The CHN/ China thread

[em2nought]

Best way to make Taiwan unattractive to Chyna would be to ship all Brandon's illegal aliens to Taiwan. How many container ships would it take?

[Jimbuna]

France presses China on trade and Ukraine ahead of upcoming Xi Jinping visit

BEIJING (AP) — The French foreign minister pressed China on trade issues and the war in Ukraine on Monday ahead of a planned visit to France by Chinese leader Xi Jinping later this spring.

Stéphane Séjourné, in talks with his counterpart Wang Yi in the Chinese capital, largely echoed positions that have been laid out by European leaders, including Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on a visit to Beijing last week.

“The rebalancing of our economic partnership is a priority, as it is for our European partners,” Séjourné said at a joint news conference with Wang. “The European Union is a very open market, the most open in the world. But the current deficits with a certain number of countries, including China, are not sustainable for us.”

European officials have expressed concern that a flood of low-priced Chinese-made electric vehicles could disrupt production and displace jobs in Europe. The EU is investigating whether Chinese government subsidies for EVs give an unfair advantage to Chinese auto exporters. European companies operating in China are complaining that recent changes to national security laws have made it riskier to invest and do business in the country.

On the Chinese side, officials have raised concern about a “de-risking” strategy being pursued by the EU to ensure that it is not overly dependent on any one country for vital supplies and minerals. Wang expressed understanding for the European position but said he hopes it doesn’t negatively affect business sentiment.

“I believe the facts have proved and will continue to prove that China constitutes opportunities to Europe, rather than risks,” he said. “The two sides are partners not opponents.”

He also said that China is willing to import more “high-quality French products and services” and is working to resolve the concerns raised by European companies, including restrictions on the transfer of data overseas.

Séjourné insisted that Europe is not becoming protectionist and remains open to investment, a possible reference to attempts to woo Chinese automakers and other companies to create jobs by building factories in Europe rather than exporting their products from China.

Neither foreign minister mentioned a Chinese anti-dumping investigation into imports of French brandy that, together with the EU electric vehicle probe, could be a precursor to a trade war.

On the Ukraine war, he said France expects China, as a major country, to pass on clear messages to Russia. China, though, has a different stance on the war than Europe or the United States, both of which back Ukraine. China may have Russia’s ear, but it’s unclear what message it is delivering.

Séjourné said France is determined to maintain a close dialogue with China to contribute toward finding a path to a lasting peace in Ukraine.
https://apnews.com/article/sejourne-...59b8000f2b9798

[Jimbuna]

China says it patrolled the South China Sea in an apparent response to US naval drills with allies

China's military said Sunday that it had conducted air and sea patrols and that all activities that “disrupt the South China Sea” are under control, an apparent response to naval exercises by the U.S. and its allies.

The defense chiefs of the United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines announced Saturday that they would hold joint exercises in the sea to safeguard the rule of law and uphold the right to sail through and fly over the waters.

China has long-simmering territorial disputes with a number of Southeast Asian nations in the South China Sea, a major shipping route. Skirmishes with the Philippines in particular have flared up since last year.

The U.S. has conducted joint patrols with the Philippines in a show of support. China says the U.S. is inflaming tensions by meddling in the disputes.
A brief statement from the Chinese military's Southern Theater Command said it had organized patrols and that “all military activities that disrupt the South China Sea and create hotspots are under control.”

The statement did not mention the United States or the joint exercises.

Likewise, the U.S. and its allies did not mention China in their statement, but the four countries reaffirmed their stance that a 2016 international arbitration ruling — which invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea — was final and legally binding.

The growing tensions in the disputed waters are expected to be high on the agenda when U.S. President Joe Biden hosts his Japanese and Philippine counterparts in a summit at the White House this week.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...983a282b&ei=25

[Jimbuna]

No real surprise here then.

China fires US warning shot after Joe Biden's phone call as it tightens Russia relations


China has fired a warning shot across the bows of the United States as it continues to forge an alliance with Vladimir Putin's Russia.

It comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Beijing today to display the strength of ties with close diplomatic ally China, amid Moscow's grinding war against Ukraine.

The visit and warning shot come after US president Joe Biden called his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to quiz him about China's relationship with Russia.

However, the call appears to have backfired. China has now warned the US not to "smear or attack the normal relations between China and Russia" - and is pressing ahead with its support for Putin's regime.

The broadside and Sergey Lavrov's visit come as Russia and China, who both are increasingly in dispute with democracies, seek to gain influence in Africa, the Middle East and South America.

China has backed Russia's claim that President Vladimir Putin launched his assault in Ukraine 2022 because of Western provocations, without producing any solid evidence.

Russian state news agency Tass said the ministers would "discuss the situation in Ukraine and the Asia-Pacific region, issues of bilateral cooperation and interaction in the international arena," quoting Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

Lavrov is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, who has visited Russia during the conflict and maintained China's line of not dubbing the Russian war in Ukraine an invasion.

China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters Monday that "China has an objective and fair position on the Ukraine issue."

She said: "We have been actively promoting peace talks and political solutions. China is not a creator or party to the Ukraine crisis, and we have not and will not do anything to profit from it."

China has also said it wasn't providing Russia with arms or military assistance, although it has maintained robust economic connections with Moscow.

"We have always controlled the export of dual-use items in accordance with the law," Mao said, referring to industrial items that can be used for both industrial or military purposes, such as drones.

"The relevant country should not smear or attack the normal relations between China and Russia," Mao said. "The relevant country" was a reference to the U.S., Russia and China's chief geopolitical rival.

In a phone call with Xi last week, Biden pressed China over its defence relationship with Russia, which is seeking to rebuild its industrial base as it continues its invasion of Ukraine. He called on Beijing to wield its influence over North Korea to rein in the isolated and erratic nuclear power.

Adding to the tension between the two countries, US lawmakers generated new legislation that would ban TikTok, the popular social media application, if its China-based owner ByteDance doesn't sell its stakes in the platform within six months of the bill's enactment.

Lawmakers are concerned Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over data on the 170 million Americans who use TikTok. All Chinese firms, especially those in the social media sphere, are obligated to hand over user data to the government.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...24826836&ei=13

[Jimbuna]

US Indo-Pacific Commander 'very, very concerned' about Chinese aggression in South China Sea

The head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said on Tuesday that he was “very, very concerned” about China’s aggression toward Philippine forces near disputed islands in the South China Sea.

The Chinese coast guard has repeatedly clashed with Philippine patrol vessels near the Philippines-occupied Second Thomas Shoal. Last month, several Filipino seamen were injured when a Chinese vessel sideswiped a smaller Philippine vessel and another two Chinese coast guard ships used high-pressure water spray to shatter the Philippine vessel’s windscreen.

Asked if the submerged reef in the Spratly Islands was the most dangerous flash point in his area of command, U.S. Adm. John Aquilino told a forum at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based international policy think tank: “I’m very concerned about what’s happening at the Second Thomas Shoal.”
“I’m very, very concerned about the direction it’s going,” Aquilino said. “These actions are dangerous, illegal and they are destabilizing the region.”

“What’s next and how far are they willing to go in that area?” Aquilino asked.

The United States, Japan, the Philippines and Australia held their first four-way joint exercises in Philippine waters in the South China Sea on Sunday, which they said were intended to uphold freedom of navigation and overflight in a region contested by China.

Aquilino said the joint exercise demonstrated the nations’ ability to operate safely, effectively and lawfully in the region.

“Those types of events and things are exactly what we need to do to demonstrate that strength amongst the like-minded allies and partners and that we will continue to operate anywhere that international law allows,” Aquilino said.

