• Gaza war: backlash over US support for Israel as China makes ‘public relations gain’
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz begins China visit amid mounting European concerns over unfair competition
• To survive US-China rivalry, Asean must work to dial down tensions
• Scientists in China, South Korea devise ‘pioneering strategy’ for breakthrough in semiconductor technology
• China TV host and actress flaunts wealth, dresses ‘princess’ daughter head to toe in designer clothes, igniting debate
• Chinese spy agency says foreign agents targeting rare earth and food technology sectors
• Visit by Chinese polar research icebreaker Xue Long 2 has cleared path for Hong Kong scientists to join national missions, experts say
• China voices ‘deep concern’ following Iranian attack on Israel and urges ‘influential countries’ to work for peace
• Japan’s new aircraft carrier Kaga ruffles feathers in China and raises questions about commitment to pacifist constitution
• Solomon Islands prepares for election in shadow of China’s influence
• Elderly China tour guide at ancient site impresses foreigners with impeccable English, warm hospitality, delights all
• Drone delivery service launches in China’s Greater Bay Area, slashing transport time and costs between cities
• A Chinese official meets North Korean leader Kim in Pyongyang in highest-level talks in years
• For Southeast Asians, Israel-Gaza war is more worrying than even South China Sea row – as extremism fears grow
• Not an ‘Asian Nato’: Aukus still work-in-progress but expansion could complicate China’s regional plans, analysts say
• Why China actress is worshipped as sea goddess Mazu in China, many believe Liu Tao is living protector of seafarers
• America’s sick obsession with China will ruin itself and the world
• Fewer Americans want to study in China. Both countries want to fix that, ‘a lot of trust has been broken’
• Tech war: China pushes forward self-reliance campaign amid unrelenting US sanctions

Gaza war: backlash over US support for Israel as China makes ‘public relations gain’

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3258859/gaza-war-backlash-over-us-support-israel-china-makes-public-relations-gain?utm_source=rss_feed

As the US faces a growing diplomatic backlash over its support for Israel amid a mounting death toll in Gaza, China is benefiting from its reputational damage, observers say.

Beijing has doubled down on its pro-Palestinian approach since the conflict began in October, while the US has been criticised for its policy of arming Israel.

As the UN Security Council failed to reach a consensus on the Palestinian application for full United Nations membership – it was opposed by five nations, including a veto by the US – China on Thursday reaffirmed its support for the bid, and the Palestinian cause.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza was a reminder that “the only way to end the vicious cycle of Palestinian-Israeli conflicts is to fully implement the two-state solution, establish an independent state of Palestine and redress the historical injustice long suffered by the Palestinians”.

Observers say China appears to be gaining diplomatically from this stance.

Zhu Yongbiao, from the politics and international relations school at Lanzhou University, said the war has had an impact on US-China rivalry given Washington’s shift in focus from the Middle East to containing China.

Beijing has expanded its economic interests and diplomatic presence in the Middle East since President Xi Jinping came to power, as the US retreats from the region.

“So in a sense, how the US allocates its resources, builds its image, provides support for its allies and whether the US heeds public opinion on the Palestinian issue have all become a point of competition between the two countries,” he said. “Because clearly, the US calibrates those decisions with an eye on China.”

Zhu said Beijing had dialled up its criticism of Israel’s military operations and Washington’s “biased” support for its top ally in the Middle East, while increasing efforts to promote itself as an impartial peace broker.

In a rare move, China wielded its veto power along with Russia at the UN Security Council on March 22, turning down a US-led resolution calling for a six-week ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered.

Responding to criticism that Beijing was using the conflict to counter the US, China’s acting UN representative Dai Bing last week accused Washington of “manipulating” the United Nations body to set preconditions for a ceasefire.

In Wang-Blinken call, China urges US to play constructive Middle East role

Zhu said the US dilemma over its unwavering support for Israel was “an opportunity” for Beijing to seize the moral high ground.

“The US has for years tried to put the Palestinian issue on the back burner. Now that its pro-Israel stance has backfired with the eruption of the worst conflict in decades, it is natural for China to refute and counter-attack the US’ flawed policies – which is in line with the majority opinion of the international community,” he said.

Emil Avdaliani, an international relations professor at European University in Tbilisi, Georgia, said China benefited from US distraction in the Middle East, Ukraine and the confrontation between Russia and the West.

“The US could be less able to be actively involved in the Indo-Pacific region,” Avdaliani said.

In a move signalling possible changes to Washington’s stance, US President Joe Biden last week called Israel’s approach to the war “a mistake”.

It came amid concerns about the impact of the Gaza war on Biden’s re-election campaign and Washington’s global standing, with a recent survey showing US popularity in Muslim-majority countries in Southeast Asia was declining, while there was a swing towards China.

“For China, these developments represent one continuous crisis of the collective West and a sign of rapidly changing global order. And since the global system is changing, China expects similar crises to erupt across Eurasia,” Avdaliani said.

Sourabh Gupta, a senior policy specialist with the Institute for China-America Studies in Washington, said although the US had seen reputational damage over Gaza, any gains for China were “superficial and transient”.

“In the absence of an iota of fairness in Washington’s approach, [Beijing] will simply sit back and milk the public relations gain on the Arab Street,” he said.

“On the other hand, given its modest political influence in the Middle East, China can hardly play the role of peacemaker that it has lately sought to project itself as – or even be part of the solution to many of the pressing challenges in the region.”

Assaf Orion, a retired Israeli brigadier general and a senior research fellow at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, also said this was clearly not a net gain for China yet, when seen as a whole.

“While the US has demonstrated its steadfast support of an ally – which informs its Asian partners and allies elsewhere – and has shown resolve in countering Houthi attacks on international waterways, China is clearly unable to provide any kind of international security even to its own vessels,” he said.

“Blocking a UNSC ceasefire resolution because it was proposed by the US shows Beijing’s true face about caring about Palestinians – clearly less important for it than countering US moves.”

Orion warned that siding with Hamas and Iran would threaten Beijing’s interests in the Middle East and its global and regional reputation, as well as narrow its access to Israeli business and technology.

Zhu of Lanzhou University said the Gaza conflict also offered “a rare opportunity” for Beijing and Washington to cooperate.

“There is both rivalry and cooperation between China and the US in the Middle East, which has been a feature of bilateral ties lately,” Zhu said.

“The Palestinian-Israeli issue requires close coordination among major powers – and importantly, China has no interest in seeking to dominate or displace the US in the region,” he said. “So there is opportunity and space for cooperation.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz begins China visit amid mounting European concerns over unfair competition

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3258977/german-chancellor-olaf-scholz-begins-china-visit-amid-mounting-european-concerns-over-unfair?utm_source=rss_feed

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing on Sunday, the first leg of a three-day visit taking place amid growing tensions between Europe and Beijing over claims of unfair competition.

Scholz is accompanied by a large business delegation and is hoping to use the trip to shore up economic relations.

The Chinese foreign ministry said he would meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang later in the visit to discuss the relationship between the two countries and issues of common concern.

His party includes Germany’s environment, agriculture and transport ministers as well as business leaders such as BMW chief executive Oliver Zipse and executives from Mercedes-Benz and Siemens.

This is Scholz’s second trip to China after he took office, following his first visit in November 2022. He is also the first leader of a major Western country to visit China this year.

Pang Zhongying, a chair professor of international political economy at Sichuan University, said Scholz’s visit was likely to help German companies, especially in the new energy vehicle industry, further develop their business in China.

“Southwest China used to be economically underdeveloped, but now it’s a new economic growth hub,” Pang said.

China laps Germany in some exports, turning trade tide and raising eyebrows

Shangyou News, an online news platform affiliated with the official Chongqing Daily, said that as of February, Germany had set up a total of 84 companies in the southwestern metropolis, playing a role in “the construction and development of Chongqing”.

Scholz’s visit to the megacity began with a trip to a plant making hydrogen fuel cells set up by the German company Bosch – a field that the authorities in Chongqing and the neighbouring province of Sichuan have been keen to develop in recent years.

Despite positive messaging from Beijing about the state of the Chinese economy, there is a growing scepticism about its immediate growth prospects and Pang said Scholz’s visit showed that “both Germany and the European Union want to know the real situation of China’s economy”.

Ding Chun, a professor specialising in European studies at Fudan University, told the official China News Service that Germany could not decouple from China and “needs to maintain and deepen economic and trade exchanges and cooperation with China”.

The German Federal Statistical Office said in February that China “was Germany’s most important trading partner in 2023 for the eighth year running”.

Bilateral merchandise trade dropped by 8.7 per cent from a year earlier to US$206.8 billion in 2023, according to the General Administration of Customs. China’s exports declined 13 per cent year-on-year to US$100.6 billion.

Scholz’s visit takes place amid growing concern across the EU that foreign companies do not face a level playing field citing factors such as market barriers and industrial overcapacity.

Earlier this month, the German Chamber of Commerce in China released a survey in which two-thirds of the businesses questioned said they believed they faced “unfair competition”.

“Chinese and German companies are increasingly becoming close competitors – both in China itself and in global markets,” the chamber said.

Actions still louder than words for foreign firms, expats as China ups the ante

Meanwhile, the EU has been looking at ways to “de-risk” its relations with China and reduce critical dependencies in its supply chains.

