China Articles - September 18, 2022
Friends,
This week, Xi Jinping took his first trip outside the PRC since January 2020 for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in Kazakhstan. There he cemented Beijing’s role as the dominant power within the SCO and across Eurasia, forcing Putin to acknowledge his own shortcomings.
Some have asserted that this represents a break between Beijing and Moscow, I don’t think so (just consider that the #3 in the Politburo Standing Committee, Li Zhanshu, visited Vladivostok days before to meet with Putin and underscore the PRC’s backing of Moscow in its war against the West and NATO).
But it does represent the kind of opportunism that we should expect from the CCP and why its efforts to build a coalition will be inherently brittle. Putin’s failures in Ukraine have provided an opportunity for the CCP to pull the Central Asian Republics closer to Beijing’s orbit and reduce Moscow’s influence in a part of the world that Russia has reigned supreme for centuries. This should be seen as indicative of the Party’s ‘win-win’ approach to diplomacy and foreign affairs: when a partner grows weaker or becomes distracted, selfishly take advantage of that partner to strengthen the Party’s strategic position.
Putin and his government are in no position to contest these efforts and must, for the time being, swallow their shame and objections. But of course, none of this will be forgotten. Russian nationalists will harbor grievances over this episode and many others (for example, the role that Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping played in the 1970s-80s in undermining the Soviet Union, their socialist brothers, by partnering with the United States to bring about their collapse).
Fissures in the Sino-Russian relationship remain hidden, but none of us should doubt their existence. At some point, the Party’s single-minded approach to unilateral advantage will cause a rupture. To torture this metaphor a little further, we should seek to pour sand and water into these fissures while increasing the pressure.
This week there are a few things that I recommend you invest some time in watching, listening to, and reading. The first is a video discussion between investor Stanley Druckenmiller and my CEO, Alex Karp, about the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape and what it means for businesses, investors and citizens.
The second is the inaugural report issued by SCSP (Special Competitive Studies Project), which grew out of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence. The report catalogues the fierce rivalry between the United States and the People’s Republic and offers some concrete recommendations on how the United States and other countries can position themselves for advantage.
If there is one take-away I have from this report, it is that while we must pursue a serious effort at self-strengthening (what some would call: ‘running faster’ in the competition), we must also seek to ‘kneecap’ our rival in ways that makes the PRC economy stagnate, that complicates the PRC’s technological development, and robs the Party of support and legitimacy. This effort to undermine the Chinese Communist Party may make some folks squeamish (and would likely harm the interests of certain companies and investors), but we must adopt a more clear-eyed approach and pursue our rival with greater ruthlessness.
Lastly, an interview between Michael Morell, former acting Director of the CIA, and Elbridge Colby, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and the author of The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict. These two discuss the state of the U.S.-PRC rivalry and some of the actions that we need to pursue.
Thanks for reading!
Matt
MUST READ
1. VIDEO – Global Instability and Software’s Opportunity
Stanley Druckenmiller and Alex Karp, YouTube, September 13, 2022
Stanley Druckenmiller and Palantir CEO Alex Karp discuss the rapidly changing geopolitical and economic climate, and what it means for our institutions and businesses.
2. Mid-Decade Challenges to National Competitiveness
Special Competitive Studies Project, September 12, 2022
The report argues that the United States is in a fierce technology competition with China that is shaping the future of geopolitics and the contest between democracies and autocracies. “The PRC is the United States’ chief ideological opponent, largest economic competitor, most capable technology peer, and most threatening military rival. Technology is central to all parts of the competition,” said SCSP Board of Advisor Nadia Schadlow.
The report’s message is stark: the United States could lose the competition if dramatic action is not taken across a broad range of public policy arenas to invest in U.S. technology advantages, strengthen the techno-industrial base, and deploy disruptive technologies democratically and responsibly. “The United States needs a technology center strategy,” SCSP CEO Ylli Bajraktari argued. “We cannot keep playing catch-up like we have on 5G and microelectronics supply chains. The United States needs to organize, make strategic tech bets, help resource technology sectors and applications, and adapt our national security tools.”
COMMENT: It is worth your time reading this report in detail. The team that SCSP brought together represents the best of our country across the political spectrum. They make concrete recommendations that deserve serious attention and help frame for Americans how important it is for us to do the hard work of improving our competitive position vis-à-vis the PRC.
