These are the three things you need to know about China today:
Ursula von der Leyen warns against becoming too intertwined with China. In a confrontational speech on the EU’s China policy, she brought a new political instrument into play: It is supposed to prevent the outflow of “sensitive technologies” to the People’s Republic. This will not go down well in Beijing – and even Brussels is divided, analyzes Amelie Richter. Von der Leyen is expected in Beijing for talks mid-next week.
Li Qiang reiterates his pro-business message in Boao. The new Premier is showing consistency with his invitation to foreign investors, writes Joern Petring. Of course, he has to back up his words with deeds – this is what Pedro Sanchez, Spain’s prime minister, who is also present, will measure him by.
Li is responsible for economic policy in China’s leadership. He is under pressure: After political experiments, the trust of international companies has already tilted. The Bo’ao Forum is now the right platform to do something about it. It is Asia’s most important gathering of business and politics. Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong complained in his speech: Smaller nations are becoming victims of the dispute between the US and China.
President Tsai Ing-wen seeks the protection of the USA in New York. Besides the actual war in Ukraine, Taiwan is currently a big potential flashpoint. Here, too, the rivalry between the USA and China plays a role: Both are eroding the status quo that ensured peace for the past 70 years. Nevertheless, Tsai now has little choice but to place her country more than ever under the protective wing of the US.
Shortly before her first trip to Beijing as head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen gave an idea of what she has to say in the Chinese capital in a surprisingly clear speech on EU-China relations. At the event organized by the think tanks European Policy Center and the Beijing-sanctioned Merics Institute in Brussels on Thursday, she advocated a joint EU-wide China policy. She called for “de-risking” in strategic areas rather than full decoupling. The EU triad of “partner, competitor, rival” usually repeated by officials to describe the relationship with the People’s Republic went unmentioned.
Together with France’s President Emmanuel Macron, von der Leyen will travel to China next week. The speech struck a challenging tone in advance. Von der Leyen has already spoken critically about individual aspects of EU-China policy in the past. However, this was the first time she gave a pure keynote speech on relations with Beijing. An overview of the most important points:
Geopolitics
Brussels must completely reorganize its China policy: “our relationship is unbalanced and increasingly affected by distortions created by China’s state capitalist system,” said von der Leyen. They must be brought back into balance. However, it was “neither viable nor in Europe’s interest” to distance itself from Beijing in the process. “This is why we need to focus on de-risk,” she stressed.
Beijing’s position in the Ukraine war and its relationship with Russia plays a central role in future EU-China relations: “How China continues to interact with Putin’s war will be a determining factor.” The pictures of the meeting between China’s leader Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would say more “than a thousand words”. Xi is maintaining his “no-limits friendship” with Putin and sees this as an opportunity to gain influence over Russia, which until now has dominated the power balance in their relations, said von der Leyen.
The EU Commission chief was inclined to reject China’s 12-point plan for peace in Ukraine: “Any peace plan which would in effect consolidate Russian annexations is simply not a viable plan.” China must work for a just peace, she urged.
The EU Commission chief generally sees Beijing taking a tougher stance in enforcing its wishes on other countries. The human rights track record in particular, she said, points to a general hardening. “These escalatory actions point to a China that is becoming more repressive at home and more assertive abroad,” von der Leyen said.
China is a “fascinating and complex mix of history, progress and challenges. And it will define this century.” The story of how the EU deals with this is not yet fully written and does not have to be defensive, von der Leyen stressed.
Trade
For the most part, trade of goods and services continues to be “mutually beneficial” and free of risks.
But: The EU Commission President raised the prospect of new limits on investment by European companies in China. She said the EU must prevent capital and expertise of European companies from helping to “enhance the military and intelligence capabilities of those who are also systemic rivals”. But these safeguards should only apply to “a small number of sensitive technologies”. According to EU circles, work is already underway on a targeted foreign investment tool, known in the US as outbound investment screening.
In addition, the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) concluded with China in late 2020 is to be revised, according to von der Leyen. The EU Commission chief suggested publicly for the first time that the agreement might not be pursued because “the world and China have changed significantly in the last three years”. CAI is currently shelved anyway. Most recently, EU circles reported that Chinese officials in Brussels have offered to lift sanctions against MEPs in exchange for confirmation of CAI.
The speech of the head of the EU Commission was unexpectedly direct and in line with her recent tendency to take a more assertive stance on China policy. This was already evident at von der Leyen’s meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington. Beijing is likely to be upset by the speech. China will accuse Brussels – not for the first time – of being a pawn of the USA.
