Implementing Xi's Thought - Breaking Down H1 Trade Data - Wang Yi Meets Blinken, Lavrov, Wong & ASEAN FMs - US' 'Hegemonic Tool' NATO Building a 'Security Empire' & Seeking 'Asia-Pacificization'
Here are the key reports and articles that I found noteworthy from the People’s Daily's edition on Friday, July 14, 2023.
Page 1: At the top of the page is a Zhong Yin commentary drawing from Xi Jinping’s comments during his visit to Jiangsu. This one stresses the importance of implementation.
It says that: “Implementation is the fundamental requirement of the Party’s political line, ideological line, and mass line. It is also an important indicator for assessing the Party nature and performance view of leading cadres.” 抓落实,是党的政治路线、思想路线、群众路线的根本要求,也是衡量领导干部党性和政绩观的重要标志.
“It must be deeply realised that China’s development has entered a period in which strategic opportunities and risks and challenges are coexisting, and uncertainty and unpredictability are increasing. The risks and challenges to be dealt with and the contradictions to be prevented and resolved are also more severe and complex than earlier. Through this thematic education campaign, Party members and cadres should draw wisdom and strength for hard work and progress from Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese characteristics for the new era. They should master the leadership methods, ideological approaches, and working methods contained therein, continuously improve their abilities and levels of performing duties and responsibilities, remain confident of victory, maintain strategic clarity, and carry forward the spirit of struggle. They should faithfully implement the decision-making arrangements of the CPC Central Committee, and promote new progress and breakthroughs in Chinese-style modernization. 必须深刻认识到,我国发展进入战略机遇和风险挑战并存、不确定难预料因素增多的时期,需要应对的风险挑战、防范化解的矛盾问题比以往更加严峻复杂。通过这次主题教育,广大党员、干部要从习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想中汲取奋发进取的智慧和力量,熟练掌握其中蕴含的领导方法、思想方法、工作方法,不断提高履职尽责的能力和水平,坚定必胜信心、保持战略清醒、发扬斗争精神,不折不扣贯彻落实党中央决策部署,推动中国式现代化取得新进展新突破.
The article then makes four points:
apply the Party's innovative theories to study new situations and solve new problems; plan our undertakings and work based on reality, and be adept at grasping the essence of things, understanding the laws of development, identifying key aspects of our work, and adhering to policy standards; enhance the scientificity, foresight, initiative and creativity of the work; ensure that ideas, policies, and plans proposed should be in line with the actual circumstances, conform to objective laws, and embody scientific spirit, thereby permitting one to firmly grasp the initiative in development. 要运用党的创新理论研究新情况、解决新问题,从实际出发谋划事业和工作,善于把握事物本质、把握发展规律、把握工作关键、把握政策尺度,增强工作的科学性、预见性、主动性、创造性,使提出的点子、政策、方案符合实际情况、符合客观规律、符合科学精神,牢牢把握发展主动权.
clearly define the tasks within one’s own scope of responsibilities, identify the key shortcomings and weak links, prioritize according to importance and urgency, strengthen policy support, enhance coordinated efforts to tackle challenges, strengthen implementation supervision, and ensure that all targets and tasks are completed on time and with high quality. 要明确属于自己职责范围内的任务,抓住突出短板和薄弱环节,分清轻重缓急,加强政策配套,加强协同攻坚,加强督察落实,确保各项目标任务按时保质完成. In addition, gather all forces and pool wisdom…
Pursue implementation with the spirit of nailing nails; or hammering away till the task is done.
Focus on practical problems and maintain problem orientation; “conduct in-depth investigations and study, enhance problem awareness, and be good at grasping the regularity of things from complex problems, discovering the trend of things drawing on initial signs of problems, and recognizing the inevitability of things from incidental problems, so as to truly understand the situation, identify the problems, put forward countermeasures, and effectively transform the research results into practical measures to solve problems and improve work.” 要深入调查研究,增强问题意识,善于从繁杂问题中把握事物的规律性、从苗头问题中发现事物的趋势性、从偶然问题中认识事物的必然性,真正把情况摸清、把问题找准、把对策提实,切实把调研成果转化为解决问题、改进工作的实际举措. Also: “advance in the face of difficulties, closely align with reality…”
Next, a couple of days ago, it was reported that a new compilation of Xi’s thoughts on boosting China’s strength in cyberspace had been published. Today, PD is carrying a long piece reviewing the cyberspace sector’s development under XI. I am not translating and summarising this, but it’s certain that the themes in the book resonate here, with a recollection of key ideas that Xi has expressed over the years.
Of course, the most infamous one, i.e., “the internet has become the main battlefield for the public opinion struggle” finds mention, as does this one: “Without cybersecurity, there is no national security; without informatization, there is no modernization.”
