China

Western intelligence agencies warned on Tuesday of an increasing threat from Beijing's security services to use malicious mobile phone applications to surveil Taiwanese independence activists, Tibetan rights advocates and others opposed by the Chinese government.

An advisory warned of "the growing threat" posed by malicious surveillance software deployed by a Chengdu-based contractor reported to have ties to China’s Ministry of Public Security. The advisory was signed by cybersecurity agencies in Britain, the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Germany.

[...]

The warning comes amid increasing tensions surrounding Taiwan, including April 1 Chinese military drills around the island and a March 28 visit to the Philippines by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in which he reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to deterring Chinese aggression in the region.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32710446

Archived

Original article behind paywall

Volt Typhoon has been responsible for intrusions into vital critical infrastructure both in the continental United States and its possessions through the Pacific.

The group has made transport hubs and water utilities a particular target, with the hackers so far not causing any disruption but rather prepositioning themselves ahead of any hostile action.

The admission of Chinese responsibility came during a secret meeting between outgoing Biden administration officials and Chinese representatives on the sidelines of a summit in Geneva in December 2024. According to two anonymous observers, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported late last week that the Chinese attendants referred indirectly to the activity as being a warning for the US to stay away from any attempts to support or defend Taiwan.

According to the WSJ, the comments were “indirect and somewhat ambiguous”; however, US officials present felt the meaning was plain.

Speaking to Cyber Daily’s sister brand, Defence Connect, earlier this year, Adam Meyers, SVP of counter-adversary operations at CrowdStrike, said that Volt Typhoon’s activity was clearly aimed at disrupting any US action in the region.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32709578

Archived

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine captured two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army. He added that there are currently approximately 155 Chinese citizens known to be fighting against Ukraine on the territory of Ukraine, and about whom there is accurate information regarding their passport data, recruitment channels, etc. While their real number is estimated to be much higher. He also emphasized China’s “military support” for Russia, equating it to the DPRK and Iran.

[...]

In this situation, it is indicative and important for analysis that China, from the very beginning of the news about the prisoners, began to censor its information space, removing from social networks and the media any mention of the detained Chinese citizens, even from the friendly Russia Today.

The Russian media, experts, and Kremlin-controlled Telegram channels unanimously denied the Chinese presence [...]

Such significant active work by the PRC [People's Republic of China] to hide these facts and reduce mention of them gives us an interesting clue.

[...]

[Three conclusions regarding Chinese prisoners of war]

• Firstly [...] Ukraine needs to support the discussion in the information space of aspects of the involvement of the Chinese in the war against Ukraine, for which it should provide new information obtained from the results of interrogations of Chinese citizens. Ukraine’s repeated appeals to China in 2022-2024 have not yielded results – China has become a critical enabler of the Russian war and the Russian defense industry.

At the same time, such significant active work by the PRC to hide these facts and reduce mention of them gives us an interesting clue.

• Secondly, in parallel, efforts should be intensified to identify the presence of Chinese in the Russian army and, if possible, to capture other Chinese citizens. [...] This is especially relevant given China’s efforts to improve relations with Europe in the context of a trade war with the United States, but evidence of direct military support by China for Russian military efforts could significantly complicate this process, and therefore Kyiv could demand that China reduce technological support for Russia.

• Third, given the intensification of China-American competition and the beginning of a tariff and trade war, it is important for Kyiv that Ukraine’s key military partner, the US, understands the interconnectedness of the European and Indo-Pacific theaters. Information that China is increasing its support for Russia could be an additional argument for Kyiv in negotiations with Washington regarding the provision of reliable security guarantees to Ukraine and the continuation of military-technical supportfor Ukraine, as well as additional sanctions on Russia and China.

[...]

China’s government has arrested dozens of people in Tibetan areas since 2021 for politically motived phone and internet-related offenses, Human Rights Watch said today. Tibetan journalists in exile report that these arrests typically target Tibetans accused of keeping “banned content” on their phone or contacting people outside China, including relatives.

The full scale of such arrests and prosecutions is unknown, as Chinese authorities do not disclose official data for political offenses. The more than 60 reported cases appear related to an increase in government surveillance during this period, including through mass phone searches and the use of mandatory phone apps with built-in government surveillance, as well as a tightened regulatory regime on data and religion.