Macron and von der Leyen display unity
Foreign policy expert Noah Barkin from the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund (GMF) regards the EU Commission chief’s speech as a breakthrough: “von der Leyen has delivered the speech on China that Europe has been waiting for,” Barkin wrote on Twitter. Whether all of Europe or even EU institutions will agree, however, is questionable. Recently, a growing schism between the EU Commission and the EU Council of Member States emerged. EU Council President Charles Michel traveled alone to Beijing in November. He is rather skeptical about the confrontational course against China.
How closely von der Leyen will stick to her tone during the joint visit with Macron remains to be seen. “President von der Leyen and President Macron have not always sung exactly the same tune regarding China in the recent past,” Green Party European politician and head of the EU Parliament’s China delegation Reinhard Buetikofer told Table.Media. The joint visit would now provide an opportunity to let “Chinese attempts at division come to nothing”, Buetikofer said.
Beijing could react offended
In any case, Macron already deserves praise for the approach of demonstrating European unity in Beijing, believes Mathieu Duchâtel, Director of the Asia Programme at the Montaigne Institute in Paris. “Of course, he will be criticized in parts of Europe for not being inclusive enough. But he could have made his visit purely bilateral,” Duchâtel said. However, when it comes to concrete results of the visit, the foreign policy expert is less optimistic: The EU hopes for a positive Chinese role in the Russia-Ukraine war. That is rather unlikely, he says.
It remains to be seen how much coordination there will be between Macron and von der Leyen, said Merics EU expert Grzegorz Stec. “Given his stated goal of closer consideration of China’s potential positive contribution to resolving the war in Ukraine, Macron might adopt a softer and more flexible tone.” Macron recently voiced his support for China as a mediator after the G20 summit. But this goal may now have interfered with von der Leyen’s assertive line, Stec told Table.Media.
Li Qiang wants to regain the trust of the business community in Boao
China’s new Premier Li Qiang has once again appealed for trust from international companies and investors at the Boao Economic Forum. “No matter what changes take place in the world, we will always adhere to reform and opening up,” Li said in his opening speech on the tropical island of Hainan on Thursday. He promised “a series of new measures in expanding market access and optimizing the business environment”. China stands for stability and is “an important pillar for the global economy in uncertain times”, Li said. It was also his first major speech since he took office.
Li’s promises in Boao left a good impression – something that was urgently needed. It was the first time since March 2019 that politicians and business representatives from all over the world were able to meet there. The Forum had been canceled entirely in 2020 shortly after the outbreak of Covid. In 2021 and 2022, it mostly took place via video link. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, which is considered the model for Boao, personal exchange was once again possible last year.
Li Qiang: nothing new on Ukraine
Li’s Boao speech is in line with the accents he has set so far. In his first days as Premier, he completed a tight program. Above all, he wants to regain the trust of the private sector and international investors.
His very first trip took him to the provinces of Guangdong and Hunan, where he visited private companies. On the sidelines of the China Development Forum (CDF) in Beijing, Li then met Apple CEO Tim Cook and other international business leaders including Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman on Monday. China’s doors “will only open wider and wider,” Li told the executives, urging them to invest and settle in China.
Li struck a similar note in Hainan, although he remained vague. He did not specify which steps toward further opening would be taken. While Li focused on courting investors, he also had nothing new to say about the war in Ukraine. China is an “anchor of world peace”, the prime minister said. He urged that there must be no chaos and conflict in Asia, otherwise “the future will be lost”.
Reminder from Spain’s Pedro Sánchez
Unlike Li, his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez found clear words on the Ukraine war. In his speech on Thursday, he condemned Russia’s “brutal and illegal aggression”. Sánchez also stated his intention to discuss the war with President Xi Jinping immediately after the Boao Forum.
Spain’s President also reminded China that the oft-repeated promises of openness must be followed by more action. “This means leveling the playing field and ensuring full reciprocity between partners,” he said. “It means opening up the East so the West doesn’t have to close in on itself.” Relations between Europe and China do not need to be confrontational and resorting to protectionism would represent “a return to the past,” he added.
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee criticizes major powers
The both most critical and best speech of the day was given by the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong. He also clearly condemned Russia’s actions. Moscow had violated the UN Charter and international law, Lee said. He then probably spoke from the heart of many Asian neighbors when he went on to criticize the feuding USA and China, who would fight their conflicts at the expense of other countries.
“Economic imperatives are being overshadowed by national security concerns,” Lee criticized. The bifurcation of technology and economic systems leads to “a huge economic cost on countries, as well as further exacerbate rivalries and frictions”. This would force many countries to restructure their supply chains. “The world feels the impact of these tensions keenly,” Lee said. China and the US should at least try to cooperate in areas where they have similar interests.