3. AUDIO – Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development Elbridge Colby
Michael Morell and Elbridge Colby, Intelligence Matters, September 14, 2022
In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy and Force Development Elbridge Colby about his new book The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict and whether the U.S. military is ready for a new era of great power competition. Colby discusses doubts amongst analysts in the U.S. ability to win a war against the Chinese military. He notes that there is substantial bipartisan agreement that China is the biggest threat against the U.S.
4. Delegation of French senators arrives in Taiwan
France24, September 7, 2022
COMMENT: While many have fixated on how Speaker Pelosi’s visit was a provocation to Beijing, it should be remember that legislators from democracies around the world visit Taiwan on a routine basis and will continue to do so as we come out of the pandemic.
Preventing Taiwan’s isolation should be a top priority those who value democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
5. The Chosen Few: A Fresh Look at European FDI in China
Agatha Kratz, Noah Barkin, and Lauren Dudley, Rhodium Group, September 14, 2022
Fascinating report by Rhodium Group on how European investment in the PRC is becoming increasingly concentrated in just a handful of companies.
For example, four firms from Germany (Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler and BASF) contributed 34% of all European foreign direct investment into China between 2018 and 2021, with the top ten making up nearly 80% of the total.
6. Time Is Running Out to Defend Taiwan: Why the Pentagon Must Focus on Near-Term Deterrence
Michele Flournoy and Michael Brown, Foreign Affairs, September 14, 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping has made it abundantly clear that “reunifying” Taiwan with mainland China is a legacy issue for him, something he intends to accomplish on his watch through political and economic means or, if necessary, through military force. Right now, he is preoccupied with the COVID-19 crisis, the slowing growth of the Chinese economy, and the upcoming 20th Party Congress, where he hopes to secure a third term as chair of the Chinese Communist Party.
But once these immediate concerns are addressed, it is possible that sometime in the next five years Xi will consider taking Taiwan by force, either because nonmilitary efforts at reunification have fallen short or because he believes his chances of success will diminish if he waits and U.S. military capabilities grow.
AUTHORITARIANISM
7. EU lawmakers condemn China's live-fire exercises in Taiwan Strait
John Chalmers, Reuters, September 15, 2022
Members of the European Parliament backed a resolution on Thursday that condemned China's live-fire military exercises in the Taiwan Strait and called for closer ties between the European Union and Taipei.
The EU assembly said in a statement that the resolution, backed in a vote by 424 lawmakers with 14 against and 46 abstentions, also demanded that Beijing refrain from measures that could destabilise the Taiwan Strait and regional security.
8. Xinjiang lockdown: Chinese censors drown out posts about food and medicine shortages
Helen Davidson, The Guardian, September 12, 2022
Chinese censors have reportedly been ordered to flood social media with innocuous posts about Xinjiang to drown out mounting complaints of food and medication shortages in a region under lockdown for more than a month.
The Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture, also known as Yili, is home to about 4.5 million people, and is believed to have been first put into lockdown in early August, without official public announcement, after an outbreak of Covid-19. In recent days social media has hosted reams of post about food shortages, delays or refusals of medical care.
But according to a leaked directive published by the China Digital Times, censors were told to “open a campaign of comment flooding” to drown them out.
“There are no subject matter restrictions,” it said, according to CDT’s translation. “Content may include domestic life, daily parenting, cooking, or personal moods. All internet commentary personnel should post once an hour (twice in total), but not in rapid succession! Repeat: not in rapid succession!”
In a sample of posts archived by the CDT as possible examples of the “comment flooding” campaign, users shared photos of Xinjiang cuisine and idyllic environments, but were quickly attacked as suspected attempts to “dilute” conversation about the lockdown.
“All these posts about Yili scenery and food are coming from alternate accounts. Nice job, g*v*rm*nt. Have you ever heard of maintaining a shred of dignity?” said one comment.
Xinjiang, the site of a years-long government campaign of oppression against the Muslim population, is under a higher degree of political control and sensitivity than most of China. About 40% of Xinjiang’s residential population is Han Chinese, and the rest mostly Uyghur and other ethnic minorities. However it has also become a domestic tourism drawcard, particularly Yili, which borders Kazakhstan.