“For Tibetans, simply using a cellphone has become dangerous, and everyday activities like posting a humorous video or contacting loved ones abroad can bring arrest, detention, and torture,” said Maya Wang, associate China director at Human Rights Watch. “Tibetans, particularly those living in remote areas, once celebrated the arrival of cellphones so they could stay in touch with friends and family, but their phones have effectively become government tracking devices.”

[...]

In many cases, those arrested were accused of keeping “banned content” on their phones or sharing it online. Such “banned content” typically includes references to Tibetan religious figures, particularly the exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and expressions of pro-Tibetan sentiment. Chinese authorities have applied the ambiguous language of the law broadly: in one case, a man was arrested for setting up a WeChat group celebrating the birthdays of 80-year-old Buddhist monks. The police said it was “illegal” to form such a chat group “without permission.”

[...]

Tibetans have also been arrested for posting content online that the police deem to be promoting the use of Tibetan language and opposing the Chinese government’s language policy in primary schools, which replaces Tibetan with Mandarin Chinese as the medium of instruction. The authorities have closed down several Tibetan-language websites hosting cultural and educational content since 2020.

[...]

Chinese authorities have also arrested Tibetans for using their electronic devices to contact people outside China and for sharing information about Tibet abroad. Those arrested have been prosecuted and received lengthy prison sentences for such activities.

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Many Tibetans have relatives living in exile in South Asia, Europe, and North America. The Chinese government’s intensified security measures following the 2008 Tibetan protests, which put an end to unauthorized border crossings and its discriminatory restrictions on the issuance of passports to Tibetans since 2012, have made foreign travel impossible for most Tibetans. The restrictions and monitoring of internet use and the punishment of users suspected of having contacts outside China mean that Tibetans in China and those in exile now have extremely limited contact.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32676475

A Liberal Democrat MP barred from entering Hong Kong has told the BBC she believes it was to "shut me up and to silence me".

Wera Hobhouse flew to Hong Kong with her husband on Thursday to visit her son and newborn grandson. However she was detained at the airport, questioned and deported.

The MP for Bath, one of more than 40 parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac) which is critical of Beijing's record on human rights, said she was given no reason for being refused entry.

Downing Street said the trade minister, who is in Hong Kong to promote British exports, had relayed the government's "deep concern" about the incident to senior Chinese and Hong Kong figures.

A government spokesperson said Douglas Alexander had "demanded an explanation" to understand why Hobhouse was refused entry, when speaking with senior Chinese and Hong Kong interlocutors, including Hong Kong's chief secretary for administration.

[...]

While her husband "got processed quite quickly" and was allowed entry, she was taken aside for questioning, held for five hours and then put on a return flight.

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Foreign Secretary David Lammy has promised to "urgently" raise the issue with authorities in Hong Kong and Beijing and "demand an explanation".

He added it would be "unacceptable for an MP to be denied entry for simply expressing their views as a parliamentarian".

[...]

On Monday, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller said "we've still had no answers from Beijing".

He urged the government to reject China's planning application for a new embassy in London. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner will decide whether to approve the plan, which has been opposed by the local council.

"China wants to take advantage of the UK's openness while refusing entry to British MPs and placing bounties on the heads of democracy campaigners living in the UK," Miller said.

China recently approved the construction of the world’s largest hydropower dam, across the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet. When fully up and running, it will be the world’s largest power plant – by some distance.

Yet many are worried the dam will displace local people and cause huge environmental disruption. This is particularly the case in the downstream nations of India and Bangladesh, where that same river is known as the Brahmaputra.

[...]

The Yarlung Tsangpo begins on the Tibetan Plateau, in a region sometimes referred to as the world’s third pole as its glaciers contain the largest stores of ice outside of the Arctic and Antarctica. A series of huge rivers tumble down from the plateau and spread across south and south-east Asia. Well over a billion people depend on them, from Pakistan to Vietnam.

Yet the region is already under immense stress as global warming melts glaciers and changes rainfall patterns. Reduced water flow in the dry season, coupled with sudden releases of water during monsoons, could intensify both water scarcity and flooding, endangering millions in India and Bangladesh.