Li Qiang
Trade
Events
April 3, 2023; 2:30 p.m. CET (8:30 p.m. CST) Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Urban China series:Legal Discrimination, Contention Pyramid, and Land Takings in ChinaMore
April 4, 2023; 6:00 a.m. CET (12:00 p.m. CST) Dezan Shira & Associates, Webinar:Decoding China’s 2023 Two Sessions: Takeaways for BusinessesMore
April 4, 2023; 10:00 a.m. CET (4:00 p.m. CST) Chinaforum Bayern, Webinar:China-EU Relations – Beijing’s View on Challenges and OpportunitiesMore
April 4, 2023; 2:30 p.m. CET (8:30 p.m. CST) Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Zoom talk:Wangdao and Leadership, with Stan ShihMore
April 5, 2023; 6:00 p.m. CET (12:00 a.m. CST) Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Webinar:Critical Issues Confronting China featuring Yan Xuetong – China-US Competition in the Coming DecadeMore
News
Tsai completes first US stop of her Americas tour
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen completed the first leg of her nearly ten-day America trip in New York on Thursday. At a welcome banquet organized by Taiwanese living in the US, she affirmed that “Taiwan is at the forefront of democracy”. “The safer Taiwan is, the safer the world will be,” Tsai declared.
Taiwan’s leader also attended a private dinner at the Hudson Institute, where she was presented with a Global Leadership Award by the US think tank. According to reports, high-ranking representatives of the US Congress also attended.
The next scheduled stopovers are Guatemala and Belize. The two countries belong to the last 13 states that still maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras only severed official relations with Taiwan in mid-March in favor of closer ties with China.
The stop in Los Angeles is more important
Tsai’s subsequent stopover in Los Angeles on 5 April is considered the most important and diciest part of her journey. There, Taiwan’s head of government is expected to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders such as Congressman Mike Gallagher, one day before her return trip to Taiwan. Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, condemned the planned stopover, which has not yet been officially confirmed by the Taiwanese side, and announced “firm countermeasures“.
US National Security Spokesman John Kirby, on the other hand, urged Beijing not to use the Taiwanese president’s visit as a reason to “step up aggressive activity” around the Taiwan Strait. The president’s visit was part of routine “transit trips”, Kirby said on Wednesday. Because the United States has not maintained official diplomatic relations with Taiwan since 1979, visits by Taiwanese heads of state are declared unofficial transits and private trips. Since 1994, such stopovers have occurred regularly. Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan’s former president who is currently visiting China, has also met with politicians from the US Congress during such transit trips in the past. fpe
Nancy Pelosi
Tsai Ing-wen
USA
Ma Ying-jeou meets with Beijing’s Taiwan envoy
During his visit to China, Taiwan’s former President Ma Ying-jeou met with Song Tao, Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office. The two met for talks in Wuhan on Thursday. The meeting was not listed in Ma’s itineraries beforehand. Ma is officially in China as a private citizen. Among other things, he planned to visit the shrine of his ancestors.
In the rather official-looking conversation, Ma explained that during his time in office, relations between China and Taiwan had been even closer and that, for example, direct flights were possible without any problems. He said his meeting with Xi Jinping in 2015 was intended to show the world that relations on both sides of the Taiwan Strait could be settled peacefully. Ma went on to stress that relations between Taiwan and China were very complex and could not be resolved overnight. Song Tao, who was promoted to head of the Taiwan Office last December, passed on Xi Jinping’s heartfelt greetings to Ma and said, “We are one family, we share blood, culture and history (…), no one can tear us apart”.
A nuclear submarine cooperation between Australia, the US and the UK could trigger an arms race, the Chinese defense ministry said on Thursday. “As soon as Pandora’s box is opened, the strategic balance in the region will be destroyed, the security of countries in the region will be seriously threatened,” Tan Kefei, a defense ministry spokesman, warned at a press conference.
The US, Australia and the UK had previously released details of a plan to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines from the early 2030s under the AUKUS security pact. The alliance aims to contain China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. Tan remarked that such cooperation is a means of nuclear deterrence policy by individual countries and a way to build a kind of NATO in the Asia-Pacific. rtr/jul
Australia
Geopolitics
Hong Kong: organ exchange with the mainland
Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China are planning a cross-border system for exchanging donor organs. Hong Kong’s Health Minister Lo Chung-man announced the development of a joint computer system to be implemented as soon as possible. The idea for the exchange is said to have come from Secretary Lo personally. He reportedly was inspired by the case of a four-month-old Hong Kong baby with a heart condition who was saved with the help of a donor heart from the People’s Republic.