Finally, there’s a report informing that the number of registered private enterprises in China reached 50.93 million by the end of May. Xinhua reports:
“In the first five months, about 3.76 million private enterprises have registered nationwide, up 17.2% year on year, and 6.5 percentage points faster than the growth rate in the first quarter. In the same period, the country has deregistered about 1.61 million private enterprises, a year-on-year increase of 1.43 percent. The number of newly registered enterprises in China’s central and western regions have reached 10.51 million and 9.79 million, respectively by the end of May, accounting for 20.6 and 19.2 percent of the total, with the proportion increasing, reflecting a more balanced development trend across various regions, while in eastern and northeastern China there were 28.2 million and 2.4 million respectively, accounting for 55.4 and 4.7 percent of the total. The industrial structure has been continuously optimized. By the end of May, the number of private enterprises in the primary, secondary and tertiary industries was about 1.78 million, 10.32 million, and 38.83 million respectively, accounting for 3.5 percent, 20.3 percent and 76.2 percent respectively. A total of 69,000 private enterprises established this year are mainly concentrated on wholesale and retail, leasing and commercial services, scientific research and technical services. In addition, the ‘four new economies’, namely new technologies, new industries, new formats, and new models, are gaining momentum now. By the end of May, private enterprises engaged in these new economies had surpassed 25 million, with newly established enterprises from January to May reaching 2.15 million, accounting for 57.1 percent of the newly established private enterprises.”
Page 2: There’s a long report on foreign trade data released by the GAC. I am combining this with other official sources to compile all relevant data together.
In the first half of 2023, China's foreign trade reached 20.1 trillion yuan ($2.8 trillion), up 2.1 percent year-on-year. Among this, the first quarter and the second quarter reached 9.76 trillion yuan and 10.34 trillion yuan, respectively. In dollar terms, total foreign trade came in at $2.92 trillion during the period, down 4.7 percent year-on-year. But June exports slumped a worse-than-expected 12.4% year-on-year, following a drop of 7.5% in May. June imports, meanwhile, contracted 6.8%, far worse than May’s 4.5% decline.
China's exports rose 3.7 percent on a yearly basis to 11.46 trillion yuan between January and June, while its imports dropped 0.1 percent year-on-year to 8.64 trillion yuan.
In H1, there were 540,000 foreign trade enterprises in China, an increase of 6.9% year-on-year.
Private enterprises, a main contributor to China's foreign trade, saw their combined imports and exports grow 8.9 percent year on year to 10.59 trillion yuan. The value represented 52.7 percent of the country’s total and drove the overall foreign trade growth by 4.4 percentage points. The import and export value of foreign-funded enterprises and state-owned enterprises accounted for 30.7 percent and 16.4 percent of the country's total, respectively.
In the first half of the year, the import and export growth rates of the central and western regions and the three northeastern provinces were 2.8% and 4.5%, respectively, exceeding the overall growth rate by 0.7 and 2.4 percentage points. The combined share of their imports and exports as part of China's total imports and exports reached 21%.
Goods trade with countries with BRI countries jumped 9.8 percent year on year, 7.7 percentage points higher than the country’s overall trade growth during the same period. The total value of trade in goods between China and the countries along the Belt and Road accounted for 34.3 percent of the country's total. Exports of intermediate products such as auto parts, lithium batteries, and spare parts for automatic data processing equipment to BRI countries increased by 39.3%, 34.3% and 28.9%, respectively. Imports of energy products and agricultural products from countries along the route also increased by 5.7% and 17.9%, respectively. The growth rate of imports and exports from the three autonomous regions of Guangxi, Xinjiang, and Inner Mongolia to BRI countries all exceeded 50%.
ASEAN countries remained China's biggest trading partner in the first half of the year, with the two sides' trade in goods rising 5.4 percent year on year to 3.08 trillion yuan. The value accounted for 15.3 percent of China's total foreign trade value during this period. Import of agricultural products from ASEAN was 125.08 billion yuan, an increase of 7.5%. The import of some characteristic agricultural products performed well, among which the imports of fruit was 40.54 billion yuan, an increase of 24.1%; fresh durian and pineapple imports increased by 65% and 24.1%, respectively; the import of palm oil was 10.91 billion yuan, an increase of 120.5%.
China's trade in goods with the EU rose 1.9 percent from a year earlier and accounted for 13.7 percent of China’s total foreign trade value. The country's trade in goods with the US declined 8.4 percent year on year to 2.25 trillion yuan, accounting for 11.2 percent of China's total.
Trade with Latin America, Africa, and Central Asia increased by 5.4%, 7%, 10.5%, and 35.6% year-on-year, respectively
The import and export growth rates of the free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port were 8.6% and 26.4%, respectively, highlighting the effectiveness of open platforms.
The combined export growth of ‘new three’ products, i.e., EVs, lithium batteries, and solar panels, was 61.6%, contributing 1.8 percentage points to overall export growth. Private enterprises have been the driving force behind the export growth of the "new three" products, whose export value surged 64.6 percent year-on-year to 346.3 billion yuan ($48.38 billion) in the first half. The new three products have been exported to more than 200 countries and regions in H1, with the top five markets being the European Union, the United States, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, South Korea and the United Kingdom
The import of agricultural products by private enterprises increased by 21.9%; import of medical materials and medicines increased by 24.8%.
Lyu Daliang, director-general of the GAC’s statistics and analysis department, said that the government remains confident in the overall stability of foreign trade.