Last October Brussels began a probe into subsidies for electric vehicle makers amid fears these are helping Chinese firms undercut their European competitors and investigations into other industries – such as green energy – are also in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, Germany also launched its first China strategy last year, in which it pledged to keep talking to Beijing on matters of mutual interest but also backed the EU’s de-risking efforts.

Last month China’s ambassador to Germany Wu Ken told the Post that German firms have given a “vote of confidence” to the Chinese market by actively embracing it, showing the strength of the economic relationship between the two countries.

To survive US-China rivalry, Asean must work to dial down tensions

https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3258823/survive-us-china-rivalry-asean-must-work-dial-down-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed

For the first time, a majority in Southeast Asia favour alignment with China over the US, according to “The State of Southeast Asia 2024” survey by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. The survey’s accuracy in reflecting mass opinion has been questioned, given its elite group of respondents – which included government officials, researchers, pundits and businessmen – and the weighting applied to each country’s response. But it still offers valuable insights for leaders in the United States, China and especially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

My biggest takeaway is that Asean centrality as a diplomatic approach should be re-examined. To keep Asean safe and prosperous, asking the US and China to respect the bloc’s centrality is not enough. To survive, Asean must be pro-China and pro-US in different ways, but not seen as against either side. After all, should push come to shove, some Asean members under domestic pressure may not have the luxury of avoiding a choice.

For the superpowers, the annual survey also helps point out areas they can improve upon in courting Asean.

For China, although it was favoured over the US by one percentage point, the region’s distrust of Beijing also ticked higher. This is unsurprising given the South China Sea tensions.

That fewer would choose to align with the US over China in the latest survey is also likely to be a reflection of a growing disapproval of the US, whose pro-Israel stance in the Gaza war has made it extremely unpopular in Muslim-majority countries. Consumers in Indonesia and Malaysia, for instance, have boycotted products by companies seen as pro-Israel.

However, the harsh reality is that Asean members do not get to pick who they would most like to work with. Japan, for instance, is well and away the most trusted major power but Asean clearly needs China for economic growth, and the reverse might also be true.

Asean also needs US security support. Beijing has been ramping up its action in the South China Sea while there have been few breakthroughs in negotiations on a code of conduct in the sea. The Philippines, a long-time US defence ally, has even tried to rally support for a separate code of conduct with Malaysia and Vietnam, bypassing China.

Asean is at the forefront of the US’ efforts to preserve its global dominance through China containment strategies so it is more than happy to provide military support to its regional treaty allies. Even Malaysia and Indonesia, for all the harsh rhetoric about US hypocrisy in the Gaza war, are unlikely to shy away from seeking US support to defend their territory.

In the absence of territorial disputes with China, the Asean region would be likely to be staunchly pro-China, given the massive trade benefits. When China feels its core interests are being threatened, it tends to employ economic sanctions, and when China withdraws its trade, the US-led West struggles to fill the gap – as seen with Lithuania and Australia.

But the coercion also has the effect of pushing “punished” countries closer to the US. Australia, for instance, has deepened military cooperation with the US through the Aukus alliance (which also includes Britain), irking China even more.

The Philippines has also drawn closer to the US as disputes with China grow in the South China Sea. The US’ operations in the area are usually conducted under the banner of “freedom of navigation”.

Relations between the US and China appear to be stabilising, with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently visiting China, but core differences remain and both sides can be expected to continue to aggressively advance their interests in Southeast Asia.

Despite both China and the US officially endorsing Asean centrality, the reality is that a strong and unified Asean should favour neither. To maximise their interests, it will always be easier for superpowers to divide and conquer by singling out friendlier states. Asean leaders must not be naive and must explore ways to diffuse US-China tensions as a collective strategy.

Asean cannot and must not expect to reap the benefits of US-China rivalry – such as from companies reshoring out of China – without being prepared to pay the price should the rivalry spiral out of control.

Amid US-China rivalry, Vietnam’s sweet spot diplomacy is a master class

From Beijing’s perspective, reshoring, “friendshoring” and “de-risking” are all forms of “decoupling” in disguise, aimed at weakening China. Beijing may not view Asean as an entirely innocent bystander that just happens to profit at its expense. Unfortunately, however, for most Asean leaders, this seems to be their strategy, or lack thereof.

That said, there is still hope that Asean can mediate US-China differences and reduce tensions. The Shangri-La Dialogue, one of the world’s biggest defence diplomacy platforms, has been hosted in Singapore for more than two decades with increasing representation from China.

Singapore has also hosted leaders’ meetings credited with diffusing tensions, such as the first summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and then Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou in 2015, and the historic summit between US president Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2019.

Besides Singapore, all of Asean must promote the bloc as an honest broker and a neutral platform to seek solutions to the US-China rivalry. The last thing the region wants is to end up a graveyard of China- and US-backed military misadventures. It is time for Asean leaders to realise that security comes not from passive centrality but from active mediation.

Scientists in China, South Korea devise ‘pioneering strategy’ for breakthrough in semiconductor technology

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3258873/scientists-china-south-korea-devise-pioneering-strategy-breakthrough-semiconductor-technology?utm_source=rss_feed

Scientists in China and South Korea say they have made a breakthrough in the development of amorphous semiconductors, with a new method that could lead the way to a new generation of semiconductor chip technology.

Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, which is widely used to make memory chips and computer processors, helps to produce reliable integrated circuits that require low inputs of power.

Traditional CMOS technology integrates polycrystalline semiconductors, which are made up of many crystallised silicon grains that all have their own structure.

Amorphous semiconductors, which lack this order and have randomly distributed atoms, are more cost-effective, simple and uniformly manufactured, according to the team of researchers.

However the traditional amorphous hydrogenated silicon used in such applications “falls short in electrical properties, necessitating the exploration of new materials”, they wrote in a paper published as an accelerated preview in the peer-reviewed journal Nature on Wednesday.

The paper has undergone peer review but requires further proofing.

US, TSMC strike US$11 billion deal to build ‘most advanced semiconductor chips’

Creating amorphous semiconductors with high electron mobility – the speed at which an electron can move through a semiconductor – “holds the promise of enhancing scalable CMOS technology and facilitating the integration of multifunctional electronics,” the paper says.

However, challenges to developing suitable amorphous semiconductors have held back the development of new generation devices.

The team from Chengdu’s University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and the Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea say they have devised a “pioneering design strategy for amorphous p-type semiconductors,” that could make this possible.

The development of “thin-film transistors”, the technology that led to liquid crystal screen displays, has been propelled forward by the creation of high-mobility amorphous n-type semiconductors, the team said.

N-type semiconductors have an excess of electrons and fewer “holes”, which are when electrons in an atom move from the valence shell – where they normally reside – into the conduction band, where they can easily escape from an atom, creating a vacancy.

P-type semiconductors, on the other hand, have an excess of holes due to introduced impurities – which modifies their electrical properties.

Developing p-type semiconductors for CMOS has proved to be a major challenge, as the compounds used can only perform optimally in crystalline forms, the researchers said.

Semiconducting nanomaterial has promise for Internet of Things, wearables

Crystalline forms have “low stability, complex synthesis processes, large-area non-uniformity, and a lack of industrial compatibility”, compared to amorphous forms, according to their paper.

However, the team found a strategy to use thermal evaporation to create a tellurium-based composite that could allow a commercially viable amorphous p-type semiconductor to become a reality. Tellurium is an emerging semiconductor material.

Their proposed strategy “exhibits superiority over reported emerging amorphous p-type semiconductors, exhibiting outstanding electrical performance, cost-effectiveness, high-stability, scalability” and processing potential, their paper says.

“This study represents a crucial stride towards establishing commercially viable” amorphous p-type semiconductors in a “low-cost and industry-compatible manner”, the team wrote.

China TV host and actress flaunts wealth, dresses ‘princess’ daughter head to toe in designer clothes, igniting debate

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3257634/china-tv-host-and-actress-flaunts-wealth-dresses-princess-daughter-head-toe-designer-clothes?utm_source=rss_feed

The 14-year-old daughter of a famous television presenter in China has hit the headlines for wearing expensive designer clothes, sparking a heated discussion about her mother’s parenting style.

Angela Wang Shiling is the only child of Li Xiang, 48, who was a popular hostess in China in the early 2000s before starting real estate and entertainment businesses.

Li has attracted controversy for a decade for believing in the old Chinese proverb that sons be raised in frugality and daughters in abundance.

Wang lives a life of luxury even while attending school in the UK, where she has been for two years.

At the end of March, Li released a series of photos of her daughter, with the caption “She is on holiday”.

About the same time, Wang, who has more than 8 million followers on Weibo, shared similar pictures of herself, saying: “I am in a good mood every day with mum staying with me in London.”

Online observers were interested to note that a purple plaid coat she was wearing cost nearly US$3,500, her skirt US$2,000, and the blue handbag she was carrying retails at US$1,800, the news portal Baidu.com reported.

The windbreaker coat she wore cost US$2,200, her white blouse, US$1,900, and bracelet US$5,500

Even the hair spin she had carried the conspicuous English letters of the Italian luxury brand, Miu Miu, which is said to be priced at US$450.

“Perhaps the cheapest thing she uses is her mobile phone case,” one person said on Weibo.

Wang’s phone case costs about 500 yuan (US$70) on mainland shopping websites, while most people spend less than 100 yuan on the accessory, the report said.

Her recent outfit attracted a mixed response on mainland social media.

“I think those clothes do not fit her. They make her look much older,” one person said on Weibo.