However, there is debate about how much the city of Hong Kong would actually benefit from an organ exchange with the Mainland. Alex Lam, Chairman of Hong Kong Patients’ Voices advocacy group, which works to address the concerns of medically ill patients, sees little chance of increasing the number of donor organs in Hong Kong. “The number of donors is even smaller in China than here. If an organ is available there, how likely is it that it won’t be needed there,” Lam said.
Data from the International Registry on Donation and Transplantation (Irodat) show a declining number of organ donations in Hong Kong over the past decade. Despite this, it is still more than 30 percent higher than the donor rate in the People’s Republic. This is one of the reasons for the large black market for donor organs in China. Human rights organizations criticize the government for not taking consistent action against organized organ trafficking. The organs are said to come mainly from prisoners who were sentenced to death. grz
Human Rights
China Perspective
Civil servant, the new dream job
What is the best job that most Chinese parents wish for their children? The answer is civil service. Although Chinese parents can’t choose their children’s career path on their behalf, the old generation’s opinion still carries considerable weight.
A government job’s advantages include stability, no worries of lay-off; good benefits and high social status, the parents would say. Some may even add: If you are lucky, you may one day climb to a high position in the government and become someone powerful.
Until five years ago, many young people would still dismiss the advice lightly. The conservative culture and strict hierarchy in the government were suffocating, they would argue. The dream jobs for most of them at that time were in the IT giants such as Alibaba and Tencent, which offered irresistible remuneration packages and also represented the future. Simply put, rich and cool.
However, the government’s heavy crackdown on the private sector during the past few years has not only made these companies less attractive, but also led to their downsizing and much fewer new open positions. Moreover, an economic slowdown due to the country’s harsh Covid measures has made competition for any decent job very fierce.
As a result, the popularity of government jobs soared. Many young people who used to scoff at moms’ obsession with these jobs have come around.
Civil service exams like in imperial times
Results of the 2023 exams for admissions to the civil service at the central government were published earlier this month. More than 2.5 million applicants took part in the exams, representing a galloping leap of 25 percent from 2022. This year, they fought for 37,000 posts (two-thirds of them are reserved for 2023 college and university graduates), which means less than 1.5 percent of the job-seekers would get the job they wanted.
Competition for posts at governments of provincial and lower levels is generally also intense. These exams, for both central and local, are quite demanding. Training for exam-takers has become a lucrative business.
Moderate salary, but many benefits
Government jobs didn’t become popular overnight. As the benefits for officials gradually improved since the 1990s, civil service also attracted a steadily increasing number of applicants. The civil service admission exams were introduced around the same time. Nominal salaries of Chinese government officials are not high. However, if all sorts of benefits are considered, their jobs are indeed quite good ones. For example, officials at certain levels and above are entitled to purchase apartments at prices much lower than at the market; They enjoy almost free medical service, while private sector employees must pay as much as 30 percent of the bill by themselves even with public medical insurance; Pensions of civil servants are also significantly higher than those of others.
The only institutions that are comparable to governments in terms of benefits are State-owned companies. Jobs at these companies, stable and well-paid, are, of course, also hotly sought-after.
The preferential treatment that civil servants got during the Covid lockdowns in the past three years provided a further vivid, hard lesson to all about who are the real privileged: While many other residents couldn’t get enough food for weeks, families of government officials didn’t need to worry at all. They were among the first group of people to be catered to.
However, government jobs these days are also not easy ones. Long overtime and work during the weekend are not uncommon, though not as bad as in the corporate sector. Apart from regular business, officials also have to, from time to time, participate in study sessions for the latest guidelines of the communist party and thoughts of the top leader, and write essays afterward.
Society
Executive Moves
Achim Schueller has been responsible for client services and business development at Roedl & Partner in Shanghai since mid-February. He is also the main contact for corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues at the company’s Chinese offices. Schueller has lived in Shanghai for 10 years and previously worked in the international banking industry in the US, Germany and China.
Tencho Gyatso is the new president of the International Campaign for Tibet. She succeeds Matteo Mecacci, who moved to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2021. The 57-year-old Tibetan has worked for the International Campaign for Tibet since 2008, first in the advocacy branch of the organization and since 2021 as interim vice president and director of public relations.
Is something changing in your organization? Let us know at heads@table.media!
Dessert
Illusion of physicality, play with perspectives – you cannot touch this work of art, but you can immerse yourself in it. The exhibition Wavelength has opened at Beijing’s Times Art Museum, where 16 international artists are showing their works. In fascinating installations, they deal with the connection between time and space. The exhibition is open till July.
