Slava Ukraini !!
China’s tentacles reach from Budapest to Cambridge University In October 1956, students marched through the streets of Budapest chanting “This we swear, this we swear, that we will no longer be slaves.” That prompted the Hungarian uprising against Soviet occupation, crushed by tanks and betrayed by the West. Sixty-five years later, students are on the march again. This time they
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Hello, and welcome to China Influence Monitor, a weekly newsletter published by CEPA and Coda Story and edited by me, Edward Lucas. We track the westward footprint of China’s influence operations, and their effects on politics, economies, societies and alliances across Central Asia, the Caucasus, Russia and Europe. SMOKE SIGNALS Stoked by leaks from spookdom and growing circumstantial evidence, once-sceptical
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The seized cache of weapons included dozens of advanced Russian-made anti-tank guided missiles. The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet has detained a stateless vessel with a cache of Russian- and Chinese-made weapons in the North Arabian Sea. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet said on Twitter on May 9, 2021. “Thousands of illicit weapons interdicted by guided-missile cruiser @USSMonterey (CG 61) from
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US SECRETARY of state Anthony Blinken recently travelled to Ukraine for meetings with the Ukrainian leadership. It is likely that he was taking a message that the Ukrainians do not want to hear: that they must cease the undeclared war against the two breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Although it is not a message that Ukrainians wish to hear,
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Edward Lucas China has more clout than Russia. But both face pushback Did you read about Russia’s attempt to bully Hollywood? How any script that is critical of Vladimir Putin never makes it into the studio? How any actor who expresses public criticism of the Kremlin makes themselves almost unemployable? No, you didn’t. Because the idea that Russia would be
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Why Russia is interested in the transition of “Motor Sichi” under Chinese leadership The decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to return the Motor Sich enterprise to state ownership provoked a stormy reaction among experts and became widely known in the media. For obvious reasons, China and the management of the Chinese company Beijing Skyrizon Aviation Industry
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The government of China does not recognize Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and has informed the country’s central and regional authorities about a ban on contacts with the peninsula’s occupation authorities. “The key thing is that the government of China does not recognize Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and has informed the country’s central and regional authorities about a ban
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Biden personally assured President Volodymyr Zelensky of America’s “unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression in the Donbass and Crimea.” What does that mean? What are Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping up to? In recent days, Russian tanks, artillery, armor, trucks and troops have been moving by road and rail ever closer
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Edward Lucas If NATO annoys China, China will annoy NATO. That was the implication of Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe’s visit to Belgrade last week. “Some NATO members are trying to play certain security roles in the Indo-Pacific region. China can respond by interfering in Europe’s security affairs and urging the Alliance to see China as a global security player, “Cui Hongjiang,
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s trip to China, which took place at the moment when the United States began to prepare new packages of tough sanctions against Russia, seems to have ended without the desired result. Although Lavrov posed for the protocol photos in the mask FCKNG QRNTN and accompanied his visit with abundant anti-Western rhetoric, accusing the U.S. of
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The Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon” could have problems taking ‘flight’ after it was announced that Ukraine will halt the takeover of a domestic aircraft engine maker by a Chinese company. by Peter Suciu The Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon” could have problems taking ‘flight’ after it was announced that Ukraine will halt the takeover of a domestic aircraft engine maker by
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Some Chinese companies cooperate with Crimea on market principles, based on historical ties and practical needs, and such commercial activities should not be politicized, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian has said. “China’s position on the Crimea issue is consistent. We hope relevant sides can properly address the issue through dialogue and consultation. Some Chinese companies, based on historically-established ties
Read moreChinese growth is slowing down
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Russia and China are reaching for the moon, with plans to construct a “complex of experimental research facilities” there as they strive to expand their presence in space. Russia has signed a memorandum of understanding with China to construct a joint lunar space station, the national space agency, Roscosmos, announced on Tuesday. The station is envisioned as a “complex of experimental
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Edward Lucas Vaccine diplomacy brings gains for China and Russia. But not for long. The Westhas messed up its response to the global pandemic. The rich countries have bought 5.4 billion of the 7.8 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines so far manufactured. In many cases, they are struggling to distribute this haul efficiently to their own people, let alone deal
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Edward Lucas TOP CHINA INFLUENCE STORY OF THE WEEK The European Union rarely misses a chance to miss a chance. Faced with the accelerating crackdown in Hong Kong, it could have imposed sanctions on the officials responsible, or asked all EU countries to cancel their extradition treaties. Instead, foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the EU would (wow) increase outreach
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EDWARD LUCAS Someone has to tell the Chinese Communist Party not to cling to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The three countries were really small compared to the Soviet occupier. However, they, like pebbles in a large mechanism, caused the collapse of the Soviet empire. Today, the Baltic states are remembering the past, destroying in particular the flagship event of Beijing’s Eastern European
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Edward Lucas In this issue: Lithuania derails the 17+1 summit, Beijing bets on vaccines and Britain wakes up to spies and lies. “The East is Red” is a popular Communist Party ballad. Make that “Red-faced,” after the failure of China’s 17+1 supposed showcase summit with central and east European leaders this week. What went wrong? First, the turnout. Six of
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Official China rejects criticism as interference in its internal affairs and politicization of sports A coalition of 180 rights group called for a boycott of next year’s Beijing Winter Olympics tied to reported human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in China. This is reported by CBC. The games are to open in one year, on Feb. 4, 2022, and are
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A coronavirus vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac has been found to be 50.4% effective in Brazilian clinical trials, according to the latest results released by researchers. It shows the vaccine is significantly less effective than previous data suggested – barely over the 50% needed for regulatory approval. The Chinese vaccine is one of two that the Brazilian government has lined
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The WHO’s review found Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine met the “must-have” criteria for safety and efficacy benefits outweigh its risks The World Health Organization has listed Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use. This is reported on the WHO website. This is the first time that a Covid-19 vaccine has been added to the WHO list. The WHO’s review found Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine met
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A Chinese citizen journalist who covered Wuhan’s coronavirus outbreak has been jailed for four years. Zhang Zhan was found guilty of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, a frequent charge against activists. The 37-year-old former lawyer was detained in May, and has been on hunger strike for several months. Her lawyers say she is in poor health. Ms Zhang is one
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The headquarters of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) outside Moscow
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14 December 2020 – Brooke Singman, Jacqui Heinrich | Fox News The President-elect’s son confirmed he is under federal investigation for his ‘tax affairs’. Hunter Biden did not report “approximately $400,000” in income he collected from his position on the board of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings when he joined in 2014, according to an attorney for his firm who noted that his tax
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Fiona Hill: “Trump is really wanting to have Putin join forces [on China].” (file photo)
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