“Wang Shiling is the girl I envy most. I hope to be Li Xiang’s daughter in my next life,” another person said.

“It’s a storm in a teacup. They are super-rich. Those expenses are just a tiny proportion of their income,” someone else added.

In an interview with the news outlet sohu.com in 2023, Li said it’s normal for her to buy expensive clothes and bags for her daughter.

“We are not short of money. Why live a frugal life? If she likes it, I will buy it. there’s no need for us to save money,” Li said, revealing that she gives her daughter 150,000 yuan (US$20,000) pocket money every month.

The story comes amid a crackdown on “money worship” by the central authorities.

The government has also called on people to stop holding lavish weddings and funerals.

Chinese spy agency says foreign agents targeting rare earth and food technology sectors

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3258961/chinese-spy-agency-says-foreign-agents-targeting-rare-earth-and-food-technology-sectors?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s top spy agency has accused overseas institutions of targeting the rare earth sector and food industry in the latest in a series of warnings encouraging the public to be alert to the risk from foreign spies.

The warnings come amid growing concern among foreign investors about the impact of the country’s latest anti-espionage laws that they fear may criminalise previously legal business activities.

China’s spy agency warns ‘consulting’ is being used as ploy to steal secrets

On Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV published a series of claims by the Ministry of State Security about spying cases, including an individual identified only as Cheng, the deputy manager of an unnamed rare earth company, who was jailed for 11 and half years for “illegally providing state secrets” and bribery.

The report said Cheng, who was also fined 100,000 yuan (US$13,800) and had personal property worth 900,000 yuan confiscated, had supplied information about rare earths that the government was collecting to a contact working for the Shanghai subsidiary of an unnamed foreign non-ferrous metals company.

The second individual, identified only as Ye, was also jailed for 11 years last November and had personal property worth 500,000 yuan confiscated after being found guilty by the Nanchang Intermediate People’s Court in Jiangxi province of being “bought off by overseas forces and illegally providing state secrets”.

“In recent years, critical minerals have become a new area of strategic competition between major global powers. As one of the key mineral resources, rare earths not only contribute to high-quality economic development, but are also closely related to national security,” CCTV’s report said.

The Ministry of State Security also said foreign spies had stepped up efforts to target Chinese grain production and research, causing “significant harm to the core competitiveness of the country’s rice seed industry and food security”.

It said that in 2022 and 2023 it had found that nearly 100 individuals and 11 companies were involved in this activity.

CCTV reported that in January the general manager of a Chinese agricultural technology company named Zhu had been jailed for 18 months by Hefei Intermediate People’s Court in Anhui province for “providing intelligence to foreign entities illegally”. The report said Zhu, who set up their own export company, had been selling patent rice seeds to an “overseas intelligence agency” at above the going market rate.

China warns foreign hackers are infiltrating business and government networks

The report was broadcast ahead of Monday’s National Security Education Day, an annual event designed to highlight President Xi Jinping’s concepts of “comprehensive national security” to tackle perceived threats both inside and outside China.

Last year the Chinese authorities unveiled a revised espionage law to cover a wide range of information and data gathering activities. The law has raised concern among foreign investors that previously legal business activities such as cross-border data transfers might fall foul of the new regulations.

Visit by Chinese polar research icebreaker Xue Long 2 has cleared path for Hong Kong scientists to join national missions, experts say

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3258954/visit-chinese-polar-research-icebreaker-xue-long-2-has-cleared-path-hong-kong-scientists-join?utm_source=rss_feed

A recent visit by the first Chinese-built polar research icebreaker has opened doors for Hong Kong scientists to join national missions, experts have said, with more details expected to be announced later this year.

But the specialists said that despite the large pool of scientists in the city, a lack of coordination and funding could pose challenges for those interested in polar research.

The Xue Long 2 icebreaker departed Hong Kong for Shanghai on Friday after the expedition team completed a five-day visit following months of research in Antarctica.

Professor Ho Kin-chung, who headed the visit’s organising committee, said mainland Chinese officials had pledged that Hong Kong scientists would be able to participate in the vessel’s future missions, telling the Post that more information would be revealed by the end of the year.

Ho, the founder of visit organisers the Green Future Foundation Association and Polar Research Institute of Hong Kong, said the city needed a platform to connect local experts with mainland authorities, as scientists at present had to seek opportunities in their own capacity.

“We need a platform or committee for overall planning and better connectivity. We don’t know whom to approach now in Hong Kong,” he said

“It is not under the Hong Kong Observatory, the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, nor the Environment and Ecology Bureau, and it would be inappropriate to designate one university to take charge.”

Ho said he believed the city had enough talent in areas that could contribute to the national expeditions, such as Geographic Information System experts, referring to a computer system that analyses and displays geographical data.

Professor Benoit Thibodeau, an assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s school of life sciences, agreed that while Hong Kong did not have a lot of polar researchers, the current talent pool had a lot of potential.

“We have a lot of expertise in ecology. so we could contribute by sending ecologists to the polar regions and studying how organisms are changing or adapting to different conditions,” he said.

“Marine science is very strong in Hong Kong and if they have the chance to go on such expeditions, they could retrieve important data and samples. If we have the chance to access those expeditions and research vessels, I think it could be very beneficial.”

Thibodeau emphasised that the study of polar regions was important for understanding climate change as the impacts of global warming were amplified there.

Funding for such studies was another huge obstacle, he added.

Chinese polar research icebreaker Xue Long 2 gets warm welcome in Hong Kong

“Most of our funding for scientific research comes from the [Research Grants Council], which values practicality and the feasibility of your research. Between proposing to get some samples from Tolo Harbour [in Hong Kong] or from the Arctic Ocean, the latter is much more costly,” he said.

“The visit of the Xue Long 2 is really important for us to also raise awareness of the importance of doing polar research and channelling more funding towards polar research.”

Among the researchers visiting with the vessel was Dr Luo Guangfu, a senior researcher from the Polar Research Institute of China, who said he felt the city was home to many eager young people with a high level of awareness about global warming.

“Those who want to join our expedition team can study oceanography, biology and meteorology. There are many different roles required on the expedition team,” he said.

The public’s enthusiasm was on full display as residents snapped up tickets to board the vessel for a close-up look during its stay.

But ultimately access to the polar regions was one of the biggest challenges for researchers, Thibodeau said, adding he hoped the invitation from mainland authorities could offer Hongkongers more opportunities.

“People can only develop specific expertise in the polar region if they have the chance to actually access the region,” he said.

“Without specific opportunities or channels, it’s very, very hard to get there. Having access to those samples is really what is missing.”

Hong Kong role floated for icebreaker Xue Long 2’s future polar expeditions

Natalie Chung Sum-yue is one of the handful of Hongkongers who has had the chance to embark on a polar expedition.

She recalled how she first set foot in Antarctica last February and realised the impact of climate change was far worse than what she had expected.

“I was expecting to see the vast whiteness of the ocean and the glaciers,” said the 27-year-old climate advocate.

“But in the end, we saw a lot of the ice sheets being covered with Antarctic algae that has formed due to higher photosynthesis rates from the warming climate.”

Chung joined Sylvia Earle, the renowned 88-year-old marine biology expert, on her Antarctic climate expedition as a representative of the city after being invited by an Australian organisation she worked with.

The Chinese University graduate researched water samples and whale behaviour in the South Pole, while conducting interviews with experts and researchers on the trip.

Chung said the vessel’s visit was a good opportunity to educate the public, especially young people, about how their actions could impact the polar regions.

“I think the Xue Long 2 visit really opened everyone’s eyes and mindset to understand the grandness of natural research in the polar regions and how much China is doing on Antarctic preservation.”

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China voices ‘deep concern’ following Iranian attack on Israel and urges ‘influential countries’ to work for peace

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3258970/china-voices-deep-concern-following-iranian-attack-israel-and-urges-influential-countries-work-peace?utm_source=rss_feed

China’s foreign ministry on Sunday expressed “deep concern” over the escalation of conflict following Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel, while its embassy in Tehran has warned Chinese nationals and companies to take extra security precautions.

“China expresses deep concern over the current escalation and calls on relevant parties to exercise calm and restraint to prevent further escalation,” the ministry said on Sunday morning.

“This round of escalation is the latest manifestation of the spillover of the Gaza conflict. The most urgent task is to effectively implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2728 and cease the Gaza conflict as soon as possible,” it said, referring to a resolution adopted last month calling for a ceasefire.

“China calls on the international community, especially influential countries, to play a constructive role in maintaining regional peace and stability.”

Iran launches retaliatory attack on Israel with hundreds of drones, missiles

Although the statement did not specify which “influential countries” it was referring to, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the United States to play a “constructive role” in the Middle East during a phone call with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday.

On Sunday morning, the Chinese embassy in Iran reminded Chinese citizens to “strengthen safety precautions” as the “local situation in Iran is becoming more serious and complex”.

“Please resolutely avoid travelling to sensitive areas and crowded places,” the embassy said on its official WeChat account.

The foreign ministry also joined the call, reminding Chinese citizens to “remain cautious about travelling to Iran” in a separate statement.

Saturday night’s strike was Iran’s first direct attack on Israeli territory.

China condemns Israeli attack on Iranian consulate in Syria

The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold an urgent meeting following Iran’s attack.

Israel has called on the Security Council – in which China holds a permanent seat alongside the US, Britain, France and Russia – to condemn the Iranian attack and list the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the main branch of Iran’s armed forces, as a terrorist organisation.