These are the three things you need to know about China today:
Ursula von der Leyen warns against becoming too intertwined with China. In a confrontational speech on the EU’s China policy, she brought a new political instrument into play: It is supposed to prevent the outflow of “sensitive technologies” to the People’s Republic. This will not go down well in Beijing – and even Brussels is divided, analyzes Amelie Richter. Von der Leyen is expected in Beijing for talks mid-next week.
Li Qiang reiterates his pro-business message in Boao. The new Premier is showing consistency with his invitation to foreign investors, writes Joern Petring. Of course, he has to back up his words with deeds – this is what Pedro Sanchez, Spain’s prime minister, who is also present, will measure him by.
Li is responsible for economic policy in China’s leadership. He is under pressure: After political experiments, the trust of international companies has already tilted. The Bo’ao Forum is now the right platform to do something about it. It is Asia’s most important gathering of business and politics. Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong complained in his speech: Smaller nations are becoming victims of the dispute between the US and China.
President Tsai Ing-wen seeks the protection of the USA in New York. Besides the actual war in Ukraine, Taiwan is currently a big potential flashpoint. Here, too, the rivalry between the USA and China plays a role: Both are eroding the status quo that ensured peace for the past 70 years. Nevertheless, Tsai now has little choice but to place her country more than ever under the protective wing of the US.
Shortly before her first trip to Beijing as head of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen gave an idea of what she has to say in the Chinese capital in a surprisingly clear speech on EU-China relations. At the event organized by the think tanks European Policy Center and the Beijing-sanctioned Merics Institute in Brussels on Thursday, she advocated a joint EU-wide China policy. She called for “de-risking” in strategic areas rather than full decoupling. The EU triad of “partner, competitor, rival” usually repeated by officials to describe the relationship with the People’s Republic went unmentioned.
Together with France’s President Emmanuel Macron, von der Leyen will travel to China next week. The speech struck a challenging tone in advance. Von der Leyen has already spoken critically about individual aspects of EU-China policy in the past. However, this was the first time she gave a pure keynote speech on relations with Beijing. An overview of the most important points:
Geopolitics
Brussels must completely reorganize its China policy: “our relationship is unbalanced and increasingly affected by distortions created by China’s state capitalist system,” said von der Leyen. They must be brought back into balance. However, it was “neither viable nor in Europe’s interest” to distance itself from Beijing in the process. “This is why we need to focus on de-risk,” she stressed.
Beijing’s position in the Ukraine war and its relationship with Russia plays a central role in future EU-China relations: “How China continues to interact with Putin’s war will be a determining factor.” The pictures of the meeting between China’s leader Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would say more “than a thousand words”. Xi is maintaining his “no-limits friendship” with Putin and sees this as an opportunity to gain influence over Russia, which until now has dominated the power balance in their relations, said von der Leyen.
The EU Commission chief was inclined to reject China’s 12-point plan for peace in Ukraine: “Any peace plan which would in effect consolidate Russian annexations is simply not a viable plan.” China must work for a just peace, she urged.
The EU Commission chief generally sees Beijing taking a tougher stance in enforcing its wishes on other countries. The human rights track record in particular, she said, points to a general hardening. “These escalatory actions point to a China that is becoming more repressive at home and more assertive abroad,” von der Leyen said.
China is a “fascinating and complex mix of history, progress and challenges. And it will define this century.” The story of how the EU deals with this is not yet fully written and does not have to be defensive, von der Leyen stressed.
Trade
For the most part, trade of goods and services continues to be “mutually beneficial” and free of risks.
But: The EU Commission President raised the prospect of new limits on investment by European companies in China. She said the EU must prevent capital and expertise of European companies from helping to “enhance the military and intelligence capabilities of those who are also systemic rivals”. But these safeguards should only apply to “a small number of sensitive technologies”. According to EU circles, work is already underway on a targeted foreign investment tool, known in the US as outbound investment screening.
In addition, the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) concluded with China in late 2020 is to be revised, according to von der Leyen. The EU Commission chief suggested publicly for the first time that the agreement might not be pursued because “the world and China have changed significantly in the last three years”. CAI is currently shelved anyway. Most recently, EU circles reported that Chinese officials in Brussels have offered to lift sanctions against MEPs in exchange for confirmation of CAI.
The speech of the head of the EU Commission was unexpectedly direct and in line with her recent tendency to take a more assertive stance on China policy. This was already evident at von der Leyen’s meeting with US President Joe Biden in Washington. Beijing is likely to be upset by the speech. China will accuse Brussels – not for the first time – of being a pawn of the USA.
