… Blackrock CEO Points to Pensions and Retirement Savings

So he wants to copy China’s playbook?

Israel Bans Chinese Vehicles from Military Bases, Citing Espionage Fears.

This is the first part, as the article says.

This wouldn’t matter …

It always matters. Temu simply stealing the work of others. Temu is the one which exploits others, not the Arts Council or austerity.

And those who benefit from sales on Temu are among the wealthiest globally.

A shocking arson attack on a refugee centre shows just how far hate can go if left unchecked

Yes, and malign state actors are exploiting the situation also in Ireland and the UK.

How Russia’s hybrid war is sowing chaos across Europe

As their frequency has multiplied in recent years, European police, governments, and intelligence services have begun openly sharing the evidence they find to suggest the incidents are part of a Russian “hybrid war”: an attempt to foster instability and division in European societies, while burdening and distracting governments that are supportive of Ukraine.

It’s not only about control but also a big threat for democracy and a stable society as a whole. Last year, for example, Chinese state-backed hacking group Salt Typhoon breached the U.S. telecom networks’ wiretap system (a backdoor legally required for law enforcement to access people’s private communication), forcing the authorities to urge U.S. citizens using encrypted messaging. So there is no such thing as a backdoor only for the good guys.

Breaking encryption opens the door not just for control but also for malign actors within the borders and from abroad. Where such democratic decline ends can be seen in China, for example, where total control and surveillance is suppressing any form of dissent.

(There is a very good documentary about the devastating consequences of surveillance for those interested: https://total-trust.org/.)

[Edit typo.]

China requires not only Chinese leadership, you can’t even found a subsidiary in China that you would own. You always need a Chinese partner company that would then control the majority stake of the Joint Venture (btw, the only non-Chinese company that is exempted from this rule is Tesla).

The Chinese government will certainly understand the Dutch move as they eliminate all Western technology firms such as Nokia and Ericsson from its domestic networks. So what’s the issue?

If so, then go to the posts critical of the US here and comment that “everything they say about the US could also be said about China.”

There are many reports criticizing the USA, Russia, and all others you have mentioned. In these reports, however, no one is whining and arguing that someone has been “singled out.”

This is a valid comment on China whose government is behaving as an enemy. There is no reason for whataboutism.

Labour secretly sabotaged China spy trial: Ministers’ decision not to describe Xi’s regime in court as an ‘enemy’ led the case to collapse

Prosecutors dropped charges last month against Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, who were accused of passing information about the Government’s foreign policy to a high-ranking member of the Chinese government.

At the time, Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said that it was “extremely disappointing” that the two men would not face trial [but] the case collapsed because ministers withdrew a star witness who had been tasked with testifying that China was an “enemy” of the UK.

Under the Official Secrets Act 1911, Mr Cash and Mr Berry were accused of collecting and passing information that would be “directly or indirectly useful to an enemy”.

It’s hard to get reliable numbers. One study I could find is a review published by the World Bank in 2024 that analyzes the long-term development of cyber incidents and their economic costs. Among others, it says:

According to the UK Cabinet Office, in 2011, the UK government estimated that the costs of cybercrime was USD 33.67 billion or about 1.3% of the country’s GDP, with the largest share posed to businesses—about 77.78%. Grant Thornton (2021) shows that in 2014, the total cost of cybercrime in Ireland was USD 695.5 million, and then, in 2020, it increased dramatically to USD 10.5 billion, or 2.5% of the country’s GDP.

Source (pdf)

Note that the 1.3% of UK’s GDP and Ireland’s 2.5% relate to 2011 and 2014, respectively. So we may reasonably assume it’s much higher. Although the numbers in this review are probably not fully comparable with Bitkom’s survey, it provides useful insights, and the 5% don’t seem so far-fetched.

Nokia’s calls for action here are not impartial.

No one in this context is impartial. This is why China - in an impartial move - banned Nokia from its domestic market citing national security reasons. It should go without debate that Europe does the same and banning Chinese companies for the very same reason. Beijing will understand, no?

It must be noted that China has been a ‘closed shop’ for decades, but for then or so years it has been shielding its domestic markets more than ever.

Yes, they have the same business interests as Chinese companies, but Nokia has been reportedly banned in China over security reasons. So China will certainly understand if Chinese companies get banned in Europe amid security concerns.

I honestly don’t understand how you come up with this summary. But assuming you are upholding universal human rights as most of us do, we shall stand united, as the study suggests, to “safeguard against the proliferation of extremist ideologies while upholding the principles of freedom and democracy”.

Chinese students abroad say they face intimidation – (video, 4 min, Feb 2024)

Chinese students at European universities report harassment by their home government for expressing opposition views. Often, the perpetrators are fellow Chinese students. DW reporter Akanksha Saxena met two of those affected in Amsterdam.

The government’s deals and MoUs with Canada, Ireland, Norway, South Korea and Chile have been made public, while a similar memorandum with the Chinese government haven’t been made public.

Ah, #foundatankie.

Tankie in full force. Thanks for the usual consideration.

Yeah, you should expect … but that’s not the case. The article is not biased.