Tehran vowed revenge after at least seven military advisers were killed in an Israeli attack on a consulate building at the Iranian embassy compound in the Syrian capital Damascus earlier this month.

Thousands of Iranians took to the streets of Tehran on Sunday morning to show their support for the attack on Israel, their country’s main enemy.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden condemned the Iranian attack on Saturday night and reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad” support for Israel.

Chinese analysts say Iran’s attack on Israel is unlikely to have a substantial impact on relations between China and the two countries.

Zhu Yongbiao, a professor with the school of politics and international relations at Lanzhou University, said: “If the situation gets worse, it will have a big impact not only on China, but also on the whole regional situation and world security, which is something China does not want to see.”

Zhu added that there was “very wide scope” for China in the Middle East conflicts, including “at a higher level by stopping further escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict, and at another level by opening humanitarian access to Gaza”.

Why China’s words at top UN court could signal stronger support for Palestinians

Yin Gang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, echoed this view, saying that Tehran’s attack would have “no impact” on China’s relations with Iran or Israel.

“Beijing calls for restraint on both sides, and this is a stance taken for granted and has no special significance,” he said.

According to Yin, the attack was rather “a way for Iran to calm the anger of its people”.

Wang Jin, an associate professor at the Institute of Middle East Studies at China’s Northwest University, said Beijing’s statement was “timely” and “acceptable to all parties to the conflict”.

Wang added that the Chinese foreign ministry’s statement, which did not condemn the Iranian attack, was consistent with Beijing’s position that Israel’s attack earlier this month amounted to “spillover” to other countries and that Iran’s attack was a “countermeasure and retaliation”.

Beijing condemned Israel’s attack on the Iranian embassy earlier this month.

China is playing a greater role in the Middle East and facilitated the restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March of last year.

Also last year, Iran became the ninth member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a regional security and economic group.

In December, Beijing and Tehran vowed to support and coordinate with each other diplomatically during the Israel-Gaza war.

Japan’s new aircraft carrier Kaga ruffles feathers in China and raises questions about commitment to pacifist constitution

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3258951/japans-new-aircraft-carrier-kaga-ruffles-feathers-china-and-raises-questions-about-commitment?utm_source=rss_feed

Japan’s upgrading of a warship to become its first aircraft carrier since the Second World War has been criticised in China, raising questions about whether it violates the country’s post-war pacifist constitution.

The name of the newly upgraded Kaga has previously been criticised because a former ship with the same name was involved in the bombing of Shanghai and Tokyo’s motives for upgrading the ship have also been questioned.

After the ship was converted to an aircraft carrier, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Japan should “adhere to its defence-only policy” and be cautious in military development, “not the other way around”.

The Kaga entered service in 2017 as a helicopter carrier, but has now been upgraded to carry Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters.

The ship will undergo a second round of modifications to its hull in 2026-27 to help support its role as a carrier of fixed-wing warplanes.

Kaga’s sistership Izumo, commissioned in 2015, will also be modified in a process expected to finish in 2027. The two ships were commissioned as helicopter carriers that could be upgraded to carry fixed-wing fighters if needed.

After the upgrade, both ships will be able to carry 12 fighters and 16 helicopters. The Japanese government had already ordered 42 F-35Bs for the carriers, although it has not explained why it wants more planes than its current navy can carry.

China believes that the modification of the Izumo-class carrier violates Japan’s “Peace Constitution”, which does not allow Japan to possess offensive weapons, arguing that carriers can be used to strike targets on foreign soil.

Hua, from the Chinese foreign ministry, said the clause in the Japanese constitution – which renounces the right to wage wars – “is an important legal guarantee and symbol of Japan’s post-war path towards peaceful development, and a solemn commitment by Japan to the international community”.

Trilateral deal to change South China Sea dynamic, won’t target Beijing: Marcos

Tokyo says its position remains unchanged, and the modified carriers are the minimum necessary for self-defence.

The government says F-35B fighter jets will not be deployed full-time on the Kaga and Izumo, so they will not be considered attack aircraft carriers, which are banned under Japan’s constitution, according to national broadcaster NHK.

When the upgrade plan was first made public in 2018, the then defence minister Takeshi Iwaya said that “the Izumo was originally designed as a multipurpose escort ship, so it wouldn’t pose any threat to other countries if fighter jets are deployed on it.”

Yoichiro Sato, professor in international relations at Ritsumeikan Asia-Pacific University in Japan, said the new carrier had only half the number of fighters China’s first carrier, the Liaoning, holds, adding: “It is more useful as an anti-submarine warfare platform carrying some helicopters as it originally was designated.”

China already has three active aircraft carriers, Liaoning, Shandong and Fujian – all of which are larger than the Japanese carrier – and a fourth one is being built.

Song Zhongping, a former Chinese military instructor, said the Japanese carrier’s fifth generation F-35B fighters were more advanced than the J-15s on China’s carriers, but their limited numbers would reduce their effectiveness.

“The modification of Kaga is more like a technical verification test case for Japan’s next generation of even larger vessels,” he said.

National Defence News, an official publication of China’s People’s Liberation Army, has also questioned the effectiveness of the Japanese carriers, saying their flight decks cannot be used by fixed-wing early warning aircraft.

“This means that it is difficult for this class of ship to operate independently outside a larger battle group, and its ability to fight independently is limited,” it said.

Even the name of the Kaga has caused controversy. Kaga was an ancient province that forms part of the modern-day Ishikawa prefecture on Honshu, but the name was previously used for a carrier that took part in the invasion of China in the 1930s.

Planes launched from the 1930s carrier took part in a major air raid in Shanghai and the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The ship was eventually sunk by the United States in the Battle of Midway.

In 2017, when the ship was first commissioned, Wu Qian, a spokesman for China’s defence ministry, criticised the name saying the previous Kaga was “one of the main warships of the Japanese militarists during the aggression against China” and warned that the “ghost of Japanese militarism” might return.

Philippines, US, Japan to boost cooperation to deter Beijing in South China Sea

“I don’t understand why the Japanese always prefer to use the names that were used by the Japanese army in World War Two,” Wu said.

“Is it because they do not want to make a clear break with the history of militarism, or are they deliberately provocative to hurt the feelings of the people of the countries that were victims of World War Two?”

Sato said that although many modern Japanese ships share their names with those from the imperial era, they tend to be named after places and natural features which have particular importance in the Shinto religion rather than individual commanders.

For example, he said Izumo is the site of an important shrine and making accusations about such place names is an exercise in “far-fetched imagination about Japanese nationalism.”

Solomon Islands prepares for election in shadow of China’s influence

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3258947/solomon-islands-prepares-election-shadow-chinas-influence?utm_source=rss_feed

Solomon Islanders will head to the polls on Wednesday, voting in an election that promises to bolster or blunt China’s regional ambitions, with security consequences that will ripple far beyond the Pacific nation’s palm-fringed shores.

The archipelago, one of the world’s least-developed countries, is the unlikely focal point of a diplomatic scramble pitting a rising China against Western rivals.

Solomon Islands has veered into China’s orbit under Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, who signed a secret security pact with Beijing in 2022.

Sogavare has vowed to deepen these bonds if re-elected.

His challengers, meanwhile, are deeply sceptical of Beijing’s influence in the archipelago, known as the Pacific’s “Hapi Isles”.

Solomon Islands tells critics China police deal not a ‘threat’ to Pacific

“Everyone knows this election is going to be very closely watched by the United States, by China, and by other Pacific island countries,” said Solomon Islands expert Anouk Ride from Australian National University.

“It feels like the pressure is on.”

The former British colony gained independence in 1978, establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan as one of its earliest foreign partners.

But those long-standing ties were abruptly junked in 2019, when a freshly installed Sogavare gave his full-throated backing to Beijing’s “One China” stance.

A wave of Chinese aid and investment followed, including tens of millions of dollars for a state-of-the-art medical centre and a 10,000-seat athletics stadium.

In 2022, Solomon Islands signed a surprise security pact with Beijing, catching traditional partners Australia and the United States off guard.

Although the final details are murky, the Western allies fear the pact is the first step towards a permanent Chinese military base in the South Pacific – something that could be a game-changer for security in the region.

China already maintains a small but conspicuous police presence in the nation, sending a revolving cadre of officers to train locals in shooting, riot tactics and martial arts.

Solomon Islands still bear the scars of the last time they were wedged between two chest-beating major powers.

Japan and the United States fought savagely over the Solomons at the height of World War II, littering it with unexploded bombs that still take lives today.

Elections are always boisterous, often tumultuous and sometimes violent in the nation of around 720,000 people.

In 2000, then-prime minister Bart Ulufa’alu was forced to resign after he was kidnapped by gunmen.

Solomon Islands hosts China-funded Pacific Games amid big-power rivalry

International peacekeepers were deployed to quell post-election violence in 2006, with premier Snyder Rini pushed out of office after just eight days.

In the lead-up to this year’s vote, alcohol will be banned across the archipelago’s 900 islands and coral atolls.

Sogavare’s main rivals include Peter Kenilorea, a former United Nations lawyer who is akin to political royalty in the Solomon Islands.

His father, Peter Kenilorea senior, was the nation’s first prime minister after independence.

Matthew Wale, a chartered accountant and long-time human rights campaigner, is another prominent opposition figure.

Both Wale and Kenilorea have been sharply critical of the China security pact, signalling a possible change in direction if Sogavare loses.