Macron and von der Leyen display unity
Foreign policy expert Noah Barkin from the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund (GMF) regards the EU Commission chief’s speech as a breakthrough: “von der Leyen has delivered the speech on China that Europe has been waiting for,” Barkin wrote on Twitter. Whether all of Europe or even EU institutions will agree, however, is questionable. Recently, a growing schism between the EU Commission and the EU Council of Member States emerged. EU Council President Charles Michel traveled alone to Beijing in November. He is rather skeptical about the confrontational course against China.
How closely von der Leyen will stick to her tone during the joint visit with Macron remains to be seen. “President von der Leyen and President Macron have not always sung exactly the same tune regarding China in the recent past,” Green Party European politician and head of the EU Parliament’s China delegation Reinhard Buetikofer told Table.Media. The joint visit would now provide an opportunity to let “Chinese attempts at division come to nothing”, Buetikofer said.
Beijing could react offended
In any case, Macron already deserves praise for the approach of demonstrating European unity in Beijing, believes Mathieu Duchâtel, Director of the Asia Programme at the Montaigne Institute in Paris. “Of course, he will be criticized in parts of Europe for not being inclusive enough. But he could have made his visit purely bilateral,” Duchâtel said. However, when it comes to concrete results of the visit, the foreign policy expert is less optimistic: The EU hopes for a positive Chinese role in the Russia-Ukraine war. That is rather unlikely, he says.
It remains to be seen how much coordination there will be between Macron and von der Leyen, said Merics EU expert Grzegorz Stec. “Given his stated goal of closer consideration of China’s potential positive contribution to resolving the war in Ukraine, Macron might adopt a softer and more flexible tone.” Macron recently voiced his support for China as a mediator after the G20 summit. But this goal may now have interfered with von der Leyen’s assertive line, Stec told Table.Media.
Li Qiang wants to regain the trust of the business community in Boao
China’s new Premier Li Qiang has once again appealed for trust from international companies and investors at the Boao Economic Forum. “No matter what changes take place in the world, we will always adhere to reform and opening up,” Li said in his opening speech on the tropical island of Hainan on Thursday. He promised “a series of new measures in expanding market access and optimizing the business environment”. China stands for stability and is “an important pillar for the global economy in uncertain times”, Li said. It was also his first major speech since he took office.
Li’s promises in Boao left a good impression – something that was urgently needed. It was the first time since March 2019 that politicians and business representatives from all over the world were able to meet there. The Forum had been canceled entirely in 2020 shortly after the outbreak of Covid. In 2021 and 2022, it mostly took place via video link. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, which is considered the model for Boao, personal exchange was once again possible last year.
Li Qiang: nothing new on Ukraine
Li’s Boao speech is in line with the accents he has set so far. In his first days as Premier, he completed a tight program. Above all, he wants to regain the trust of the private sector and international investors.
His very first trip took him to the provinces of Guangdong and Hunan, where he visited private companies. On the sidelines of the China Development Forum (CDF) in Beijing, Li then met Apple CEO Tim Cook and other international business leaders including Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman on Monday. China’s doors “will only open wider and wider,” Li told the executives, urging them to invest and settle in China.
Li struck a similar note in Hainan, although he remained vague. He did not specify which steps toward further opening would be taken. While Li focused on courting investors, he also had nothing new to say about the war in Ukraine. China is an “anchor of world peace”, the prime minister said. He urged that there must be no chaos and conflict in Asia, otherwise “the future will be lost”.
Reminder from Spain’s Pedro Sánchez
Unlike Li, his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez found clear words on the Ukraine war. In his speech on Thursday, he condemned Russia’s “brutal and illegal aggression”. Sánchez also stated his intention to discuss the war with President Xi Jinping immediately after the Boao Forum.
Spain’s President also reminded China that the oft-repeated promises of openness must be followed by more action. “This means leveling the playing field and ensuring full reciprocity between partners,” he said. “It means opening up the East so the West doesn’t have to close in on itself.” Relations between Europe and China do not need to be confrontational and resorting to protectionism would represent “a return to the past,” he added.
Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee criticizes major powers
The both most critical and best speech of the day was given by the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong. He also clearly condemned Russia’s actions. Moscow had violated the UN Charter and international law, Lee said. He then probably spoke from the heart of many Asian neighbors when he went on to criticize the feuding USA and China, who would fight their conflicts at the expense of other countries.
“Economic imperatives are being overshadowed by national security concerns,” Lee criticized. The bifurcation of technology and economic systems leads to “a huge economic cost on countries, as well as further exacerbate rivalries and frictions”. This would force many countries to restructure their supply chains. “The world feels the impact of these tensions keenly,” Lee said. China and the US should at least try to cooperate in areas where they have similar interests.