But more useful is this bit from Reuters: “With exports accounting for about one-fifth of the economy and the troubled property sector for about one-third, China's prospects have dimmed for a quick recovery after COVID-related lockdowns battered the economy in 2022.”
As is this analysis: “‘Latest data in the developed countries show consistent signals of further weakness which will likely put more pressure on China’s exports in the rest of the year,’ said Zhiwei Zhang, president and chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management. ‘China has to depend on domestic demand,’ he added. ‘The big question in the next few months is whether domestic demand can rebound without much stimulus from the government’.”
CNBC’s reportage also informs:
China’s exports to the U.S. plunged by 24% in June to $42.7 billion from a year ago, while imports fell 4% to nearly $14 billion, according to CNBC calculations of official data accessed via Wind Information.
China’s exports to the 10-member ASEAN bloc fell by 17% to $43.3 billion in June from a year ago, while imports fell by 4% to $34.1 billion, the data showed. China’s trade with “Belt and Road” countries slowed to 9.8% growth in the first six months of the year from a year ago, down from a 13.2% pace in the first five months of the year, official data showed.
Official figures Thursday also showed the combined value of China’s trade stood at $77.4 billion with ASEAN in June, a larger sum than China’s trade value with the EU at $68.8 billion and the U.S. at $55.7 billion.
Meanwhile, The Hindu reports:
“India’s trade with China declined in the first half of 2023 after more than two years of record growth, part of a broader slump in China’s trade performance that has underlined a sharp slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy. Two-way trade reached $66.02 billion in the first half, data from China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC) showed on Thursday. India’s imports from China slid 0.9% to $56.53 billion, while exports to its northern neighbour fell by 0.6% to $9.49 billion. India’s imports of Chinese goods were $57.51 billion in the first half of 2022. However, India’s trade deficit — the largest it has with any country — did not narrow substantially because exports to China also declined due to weak demand. The January-June trade stood at $47.04 billion, marginally narrower than H1 2022’s $47.94 billion.”
Also Reuters reports:
“China's two-way trade with Russia rose in June to its highest level since the Ukraine war started…Bilateral trade value surged to $20.83 billion in June, the highest since February 2022, according to the data by the General Administration of Customs, despite slowing global demand and rising geopolitical risks. China's imports from Russia rose 15.7% to $11.28 billion, faster than a 10% increase in May. China has been buying discounted Russian oil, coal and some metals. Outbound shipments to Russia soared 90.9% last month to a total of $9.55 billion, slower than a 114% growth registered in May.”
Finally, there’s a report on the page informing that in June, the electricity consumption of the whole society was 775.1 billion kwh, a year-on-year increase of 3.9%. In H1, the total electricity consumption of the whole society was 4,307.6 billion kwh, a year-on-year increase of 5%.
Page 3: Let’s take a look at Wang Yi’s meetings in Jakarta. First, Wang’s meeting with US Secretary of State Blinken.
Wang “said both sides have reached a consensus through in-depth and candid communications during Blinken's visit to China last month. The most important consensus is returning to the agenda set by the two heads of state in Bali, Indonesia, and taking a key step towards setting the right course of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations, he added. The U.S. side should reflect on the crux leading to the difficulties of China-U.S. relations, turn the consensus reached between the Chinese and U.S. presidents at their Bali meeting into concrete actions, and make good on the promises made by U.S. President Joe Biden, Wang said. Concrete actions are necessary to remove obstacles, both expected and unexpected, to accumulate momentum for a stable China-U.S. relationship, Wang noted. He called on the United States to adopt a rational and pragmatic attitude and work with China in the same direction to advance consultations on the guiding principles for China-U.S. relations, expand diplomatic and security communication channels, improve the effectiveness of communications, and facilitate people-to-people exchanges.”
“Wang elaborated on China's solemn position on the Taiwan question, demanding that the United States refrain from wantonly interfering in China's internal affairs, or undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, stop its economic, trade, scientific and technological suppression of China, and lift its unlawful and unreasonable sanctions against China. As major countries with important influence, China and the United States should respect the efforts of regional countries, support ASEAN centrality, and avoid triggering disputes and complicated factors in regional cooperation, Wang said. The two sides also actively explored ways to carry out consultations on Asia-Pacific issues and maritime affairs. They considered this meeting to be candid, pragmatic and constructive, and agreed to maintain communication with each other.”
The US readout says:
“The Secretary and Director Wang had candid and constructive discussions on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including on areas of difference and potential areas of cooperation. The Secretary emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The Secretary used the meeting to advance U.S. interests and values, to directly raise concerns shared by the United States and allies and partners regarding PRC actions, and advocate for progress on transnational challenges that affect people in the United States, the PRC, and around the world. He made clear that the United States, together with our allies and partners, will advance our vision for a free, open, and rules-based international order. The two sides agreed to maintain open channels of communication in the weeks and months ahead.”