Sogavare has been Solomon Islands’ dominant political figure of the past 20 years, holding the top office on four separate occasions since 2000.

A foreign academic once dubbed him the country’s “master of mayhem”, and critics fear his heavy-handed dealings look increasingly authoritarian.

In recent years, the 69-year-old karate black belt has tried to hose down dissent by threatening to ban meddlesome foreign journalists, Facebook and visiting diplomats.

Sogavare stared down widespread condemnation last year to delay the national elections by seven months.

“He has centralised power, and controls power, in a way that earlier prime ministers didn’t,” said historian Clive Moore, who has spent decades studying Solomon Islands.

But Sogavare’s grip on power is far from absolute.

His embrace of Beijing in 2019 partly fuelled a wave of anti-government riots that tore through the Chinatown district in the capital, Honiara.

Violence returned in 2021, when angry mobs tried to storm parliament, torched Chinatown and attempted to raze Sogavare’s home.

While foreign diplomats sweat over the geopolitical consequences of the election, locals will be more consumed by creeping poverty and the paucity of jobs.

Solomon Islands ranks in the bottom quarter of the United Nations’s Human Development Index – one spot above Haiti and several below war-torn Myanmar.

“There are other pressing issues right now,” said Ride, who has lived and travelled throughout the Solomon Islands.

“There is the health system, which has decayed to the point where you can’t get basic medicines in your local clinic,” she said.

“Another one is the economy, and the impacts of the country going into further debt.”

Elderly China tour guide at ancient site impresses foreigners with impeccable English, warm hospitality, delights all

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3257518/elderly-china-tour-guide-ancient-site-impresses-foreigners-impeccable-english-warm-hospitality?utm_source=rss_feed

A senior tour guide in China has become popular on mainland social media for impressing foreign visitors with his proficiency in English and heartfelt hospitality.

The unidentified man, from Shaanxi province in northwestern China, has worked as a guide for 30 years, and is currently to be found at the entrance of the ancient site of The Terracotta Army, Shaanxi TV reported.

The famous collection of terracotta sculptures depicts the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China in the 200s BC.

In a viral clip filmed by a visitor, the guide who is wearing a tour guide badge around his neck and has a microphone tucked around his ear, starts a conversation with two foreign tourists.

“Hi, nice to see you,” he says as he approaches the visitors

“Yeah, nice to meet you,” one of them answers.

“Have you got our museum ticket?” he asks. “We have tickets,” they reply.

“I have been doing this job for 30 years in English. Do you need a guide?” he asks with confidence.

The visitor from overseas looks surprised and says: “30 years in English?”

“I think we’re interested in having you as our guide,” the clearly impressed tourist said.

“Why are they here? How were they made? How many soldiers are there? I can explain,” the excited guide was eager to tell them everything about the ancient site.

They paid his fee and walked beside him into the museum.

“You are also very patient,” the foreign visitor who filmed the clip said.

“We’re lucky, right?” he said to his companion.

The precise details about how the guide mastered English were not made clear, but he seemed disciplined and eager as he still read history books in English for two hours a day.

The story has captivated many people on mainland social media users.

“He is so amazing. He can speak great English, and he spends two hours reading every day,” one online observer said.

“I’m impressed by his professional English speaking skills and rich knowledge too,” said another.

“I’ve been learning English for many years, but mine is not as good as his,” another person added.

Drone delivery service launches in China’s Greater Bay Area, slashing transport time and costs between cities

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3258956/drone-delivery-service-launches-chinas-greater-bay-area-slashing-transport-time-and-costs-between?utm_source=rss_feed

A new commercial cargo drone route launched in southern China’s Greater Bay Area on Friday, delivering goods by air while cutting intercity transport time by nearly an hour.

The 70km (43-mile) flight between Shenzhen and Zhongshan – both in Guangdong province – takes the unmanned aerial vehicle around 45 minutes. It costs 40 yuan (US$5.60) per delivery order, to be completed within four hours, and can transport goods weighing up to 20kg (44lbs).

Drone manufacturer Phoenix Wings said in a WeChat post that the drone has an average cruising speed of 108km/h (67mph) and could be used for emergency support, intercity rapid delivery and offshore logistics.

Its service runs six days a week from 9am to 6pm, with exceptions for extreme weather events and airspace control.

With lofty plans for south, China’s ‘low-altitude economy’ is on the rise

The Germany-based firm is backed by parent company SF Express, a major Chinese logistics service provider.

Zhongshan transport bureau chief Cao Fuquan said the launch of the first cross-water low-altitude logistics route in the Greater Bay Area would boost the efficiency of express delivery between the two cities and reduce costs.

“It will also inject new vitality into business development and promote the deep integration of economic and social development between the two cities for our mutual benefit,” Cao said at a launch ceremony, according to Phoenix Wings.

The company’s founder Jiang Mingtao told Southern Metropolis Daily that the company would set up more airborne delivery routes in Zhongshan.

“Zhongshan has a huge demand for drone logistics services as an important node city in the Greater Bay Area,” Jiang said.

He said roads had served as the main delivery route between Zhongshan and Shenzhen in the past, and trucks had to depart early in the morning for goods to arrive on the same day.

Driving from Shenzhen’s Chiwan port to Hongchang Logistics Park in Zhongshan via the Humen Pearl River Bridge or the Nansha Bridge typically takes about 1.5 hours for a journey of around 110km.

“Now with drones, the efficiency will be greatly improved with fewer scheduling restrictions,” Jiang said.

China has been pushing its “low-altitude economy” which has seen rapid growth in recent years thanks to supportive policies.

The low-altitude economy encompasses a wide range of industries focused on civil manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, including manufacturing, flight operations and integrated services.

The low-altitude economy has the potential to contribute between 3 and 5 trillion yuan (US$705 billion) to China’s economy by 2025, according to a white paper published last year by the International Digital Economy Academy in Shenzhen.

A Chinese official meets North Korean leader Kim in Pyongyang in highest-level talks in years

https://apnews.com/article/china-north-korea-talks-6c2083d7a1d4cdeba6d72b7bc983c59eIn this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, meets Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People’s Congress of China, in Pyongyang, North Korea Saturday, April 13, 2024. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

2024-04-13T12:02:06Z

BEIJING (AP) — A top ranking official Chinese official reaffirmed ties with North Korea during a meeting Saturday with the country’s leader Kim Jong Un in the capital Pyongyang, China’s state media reported, in the highest-level talks between the allies in years.

The visit by Zhao Leji, who ranks third in the ruling Communist Party hierarchy and heads the ceremonial parliament, came as North Korea has test fired missiles to intimidate South Korea and its ally, the United States.

The Xinhua News Agency reported that Zhao told Kim at the meeting concluding his three-day visit that China, the North’s most important source of economic aid and diplomatic support, looked forward to further developing ties, but made no mention of the political situation on the peninsula or the region.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency also confirmed the meeting on Sunday and said Kim held unspecified discussions with Zhao on “boosting the multi-faceted exchange and cooperation” and “other important issues of mutual concern.” KCNA said the Chinese delegation left the country later on Saturday.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 75 years ago, China and North Korea have been “good neighbors and struggled together to attain a common destiny and level of development,” Xinhua quoted Zhao as saying.

China fought on behalf of the reclusive Communist State against the U.S. and others during the 1950-1953 Korean War, and in recent years has helped prop up its weak economy, allegedly in violation of U.N. sanctions in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program that Beijing had endorsed.

Zhao met his North Korean counterpart Choe Ryong Hae on Thursday and discussed how to promote exchanges and cooperation in all areas, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported.

North Korea closed its borders during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic amid reports of a major outbreak and food shortages. Zhao’s visit to North Korea marked the first bilateral exchange involving a Chinese Politburo Standing Committee member since the pandemic started. Prior to the outbreak, Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping held two summits in 2019.

North Korea and China are expected to hold a number of exchanges this year to mark the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. North Korea has sought to boost its cooperation with Beijing and Russia in the face of a standoff with the U.S. and South Korea over its missile launches and nuclear program.

Kim traveled to Russia in September for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The U.S., South Korea and others accuse North Korea of supplying conventional weapons for Russia’s war in Ukraine in return for advanced weapons technologies and other support.

China has refused to criticize the Russian invasion and accused the U.S. and NATO of provoking Moscow, but says it will not provide Moscow with direct military support.

__ AP writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed from Seoul, South Korea.

For Southeast Asians, Israel-Gaza war is more worrying than even South China Sea row – as extremism fears grow

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3258844/southeast-asians-israel-gaza-war-more-worrying-even-south-china-sea-row-extremism-fears-grow?utm_source=rss_feed

The Israel-Gaza war has become the foremost geopolitical concern in Southeast Asia, surpassing even the South China Sea dispute, according to the State of Southeast 2024 Survey.

Despite its geographical distance from Southeast Asia, the Gaza conflict resonated deeply among respondents in the region.

This concern is understandable given that more than 40 per cent of Southeast Asia’s population are Muslims, with the majority living in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Additionally, countries like Singapore, where around 15 per cent of its population are Muslims, have highlighted this conflict as the top concern for their governments.

The South China Sea dispute was the second most pressing concern among Southeast Asian respondents, followed by the Russia-Ukraine war and global scam operations, both in third place. A total of 1,994 people from across the region took part in the survey, which was conducted by the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Asean Studies Centre.