9. Germany drawing up new China trade policy, vows 'no more naivety'
Christian Kraemer, Reuters, September 13, 2022
Sources told Reuters last week the economy ministry was considering a raft of new measures to make business with China less attractive. This is the first time the minister has made clear the tougher line was being translated into policy measures.
10. France, India say they share concerns over China’s rise
Associated Press, September 14, 2022
11. China poised to shake up economic leadership as reformers bow out
Kevin Yao, Reuters, September 14, 2022
China's ruling Communist Party sets the stage next month for the biggest overhaul of its economic leadership in a decade, with a generation of reform-minded policymakers expected to step down amid worsening growth prospects.
12. Mass DNA Collection in the Tibet Autonomous Region from 2016–2022
Emile Dirks, The Citizen Lab, September 13, 2022
Analyzing 100 publicly available sources, we find that since June 2016 China’s police have conducted a mass DNA collection program in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Out of the 100 sources we analyzed, 44 contained figures for the number of DNA samples police had collected in particular areas of Tibet. Based on our analysis of these 44 reports, we estimate that between June 2016 and July 2022, police may have collected between roughly 919,282 and 1,206,962 DNA samples, representing between one quarter (25.1%) and one third (32.9%) of Tibet’s total population (3.66 million).
Police have targeted men, women, and children for DNA collection outside of any ongoing criminal investigation. In some cases, police have targeted Buddhist monks. Authorities have justified mass DNA collection as a tool to fight crime, find missing people, and ensure social stability. But without checks on police powers, police in Tibet will be free to use a completed mass DNA database for whatever purpose they see fit. Based on our analysis, we believe that this program is a form of social control directed against Tibet’s people, who have long been subject to intense state surveillance and repression.
We find that mass DNA collection in Tibet is another mass DNA collection campaign conducted under the Xi Jinping administration (2012–present), along with the mass DNA collection campaign in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the police-led national program of male DNA collection.
13. Tibetan Police Bought Thermo Fisher DNA Equipment, Chinese Government Documents Show
Mara Hvistendahl, The Intercept, September 13, 2022
Tibetan police inked a deal last month to buy over $160,000 worth of profiling kits and other supplies made by Thermo Fisher, a Massachusetts-based company that has come under fire in the past for selling similar supplies to police in Xinjiang. The deal, revealed in procurement documents published on a Chinese government website, will provide DNA kits and replacement parts for sequencers to authorities in Tibet, the site of long-standing government repression.
COMMENT: This is becoming a case of ‘Lucy with the football.’
This is the third or fourth time in five years where Thermo Fisher Scientific has been found supplying DNA kits and equipment to enable PRC security forces to profile and abuse Uyghurs, Tibetans and other groups that the CCP targets with ‘crimes against humanity’ and genocide. It appears that Thermo Fisher Scientific doesn’t care all about the consequences of their pursuit of sales.
14. WAY BACK MACHINE – Letter to the CEO and Board of Directors of Thermo Fisher Scientific
Arvind Ganesan and Sophie Richardson, Human Rights Watch, June 13, 2017
15. WAY BACK MACHINE – China: Minority Region Collects DNA from Millions, Private Information Gathered by Police, Under Guise of Public Health Program
Human Rights Watch, December 13, 2017
Human Rights Watch has previously documented that the Xinjiang police had issued calls for tender in September 2016 for DNA sequencers that indicate its intention to build large-scale infrastructure to process DNA samples of and profile a large number of individuals.
Follow-up research by Human Rights Watch uncovered that a US-based company, Thermo Fisher Scientific, has supplied the Xinjiang police with some of these DNA sequencers. Human Rights Watch wrote to the company in June and August 2017, informing them that Chinese authorities are collecting DNA from individuals not suspected of crimes in Xinjiang as well as across China, and asking them to comment on a range of issues including their human rights policies and discussions they may have had with Chinese authorities about the intended use of DNA sequencing equipment. In Thermo Fisher Scientific’s response to the first letter, the company stated that it does not “share information about our customers or their purchases” and that “given the global nature of our operations, it is not possible for us to monitor the use or application of all products we manufactured.” The firm stated that they “expect all of our customers to act in accordance with appropriate regulations and industry-standard best practices.” Thermo Fisher Scientific did not reply to Human Rights Watch’s second, follow-up letter.