China’s military said Sunday that it had conducted air and sea patrols and that all activities that “disrupt the South China Sea” are under control, an apparent response to naval exercises by the U.S. and its allies.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...485d0d55&ei=32

[Jimbuna]

US considers easing warnings for Americans traveling to China

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. is considering easing advisories against its citizens traveling to China, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Tuesday, acknowledging concerns that the warnings may have curtailed exchanges between Americans and Chinese people.
Communication channels between Washington and Beijing had largely normalized after months of heightened tensions, Campbell told an event hosted by the non-profit National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

However, he also warned that Chinese support for Russia's war in Ukraine put stabilizing ties at risk.
The State Department has periodically issued tiered warnings for Americans traveling to China, calling on them to reconsider visits or exercise increased caution due to risks of "arbitrary enforcement of local laws," exit bans and wrongful detentions.
But the two countries' presidents have sought to rebuild people-to-people exchanges as a pillar for managing increasing geopolitical competition between the superpowers.

"I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but I would just simply say that this is certainly an issue under active consideration," Campbell said when asked if the U.S. would ease the advisories. He said he accepted the premise that they had acted as an inhibition to academic and other exchanges.
China has issued its own travel warnings for the U.S., and criticized what it says is increasing harassment of Chinese nationals by U.S. agents at ports of entry, accusations U.S. officials have rejected.

Despite China's warnings, hundreds of thousands of Chinese students study in the United States compared with only a few hundred Americans in China.
But the State Department's No. 2 diplomat, who has said China helped Moscow "retool" and reconstitute its military after early setbacks in its war in Ukraine, cautioned Beijing in stark terms about its "substantial" support for Russia's war effort.
"We have told China directly if this continues, it will have an impact on the U.S.-China relationship. We will not sit by and say everything's fine," Campbell said.

If Russia gains territory in Ukraine it will alter the balance of power in Europe in ways that are unacceptable to the U.S., Campbell said.
"And we will see this not as just a Russian unique set of activities, but a conjoined set of activities backed by China, but also North Korea," he said.
Campbell also said potentially "hundreds of thousands" of Chinese migrants fleeing weaker economic conditions in China have come to the U.S. in recent months, and that Beijing was aware but did not seem to be taking steps to curtail the flow.
"The numbers that we're seeing are large and, frankly, of gathering concern," Campbell said.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-con...na-2024-04-09/

[Jimbuna]

China sanctions two US firms over ‘support for arms sales to Taiwan’

China has announced sanctions against two US defence companies over what it says is their support for arms sales to Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy Beijing claims as its own territory to be recovered by force if necessary.

The announcement freezes the assets of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems held within China. The measure also bars the companies’ management from entering the country.

Filings show General Dynamics operates half-a-dozen Gulfstream and jet aviation services operations in China, which remains heavily reliant on foreign aerospace technology even as it attempts to build its own presence in the field.

The company helps make the Abrams tank being purchased by Taiwan to replace outdated armour intended to deter or resist an invasion from China.
General Atomics produces the Predator and Reaper drones used by the US military. Chinese authorities did not go into details on the company’s alleged involvement with supplying arms to Taiwan.

Beijing has long threatened such sanctions, but has rarely issued them as its economy reels from the Covid-19 pandemic, high unemployment and a sharp decline in foreign investment.

“The continued US arms sales to China’s Taiwan region seriously violate the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, interfere in China’s internal affairs, and undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

It insists that the mainland and the island to which Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist forces fled amid civil war in 1949 remain part of a single Chinese nation.

Sanctions were levelled under Beijing’s recently enacted Law of the People’s Republic of China on Countering Foreign Sanctions.

General Dynamics’ fully-owned entities are registered in Hong Kong, the southern Chinese semi-autonomous city over which Beijing has steadily been increasing its political and economic control to the point that it faces no vocal opposition and has seen its critics silenced, imprisoned or forced into exile.

Despite their lack of formal diplomatic ties — a concession Washington made to Beijing when they established relations in 1979 — the US remains Taiwan’s most important source of diplomatic support and supplier of military hardware from fighter jets to air defence systems.

Taiwan has also been investing heavily in its own defence industry, producing sophisticated missiles and submarines.