The Israel-Gaza war has not only significantly influenced the domestic politics of Muslim-majority countries in Southeast Asia, but also sparked divisive views in the region. In the initial stages of the conflict following the Hamas attack on October 7, Southeast Asian countries displayed a range of official positions.

Countries like Singapore and the Philippines quickly condemned Hamas’ attacks on Israel, whereas others like Indonesia and Malaysia expressed solidarity with the Palestinians. This divergence was evidenced in the statement by Asean foreign ministers, which referenced the varied national stances on the conflict.

Malaysia’s arrest of Israeli with 6 guns triggers mystery – was Mossad involved?

As the conflict surpasses the six-month mark – marked by escalating casualties, including aid workers, and a worsening humanitarian situation – multiple perspectives have emerged. The survey was conducted in January and February; even then, a large segment of regional respondents (41.8 per cent) voiced concerns that Israel’s attack on Gaza had gone too far.

This sentiment was particularly dominant among the three Muslim-majority countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations: Brunei (79.2 per cent), Indonesia (77.7 per cent) and Malaysia (64.4 per cent). Respondents from Singapore who felt the same stood at 46.2 per cent. Singaporeans’ views echoed statements their Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has made on multiple occasions, urging Israel to prioritise the safety and security of civilians, especially during his latest visit to the Middle East.

By comparison, 17.7 per cent of respondents from the Philippines – the highest among all countries surveyed – maintained that Israel has the right to retaliate within the bounds of international law and felt that Hamas’ attack on Israel cannot be justified, a position endorsed by the Philippine government. Apart from identifying Israel as the “promised land” due to being majority Catholic/Christian, Filipinos’ economic considerations are also driving their support for Israel, with the country employing more than 30,000 Filipino workers, mostly as carers.

As the Israel-Gaza war worsens and remains high on Southeast Asia’s agenda, its governments are grappling with the potential impact of views that are seemingly growing divergent. The repercussions of this crisis will be significant, especially if it escalates into a wider conflict involving more Middle Eastern countries. The largest group of respondents (29.7 per cent) in the survey expressed concern over the potential rise of extremist activities, which could significantly affect domestic and regional security.

This apprehension was particularly pronounced in countries like Singapore, Cambodia, and the Philippines, which perceive Hamas as a terrorist group. Experts have cautioned that a prolonged Israel-Gaza conflict could be exploited by terrorist organisations to radicalise individuals. Likewise, the erosion of domestic social cohesion due to potential religious divisions is a pressing concern for countries like Thailand, where 31.8 per cent of respondents ranked this highest among their concerns. This issue also weighed heavily in Myanmar and Singapore.

Indonesia’s divided Muslims unite around a common cause: the Israel-Gaza war

In Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Myanmar and Vietnam, the predominant concern of respondents was diminished trust in international law and the rules-based order. Malaysia and Indonesia have for decades stridently opposed Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, with their denunciations most recently expressed at International Court of Justice proceedings. Malaysia has additionally supported South Africa’s recent case at the court, accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians.

The importance of upholding international law, particularly international humanitarian law – a key principle of Asean – resonated deeply with Southeast Asians. Most respondents believed that the international community should prioritise supporting a ceasefire and provision of humanitarian aid (41.3 per cent). A significant proportion of respondents from Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia supported Palestinian self-determination as the second most favoured option (17.5 per cent). The largest proportion of respondents in favour of a two-state solution as the only outcome for Israel and Palestine was from Singapore (24.9 per cent). This was the region’s third most prevalent option (16.2 per cent) and also Asean’s common position in the joint foreign ministers’ statement released in October last year.

Singapore’s principled stand in international affairs is evident in its consistent advocacy for a humanitarian truce in Gaza and its balanced engagement with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and other key stakeholders in the Middle East. Foreign Minister Balakrishnan has emphasised that a negotiated two-state solution remains the sole viable path towards achieving a comprehensive, just, and durable peace in the Middle East. A clear majority of Singaporean respondents (57.2 per cent) supported their government’s position.

Singapore’s Israeli post takedown order reflects ‘heightened sensitivity’

Unwavering support for the Palestinian cause from the governments of Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia garnered strong approval from their respective citizens who took part in the survey. This sentiment in the three countries correspondingly led to a drop in support – the lowest in the region – for US leadership in maintaining the rules-based order and upholding international law. This was also evident in the three countries’ preferred alignment choice and perceptions of the United States as a strategic partner and provider of regional security, ratings for which similarly declined. Analysts have attributed the respondents’ diminished confidence in the US to the Israel-Gaza conflict, citing Washington’s staunch pro-Israel stance, which many perceived as contradictory to the principles of a rules-based order.

Questions on the Israel-Gaza war in the survey have brought to light the diverse perspectives of the region, highlighting its potential vulnerability to religious polarisation. Despite similarly controversial violations of international law by Russia when it attacked Ukraine in 2022, and the looming threat of nuclear war on the European continent, Southeast Asia is more fixated on current events in the Middle East. Bridging the divides among religious communities in the region concerning the Israel-Gaza conflict presents a formidable challenge. Asean governments must navigate this terrain carefully to foster domestic cohesion and regional unity.

Asean should maintain its focus on rules-based approaches and encourage diplomacy and cooperation to counter any potential rise in violent extremism as the war drags on.

Joanne Lin is a Co-coordinator of the Asean Studies Centre at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, and Lead Researcher (Political-Security) at the Centre. This article was first published on the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s commentary website .

Not an ‘Asian Nato’: Aukus still work-in-progress but expansion could complicate China’s regional plans, analysts say

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3258831/not-asian-nato-aukus-still-work-progress-expansion-could-complicate-chinas-regional-plans-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed

The potential expansion of Aukus may increase defence pressure on China as it faces ever more cutting edge defence technology, including hypersonic weapons, but Beijing could expect little in the way of substantive changes in power dynamics in the near term.

On Wednesday, as he met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House, US President Joe Biden said Aukus was “exploring” ways to cooperate with Japan in hi-tech defence capabilities, while the two countries would continue to “respond to challenges concerning China through close coordination”.

“Our Aukus defence partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom is exploring how Japan can join our work in the second pillar, which focuses on advanced capabilities, including AI, autonomous systems,” Biden said during a joint press conference with Kishida on Wednesday.

Launched in 2021, the Aukus pact has two key pillars: Pillar I is to support Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines; Pillar II focuses on multilateral cooperation in cutting-edge technologies, including quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and hypersonics.

The possible expansion of other member states into the trilateral defence partnership was sparked after Aukus defence chiefs issued a joint statement on Monday, stating the three countries were considering cooperation with Japan on the second pillar of the alliance.

Why the downfall of Aukus could be a ‘Mother, may I?’ attitude from US

“Aukus partners have developed principles and models for additional partner engagement in individual Pillar II projects and will undertake consultations in 2024 with prospective partners regarding areas where they can contribute to, and benefit from, this historic work,” the defence ministers said in the statement.

“The signalling has been an important part showing that Pillar II of Aukus, the one that focuses on emerging technologies may be more inclusive to like-minded and similarly developed allies of the current Aukus members,” said Stephen Nagy, an international relations professor at International Christian University in Tokyo.

Beijing has criticised Tokyo’s possible participation in Aukus, arguing that Japan should “earnestly reflect on its history of aggression, abandon the practice of forming a small military and security circle, and truly pursue the path of peaceful development”.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Washington is considering adding South Korea, Canada, and New Zealand as potential partners for cooperation on advanced capability projects in their Aukus security partnership, citing an anonymous senior US National Security Council official.

The consultation process will take some months, the official added.

“The increased cooperation reflects an interest in Aukus parties in accessing key technologies … as well as political interest in building up partnerships that could be useful in countering Chinese coercive behaviour,” said Timothy Heath, a senior international defence researcher at the Rand Corporation.

“Japan and [South Korea] have become more concerned about Chinese behaviour in recent years and this explains their interest in cooperating more closely with Aukus,” he said.

‘No plans’: Australia denies Japan poised to formally join Aukus pact

Collin Koh, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said the four countries in discussion to join Aukus Pillar II “all have something to contribute”, including hypersonic missile programmes, cybersecurity and unstaffed systems.

“At least for Japan, and for South Korea, for example, when it comes to hypersonic capabilities, these two countries already have existing hypersonic research programmes,” Koh said.

Benjamin Barton, associate professor at the University of Nottingham’s Malaysia campus, said the expansion of Aukus could shore up ties between the Indo-Pacific states, with security alliance treaties or an intelligence sharing network with the US, continuing to balance against China.

“Most of these states have well established and/or budding arms industries and strong budgetary commitments to maintain military spending at the same rate as the US … bringing these countries on board could significantly boost Aukus’ credibility as an ad hoc security arrangement for the region as a whole,” Barton said.

“The aim is to consolidate these ties, from a security perspective, to ensure that China’s rise is kept in check in the region.”

But Barton argued that Aukus still needs to sort out its positioning.

“Aukus will struggle to shed its image as an Anglo-Saxon club even if it may harbour designs to develop security structures for a much broader region,” he said.

“Aukus will also need to clarify its end-goal – is it simply a vehicle to facilitate military cooperation and operationalisation for a close-knit group of states, or does it harbour much deeper ambitions?”

Heath, from the Rand Corporation, said while the most valuable cooperation in the Aukus expansion would be in defence technology ties, it is unlikely to develop into an Indo-Pacific security alliance in the near term.