Li Qiang
Trade
Events
April 3, 2023; 2:30 p.m. CET (8:30 p.m. CST) Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Urban China series:Legal Discrimination, Contention Pyramid, and Land Takings in ChinaMore
April 4, 2023; 6:00 a.m. CET (12:00 p.m. CST) Dezan Shira & Associates, Webinar:Decoding China’s 2023 Two Sessions: Takeaways for BusinessesMore
April 4, 2023; 10:00 a.m. CET (4:00 p.m. CST) Chinaforum Bayern, Webinar:China-EU Relations – Beijing’s View on Challenges and OpportunitiesMore
April 4, 2023; 2:30 p.m. CET (8:30 p.m. CST) Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Zoom talk:Wangdao and Leadership, with Stan ShihMore
April 5, 2023; 6:00 p.m. CET (12:00 a.m. CST) Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Webinar:Critical Issues Confronting China featuring Yan Xuetong – China-US Competition in the Coming DecadeMore
News
Tsai completes first US stop of her Americas tour
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen completed the first leg of her nearly ten-day America trip in New York on Thursday. At a welcome banquet organized by Taiwanese living in the US, she affirmed that “Taiwan is at the forefront of democracy”. “The safer Taiwan is, the safer the world will be,” Tsai declared.
Taiwan’s leader also attended a private dinner at the Hudson Institute, where she was presented with a Global Leadership Award by the US think tank. According to reports, high-ranking representatives of the US Congress also attended.
The next scheduled stopovers are Guatemala and Belize. The two countries belong to the last 13 states that still maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras only severed official relations with Taiwan in mid-March in favor of closer ties with China.
The stop in Los Angeles is more important
Tsai’s subsequent stopover in Los Angeles on 5 April is considered the most important and diciest part of her journey. There, Taiwan’s head of government is expected to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders such as Congressman Mike Gallagher, one day before her return trip to Taiwan. Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, condemned the planned stopover, which has not yet been officially confirmed by the Taiwanese side, and announced “firm countermeasures“.
US National Security Spokesman John Kirby, on the other hand, urged Beijing not to use the Taiwanese president’s visit as a reason to “step up aggressive activity” around the Taiwan Strait. The president’s visit was part of routine “transit trips”, Kirby said on Wednesday. Because the United States has not maintained official diplomatic relations with Taiwan since 1979, visits by Taiwanese heads of state are declared unofficial transits and private trips. Since 1994, such stopovers have occurred regularly. Ma Ying-jeou, Taiwan’s former president who is currently visiting China, has also met with politicians from the US Congress during such transit trips in the past. fpe
Nancy Pelosi
Tsai Ing-wen
USA
Ma Ying-jeou meets with Beijing’s Taiwan envoy
During his visit to China, Taiwan’s former President Ma Ying-jeou met with Song Tao, Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office. The two met for talks in Wuhan on Thursday. The meeting was not listed in Ma’s itineraries beforehand. Ma is officially in China as a private citizen. Among other things, he planned to visit the shrine of his ancestors.
In the rather official-looking conversation, Ma explained that during his time in office, relations between China and Taiwan had been even closer and that, for example, direct flights were possible without any problems. He said his meeting with Xi Jinping in 2015 was intended to show the world that relations on both sides of the Taiwan Strait could be settled peacefully. Ma went on to stress that relations between Taiwan and China were very complex and could not be resolved overnight. Song Tao, who was promoted to head of the Taiwan Office last December, passed on Xi Jinping’s heartfelt greetings to Ma and said, “We are one family, we share blood, culture and history (…), no one can tear us apart”.
A nuclear submarine cooperation between Australia, the US and the UK could trigger an arms race, the Chinese defense ministry said on Thursday. “As soon as Pandora’s box is opened, the strategic balance in the region will be destroyed, the security of countries in the region will be seriously threatened,” Tan Kefei, a defense ministry spokesman, warned at a press conference.
The US, Australia and the UK had previously released details of a plan to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines from the early 2030s under the AUKUS security pact. The alliance aims to contain China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. Tan remarked that such cooperation is a means of nuclear deterrence policy by individual countries and a way to build a kind of NATO in the Asia-Pacific. rtr/jul
Australia
Geopolitics
Hong Kong: organ exchange with the mainland
Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China are planning a cross-border system for exchanging donor organs. Hong Kong’s Health Minister Lo Chung-man announced the development of a joint computer system to be implemented as soon as possible. The idea for the exchange is said to have come from Secretary Lo personally. He reportedly was inspired by the case of a four-month-old Hong Kong baby with a heart condition who was saved with the help of a donor heart from the People’s Republic.