Next, with regard to the 10+1 meeting, i.e., the ASEAN+China meeting, Xinhua reports:
“Both sides have worked together on building a community with a shared future and the Belt and Road, while jointly promoting regional economic integration, and consolidating the foundation of peace and stability, said Wang. China will be committed to high-quality development and provide new opportunities for all countries with Chinese-style modernization. It is ready to strengthen solidarity and coordination with ASEAN to advance the modernization process in Asia, said the senior Chinese diplomat. China will work together with ASEAN to advance the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership and make new contributions to peace and prosperity in the region, he said. The ASEAN parties thanked China for supporting ASEAN centrality and community building. They appreciated China for taking the lead in expressing willingness to sign the Protocol to the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. In addition, they looked forward to seeing the ASEAN-China comprehensive strategic partnership advance to a new level and make new achievements. The meeting adopted a joint statement on the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the TAC and a guideline document for expediting the conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.” — Comment: I’ve not been able to locate the text of the new Guidelines for Accelerating the Early Conclusion of an Effective and Substantive Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
Third, we have a report on the ASEAN+3 meeting, i,.e, ASEAN+ China, Japan and South Korea. Xinhua reports that Wang made three proposals:
“First, adhere to openness and cooperation, and accelerate the process of regional integration. Taking the full entry into force of RCEP as an opportunity, Wang called for supporting Hong Kong's accession to RCEP as one of the first batch of members. He also said China supports the construction of a stable, smooth and comparative advantage-based regional production and supply chain system.
Second, adhere to common security and continuously improve the effectiveness of crisis response. China will continue to donate funds to the APT Emergency Rice Reserve mechanism, strengthen the ASEAN food security information system and better safeguard regional food security. Wang noted that the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from Japan into the ocean has a bearing on the safety of the marine environment and the health of human lives. It is a matter of great importance and thus should not be conducted without authorization.
Third, adhere to innovation's leading role and fully tap the potential of sustainable development. Wang said China supports ASEAN's statement on the development of the APT electric vehicle ecosystem and it will continue to promote cooperation in the areas of poverty alleviation, village official exchanges and rural development.”
On the APT meeting, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ joint statement said:
“We were committed to further strengthening APT mechanisms, including the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM), the Asian Bond Markets Initiative (ABMI), the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), and ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR), exploring potential areas of cooperation which would contribute to greater regional resilience and preparedness against emerging challenges and future shocks as well as to promote recovery toward inclusive, resilient, equitable and sustainable growth.”
I’ll continue with China’s ties with ASEAN countries below.
Here’s the Chinese foreign ministry saying that the “so-called award on the South China Sea arbitration seriously violates international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and is illegal, null and void”. Wang Wenbin added: “The illegal award of the so-called South China Sea arbitration has been questioned widely by the international community.” He said that “many internationally authoritative law experts and scholars, including former president of the International Court of Justice and former judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, have written articles to point out the serious flaws in the award. Visionary people in the Philippines have publicly noted that the award is illegal and wrong. China’s position of not accepting or recognizing the award has won the support and understanding of more than 100 countries.”
All of this came after the Philippine Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo issued a statement on the seventh anniversary of the Hague tribunal verdict on the South China Sea arbitration, saying that the award is now part of international law, and the Philippines welcomes the growing number of partners that have expressed support for the award. Even the US State Department termed the ruling as “final and legally binding on the Philippines and the PRC.” It added: “We continue to urge Beijing to comport its maritime claims with international law as reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention; cease its routine harassment of claimant state vessels lawfully operating in their respective exclusive economic zones; halt its disruption to states’ sovereign rights to explore, exploit, conserve, and manage natural resources; and end its interference with the freedoms of navigation and overflight of states lawfully operating in the region.”
Xinhua’s report on Wang meeting Brunei's Second Minister of Foreign Affairs Haji Erywan has Wang Yi saying that “China is willing to join hands with Brunei to implement the consensus reached between the two heads of state and enhance synergy of development strategies to further promote bilateral relations and benefit the two peoples…China has always upheld that all countries, big or small, are equal and has given priority to neighborhood diplomacy…China joined the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) 20 years ago, which marked a historic milestone in relations between China and ASEAN, and supported ASEAN centrality…As a dialogue partner of ASEAN, China is ready to push forward the negotiations on the upgrade of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area and jointly meet global challenges.” Erywan apparently said: “China a true friend of ASEAN, he said China is playing a leading and exemplary role in ASEAN's relations with major countries. Brunei supports and will actively work to advance ASEAN-China cooperation.”
Xinhua’s report on Wang’s meeting with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son says: “China is willing to work with the Vietnamese side to strengthen strategic communication, consolidate strategic mutual trust, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, promote people-to-people exchanges, so that people of the two countries, especially the younger generation, would be more involved in China-Vietnam friendship and cooperation, said the senior Chinese diplomat. Wang said China and Vietnam are both communist-led socialist countries with the same political orientation, highly complementary economies and broad prospects for cooperation. The two sides should join hands to follow their respective modernization paths, strengthen the synergy of development strategies and enhance cooperation, Wang said. China is willing to import more Vietnamese products and encourages the Vietnamese side to actively participate in the China-ASEAN Expo and the China International Import Expo (CIIE), he said. Wang emphasized that the two sides should implement the important consensus on the proper handling of maritime issues reached by top leaders of the two parties. China is willing to work with ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, including Vietnam, to promote the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).” Xinhua has Son saying: “Vietnam expects expanded exports to China, active participation in the China-ASEAN Expo and the CIIE, and proper handling of maritime issues.” (Comment: Very interesting language this.)