“The level of military cooperation should not be exaggerated. This is not an “Asian Nato” with interoperable forces and obligations to fight for each other”, Heath said.

“Moreover, Aukus is a new group that is still trying to deliver practical benefits. It is premature to expand the group given it has barely started.”

Barton added that the possibility of Chinese military action across the Taiwan Strait had driven Washington to create a diplomatic and security front with the capacity to intervene alongside the US in the event of a military conflict between Beijing and Taipei.

Washington’s opposition to Beijing’s military actions in the Indo-Pacific was reflected in a Joint Vision Statement released after Biden held a trilateral summit with Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on Thursday.

The statement said the three countries expressed serious concerns about China’s “dangerous and aggressive behaviour” in the South China Sea, which involved militarising reclaimed features and using coastguard and maritime militia vessels.

Barton said the Chinese military would continue its military development and activities in the South China Sea, regardless of Aukus expansion.

However, expansion of Aukus could help isolate China in the regional security architecture, especially in the case of any contingencies.

“This would incur regional opprobrium and could damage [Beijing’s] carefully-managed reputation,” Barton said.

“If done properly, [Aukus] could provide a blueprint for an inclusive redesign of the Indo-Pacific’s security architecture, which would leave China with little choice but to either acquiesce or run the risk of being perennially faulted for any long-term systemic instability across the region.”

How should Australia use Aukus submarines? Up to them, says US Pacific commander

“At the very least, it will create greater uncertainty in the minds of key [Communist Party] leadership, which is the basis for deterrence,” said Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

“The goal here is to share technologies to better respond to China’s rapid military expansion and modernisation, and in doing so, make the potential cost of using force to achieve policy objectives greater – and thus deter such use.”

International studies expert Koh said expansion of Aukus could improve the member states’ military interoperability and defence industrial collaboration, which could complicate China’s future contingency planning.

“It is no longer just the US deterring China per se, but in line with the integrated deterrence strategy that is espoused by the Biden administration,” Koh said.

“So I think China has to take into consideration that it is a much more complicated network of potential adversaries that you have to deal with going forward.”

Why China actress is worshipped as sea goddess Mazu in China, many believe Liu Tao is living protector of seafarers

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3257512/why-china-actress-worshipped-sea-goddess-mazu-china-many-believe-liu-tao-living-protector-seafarers?utm_source=rss_feed

Ask people from Fujian province in southeastern China who their favourite celebrity is, it is almost certain the answer will be Liu Tao.

The 45-year-old actress is seen in Fujianas a living Mazu, the sea deity worshipped in the coastal province, after she played her in the eponymously titled 2012 Chinese television drama.

Legend has it that Mazu is a young woman who lived in the area in the 10th century. She could predict the weather and protect fishermen from disasters.

She is said to have died trying to rescue people from shipwrecks, then ascended to heaven and became a deity.

Fujian people’s reverence for Mazu is legendary. There are many taboos when it comes to worshipping the deity at temples, such as not exposing skin, not commenting on images and not looking around while kneeling before her.

Mazu is so respected that many police stations in the province have named their mediation rooms after her because they believe Fujian people do not lie in front of Mazu.

Liu, who made her acting debut in 2000, had been known as the “nation’s daughter-in-law” thanks to the idealised wives she played in multiple television dramas.

She successfully moved on from that typecasting in the 2016 hit drama Ode to Joy, by playing a former Wall Street executive.

However, in the minds of many in Fujian, Liu is actually Mazu. One person said her husband told her: “Mazu gives a fantastic performance in Ode to Joy.”

Some even hang photographs of Liu as the Mazu character in their homes, and worship her.

A Fujian resident said if Liu ever visited his hometown, she would be greeted with aunties holding incense and firecrackers, which are used to attract blessings from the gods.

Another said that even if Fujian people did not like Liu, they would never say anything negative about her, because it is wrong to speak ill of her.

Before she played the role, Liu reportedly went to the Mazu temple to ask for the deity’s blessing. She threw Poe – a pair of wooden divination tools known as jiaobei in Mandarin – to ask for her permission, and allegedly received a positive response.

According to the director of the television series, Lu Qi, when they shot sea scenes, it was always sunny even when the weather forecast had predicted rain.

When Liu, who was born in central China’s Jiangxi province, appeared in a video to promote tourism in her hometown, it was reported that many Fujian people were confused, insisting that “Mazu is ours”.

Today, she is still so widely revered across coastal areas in China and Southeast Asian countries with sizeable Chinese populations.

Some people buy plane and train tickets for her statues so they can travel to bless her worshippers far and wide.

America’s sick obsession with China will ruin itself and the world

https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3258540/americas-sick-obsession-china-will-ruin-itself-and-world?utm_source=rss_feed

The US is gripped by a debilitating fear of China, and unless this Sinophobia is addressed, it could lead to profound uncertainties for the world.

Earlier this month, during their first phone conversation since the San Francisco summit last November, US President Joe Biden discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping their collaboration on pressing issues such as narcotics control, climate change and artificial intelligence (AI), even as he defended the imposition of hi-tech sanctions on China.

Last month, the House of Representatives voted through a bill that could force a TikTok ban in the US, a move that saw bipartisan support and reflects the widespread apprehension towards China. President Biden has pledged to sign the bill into law once it is approved by the Senate.

Clearly, despite the San Francisco summit, US-China ties have yet to thaw. Marked by profound mistrust, the relationship continues to be defined by competition, rather than cooperation.

Meanwhile, the crises in Ukraine and Gaza persist with no foreseeable resolution. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reached out to President Xi about a proposed peace summit, while leaders in the Arab world are open to Beijing’s help to broker a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. China has declared its commitment to leverage its influence to facilitate a resolution to both crises.

Unfortunately, Washington still sees China as a threat to its global dominance. During his call, Biden cautioned Xi against escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Separately, several Republicans have called for America’s withdrawal from the Ukraine war to reallocate military assets towards countering purported rising threats from China.

Herein lies the paradox confronting China as it considers taking on a mediating role. Why would Beijing mediate for peace in Europe and the Middle East when this would free the US to pivot towards the Asia-Pacific to oppose China?

At the San Francisco summit last year, Xi and Biden struck a deal wherein Beijing agreed to limit the export of fentanyl precursor chemicals, and Biden reciprocated by easing some of its sanctions. The transaction underscores Xi’s insistence on a fundamental principle of cooperation: the quid pro quo expectation.

Like any other party, Beijing anticipates reciprocity for its help. Therefore, if the US seeks China’s collaboration in addressing the Ukraine and Gaza crises, it must reciprocate by mitigating the risk of open conflict in the Asia-Pacific.

Despite Xi’s commitment, however, experts doubt that restrictions on precursor exports alone can effectively curb the US opioid epidemic. This scepticism arises from the recognition that multiple factors fuel the American narcotic addiction, including inadequate regulation and weak oversight leading to over-prescription, pharmaceutical companies’ aggressive marketing strategies and socioeconomic distress.

The opioid crisis is a symptom of an ailing America haunted by fear. The nation, deeply divided, is wrestling with crises rooted in racial, religious and socioeconomic disparities. Adding to these complexities is the trepidation that adversaries like China could capitalise on these vulnerabilities.

Indeed, mired in a bitter rivalry, the US and China find themselves trapped in a cycle of distrust, where actions by one often reinforce suspicions in the other. In the US, this escalating mistrust has stoked apprehensions about China’s allegedly widening array of threats to homeland security.

These fear range from unsubstantiated accusations of spy balloons, shipping cranes deployed as Trojan horses, the weaponisation of Chinese-made electric vehicles on US highways and even conspiracy theories linking a Chinese cyberattack to the collapse of the Baltimore Bridge.

The US is gripped by a debilitating Sinophobia, a pervasive fear that could result in misdiagnosing problems, with potentially devastating consequences. For instance, the singling out of TikTok over security concerns has been widely criticised as a distraction from an industry-wide issue.

The spotlight on TikTok’s potential impact on the 2024 US presidential election is also diverting attention from more critical issues plaguing America’s increasingly fragile democracy.

The reality is that America is deeply polarised, and the election is unlikely to mend its fractured social fabric. Should Donald Trump secure victory in the November presidential election, he has vowed retribution for his enemies. If he faces defeat, the possibility of another uprising akin to the January 6 Capitol riot cannot be dismissed.

How long can the Democrats hold back America’s far-right tide?

Merely focusing on external threats will not resolve the profound issues vexing America. The origin of these problems is intrinsic to the US and demand internal solutions, necessitating a critical process of self-reflection and self-correction.

On the global stage, the era of US unipolarity as the sole superpower has ended. China is playing an increasingly influential role in reshaping the world order into a more inclusive, multipolar one. However, the US persists in viewing China as a challenge to the universal principle of rights and liberty. This fixation on the China threat is deflecting attention from the real and present dangers to world peace, notably the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, which risk escalating into broader regional conflicts.

The mistrust between the US and China ultimately has far-reaching consequences for humankind, undermining our collective ability to respond effectively to the pressing challenges posed by climate change and the potential risks associated with AI.

The US urgently needs to adopt a more balanced assessment of China. Neglecting to do so risks complicating efforts to resolve America’s domestic predicaments, disrupting the reconfiguration of the world order, and leaving us vulnerable to global crises that could adversely affect the fate of humanity.