The construction of large dams in the Himalayas has historically disrupted river flows, displaced people, destroyed fragile ecosystems and increased risks of floods. The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Dam will likely be no exception.

[...]

China is looking to mend a strained trading relationship with the European Union, the last open major market for its products, to weather a trade war with the United States. But diplomats and analysts say breaking a prolonged stalemate won't be easy.

The EU and other major trading partners argue that Chinese overinvestment in manufacturing is flooding the world with goods.

[...]

China's EV exports to Europe were down 15% in January-February from the same months last year, according to China Passenger Car Association data. This extends a 10% decline in 2024, as tariffs of up to 35.3% took effect in October.

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European diplomats, having seen years of discussions that resulted in no progress on key issues including the trade imbalance, market access and reciprocity, are not holding high hopes for a reset.

"It's up to the Chinese to show they're serious about engaging. All existing problems in the trade relationship are within their power to resolve," said one based in Beijing, on condition of anonymity.

Analysts believe China views Europe as politically divided and weak after Trump's re-election, and hopes that tariff pressure from Washington will make member states more open to deepening investment ties with China.

"I don't see any reason why China would be interested in a change other than political and symbolic gains - which is not what the EU wants," said Mathieu Duchatel, Asia Program director at Institut Montaigne, a Paris-based think tank.

[...]

Beijing has mounted a charm offensive in recent months, sending senior diplomats to Brussels in February to raise lifting sanctions on EU lawmakers in exchange for reviving a long-dormant investment deal.

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Top EU leaders will visit Beijing in July for a face-to-face summit with President Xi, an EU Commission spokesperson said on Friday.

This comes after China indicated Xi would not attend the EU-China summit originally planned for Brussels, said one European diplomat, despite travelling to Moscow in May for World War Two commemorations.

"They sense an opportunity for getting concessions, but are not interested in really improving ties since Xi cannot be bothered to travel to Europe," the diplomat said.

[...]

"The ball is very much in China's court, and it will be interesting to see how they choose to play," [says one observer].

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32655252

Archived

The UK was "naive" to allow its sensitive steel industry to fall into the hands of a Chinese company, Britain's business secretary said on Sunday (Apr 13) after the government took control of British Steel.

But Jonathan Reynolds said he did not suspect the Chinese state of trying to tank the plant in northern England, the country's last factory able to make steel from scratch.

The government rushed urgent legislation through parliament on Saturday to stop the Scunthorpe plant's blast furnaces from turning off, after its Chinese owners Jingye said it was no longer financially viable to keep them burning.

Jingye bought British Steel in 2020 and says it has invested more than £1.2 billion (US$1.5 billion) to maintain operations but was losing around £700,000 a day.

"As a country we've got it wrong in the past," business and trade secretary Reynolds told Sky News on Sunday, blaming previous Conservative leaders for allowing Chinese companies to run sensitive infrastructure. "It was far too naive about some of this," he said.

[...]

As Reuters reports, Jingye wanted to import steel from China for further processing in Britain, against a backdrop of global overcapacity in much of the steel industry and challenges from U.S. tariffs.

But the closure of blast furnaces at the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe would have left Britain as the only major economy unable to produce so-called virgin steel from iron ore, coke and other inputs.

Large industrial companies such as Jingye Group had direct links to the Chinese Communist Party and China's government would understand why Jingye's proposal was unacceptable to Britain, he added.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32511699

Archived

Strategic cooperation in defence, economic security and diplomacy is no longer optional; it’s essential to shaping, not just surviving, the new global order

[...]

the possibility of a transactional US-China “sectoral deal”—in which Washington and Beijing strike limited agreements on trade, technology or security—as speculated by Japanese analysts poses serious risks for Japan and Europe alike. It could sideline democratic allies in favour of short-term geopolitical gains. For Japan, it recalls the trauma of Nixon’s rapprochement with Beijing, which came at Tokyo’s strategic expense. For Europe, it risks marginalisation as global rules would be shaped without its input, undermining its efforts to build coherent European defence architecture.

[...]