China had 14 warplanes and six navy ships operating around Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, with six of the aircraft crossing into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone — a tactic to test Taiwan’s defences, wear down its capabilities and intimidate the population.

So far, this has had little effect, with the vast majority of the island’s 23 million people opposing political unification with China.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...cd69b0ba&ei=30

[ET2SN]

General Dynamics must have told all their employees to update their passwords.

[Jimbuna]

China is sending its highest-level delegation to North Korea since 2019 to kick off a ‘friendship year’

China’s highest-level visit to North Korea in nearly five years is set to get underway Thursday, as Pyongyang seeks to strengthen relations with both Beijing and Moscow amid growing coordination between its neighbors and the United States.

Zhao Leji, China’s third-highest ranked official, will lead a delegation for a “goodwill visit” to the country to kickstart a “friendship year” marking 75 years of diplomatic ties, Beijing announced Tuesday.

The three-day visit, at North Korea’s invitation, shows the “great importance” China attaches to those relations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. North Korea’s state media agency KCNA also announced the visit.

It also affords a top Chinese official the opportunity to hear directly from North Korea’s intensely secretive and isolated government while on the ground, analysts say.

Zhao is the highest-ranking Chinese visitor to the country since a state visit from Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2019. Zhao leads China’s rubber-stamp national legislature and is a member of its powerful seven-man Politburo Standing Committee.

The trip comes as both countries are wary of what they see as an increasingly hostile region – in particular growing security coordination between the US and its allies Japan and South Korea, which in turn seek to counter aggression from Beijing and Pyongyang.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/10/c...hnk/index.html

[Jimbuna]

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

Asenior Chinese official has reaffirmed ties with North Korea during a meeting with the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, China’s state media reported, in the highest-level talks

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

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

China fought on behalf of the reclusive Communist State against the US and others during the 1950-53 Korean War, and in recent years has helped prop up its weak economy, allegedly in violation of UN sanctions in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme that Beijing had endorsed.

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

North Korea closed its borders during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic amid reports of a major outbreak and food shortages.

Mr Zhao’s visit marked the first bilateral exchange involving a Chinese Politburo Standing Committee member since the pandemic started. Mr Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping held two summits in 2019.

North Korea and China are expected to hold a number of exchanges this year to mark the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

North Korea has sought to boost its co-operation with Beijing and Russia in the face of a standoff with the US and South Korea over its missile launches and nuclear programme.

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

China has refused to criticise the Russian invasion and accused the US and Nato of provoking Moscow, but says it will not provide Russia with direct military support.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...4e7d8ede&ei=32

[Jimbuna]

Can China play a role in avoiding an all-out war in the Middle East?

China has voiced “deep concern” over escalating tensions in the Middle East after Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles in an unprecedented attack on Israel, raising the prospect of a wider conflagration in a region where Beijing has pledged to play peacemaker and promote its own security vision.

“(China) calls on relevant parties to exercise calm and restraint to prevent further escalation,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday, framing the latest tensions as “a spillover from the Gaza conflict” – which it said should be put to an end as soon as possible.

“China calls on the international community, especially countries with influence, to play a constructive role for the peace and stability of the region,” the ministry added.

The Iranian strikes, which Tehran said were retaliation for the bombing of an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus on April 1, marked the first time the Islamic Republic has launched a direct assault on Israel from its soil.

The decision by Iran’s leaders to strike at Israel directly has pushed the shadow war between the two regional foes into the open. Israel is being urged by Western allies to de-escalate, as fears grow of an all-out regional war – a scenario Washington has sought to enlist Beijing’s help to avoid.

Following the Damascus strike, which Iran said killed seven people, including two top Iranian military commanders, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to China’s top diplomat Wang Yi – and other counterparts in Turkey and Saudi Arabia – to “make clear that escalation is not in anyone’s interest, and that countries should urge Iran not to escalate,” according to a US State Department spokesperson.

That was not the first time the US had asked China to influence Iran since the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas broke out last October.