Companies like Thermo Fisher Scientific that supply DNA sequencing and related equipment have a human rights responsibility to avoid contributing to governmental human rights violations. Thermo Fisher Scientific should immediately investigate misuse of their products and suspend future sales or service in China pending such investigation.
16. WAY BACK MACHINE – China Uses DNA to Track Its People, With the Help of American Expertise
Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, February 21, 2019
The Chinese authorities turned to a Massachusetts company and a prominent Yale researcher as they built an enormous system of surveillance and control.
17. WAY BACK MACHINE – US company to stop sales of genetic tech in Xinjiang
Associated Press, February 21, 2019
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. says it will no longer sell or service genetic sequencers in China’s mostly Muslim region of Xinjiang following criticism that they were used for surveillance that enabled human rights abuses, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The company in Waltham, Massachusetts, cited its “values, ethics code and policies,” according to the Journal. The company said it recognized the importance of considering how products “are used — or may be used — by our customers.”
Thermo Fisher faced criticism from human rights groups and American lawmakers for supplying the equipment used to identify individuals in Xinjiang. The region is under intense security measures as part of what the government says is an effort to stop extremism and separatist movements.
18. WAY BACK MACHINE – China’s Biosecurity State in Xinjiang Is Powered by Western Tech
Jessica Batke and Mareike Ohlberg, Foreign Policy, February 19, 2020
19. WAY BACK MACHINE – China Still Buys American DNA Equipment for Xinjiang Despite Blocks
Sui-Lee Wee, New York Times, October 22, 2021
The U.S. government has long tried to prevent the sales over concerns about rights abuses and surveillance. Documents show those efforts have failed.
The police in the Chinese region of Xinjiang are still buying hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of American DNA equipment despite warnings from the U.S. government that the sale of such technologies could be used to enable human rights abuses in the region.
The U.S. government has tried to prevent the sale of DNA sequencers, test kits and other products made by American firms to the police in Xinjiang for years, amid concerns raised by scientists and human rights groups that the authorities could use the tools to build systems to track people. In 2019, the Trump administration banned the sale of American goods to most law enforcement agencies in Xinjiang unless the companies received a license. And in 2020, Washington warned that companies selling biometric technology and other products to Xinjiang should be aware of the “reputational, economic and legal risks.”
But Chinese government procurement documents and contracts reviewed by The New York Times show that goods made by two American companies — Thermo Fisher and Promega — have continued to flow to the region, where a million or more residents, mostly Muslim Uyghurs, have been incarcerated in internment camps. The sales are happening through Chinese firms that buy the products and resell them to the police in Xinjiang.
COMMENT: I find the unwillingness of these companies to police themselves to be really disturbing. The fact that they have known about these problems for over five years, have committed publicly to stop their sales and are still continuing to enable crimes against humanity and genocide is reprehensible.
20. Hong Kong Speech Therapists Jailed Over Children’s Books Ruled Seditious
Selina Cheng, Wall Street Journal, September 10, 2022
ENVIRONMENTAL HARMS
Wall Street Journal, September 12, 2022
Beijing is building more coal-fired capacity than the rest of the world combined, U.S. climate lectures notwithstanding.
Under the nonbinding 2015 Paris climate agreement, China can increase its emissions until 2030. And is it ever. Between 2015 and 2021 China’s emissions increased by some 11%, according to the Climate Action Tracker, which evaluates nationally determined contributions under the Paris agreement. The U.S. has reduced its emissions by some 6% between 2015 and 2021. Beijing made minimal new commitments at last year’s Glasgow confab on climate, despite world pressure.
S&P Global Commodity Insights recently estimated that China is planning or building coal-fired power plants with a total capacity of at least 100 gigawatts. Those are merely the projects whose development status is confirmed, so the real number is almost certainly higher. Total U.S. power capacity is some 1,147 gigawatts. One gigawatt is enough energy to power as many as 770,000 homes.
The nonprofit Global Energy Monitor tracks coal-fired power projects world-wide of 30 megawatts or more, including those planned for the long-term. It estimates that, as of July 2022, China had some 258 coal-fired power stations—or some 515 individual units—proposed, permitted or under construction. If completed they would generate some 290 gigawatts, more than 60% of the world's total coal capacity under development.