However, there is debate about how much the city of Hong Kong would actually benefit from an organ exchange with the Mainland. Alex Lam, Chairman of Hong Kong Patients’ Voices advocacy group, which works to address the concerns of medically ill patients, sees little chance of increasing the number of donor organs in Hong Kong. “The number of donors is even smaller in China than here. If an organ is available there, how likely is it that it won’t be needed there,” Lam said.
Data from the International Registry on Donation and Transplantation (Irodat) show a declining number of organ donations in Hong Kong over the past decade. Despite this, it is still more than 30 percent higher than the donor rate in the People’s Republic. This is one of the reasons for the large black market for donor organs in China. Human rights organizations criticize the government for not taking consistent action against organized organ trafficking. The organs are said to come mainly from prisoners who were sentenced to death. grz
Human Rights
China Perspective
Civil servant, the new dream job
What is the best job that most Chinese parents wish for their children? The answer is civil service. Although Chinese parents can’t choose their children’s career path on their behalf, the old generation’s opinion still carries considerable weight.
A government job’s advantages include stability, no worries of lay-off; good benefits and high social status, the parents would say. Some may even add: If you are lucky, you may one day climb to a high position in the government and become someone powerful.
Until five years ago, many young people would still dismiss the advice lightly. The conservative culture and strict hierarchy in the government were suffocating, they would argue. The dream jobs for most of them at that time were in the IT giants such as Alibaba and Tencent, which offered irresistible remuneration packages and also represented the future. Simply put, rich and cool.
However, the government’s heavy crackdown on the private sector during the past few years has not only made these companies less attractive, but also led to their downsizing and much fewer new open positions. Moreover, an economic slowdown due to the country’s harsh Covid measures has made competition for any decent job very fierce.
As a result, the popularity of government jobs soared. Many young people who used to scoff at moms’ obsession with these jobs have come around.
Civil service exams like in imperial times
Results of the 2023 exams for admissions to the civil service at the central government were published earlier this month. More than 2.5 million applicants took part in the exams, representing a galloping leap of 25 percent from 2022. This year, they fought for 37,000 posts (two-thirds of them are reserved for 2023 college and university graduates), which means less than 1.5 percent of the job-seekers would get the job they wanted.
Competition for posts at governments of provincial and lower levels is generally also intense. These exams, for both central and local, are quite demanding. Training for exam-takers has become a lucrative business.
Moderate salary, but many benefits
Government jobs didn’t become popular overnight. As the benefits for officials gradually improved since the 1990s, civil service also attracted a steadily increasing number of applicants. The civil service admission exams were introduced around the same time. Nominal salaries of Chinese government officials are not high. However, if all sorts of benefits are considered, their jobs are indeed quite good ones. For example, officials at certain levels and above are entitled to purchase apartments at prices much lower than at the market; They enjoy almost free medical service, while private sector employees must pay as much as 30 percent of the bill by themselves even with public medical insurance; Pensions of civil servants are also significantly higher than those of others.
The only institutions that are comparable to governments in terms of benefits are State-owned companies. Jobs at these companies, stable and well-paid, are, of course, also hotly sought-after.
The preferential treatment that civil servants got during the Covid lockdowns in the past three years provided a further vivid, hard lesson to all about who are the real privileged: While many other residents couldn’t get enough food for weeks, families of government officials didn’t need to worry at all. They were among the first group of people to be catered to.
However, government jobs these days are also not easy ones. Long overtime and work during the weekend are not uncommon, though not as bad as in the corporate sector. Apart from regular business, officials also have to, from time to time, participate in study sessions for the latest guidelines of the communist party and thoughts of the top leader, and write essays afterward.
Society
Executive Moves
Achim Schueller has been responsible for client services and business development at Roedl & Partner in Shanghai since mid-February. He is also the main contact for corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues at the company’s Chinese offices. Schueller has lived in Shanghai for 10 years and previously worked in the international banking industry in the US, Germany and China.
Tencho Gyatso is the new president of the International Campaign for Tibet. She succeeds Matteo Mecacci, who moved to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2021. The 57-year-old Tibetan has worked for the International Campaign for Tibet since 2008, first in the advocacy branch of the organization and since 2021 as interim vice president and director of public relations.
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Dessert
Illusion of physicality, play with perspectives – you cannot touch this work of art, but you can immerse yourself in it. The exhibition Wavelength has opened at Beijing’s Times Art Museum, where 16 international artists are showing their works. In fascinating installations, they deal with the connection between time and space. The exhibition is open till July.