The report on Wang’s meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi says: Wang “said China stands ready to promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation together with Indonesia and foster more new cooperation highlights in green development, digital economy, food security, poverty reduction and poverty alleviation.” He called the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) a “major landmark project under the Belt and Road Initiative” adding that he “believes that the HSR will be completed and opened to traffic on schedule with the joint efforts of both sides.” “Together, China and ASEAN will inject more stability and certainty into a turbulent and intertwined world, he said.”
The report on Wang’s meeting with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan says: “China and ASEAN should jointly safeguard the global free trading system, uphold the ASEAN centrality, and jointly maintain regional peace and development, the senior Chinese diplomat said. Wang noted that China and Singapore have upgraded their relations to an all-around, high-quality and forward-looking partnership, which has injected a strong impetus to the development of bilateral ties. China is looking forward to working with Singapore to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields and facilitate people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, he added.” The Strait Times reports that the Singaporean foreign affairs ministry said that “Minister Balakrishnan and Director Wang discussed how Singapore and China can accelerate post-pandemic recovery. The full resumption of air connectivity and enhancement of business and people flows were key priorities.”
Two more meetings to cover, but these are not with ASEAN members.
First, Wang met with Australian FM Penny Wong. Xinhua reports:
“Wang said that with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Australia relations have stabilized, improved and developed. Facts have once again proved that as long as both sides stay true to their commitment when they established diplomatic relations and adhere to the right way to conduct state-to-state relations, the China-Australia relationship can and should develop well, said the Chinese senior diplomat. He said if the direction is set right, the two countries should stick to it and stay on track, let alone reverse course. He added that both sides should implement the consensus of the two countries' leaders, resume exchanges and cooperation in all fields and at all levels, and enhance mutual understanding and trust. Noting that China and Australia have highly complementary economies and huge potential for cooperation, Wang expressed the hope that Australia would provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in Australia. The two sides should respect each other, treat each other as equals, handle differences appropriately, cultivate a friendly atmosphere of mutual understanding and appreciation, and bring more tangible benefits to the people of both countries, he said.”
The DFAT readout said that the two had a “constructive discussion.” “I reiterated Australia’s position on a range of issues, including trade impediments, consular cases, human rights and Hong Kong. In the context of ASEAN meetings, we discussed the importance of the institutions, rules and norms that underpin sovereignty, security and prosperity in the region. I conveyed Australia’s clear views on security in the Pacific and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.” Also, Minister Wong’s opening remarks included this:
“We meet here today in the centre of ASEAN to discuss the strategic issues that impact our region. Australia looks to a region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous, in which sovereignty is respected, underpinned by the region’s institutions, rules and norms. We welcome recent China-US engagements. We believe it is vital that China and the US arrive at a set of mutual understandings that will underwrite stability, including regular open communications and engagement at all levels.”
Finally, the report on Wang’s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Xinhua says:
Wang said that “in the face of major changes unseen in a century, China and Russia firmly support each other in safeguarding their legitimate interests and adhere to the path of harmonious coexistence and win-win cooperation. The two sides should follow the important consensus reached between the two heads of state, maintain high-level exchanges, and strengthen strategic communication and coordination, Wang said. Both sides should demonstrate their responsibilities as major countries, safeguard their respective national interests and dignity, and uphold international fairness and justice, he added. Noting that both China and Russia are ASEAN's dialogue partners, Wang said strengthening cooperation with ASEAN countries is conducive to converging regional consensus on development, promoting multilateralism, and boosting regional prosperity and stability. China is ready to work with Russia to support ASEAN centrality, guard against interference from external forces, support ASEAN countries in upholding the correct direction of East Asia cooperation and safeguard the hard-won peace and stability in this region, Wang noted.”
The Russian readout says:
“Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi discussed in detail cooperation within ASEAN in the context of certain countries’ increased efforts to create bloc-focused military-political formats designed to undermine the ASEAN-centric system of maintaining security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. The parties exchanged opinions on the current developments around the Ukrainian crisis and assessed the efforts of the global community to launch a peaceful negotiations process on Ukraine. They also emphasised the importance of strengthening foreign political interaction between Moscow and Beijing at various international platforms, including the UN, the SCO, BRICS, APEC, the G20 and others. The sides expressed a shared commitment to boosting bilateral coordination regarding issues on the regional and global agenda in the interests of creating a more just and sustainable polycentric international order. The conversation took place in a traditionally trust-based and productive atmosphere.”
And this provides the perfect opportunity to move away from Indonesia towards the Huányǔ Píng commentary on the page, which argues that the latest NATO summit has “once again exposed its strong Cold War mentality.”