Fewer Americans want to study in China. Both countries want to fix that, ‘a lot of trust has been broken’

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3258942/fewer-americans-want-study-china-both-countries-want-fix-lot-trust-has-been-broken?utm_source=rss_feed

Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but the country’s restrictive Covid-19 policies made it nearly impossible, and now he sees interest among fellow scholars wane even after China reopened.

Common concerns, he said, include restrictions on academic freedom and the risk of being stranded in China.

These days, only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of close to 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at US schools.

Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see as diminishing economic opportunities and strained relations between Washington and Beijing.

Whatever the reason for the imbalance, US officials and scholars bemoan the lost opportunities for young people to experience life in China and gain insight into a formidable American adversary.

And officials from both countries agree that more should be done to encourage the student exchanges, at a time when Beijing and Washington can hardly agree on anything else.

Why more Chinese students are looking to Europe – not the US or UK – for study

“I do not believe the environment is as hospitable for educational exchange as it was in the past, and I think both sides are going to need to take steps,” said Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.

The US has advised its citizens to “reconsider travel” to China over concerns of arbitrary detentions and widened use of exit bans to bar Americans from leaving the country. Campbell said this has hindered the rebuilding of the exchanges, and easing the advisory is now under “active consideration.”

For its part, Beijing is rebuilding programmes for international students that were closed during the pandemic, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has invited tens of thousands of US high school students to visit.

The situation was far different after President Barack Obama started the 100,000 Strong initiative in 2009 to drastically increase the number of US students studying in China.

By 2012, there were as many as 24,583 US students in China, according to data by the Chinese education ministry. The Open Doors reports by the Institute of International Education, which only track students enrolled in US schools and studying in China for credit, show the number peaked at 14,887 in the 2011-12 school year. But 10 years later, the number was down to only 211.

In late 2023, the number of American students stood at 700, according to Nicholas Burns, the US ambassador to China, who said this was far too few in a country of such importance to the United States.

“We need young Americans to learn Mandarin. We need young Americans to have an experience of China,” Burns said.

Without these US students, “in the next decade, we won’t be able to exercise savvy, knowledgeable diplomacy in China,” warned David Moser, an American linguist who went to China in the 1980s and is now tasked with establishing a new master’s programme for international students at Beijing Capital Normal University.

Moser recalled the years when American students found China fascinating and thought an education there could lead to an interesting career. But he said the days of bustling trade and money deals are gone, while American students and their parents are watching China and the United States move away from each other. “So people think investment in China as a career is a dumb idea,” Moser said.

After 2012, the number of American students in China dipped but held steady at more than 11,000 for several years, according to Open Doors, until the pandemic hit, when China closed its borders and kept most foreigners out. Programmes for overseas students that took years to build were closed, and staff were let go, Moser said.

Amy Gadsden, executive director of China Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, also attributed some of the declining interest to foreign businesses closing their offices in China. Beijing’s draconian governing style, laid bare by its response to the pandemic, also has given American students a pause, she said.

Garrett, who is on track to graduate this summer from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, said he is ambivalent about working in China, citing the lack of access to information, restrictions on discussions of politically sensitive issues and China’s sweeping anti-spying law. He had lived in Hong Kong as a teenager and interned in mainland China, and said he is still interested in travelling to China, but not any time soon.

Some American students remain committed to studying in China, said Andrew Mertha, director of the China Global Research Center at SAIS. “There are people who are interested in China for China’s sake,” he said. “I don’t think those numbers are affected at all.”

Can China-US people-to-people cooperation resume if academic swaps are curbed?

About 40 US students are now studying at the Hopkins-Nanjing centre in the eastern Chinese city, and the number is expected to go up in the fall to approach the pre-pandemic level of 50–60 students, said Adam Webb, the centre’s American co-director.

Among them is Chris Hankin, 28, who said he believed time in China was irreplaceable because he could interact with ordinary people and travel to places outside the radar of international media. “As the relationship becomes more intense, it’s important to have that colour, to have that granularity,” said Hankin, a master’s student of international relations with a focus on energy and the environment.

Jonathan Zhang, a Chinese-American studying at the prestigious Schwarzman Scholars programme at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said it was more important than ever to be in China at a time of tense relations. “It’s really hard to talk about China without being in China,” he said. “I think it’s truly a shame that so many people have never stepped foot in China.”

Zhang was met with concerns when he deferred an offer at a consulting firm to go Beijing. “They’re like, ‘oh, be safe,’ or like, ‘what do you mean, you’re going back to China?’” Zhang said. “I feel like the [Chinese] government is trying with an earnest effort, but I feel like a lot of this trust has been broken.”

Gadsden said US universities need to do more to nudge students to consider China. “We need to be more intentional about creating the opportunities and about encouraging students to do this deeper work on China, because it’s going to be interesting for them, and it’s going to be valuable for the US-China relationship and for the world,” she said.

In China, Jia Qingguo, a professor of international relations and a national political adviser, has suggested Beijing clarify its laws involving foreign nationals, introduce a separate system for political reviews of foreign students’ dissertations, and make it easier for foreign graduates to find internships and jobs in Chinese companies.

Meanwhile, China is hosting American high school students under a plan Xi unveiled in November to welcome 50,000 in the next five years.

In January, a group of 24 students from Iowa’s Muscatine High School became the first to travel to China. The all-expenses-paid, nine-day trip took them to the Beijing Zoo, Great Wall, Palace Museum, the Yu Garden and Shanghai Museum.

Sienna Stonking, one of the Muscatine students, now wants to return to China to study.

“If I had the opportunity, I would love to go to college in China,” she told China’s state broadcaster CGTN. “Honestly, I love it there.”

Tech war: China pushes forward self-reliance campaign amid unrelenting US sanctions

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3258905/tech-war-china-pushes-forward-self-reliance-campaign-amid-unrelenting-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed

China is making steady progress in developing home-grown chips and operating systems to reduce its reliance on foreign technologies amid US sanctions, according to local industry experts.

At Tongming Lake IT City, a hi-tech industrial estate in Beijing’s southern economic zone Yizhuang, China’s efforts to wean itself from foreign core technology are in full display in an area larger than 500 football pitches.

Since it began development in 2019, Tongming Lake IT City is now the base of several prominent Chinese tech firms.

They include chip design companies Loongson Technology and Sophgo Technologies, cloud computing and server vendor Inspur Group, Huawei Technologies’ big-data solutions unit Kunpeng, cybersecurity solutions start-up KML Technology Group and operating system specialist UnioTech Software.

During a media tour organised by the Beijing government last week, Tian Ye, a manager at UnioTech, told visitors that the company’s products are “breaking the monopoly of [Microsoft’s] Windows”.

UnioTech, a company formed from a Chinese community of Linux enthusiasts, is leading domestic efforts to replace foreign operating systems on personal computers (PC) and servers. Its Linux-based PC operating systems have become increasingly popular among government clients for offering alternatives to Windows.

China’s drive to phase out foreign systems in military and state organs has been going on for years, and it has gained momentum with the state-led campaign Xinchuang, which aims to develop local alternatives to replace foreign chips, systems, databases and software. It also aims to build the domestic tech sector into an industry with an annual output of 100 billion yuan (US$13.9 billion) next year.

Despite those efforts, analysts say China faces key hurdles in the semiconductor sector.

China runs about 10 to 15 years behind the West in lithography technology – a key step in chip manufacturing – although the gap in processing techniques is smaller, said Dan Hutcheson, vice-chairman of Canadian semiconductor industry research firm TechInsights, in a webinar last week.

Russel Wu, general manager at networking gear start-up TML and previously with Intel, said China lags foreign competitors in product quality and chip-making precision, but the country will strive to be self-sufficient if it needs to be.

“We choose to collaborate whenever collaboration is possible, [but] if we can’t, we go our own way,” Wu said. “It may be slower but we won’t die.”

He added that the Xinchuang campaign offers a chance to create China’s own ecosystem so that local start-ups can rely on each other and grow together.

China pushes forward with home-grown operating systems to rival Windows

UnioTech’s operating systems have been configured to work with most processors made by major Chinese central processing unit (CPU) makers and brands, including Huawei, Hygon Information Technology, Phytium Technology, Loongson, Zhaoxin Semiconductor and Sunway.

Most of those companies have been blacklisted by the US commerce department, meaning their access to global foundry services has been blocked. As a result, they depend on Chinese chip manufacturers to produce their CPUs.

UnioTech said as of last year, its systems were installed in over 6 million home-grown Chinese computers, with a 40,000-strong customer base comprising entities such as government departments, financial institutions and state-owned firms.

The Chinese central government in March vowed to raise spending on technological and scientific development by 10 per cent this year to about 370.8 billion yuan. The additional financial support comes despite the country’s sluggish economy, which has been dragged down by debt and an ailing property market.

Some foreign businesses operating in China are already feeling the heat from local efforts to switch to domestic alternatives.

State-backed firm apologises for ‘home developed’ software based on Microsoft code

VMware, a cloud computing company that was recently acquired by Californian chip giant Broadcom, trimmed the size of its sales team in China last year, partly due to state-run companies shying away from its database services, according to people familiar with the situation, who declined to be named discussing private business matters.

The people said VMware has faced increased competition from Huawei and other Chinese companies that offer similar solutions.

VMware did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“It’s nothing new and China’s impulse to replace foreign technologies has been on and off for two decades,” said Cameron Johnson, a supply chain expert based in Shanghai.

“American companies in China are aware of China’s motive to prioritise its own IT suppliers and think this contradicts with China trying to convince the rest of the world that it is open for business.”

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