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE AND COERCION
22. How China became big business for Twitter
Fanny Potkin, Eduardo Baptista, and Tony Munroe, Reuters, September 13, 2022
23. China and California: The Anatomy of a PRC Subnational Lobbying Campaign
Flora Yan, The Diplomat, August 2022
24. ‘Assault on democracy’: Wong blasted over election funding offer to Sogavare
Matthew Knott, Sydney Morning Herald, September 7, 2022
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has launched an extraordinary attack on the Albanese government, blasting Australia’s offer to subsidise the Pacific nation’s elections as “an assault on our parliamentary democracy”.
Sogavare, who is seeking to delay next year’s scheduled elections by seven months, said Australia’s offer of financial assistance constituted “direct interference by a foreign government in our domestic affairs”.
25. Solomon Islands Suspends Visits by Foreign Military Ships, Raising Concerns in U.S.
Edward Wong, New York Times, August 30, 2022
Jane Hu, The New Yorker, September 12, 2022
27. Cambodia begins treason trial of 37 opposition figures
Sopheng Cheang, Associated Press, September 14, 2022
Cambodian activists and former opposition lawmakers accused of trying to help an exiled political candidate return home stood trial on treason charges Thursday with few of the defendants in attendance.
Former opposition leader Sam Rainsy and several top leaders of the disbanded Cambodia National Rescue Party were among those absent, being either in exile or in hiding to escape what they deem to be political persecution. Just three of the 37 defendants showed up for the hearing in the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, defense lawyer Sam Sokong said.
The CNRP was disbanded just ahead of the 2018 general election by a court that ruled the opposition party had plotted to overthrow Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose authoritarian rule has kept him in power for 37 years. Cambodian courts are widely believed to be under the influence of Hun Sen, and the disbanding of his party’s main rival allowed his party to sweep all of the seats in the National Assembly.
COMMENT: For those of you who may have forgotten, the Chinese Communist party employed its own cyberattack capabilities ahead of the 2018 Cambodian elections against the Cambodian National Rescue Party and other civil society groups in a naked example of malign political interference to keep Cambodia firmly within the PRC sphere of influence. Reporting below…
28. WAY BACK MACHINE – Chinese hackers target Cambodia opposition ahead of elections
John Reed, Financial Times, July 11, 2018
29. WAY BACK MACHINE – Chinese Espionage Group TEMP.Periscope Targets Cambodia Ahead of July 2018 Elections and Reveals Broad Operations Globally
Scott Henderson, Steve Miller, Dan Perez, Marcin Siedlarz, Ben Wilson, and Ben Read, Mandiant, July 10, 2018
FireEye has examined a range of TEMP.Periscope activity revealing extensive interest in Cambodia's politics, with active compromises of multiple Cambodian entities related to the country’s electoral system. This includes compromises of Cambodian government entities charged with overseeing the elections, as well as the targeting of opposition figures.
COMMENT: This blatant interference in the internal affairs of an ASEAN nation generated almost no reaction from other ASEAN members. The PRC’s control over and protection of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his government makes a mockery of the ASEAN Charter.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
Human Rights Watch, September 14, 2022
31. Vatican sought Xi-Pope meeting in Kazakhstan, China declined – source
Philip Pullella, Reuters, September 15, 2022
32. China-focused group of global lawmakers meet in Washington to discuss united response to Beijing
Khushboo Razdan, South China Morning Post, September 14, 2022
Alliance representing 30 countries to lay out action plan to ‘defend human rights and hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its violations’
US Senator Bob Menendez describes moment as one of most challenging in his career and about ‘what type of world do you want to live in’
33. ‘Under tremendous pressure’: the battle behind the UN report on China’s Xinjiang abuses
Yuan Yang and Henry Foy, Financial Times, September 13, 2022
34. Why Hasn’t the U.N. Accused China of Genocide in Xinjiang?
Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, September 13, 2022
A new report from the Human Rights Office found “widespread arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Uyghyrs and other predominantly Muslim communities.” Some activists think it didn’t go far enough.
35. This Might Not Be a Cold War, but It Feels Like One
Jane Perlez, New York Times, September 13, 2022
INDUSTRIAL POLICIES AND ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE
36. $1.2 Billion Sucked Out of BMW’s Chinese Partner Through ‘Ghost’ Transactions
An Limin and Guo Yingzhe, Caixin, September 6, 2022
BMW AG’s joint venture partner Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd. lost 8.3 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) in funds embezzled using illegal “ghost” transaction schemes that involved its parent company and several banks, according to an outside investigation commissioned by the Chinese carmaker.