“The communiqué issued after the summit deliberately distorted China's position and policies, maliciously smeared China, and revealed its dangerous attempts to interfere in affairs beyond NATO’s territorial remit to create division and confrontation. This shows that NATO has not only failed to reflect on the numerous disasters it has brought to the world and the security dilemma that it has resulted in for many NATO members, but rather it is continuing to pursue its old Cold War dreams, attempting to seek further expansion and create new troubles for the world.” 7月11日至12日举行的北约峰会再次暴露其浓重的冷战思维。峰会发布的公报肆意歪曲中方立场和政策,刻意抹黑中国,表现出染指域外事务、继续制造分裂对抗的危险企图。这表明,北约不但没有反思自身四处生乱生战给世界带来大量灾难,让许多北约成员国陷入安全困境,反而继续做着冷战旧梦,企图进一步谋求扩张,给世界制造新的麻烦。
Section 1 of the article says that that summit has “exposed the hypocrisy” of NATO being a “defensive organisation.” It argues that the world’s biggest military alliance “continues to peddle security anxieties, has urged member states to increase military spending, has fuelled the Ukraine crisis, continues to be obsessed with ‘clique politics’ and group polarisation, while strengthening ideological confrontation and camp antagonism.” It then quotes Glenn Diesen, professor at the University of Southeast Norway, as saying that in NATO vocabulary: “humanitarian intervention means invasion; democracy promotion means regime change; freedom of navigation means gunboat diplomacy; enhanced interrogation techniques means torture, European integration means expansion of military blocs; and negotiation from a position of strength means domination. 北约峰会期间,这个全球最大的军事集团继续贩卖安全焦虑,鼓动成员国增加军费,拱火乌克兰危机,继续执迷于搞“小圈子”和集团政治,强化意识形态对立和阵营对抗,让其长期兜售的所谓“北约是防御性组织”“北约是和平与安全积极而主要的贡献者”等说辞的虚伪性暴露无遗。挪威东南大学教授格伦·迪森曾对“北约常用词汇”作出解释:“人道主义干预”是指入侵,“促进民主”是指颠覆政权,“航行自由”是指炮舰外交,“强化审讯技巧”是指酷刑,“欧洲一体化”是指扩张军事集团,“从实力地位进行谈判”是指支配……依此逻辑,北约以“防御性”集团自居何所指,不言自明. (Comment: The comment on European integration being repeated in PD is very interesting. This is because China officially says that it supports European integration.)
Anyway, the section adds that NATO’s means of defence is waging war; this leads to referencing Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, and then criticism of the “abuse” of concepts like humanitarian intervention, responsibility to protect, and nation-building. The article accuses NATO of “trampling upon international law and the basic norms of international relations, eroding the foundation of global security and stability.” 为了将战争行为“合理化”,北约抛出“人道主义干预”“保护的责任”“国家建设”等幌子,滥用冲突预防、危机管理等概念,不断挑战、践踏国际法和国际关系基本准则,侵蚀全球安全稳定的基础.
The next paragraph argues that the “root cause” of Europe’s current troubles is “NATO's long-standing obsession with expansion and confrontation.”
“Throughout the entire process of the Ukraine crisis, NATO cannot shirk its responsibilities. Before the crisis escalated comprehensively, there was an opportunity to maintain peace through the Minsk agreements reached by relevant parties and international mediation efforts. However, NATO continued to provoke conflicts, ultimately leading to the rekindling of the flames of war on the European continent. After the crisis escalated in an all-round way, NATO took advantage of the opportunity and attempted to expand and prolong the crisis, which has greatly increased the difficulty of resolving the crisis through political means. During this summit, NATO showed caution regarding Ukraine’s accession to NATO, but its continued support for and involvement in the conflict remain unchanged. As the Spanish newspaper El País previously pointed out, ‘NATO’s insatiable goals are the root cause and cancer cells of all these conflicts’.” 纵观乌克兰危机爆发全过程,北约的责任不容推卸。危机全面升级前,有关各方达成的明斯克协议及国际社会的斡旋努力,本有机会维护和平,而北约持续挑动矛盾,最终导致欧洲大陆重燃战火。危机全面升级后,北约趁机渔利,企图将危机扩大化、持久化,大大增加了政治手段解决危机的难度。本次峰会期间,北约在乌克兰加入北约问题上投鼠忌器,但其继续拱火助战的行径没有变。正如西班牙《起义报》此前所指出的:“北约永不满足的目标,是所有这些冲突的根源和癌细胞.”
The section also criticises NATO for “exaggerating the nuclear threat of other countries without any basis” while maintaining “the largest nuclear arsenal in the world through the arrangement of ‘nuclear sharing’.” It adds: “Some member states have stepped up efforts to modernise their nuclear forces and strengthen the so-called ‘extended deterrence’, thereby increasing the risk of nuclear proliferation and nuclear conflict.” 在全球战略稳定问题上,北约制造的风险也引发了广泛担忧。北约毫无根据地渲染他国核威胁,但自身却通过“核共享”安排拥有全球最大规模的核武库,个别成员国还加紧推进核力量现代化,强化所谓的“延伸威慑”,加剧核扩散与核冲突风险.
Section 2 deals with the invitation to Asia-Pacific countries. It says that NATO's intention to move eastward into the Asia-Pacific is obvious now, making its claim that ‘its position as a regional alliance has not changed, and it does not seek a geographical expansion’ seem incredibly weak. 北约东进亚太的图谋昭然若揭,让其所谓“作为区域性联盟的定位没有变化,不寻求地理突破”等说辞显得无比苍白。
It adds that NATO’s activities have long gone beyond the North Atlantic region.