Japan and the EU already collaborate on digital governance, climate policy and infrastructure connectivity, but defence cooperation remains underdeveloped. The ongoing joint fighter jet project is promising, but hampered by gaps in defence procurement frameworks and technology interoperability. Japan’s rapidly evolving security posture—underscored by a rising defence budget and acquisition of counterstrike capabilities—creates a window of opportunity for deeper EU-Japan defence and industrial ties. Germany’s move to exclude defence spending from its debt brake signals a similar readiness to scale up. Both actors face shared needs in long-range strike systems, cybersecurity, and space-based assets. Europe can benefit from Japan’s experience in building resilient ammunition and weapons supply chains, while Japan could draw from European innovation, particularly from the UK, France, Germany and Sweden in emerging defence technologies.

[...]

A joint [Japan-EU] initiative on critical raw materials, open to other like-minded partners such as Canada and India, along with deeper cooperation in the field of semiconductors, would signal strategic maturity. Including small and medium businesses in shared resilience frameworks through security clearance mechanisms would also boost innovation and diversify supply chains. Brussels and Tokyo could coordinate their green industrial policies to avoid duplicative dependencies on Chinese technology while ensuring WTO compliance. Lastly, Japan and the EU should reconsider the strategic value of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), including the possibility of the EU joining the agreement.

[...]

[Diplomatic cooperation] becomes even more critical as both Japan and the EU face growing challenges in defending international norms amid increasingly unilateral moves by the US. Their credibility when calling out China’s coercive behaviour, for example, risks being undermined when Washington itself deviates from the principles it once championed. Yet, it is precisely in this environment of strategic ambiguity that Tokyo and Brussels must double down on their commitment to the rules-based international order—not in opposition to the US, but to preserve the very framework that ensures their long-term interests.

[...]

As the US reorients its global commitments and China tests the fault lines of Western unity, Brussels and Tokyo must show that liberal democracies can still adapt, cooperate and lead. The goal is not simply to respond to uncertainty, but to shape it. Europe and Japan do not need to reinvent the wheel—they just need to start driving it.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2411873

Archived version

China and the European Union are unlikely to become close allies quickly, analysts say, even as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs sour relations between the world's largest economy and both its transatlantic allies and Beijing.

"I don't see the EU and China uniting against the US," Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said.

...

"I think there will be interest on both sides but deep practical constraints for both. Unless China is willing to make some big concessions, I struggle to see the EU uniting behind a strategy of deeper engagement."

...

The EU and China have a fractious relationship. While China is one of the EU's biggest trading partners besides the U.S., economic relations between the two have also historically been characterized by investigations and tit-for-tat measures linked to trade.

The EU has long alleged that Beijing subsidizes key sectors such as electric vehicles, batteries and steel and aluminum in a way that is harmful to global markets and competitiveness. Last year, the EU hit China with tariffs on electric vehicles, as a result.

... And it is not only trade that is causing tensions in the EU-China relationship, Carsten Nickel, managing director at Teneo, [said].

He added that there are "fundamental differences" between the two "regardless of what is going on with the U.S."

...

"That has to do with unresolved questions around overcapacity in China. It has to do with ongoing misgivings in the European Parliament, especially regarding the human rights situation, and it has to do with concerns over China's support for for Russia and Ukraine," he explained.

Ian Bremmer, founder and president of the Eurasia group, also pointed out that there is a "deep" European mistrust toward China in areas like intellectual property and technological surveillance, as well as industrial policy.

This "doesn't go away with the United States becoming an adversary."

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"I think it's pretty clear that that that doesn't that that doesn't mean that the the the underlying challenges in the European relationship with China are gone overnight," he added.

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Eurasia Group's Emre Peker and Mujtaba Rahman echoed this idea in a Thursday note.

"Trade diversions as the US-China tariff fight escalates will prompt the European Commission to swiftly deploy safeguard measures to prevent China—and other countries—from dumping their goods on the EU market," they said.

...

European policymakers will use "softer rhetoric" towards China to avoid triggering a trade war on two fronts. "But this is highly unlikely to translate into Brussels-Beijing cooperation against Washington," they concluded.

Palau would not cave to diplomatic pressure from China and would remain an ally of Taiwan “until death do us part,” Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr said yesterday.

As one of the few nations that recognize Taiwan’s statehood, Palau has repeatedly risked China’s ire over the years by refusing to reverse its stance.

