who urged President Joe Biden’s administration to block all export licenses to the company after it released a new laptop powered by a processor by U..S chip giant Intel.

“We continuously assess how our controls can best protect our national security and foreign policy interests, taking into consideration a constantly changing threat environment and technological landscape,” said a Commerce Department spokesperson.

“We are not commenting on any specific licenses, but we can confirm that we have revoked certain licenses for exports to Huawei,” the spokesperson added in a statement to AFP.

Huawei has long been caught in an intense technological rivalry between Beijing and Washington, which has warned that the firm’s equipment could be used for Chinese espionage operations.

The company denies these claims.

Sanctions in 2019 restricting Huawei’s access to U.S.-made components dealt a major blow to its production of smartphones — and meant that suppliers need a license before shipping to the company.

Asked about reports that the U.S. government had revoked some companies’ licenses, a Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson said Beijing “firmly opposes this.”

“China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese firms,” the spokesperson added.

The announcement of a new Huawei computer recently, powered by Intel technology, drew fire from Republican lawmakers in the United States. 

A letter by policymakers Marco Rubio and Elise Stefanik charged that “licenses issued in 2020, at least some of which are active to this day, have allowed Huawei to collaborate with Intel and Qualcomm to keep its PC and smartphone segments alive.”

It criticized the allowance of US tech into Huawei’s new product.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his two-day visit to France Tuesday — his first trip to Europe in five years. As Henry Ridgwell reports, China and Europe are seeking to mend ties but face major obstacles — including trade disputes and Beijing’s support for Russia.
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He was once the most powerful man in Taiwan. But today, the statues of Taiwan’s late President Chiang Kai-shek are at the center of the island’s heated debate about how to reflect on its authoritarian past. VOA’s William Yang has more on this story from Taipei.
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SYDNEY — Analysts say China continues to undertake “incredibly aggressive’” military actions after an Australian navy helicopter in international waters was targeted by flares dropped by a Chinese fighter jet.  

The Canberra government has condemned the incident as dangerous and unprofessional.

The Australian Seahawk helicopter was taking part in a United Nations mission to enforce sanctions against North Korea when it was intercepted by the Chinese air force.

Officials in Canberra say the Chinese fighter jet detonated flares close to the Australian helicopter, forcing its pilot to take evasive action.

The incident took place over international waters in the Yellow Sea off the coast of South Korea during the weekend.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that his government had made “very strong representations at every level to China” about the incident.  

Since coming to power in May 2022, the Albanese government has made concerted efforts to improve relations with China, Australia’s biggest trading partner.

Analysts say that while Australia’s diplomatic and economic relationships with China are stabilizing, bilateral military ties remain unpredictable.

Jennifer Parker, an adjunct fellow at the University of New South Wales and an expert associate at the Australian National University’s National Security College, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Tuesday that the Canberra government must contend with growing military tensions in the Indo-Pacific.

“Whilst the diplomatic and economic relationship may have stabilized from where it was, from a military perspective, China is still being incredibly aggressive in the region and not just towards Australia,” she said. “We saw last week Chinese vessels water cannoning Philippines government vessels in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal, which sits right within the Philippines exclusive economic zone. So, we do know that China’s aggressive behavior in the region has not changed.”

Last week, the Philippines accused China of “dangerous maneuvers” and “harassment” after its use of water cannons against two Philippine vessels during a patrol in the South China Sea.

In response, Beijing urged the Philippines government not to “challenge China’s resolve” to defend China’s sovereignty in the region.

Beijing has sweeping claims in the South China Sea, which is a major international shipping route.
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BUDAPEST, Hungary — Chinese leader Xi Jinping will spend most of his five-day tour in Europe this week in two small countries in the continent’s eastern half, a region that Beijing has used as a foothold for its expanding economic ambitions in Europe.

Following a stop in Paris on Monday to kick off his first European trip in five years, Xi will travel to Hungary and Serbia, two nations with autocratic leaders that are seen as China-friendly and close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As mainstream European leaders have pursued more protectionist policies to limit Beijing’s and Moscow’s reach on the continent, the governments of nationalist conservative leaders Viktor Orban of Hungary and Aleksandar Vucic of Serbia have courted economic ties with China, inviting major investments in infrastructure, manufacturing, energy and technology.

As the first European Union country to participate in Xi’s signature Belt and Road Initiative, Hungary has straddled a middle ground with its membership in the EU and NATO and an unusual openness to diplomatic and trade relationships with eastern autocracies.