“NATO’s second ‘strategic concept’ document after the Cold War, which was finalized at NATO's Washington Summit in 1999, claimed that NATO had the right to ‘bypass the United Nations and manage/decide upon international affairs on its own’, giving it a green light for military intervention in different regions of the world. Over the years, NATO has worked diligently to cultivate a network of so-called partnerships, encroaching into Eurasia with the ‘Partnership for Peace’, reaching into the Middle East and North Africa through the Mediterranean Dialogue, establishing presence in the Gulf region with the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative and moving eastward into the Asia-Pacific through the global partner framework. Along with promoting regional expansion, NATO continues to extend security issues into various domains such as maritime, cyberspace, outer space, counter-terrorism, climate, investment, infrastructure, with the aim of establishing an all-encompassing ‘security empire’.” 北约的全称是北大西洋公约组织,但其活动半径早已超越北大西洋地区。1999年北约华盛顿峰会敲定的冷战后北约第二份“战略概念”文件,声称北约有“绕开联合国、自行裁决处理国际事务”的权力,为其在全球不同区域搞军事干预大开绿灯。多年来,北约费尽心机经营所谓伙伴关系网络,以“和平伙伴关系计划”染指欧亚地区,以“地中海对话”触及中东北非地区,以“伊斯坦布尔合作倡议”布局海湾地区,以“全球伙伴国”东进亚太地区。在推进地域扩张的同时,北约还不断延伸安全议题,在海洋、网络、太空、反恐、气候、投资、基础设施等领域搞泛安全化,企图打造一个全领域“安全帝国”。
It adds that NATO’s “usual trick” as part of its expansion involves “exaggerating so-called ‘security threats’ and fueling value-based confrontations.” “During this summit, NATO trumpeted the ‘China Threat theory’, baselessly claiming that China poses a ‘systemic challenge’, with the aim of peddling security anxieties and finding excuses for its expansion into the Asia-Pacific region. The long-term prosperity and stability of the Asia-Pacific region depends on mutual respect, openness, cooperation, mutual benefit and proper handling of differences among regional countries. NATO’s eastward advance into the Asia-Pacific will only stir up regional tensions, trigger camp confrontation, and even a ‘new Cold War’. Looking back at the Cold War period, the US had established the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization in the Asia-Pacific region and cobbled together the ‘Asia-Pacific version of NATO’. This had ended in failure. Drawing lessons from history, countries in the Asia-Pacific do not welcome the Asia-Pacificization of NATO and many NATO countries also do not approve of NATO’s Asia-Pacificization. The Asia-Pacific region does not need an ‘Asia-Pacific version of NATO’.” 在跨域扩张的过程中,北约的惯用伎俩是渲染所谓“安全威胁”,挑动价值观对立。本次峰会上,北约大肆兜售“中国威胁论”,毫无根据地宣称中国构成“系统性挑战”,目的就是贩卖安全焦虑,为东进亚太寻找借口。亚太地区保持长期繁荣稳定,靠的是地区国家相互尊重、开放合作、互利共赢、妥处分歧。北约东进亚太只会搅动地区紧张局势,引发阵营对抗,甚至“新冷战”。回望冷战时期,美国就曾在亚太地区组建东南亚条约组织,拼凑“亚太版北约”,以失败告终。殷鉴不远,亚太国家不欢迎北约亚太化,很多北约国家不赞成北约亚太化,亚太地区也不需要“亚太版北约”。
The third and final section of the article begins by arguing that NATO fundamentally serves US interests, rather than the interests of all allies. “The communiqué issued by the NATO summit hyped up the ‘China threat’ theory, and the content was highly similar to the disinformation spread by the United States against China, fully exposing the strategic intention of the United States to transform NATO into a hegemonic tool to contain and suppress China.” 此次北约峰会发布的公报大肆渲染“中国威胁”,内容与美国针对中国散布的虚假信息高度雷同,充分暴露美国将北约改造为遏制打压中国的霸权工具的战略图谋。
“In the late 1990s, the ‘Three Noes’ principle (I think this refers to the three Ds-Duplication, Decoupling, and Discrimination) proposed by then-US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright sheds light on the issue: European defense integration should not be decoupled from NATO, should not overlap with NATO, and should not discriminate against non-European Union NATO countries. In other words, the United States intended to maintain control over the security landscape in Europe through NATO, and the goal of strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy and defense integration must give way to the United States’ need to maintain its hegemony.” 上世纪90年代末,时任美国国务卿奥尔布赖特提出的“三不原则”很能说明问题:欧洲防务建设不能与北约脱钩,不能与北约重叠,不能歧视非欧盟北约国家。换言之,美国通过北约掌控欧洲安全的格局不能改变,欧洲加强战略自主和防务建设的目标必须为美国维护霸权的需要让路.