In the wake of Houthi rebels’ assaults on commercial shipping in the Red Sea late last year, American officials repeatedly tried to prod Beijing into pressuring Tehran – which is believed to train, fund and equip the Houthis – to rein in the attacks.

The latest flare-up of tensions has again raised questions over how much leverage China wields over Iran – and whether Beijing is willing to turn its political capital into influence.

“On paper, China has a great deal of potential leverage over Iran,” said William Figueroa, an assistant professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

China has been Iran’s biggest trading partner for the past decade and buys 90% of Iran’s oil exports, providing a lifeline to Tehran against US sanctions. Chinese companies also provide Iran with security and surveillance equipment.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/15/c...hnk/index.html

[Jimbuna]

China and EU trade tensions risk a full trade war, European Chamber president warns

GUANGZHOU, China, April 17 (Reuters) - China and Europe face a "slow motion train accident" as a rising tide of protectionism threatens to become a full trade war, the head of a European business lobby group warned on Wednesday, a day after Germany's chancellor conveyed European concerns to Beijing.
Jens Eskelund, president of the European Chamber in China, said that while some worries about trade in both countries were legitimate, there was a risk of unproductive decoupling if European and Chinese leaders did not increase dialogue.

"A train accident has not happened yet but we can see it will happen if we continue in the same direction of travel as we are today," Eskelund said in Guangzhou, at a meeting of the chamber's South China chapter.
"We need our leaders to sit down and explore the ways that we can avoid that this becomes a full-blown trade war. And I think it's getting a little bit urgent."
On Tuesday Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz finished a three-day tour of China with talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in which Scholz relayed European concerns about Beijing's investment policies and pushed for improved market access.

The European Union has launched several investigations into whether Chinese manufacturers were dumping subsidised goods such as electric vehicles on its markets.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also visited China earlier this month, and said on Tuesday that China's massive investments in advanced manufacturing of clean energy goods had resulted in an unfair playing field.
Eskelund said the recent high-level meetings were encouraging.

As Eskelund spoke, thousands of foreign buyers were scouting Chinese manufacturers for deals at the biannual Canton Fair, the country's largest trade show, on the banks of the city's Pearl River.
Eskelund said it was impossible to think of global supply chains without China, given its status as the world's leading manufacturer.
"What we hope to see change a little bit is that there is an understanding that China has such a vast scale in manufacturing, that just small incremental increases in manufacturing can have huge global implications."
https://www.reuters.com/business/chi...ns-2024-04-17/

[Jimbuna]

China's exports to Russia dropped for first time in two years in March: Bloomberg cited reason

Russian exports to China decreased by 16% in March compared to the same period last year. This trend is observed for the first time since mid-2022, informs Bloomberg.

According to the source, the reason for this export reduction is the threats from the US to impose sanctions on banks and companies suspected of aiding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, as Bloomberg's source revealed, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may raise the issue of increasing trade volumes with China during his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping - the Kremlin head plans to visit Beijing in May.

The source also added that Russia considers the slowdown in trade growth as "temporary".

It is worth noting that last year, the trade volume between Russia and China reached record levels, amounting to $240 billion. This was due to Chinese imports of Russian oil and Chinese exports of automobiles, industrial equipment, and electronics to Russia.

Criticism of China for export to Russia

This week, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized China for increasing its exports to Russia following the start of full-scale war in Ukraine. He emphasized that no one should be assisting the aggressor. The chancellor made this statement during his visit to Shanghai.

It is worth noting that China continues to expand trade with Russia. This is happening against the backdrop of Western sanctions, which include export restrictions on the aggressor country.

In the European Union, it has been emphasized that China is transferring technologies to the Russian military-industrial complex.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...70bf59b7&ei=12

[Jimbuna]

China hits back at US, UK for sanctions on espionage hacks as coordinated pressure on Beijing grows

Hong Kong
CNN
—
Beijing has lashed out at the United States and the United Kingdom for imposing sanctions over alleged Chinese government-backed cyberattacks, calling the Western allies’ move an act of “political manipulation.”