“China has one goal, and that is for us to renounce Taiwan,” Whipps said during a speech at Australian think tank Lowy Institute. “But we hope that they understand — that decision is a sovereign decision and no country tells us who we should be friends with.”

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32482982

The videos are across Chinese social media. Some are slickly produced Russian propaganda about being “tough” men; some sound more like influencer advertisements for a working holiday. Others are cobbled-together screenshots by regular citizens about to leave China. But they all have one thing in common: selling the benefits of becoming a Chinese mercenary for Russia.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced that two Chinese nationals had been captured in the eastern Donetsk region and accused Moscow of trying to involve China “directly or indirectly” in the conflict. A day later, he said the men were among at least 155 other Chinese members of Russia’s armed forces. Then again, on Thursday, he accused Russia of conducting “systemic work” in China to recruit fighters.

[...]

China says it is a neutral party to the conflict, although its leader, Xi Jinping, and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, are public allies, with a “no limits” partnership between their two nations.

Zelenskyy demanded answers from Beijing, accusing it of turning a blind eye to Russia’s recruitment of its citizens.

[...]

Numerous recruitment clips are easily found on Chinese social media. All of them emphasise the pay on offer, ranging from 60,000 to 200,000 RMB (£6,000 to £21,000) as a sign-on bonus and monthly salaries of about 18,000 RMB (£1,900).

One video, which has had hundreds of thousands of views across different platforms, appears to be a Russian recruitment ad with Chinese subtitles overlaid. It shows Caucasian men leaving their day jobs to fight and asks viewers: “Do you want to show strength here? Is this the path that you long for? You are a tough man, be like them!”

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32482359

Archived

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) has filed a legal complaint in Paris against Dahua Technology France, Hikvision France, and Huawei France. The submission, made by prominent French human rights lawyer William Bourdon of Bourdon & Associés, accuses the three Chinese companies of complicity in crimes against humanity perpetrated against the Uyghur people in East Turkistan.

“This submission is an important reminder to all companies complicit in the Chinese government’s genocide that they bear legal responsibility,” said WUC President Turgunjan Alawdun. “We are confident that the French judiciary will take this matter seriously.”

The legal complaint outlines four serious charges:

• Concealment of complicity in the crime of aggravated servitude
• Concealment of complicity in the crime of trafficking in human beings as part of an organized gang
• Concealment of complicity in genocide
• Concealment of complicity in crimes against humanity

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32460743

Archived

[...]

Kaja Kallas, the EU's head of diplomacy, confirmed that the EU had discussed the news about the capture of Chinese nationals by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, she emphasized that this does not mean the Chinese military is directly involved in the war. She pointed out that China could share relevant information regarding the situation.

Kallas also stated that without China's support, Russia would not be able to conduct the war on such a large scale, noting that 80% of dual-use goods reach Russia through China.

She added that if China truly wanted to stop supporting the war, it would have an impact.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32443864

Hong Kong national security police have taken away the parents of wanted US-based activist Frances Hui Wing-ting for questioning, the Post has learned, after Washington imposed a new round of sanctions on local officials for what it called "transnational repression".

A source said that Hui's mother and father were escorted to two police stations in Sha Tin on Thursday.

Hui, who left the city in 2020 and is now based in the United States, is among 19 activists with HKcopy million bounties on their heads for allegedly violating the Beijing-imposed national security law in Hong Kong.

[...]

In 2022, Hui was granted political asylum in the US. She now serves as a policy and advocacy coordinator at the Washington-based Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, which is considered "anti-China" by city authorities.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32433092

Archived

[...]

Some tactical cooperation makes sense for both sides — just don't expect any grand bargain.

The Xinhua news agency account didn't include any mention of Ukraine [in their coverage on the phone call between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week].

But the EU's readout did. Von der Leyen "reaffirmed the EU's steadfast support for a just and lasting peace" in the three-year-old war and emphasized that any conditions for peace "must be determined by Ukraine." She invited China to intensify its efforts to "contribute meaningfully" to the peace process, according to the statement.

[...]

Coincidentally (perhaps), President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Tuesday that Ukrainian troops captured two Chinese citizens fighting for Russia, the first time the country's nationals have been taken prisoner during the war. That furnished a reminder of where China's default sympathies lie, on the same day as Li's call with von der Leyen.