The investigation found executives at Huachen Automotive Group Holdings Co. Ltd., also known as Brilliance Auto Group, bypassed the board of its Hong Kong-listed subsidiary, and used the firm as a piggy bank to plug holes in its balance sheet, skirting rules and damaging investors’ interests.
37. Chinese Manufacturers Get Around US Tariffs with Some Help from Mexico
Max de Haldevang, Bloomberg, September 13, 2022
38. China’s ponzi-like property market is eroding faith in the state
The Economist, September, 12, 2022
Emily de la Bruyere and Nathan Picarsic, FDD, September 15, 2022
This paper documents trends in Chinese participation in U.S. private market investments — and corresponding risks. Contrary to common assumptions, Chinese inbound investment has not decreased in the wake of heightened U.S.-China geopolitical tension. And regardless of absolute deal flow, the avenues for inbound Chinese capital have expanded: The sub-surface space of limited partnership stakes in U.S.- or third-party-domiciled general partnerships has grown steadily over the past decade.
These investments are not subject to review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). As a result, they provide Chinese entities with access to private equity and venture capital funds that back high-growth technology companies. In addition to access to technology and innovation, these investments also offer tremendous influence.
40. Chinese Investment Flows to Silicon Valley Venture Funds
Heather Somerville, Wall Street Journal, September 15, 2022
41. Fortress China: Xi Jinping’s plan for economic independence
James Kynge, Sun Yu, and Leo Lewis, Financial Times, September 15, 2022
The underlying objective, say analysts, is to build a “fortress China” — re-engineering the world’s second-largest economy so it can run on internal energies and, if the need arises, withstand a military conflict. While many in the US want to “decouple” their economy from China, Beijing wants to become less dependent on the west — and especially on its technology.
The strategy has several constituent parts and — if successful — will take several years to realise, the analysts say. In technology, the aim is to spur domestic innovation and localise strategic aspects of the supply chain. In energy, the objective is to boost the deployment of renewables and reduce reliance on seaborne oil and gas. In food, the path to greater self-reliance includes revitalising the local seed industry. In finance, the imperative is to counter the potential weaponisation of the US dollar.
…
Steve Tsang, a professor at SOAS, University of London, warns the construction of “fortress China” does not mean Beijing is about to seal itself off from the outside world. As the global economy’s top trading power and one of the biggest recipients of foreign direct investment, such a course would amount to economic self-harm.
“Instead, [Xi] is building a series of moving fortresses or forward bases to advance China’s place in the world,” says Tsang. “They are above all about making China an innovative power with technologies that others will look to China for sharing, making them dependent on China.”
CYBER AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
42. There’s no Tiananmen Square in the new Chinese image-making AI
Zeyi Yang, MIT Technology Review, September 14, 2022
The new text-to-image AI developed by Baidu can generate images that show Chinese objects and celebrities more accurately than existing AIs. But a built-in censorship mechanism will filter out politically sensitive words.
43. Introduction: The brave new world of the high-tech surveillance state
Dan Drollette, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, September 8, 2022
MILITARY AND SECURITY THREATS
44. Xi poised to build support on Taiwan with senior military picks
Nikkei Asia, September 12, 2022
45. Imperial College to shut joint research ventures with Chinese defence firms
Hannah Devlin, The Guardian, September 11, 2022
ONE BELT, ONE ROAD STRATEGY
46. Biden’s U.S.-Pacific island summit targets China’s growing influence
Phelim Kine, Politico, September 2, 2022
47. German coalition divided over Chinese bid for Hamburg port terminal
Andreas Rinke and Sarah Marsh, Reuters, September 14, 2022
48. Competitive Connectivity: Crafting Transatlantic Responses to China's Belt and Road Initiative
Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Lisa Curtis, and Jacob Stokes, CNAS, September 13, 2022
OPINION PIECES
49. VIDEO – The US-Australia Alliance on the Anniversary of AUKUS
Hon. Andrew Hastie, Hudson Institute, September 15, 2022
50. Only Bipartisanship Can Defeat Authoritarian Aggression
Dan Sullivan and Daniel Twining, Foreign Affairs, August 25, 2022
51. China Is Running Covert Operations That Could Seriously Overwhelm Us
Nigel Inkster, New York Times, September 14, 2022