Tamas Matura, a China expert and associate professor at Corvinus University in Budapest, said Hungary’s hosting of major Chinese investments and production sites — and its agnosticism on doing business with countries with spotty democratic and human rights records — has opened a crucial door to China within the EU.

‘Last true friend’ in EU

“The Hungarian government is the last true friend of China in the whole EU,” Matura said. “It is very important now to the Chinese to settle down in a country that is within the boundaries of the EU … and is friendly to the Chinese political system.”

One of the major benefits to China of establishing bases within the EU is avoiding costly tariffs. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, is considering raising duties on the import of Chinese electric vehicles from its current 10% to protect the European auto manufacturing market — a mainstay for Germany, the 27-member bloc’s largest economy.

Yet in December, Hungary announced that one of the world’s largest EV manufacturers, China’s BYD, would open its first European EV production factory in the south of the country — an inroad that could upend the competitiveness of the continent’s auto industry.

That shift is visible in Budapest, where one car dealership has begun scaling down its supply of European vehicles and introducing models produced by BYD.

Mark Schiller, the strategy and marketing director for the family-owned Schiller Auto Group, said he thought European carmakers were “already behind” China in transitioning to EV production. His company recently stopped selling cars made by German carmaker Opel and switched to BYD.

“This was a huge shift,” Schiller said.

Another investment

Hungarian state television Monday appeared to confirm earlier reports that Xi and Orban would travel to the southern city of Pecs to announce another EV manufacturing investment there involving China’s Great Wall Motor.

In a news conference later, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto castigated journalists for reporting on the potential deal, saying that those who mention specific companies before agreements are finalized are “clearly acting against Hungary’s national interests.”

The report on Xi’s potential trip to Pecs was later removed from the state television’s website. Orban’s office didn’t respond to multiple requests for information on Xi’s schedule. 

In Serbia, to Hungary’s south, China runs mines and factories across the Balkan country, while billions more in infrastructure loans have funded roads, bridges and new facilities.

Hungary and Serbia have an agreement with Beijing to modernize the railway between the countries’ capitals of Budapest and Belgrade, part of a Belt and Road plan to connect with the Chinese-controlled port of Piraeus in Greece as an entry point for Chinese goods to Central and Eastern Europe.

The bulk of the project, which after numerous delays is expected to be completed in 2026, is financed through loans from Chinese banks — the kind of capital that Hungary and Serbia have been eager to utilize.

According to the AidData research lab at the College of William & Mary in Virginia, Chinese lenders have issued loans worth more than $22 billion to nine countries in Central and Eastern Europe between 2000 and 2021.

Of that sum, $9.4 billion has gone to Hungary and $5.7 billion to Serbia, dwarfing the totals of other regional countries.

Vucic has said he is “honored” that Xi — whom he often describes as a “friend” — is visiting Tuesday. He said before the visit that Serbia would seek further Chinese investment, particularly in advanced technologies.

But economic analyst Mijat Lakicevic said he didn’t expect any major new investment deals, because “everything that Serbia does with China has already been agreed.”

Hungarian incentives

Hungary, too, has created a favorable investment environment for China, providing generous tax breaks, subsidies and infrastructural assistance to Chinese companies, as well as helping them navigate Hungarian bureaucracy.

“They get the red carpets rolled out and they get everything tailor-made by the government. And that is a huge advantage,” said Matura, the China analyst.

Near Debrecen, Hungary’s second-largest city, construction is underway of a nearly 550-acre (222-hectare), 7.3 billion-euro ($7.9 billion) EV battery plant, Hungary’s largest-ever foreign direct investment.

Orban’s government hopes the factory, run by Chinese battery giant CATL, will make the country a global hub of lithium-ion battery manufacturing in an era where governments are increasingly seeking to limit greenhouse gas emissions by switching to electric cars.

Such investments are coming at a time when Hungary’s sluggish economy has been further hindered by record-setting inflation and the freezing of billions in EU funding that has been withheld over Orban’s track record on democracy standards and the rule of law.

With EU money at a standstill, Matura said, China has been willing to fill in the gaps in Hungary’s budget.

EU funds have almost stopped flowing into the Hungarian economy, “so now there is a desperate need in Hungary to turn towards other alternatives, other sources of financial capital,” he said.

Orban has been open about why he has prioritized Chinese investment: his belief that Western economies are declining, and that China is on the rise.

During a recent speech at the CPAC Hungary conservative conference, Orban outlined a vision of a “global economy that will be organized according to the principle of mutual benefit, free of ideology.”
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