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This near-term necessity [to collaborate and seek allies] must be balanced against the recognition that China's ruling Communist Party stands on the side of forces that present an existential threat to Europe's security.

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Under [Chinese President] Xi, it has become clear that China hasn't come to join the postwar global order designed by the US, but to reshape it in its own image. The Ukraine invasion is the most tangible demonstration of that.

Three weeks before Russian troops started crossing the border, Xi and Putin signed an agreement that said there would be "no limits" to their cooperation. It is a remarkably candid document that can fairly be described as a blueprint for a new world order — one that is more comfortable for autocracies. China professed neutrality after the Ukraine war started, but its diplomatic actions and expanding trade and investment with Russia are evidence of de facto support.

[...]

Expediency dictates there will be some cooperation between Europe and China, but don't mistake it for anything more profound or longer lasting. Some things are worth more than an extra battery plant or two.

[...]

In related news, Australia turns down China's offer to 'join hands' to fight US tariffs, says it would build its economic resilience by strengthening trade ties with the European Union, Indonesia, India, Britain and the Middle East.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32432051

[...]

"We are not going to be holding hands with China in respect of any contest that is going on in the world," Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told Sky News, referring to the Chinese ambassador's proposal for countries to "join hands" on trade.

"We are not doing that. What we are doing is pursuing Australia's national interests and diversifying our trade around the world."

He said Australia would build its economic resilience by strengthening trade ties with the European Union, Indonesia, India, Britain and the Middle East.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32431077

Two spyware variants are targeting Uyghur, Taiwanese and Tibetan groups and individuals, the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre warned in a joint alert (opens pdf) Wednesday with Western allies.

[...]

Cybersecurity researchers have previously linked the BADBAZAAR and MOONSHINE spyware to the Chinese government. The variants mentioned in Wednesday’s alert trojanize apps that are of interest to the target communities, such as a Uyghur language Quran app, and have appeared in official app stores.

“BADBAZAAR and MOONSHINE collect data which would almost certainly be of value to the Chinese state,” the alert reads. Agencies in Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the United States, namely the FBI and National Security Agency, collaborated on it.

Groups most at risk include those focused on Taiwanese independence, Tibetan rights, Uyghur Muslims, democracy advocacy and Falun Gong, according to the alert. The espionage tools can access and download information like location data or messages and photos, and can access microphones and cameras on a phone.

BADBAZAAR is mobile malware with both iOS and Android variants, while MOONSHINE is Android-only. MOONSHINE has been shared through Telegram channels and links sent via WhatsApp.

[...]

Beyond official app stores, BADBAZAAR also spreads through social media platforms. It’s been drawing its own attention from cybersecurity researchers since at least 2022 when Lookout identified it.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32430092

Archived

[...]

"There are 155 Chinese citizens who are fighting against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed this information to journalists on April 9.

"We are collecting information, we believe that there are many more."

"For these 155 there is passport data, where they are from, their Chinese documents, age, etc," Zelensky added.

According to Zelensky, Chinese soldiers had been serving with Russia's 70th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, the 255th Rifle Division, and others.

A day before, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the capture of two Chinese citizens fighting for Russia in eastern Donetsk Oblast. The group of six Chinese nationals clashed with Ukrainian forces, and two are now being held by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), he said.

The documents, obtained by the Kyiv Independent, list the names, personal data, place of service and position in the Russian army of other Chinese nationals.

[...]

One of the captured soldiers claimed he paid 300,000 rubles (roughly $3,000) to a middleman in China to join the Russian military in exchange for the promise of citizenship, Ukraine's Luhansk military unit press service told Ukrainian Pravda earlier in the day.

"Beijing knows about this. Russians distribute advertising videos about recruitment through Chinese social networks," Zelensky said.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32394921

A Swedish court on Wednesday ordered the detention of a man suspected of spying on ethnic Uyghurs for China, Sweden's prosecution authority said on Wednesday.

The prosecution authority declined to give more detail on the case or whether it concerned the small population of Uyghurs living in Sweden or groups elsewhere.

[...]

The man, whose nationality was also not disclosed, is in custody in the Swedish capital, court documents showed.