The author then claims that NATO’s operational structure is “America's brain, Europe's body” (美国的脑子,欧洲的身子). In other words, NATO policy changes reflect American priorities. The author adds that: “Whether it is the US. using NATO to continue to strengthen its control over European defense after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, or the US pushing NATO to move eastward into the Asia-Pacific in order to pursue the strategic containment of China, European countries are realising that ‘NATO under US leadership’ does not align with European interests.” 无论是乌克兰危机爆发后,美国借北约持续加强对欧洲防务的控制,还是美国出于对华战略遏制的需要,推动北约东进亚太,都让欧洲国家看到了“美国治下的北约”与欧洲利益并不一致。The comments quoted to support this idea are from Emmanuel Macron and former Spanish minister Josep Piqué.
The final paragraph says that NATO must stop trying to “turn back the wheel of history”, “abandon the outdated Cold War mentality and zero-sum game” and “the dangerous acts of destabilizing Europe and the Asia-Pacific” and “instead of looking for excuses for continued expansion, it should play a constructive role in world peace and stability.”
Page 7: There’s a brief report on the new temporary measures for managing generative AI. Xinhua reports:
“The measures, which were issued by seven authorities, including the Cyberspace Administration of China, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Security, are also designed to protect national security and the public interest and to protect people's rights…The 24 measures, which will take effect from August 15, are not only important to promoting the healthy development of generative AI, but also a practical means of limiting its risks, the statement said, adding that development is as important as safety, and so regulation was necessary.”
“China published measures on Thursday to manage its booming generative artificial intelligence (AI) industry, softening its tone from an earlier draft, and said regulators would seek to support development of the technology…Analysts said they were far less onerous than measures outlined in an April draft, and that the final rules also took care to stress that China wanted to be supportive of the technology while at the same time ensure security. The Thursday statement from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said only providers who wanted to offer services to the public would need to submit security assessments, suggesting that firms working on enterprise-facing products would be given leeway…The CAC's Thursday statement reiterated that content generated by generative AI for the public had to be in line with China's core socialist values. Service providers had to ensure intellectual property rights were not infringed, it added, advising that legitimate data sources should be used. China wants to encourage the development of the technology, it said, citing areas such as generative AI algorithms and semiconductors, as well as engage in drawing up international rules.”
“The rules will only apply to generative AI services that are available to the general public rather than those being developed in research institutions, for example. Generative AI services will need to obtain a license to operate, the CAC said. If a generative AI service provider finds “illegal” content, it should take measures to stop generating that content, improve the algorithm and then report that material to the relevant authority. Providers of these services must conduct security assessments on their product and ensure user information is secure. Generative AI services in China must also adhere to the “core values of socialism,” the CAC said. Still, regulators are trying to strike the balance between making China a leader in artificial intelligence while keeping a close eye on its development. The CAC’s rules said the regulation aims to encourage innovative applications of generative AI and support the development of related infrastructure like semiconductors.”
Page 14: There’s an article quoting Indonesian analysts arguing that NATO’s Asia-Pacificization is “unwise,” threatens ASEAN, and will cause instability. The two individuals quoted are Christine Susanna Tjhin from the Gentala Institute, and Veronica Saraswati from Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta.
The latter says: “establishing a strategic balance to maintain stability in Southeast Asia is only an excuse for the United States and the West to carry out military intervention and engage in closed group politics in Southeast Asia. With the Asia-Pacificization of NATO, many countries in the Asia-Pacific region will face the pressure of having to choose sides. This policy will inevitably lead to chaos in the regional security situation.” 印尼国际战略研究中心研究员韦罗妮卡·莎拉斯瓦蒂表示,建立战略平衡以维护东南亚地区的稳定,只是美西方在东南亚地区实施武装干预、搞封闭式集团政治的借口。将北约“亚太化”,不少亚太地区国家会面临不得不选边站队的压力,这种政策必然导致地区安全局势混乱.
Also on the page is this exchange from the MoFA briefing yesterday:
“CCTV: Recently some US and European officials have advocated “de-risking” from China. What is your comment?
Wang Wenbin: When talking about “de-risking”, one must know what the risks are and where they come from. China played an important role in the response to the Asian financial crisis and international financial crisis. China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the vision of a human community with a shared future. And China is committed to the settlement of international and regional hotspot issues, such as facilitating the restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. China is undoubtedly a force for stability, a source of certainty and a factor of predictability as the world undergoes changes unseen in a century. China brings opportunities, not risks. Anyone seeing China as the source of risks is getting their target wrong.
In today’s world, failure to cooperate is the biggest risk, failure to develop is the biggest security threat and failure to unite is the biggest challenge. What countries need to jointly guard against are: political risks stemming from instigation for bloc confrontation and a new Cold War; economic risks stemming from “decoupling”, fragmented industrial and supply chains, and “small yards with high fences”; military risks stemming from military interference and aggression and expansion of military alliances; diplomatic risks stemming from scapegoating and risk-deflecting; and risks stemming from attempts to fan division and confrontation among the public. China is not the source of those risks, but a staunch force for preventing and defusing them. To shut out China in the name of “de-risking” is to throw away opportunities, stability and development. Such a move would only create and spread risks, and no one would benefit from it.
In recent months, a large number of senior executives of multinational corporations have visited China, which is essentially their way of expressing support for cooperation with China. We stand ready to enhance dialogue and cooperation with parties that have the sincerity to jointly guard against and address the real risks and contribute to world peace, security and prosperity.”