The US and the UK announced Monday a set of criminal charges and sanctions against seven Chinese hackers for allegedly conducting sweeping attacks on behalf of China’s civilian intelligence agency.

The yearslong campaign allegedly targeted American officials, senators, journalists and companies – including Pentagon contractors – as well as British parliamentarians, the UK’s election watchdog and members of the European Parliament, affecting millions of people.

New Zealand also weighed in on Tuesday, accusing state-sponsored Chinese hackers of launching “malicious cyber activity” against the country’s parliament in 2021.

Accusations of cyber espionage have long been a major point of friction between Beijing and Washington, with the US indicting a series of Chinese hackers in recent years.

The public accusations from three members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence alliance show key Western democracies are now taking a more concerted – and coordinated – stand against what they view as unacceptable levels of hacking and espionage by Beijing.

At a news conference Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry lashed out at the US and the UK, accusing them of “hyping up the so-called cyberattacks by China.”

“This is purely political manipulation. China is strongly dissatisfied with this and firmly opposes it,” ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, adding China has made solemn representations to both sides.

“We urge the United States and the United Kingdom to stop politicizing cyber security issues, stop slandering and smearing China, impose unilateral sanctions, and stop cyberattacks on China.”

The spokesperson did not mention New Zealand.

Australia and the European Union also expressed solidarity with the UK and voiced concerns over China’s alleged malicious cyber activities, as Beijing comes under growing scrutiny in a big election year for democracies around the world.

The accusations and sanctions come as China is trying to manage tensions and repair frayed relations with major Western powers, as it grapples with a host of economic challenges including an exodus of foreign investment.

Beijing’s frustration was evident on Tuesday, when Lin, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, blamed the US for encouraging the Five Eyes alliance “to spread all kinds of disinformation about the threats posted by Chinese hackers for geopolitical purpose.”

Liu Dongshu, an assistant professor focusing on Chinese politics at City University of Hong Kong, said the coordinated move by the US and its allies undermines Beijing’s “divide and rule” strategy.

“My observation is that China has always sought to create some distance between the US and other Western countries, such as European nations and Australia. Especially considering the possibility of a reelection of Donald Trump, China feels there may be a chance to separate them a little more,” he said.

“But (the accusations) show that despite their differences, these countries remain united on many issues regarding China.”

‘Sensitive time’

The sanctions against two Chinese nationals and a technology company in the central Chinese city of Wuhan mark the first time Britain has slapped penalties on Chinese state-affiliated entities for alleged cyberattacks, even as Western intelligence agencies have increasingly sounded the alarm in recent years.

“It is an escalation, but perhaps only because the UK has been rather mild in its previous actions,” said Jonathan Sullivan, an associate professor and China specialist at the University of Nottingham.

British cybersecurity officials said a Chinese state-backed hacking group known as APT31 had “conducted reconnaissance activity” against British parliamentarians who were openly critical of Beijing in 2021.

Chinese hackers have also “highly likely” breached the UK’s Electoral Commission in 2021 and 2022 and accessed personal data of 40 million voters, according to British officials.

On Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said China had made “technical clarification” in response to the APT31-related information submitted by the UK, calling its evidence “insufficient” and “unprofessional.”

The sanctions come at a sensitive time in the UK, which is facing a general election and bracing itself for a wave of misinformation, said Sullivan, the China expert at the University of Nottingham.

“Our economic relations with China are already undergoing securitization, from investment to data protection,” he said, citing Britain’s bans on Chinese tech giant Huawei from its 5G networks, and on the camera systems of Chinese surveillance company Hikvision from sensitive sites.

Last September, a British parliamentary researcher was arrested on suspicion of spying for China.

The sanctions could risk disrupting the upward trajectory of UK-China ties, which have stabilized in the past year after years of deterioration following British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s “robust pragmatism” approach to foreign policy, Sullivan said.

“I would be astonished if (Beijing) does not respond in kind. China does not tend to receive such actions without retaliation.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/26/c...hnk/index.html