"The man is suspected of having illegally collected information and intelligence on people in the Uyghur environment on behalf of the Chinese intelligence service," Prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist said in a statement earlier on Wednesday.

[...]

Rights groups accuse Beijing of widespread abuses of Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority group of about 10 million people who live in China's far western Xinjiang region.

Beijing denies any abuse and has accused Western countries of interference and peddling lies.

In 2022, a landmark United Nations report said that China's "arbitrary and discriminatory detention" of Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32374201

Archived

The original article in German is here.

• Victor Gao, ex-interpreter to politician Deng Xiaoping and now Beijing's mouthpiece, promotes China's line in the West.
• In the midst of economic problems, China is trying to win back Europe as a partner - on the condition that it does not criticize Beijing.

Where other Chinese experts remain silent because the new anti-espionage law forces them to be cautious, Victor Gao [once Deng Xiaoping's interpreter, now vice president of a government-affiliated think tank and figurehead for China's propaganda] talks. And how. Whether CNN, BBC or al-Jazeera - everyone gets it from him, the party line, eloquently packaged and charmingly served.

[...]

His current mission: to woo Europe, while relations with the West are crumbling under the weight of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang, corona and closing ranks with Russia.

[...]

Victor Gao demands: "Wake up from your American nightmare." And immediately delivers the Chinese offer: less morality, more market. China as a "resource", not a rival.

[...]

But behind the smile lurks geopolitical calculation.

After all, NATO has long been seen as the enemy, and Western democracies are described in China's state media as decadent, refugee-ridden orders. At the same time, Gao preaches closing ranks in interviews - as long as Europe refrains from any criticism of Beijing.

[...]

Victor Gao, who translated Deng's words into the international arena in the 1980s, embodies China's transformation: from an aspiring reformist state to an autocratically controlled superpower under Xi Jinping.

What used to be openness is now demarcation - and yet: economic hardship is forcing China back towards rapprochement.

With the economic downturn in its own country, youth unemployment, the real estate crisis, demographic decline and mountains of debt, it now wants Europe back as a partner. Or at least as a market.

[...]

Gao describes Europe as a continent on the brink of collapse: "You have no more money at all," he says. China, on the other hand? Ready to help. With experience, technology and growth. A kind of development aid - made in China.

But the price is high: no criticism. No geopolitics. No questions asked.

Human rights? Tibet? Xinjiang? Are elegantly omitted. Anyone who raises them is either a "gangster" financed by the USA or a naïve idealist. Gao prefers to sell the high-speed train network, the next 6G expansion and the bubbling growth figures.

Problems? "Of course there are," he says - and immediately changes the subject.

[...]

Victor Gao says that Europe is too small to be an adversary.

But perhaps this is precisely Europe's underestimated strength: not wanting to dominate, but to mediate between the extremes - without selling out.

Because Gao is right about one thing: the world as we know it is changing rapidly. But whether China's charm offensive is more than just a tactical smile will be measured by whether Beijing wants genuine partnership - or just a Europe that shuts up and pays up.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32335303

Ukrainian forces have captured two Chinese nationals who were fighting for the Russian army in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.

The Ukrainian president said intelligence suggested the number of Chinese soldiers in Russia's army is "much higher than two".

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Chinese troops fighting on Ukrainian territory "puts into question China's declared stance for peace" and added that their envoy in Kyiv has been summoned for an explanation.

It marks the first official allegation that China is supplying Russia with manpower for its war in Ukraine. There has been no immediate response to the claims from Moscow or Beijing.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/32330798

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“China is supporting Russia's efforts. China is building up its armed forces, including its navy, at a rapid pace," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters as he wrapped up his visit to the Japanese navy port of Yokosuka. “We cannot be naive, and we really have to work together, assess what is happening.”

Rutte said NATO is worried about China's military exercises near Taiwan and “we follow them very closely.”

Japan considers China as a threat in the region and has in recent years accelerated military buildup, including preparing to acquire strikeback capability with long-range cruise missiles.

Japan, in addition to the United States, has expanded its defense ties with other friendly nations in the Indo-Pacific and Europe, as well as NATO, saying Russia's war on Ukraine underscores that security risks in Europe and Asia are inseparable.

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