China hosts major summit on Africa relations
...and Australia’s Indo-pacific policing initiative, Mao critiquing artist arrested, Tokyo protests Chinese incursions
Hello everyone, welcome back to a new week of China-related news and views. Parliament has reconvened in the United Kingdom (UK), though only for 10 short days before the political parties begin their annual conference recess. In Britain, domestic politics takes centre stage. Meanwhile in the People’s Republic of China (PRC)..
Beijing is hosting its biggest diplomatic event in recent years – the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit. The red carpet has been rolled out for dozens of African leaders as they meet Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), for this ‘grand reunion of the China-Africa big family’. The FOCAC summit, themed ‘Joining hands to promote modernisation and build a high-level Chinese-African community of destiny,’ will take place between the 4th and 6th September, and aims to define new directions for China-Africa relations. Expect initiatives for joint modernisation efforts to be announced shortly.
So, as we debate in London whether or not to move the ashtray from our pub gardens, Beijing is busy rewriting the script for an entire continent. Hmm…
1.1 US National Security Adviser discusses China-US relationship in Beijing
Last week, Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor of the United States (US) met Xi, Wang Yi, Foreign Minister of the PRC, and Zhang Youxia, Vice Chairman of the PRC’s Central Military Commission, to discuss various topics such as US-China strategic perceptions, tensions with the Philippines, and the cases of Americans subject to exit bans in the PRC. The sides agreed to continue dialogue, including a planned call between Joe Biden, President of the US, and Xi.
1.2 Beijing announces regulatory action to counter illegal fentanyl production
The PRC announced tighter regulations on fentanyl precursor chemicals effective from 1st September, a move the Biden administration views as a positive step in combating the opioid epidemic in the US. Experts, however, remain sceptical about Beijing’s commitment to enforce these measures, citing concerns over ongoing chemical exports to drug cartels and potential government complicity.
1.3 Australia launches Indo-Pacific policing initiative
On 28th August, Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia, announced the launch of a US$272 million Pacific Policing Initiative to enhance security and policing cooperation among Pacific nations. The initiative was announced at the Pacific Islands forum (PIF), a regional grouping of Australia, New Zealand and 16 other countries and territories in the Pacific. It is seen as a strategic effort to counter the PRC’s growing influence in the Pacific.
1.4 Tokyo protests second Chinese territorial incursion of the week
On 31st August, Japan protested a Chinese naval survey ship’s incursion into its waters. This is the second such incident in less than a week, following a 27th August airspace breach by a Chinese Y-9 surveillance plane over the Danjo Islands. These repeated provocations have intensified concerns in Tokyo over the PRC’s expanding military presence, particularly regarding disputed territories such as the Senkaku Islands and the broader South China Sea.
1.5 Russian firms face payment hurdles as Chinese banks tighten compliance
Payment delays and increased costs are affecting Russian-Chinese trade, with billions of yuan in transactions held up due to stricter compliance by Chinese banks following Western threats of secondary sanctions. While large companies, particularly in priority sectors like commodities, maintain smoother transactions, smaller firms are struggling, forcing some to use costly intermediaries or alternative payment methods, with transaction fees rising from near zero to as much as 6%.
1.6 South Korean spy caught leaking data to the PRC
It has emerged that a South Korean intelligence official leaked sensitive data to a suspected Chinese agent – including the identities of undercover operatives – over several years. The breach, which comes at a time when South Korea is expanding intelligence cooperation with the United States to counter North Korean and Chinese threats, has led to the recall of undercover agents from overseas and has sparked fears that sensitive information may have reached Pyongyang.
1.7 New Chinese primary-school textbooks promote national consciousness
The PRC’s Ministry of Education has released new textbooks for primary schools which will promote Xi Jinping Thought, traditional culture, and national security. The curriculum will also feature the CCP’s accounts of conflicts with India and Vietnam, reflecting the government’s drive to shape national consciousness.
1.8 Blockbuster Chinese video game tops international charts
‘Black Myth: Wukong’, released on 20th August, marks the PRC’s entry into the AAA video game market. Based on the classic Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’, the game has achieved international success, topping sales charts in the US, Germany, and Japan. This breakthrough represents a significant shift in the PRC’s gaming industry, which has previously focused on mobile games. The game’s success has been hailed by Chinese state media as a triumph of cultural soft power.
1.9 Chinese artist Gao Zhen detained for artwork critiquing Mao
Gao Zhen, one of the famous Gao Brothers artist duo, has been arrested in the PRC. Police have confiscated artworks created over a decade ago which included irreverent portrayals of Mao Zedong and critiques of the Cultural Revolution. The detention, based on a 2021 law against ‘slandering heroes and martyrs,’ signals an intensifying crackdown on artistic expression which challenges the CCP’s official historical narrative.
2.1 This morning, the Council on Geostrategy and the Coalition on Secure Technology published a Primer paper by Charles Parton. The paper outlines 10 priorities for the Labour government in managing relations with the PRC.
2.2 An article published by War on the Rocks argues that reports of the PRC’s defence spending approaching US$700 billion are exaggerated and misleading, due to inclusion of flawed purchasing power calculations. The authors argue a more accurate assessment would place the PRC’s defence expenditure at approximately US$474 billion for 2024.
2.3 The Council on Foreign Relations has released an interactive map which tracks the PRC’s growing maritime influence through investment in ports. Additionally, the map tracks the suitability of each port for use by the Chinese military.
2.4 The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has published an article about the PRC’s recently-launched G60 (Qianfan) satellite mega-constellation - the Chinese rival to Starlink - which aims to provide global satellite internet services. The centralised nature of satellite internet could allow nations to easily impose censorship, monitor users, and control information flow – as the article argues, exporting the PRC’s Great Firewall.
3.1 References to Taiwan removed from UK GCSE textbooks, following CCP pressure
Following pressure from the Chinese Embassy in the UK, British GCSE textbooks have removed references to Taiwan, such as ‘the Republic of China’. This incident demonstrates the extent to which the CCP is willing to align narratives in the UK with its political agenda, and to shape the next generation of British thinkers about China.
3.2 Two Hong Kongese journalists charged with sedition
Two journalists from the closed Hong Kong media outlet Stand News, Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, have been found guilty of sedition, marking another significant step towards the deterioration of press freedom in the region. This conviction is the first of its kind since Hong Kong’s return to Beijing’s control and reflects the ongoing crackdown on media outlets which it deems to be politically subversive.
Lord Patten of Barnes, the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong, commented:
The baseless allegations and verdict of this trial mark a further sinister turn for media freedom in Hong Kong, as it is clear that political commentary and opinion pieces may violate national security.
Catherine West, the Minister for the Indo-Pacific, remarked on X:
The UK wants Hong Kong to succeed as a truly international city, with the free exchange of opinions and information. Hong Kong authorities should end politicised prosecutions of journalists.
4.1 A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the UK has responded to an unspecified British politician’s comments on the recent sedition charge levied against Hong Kongese journalists:
It is completely inappropriate and unacceptable for the relevant British official to make case for suspected criminals and point fingers at the trial of the criminal case in Hong Kong court.
We urge British officials to stop disrupting the rule of law in Hong Kong and stop interfering in the internal affairs of China.
4.2 On 29th August, Zhang Youxia (张又侠), Vice Chairman of the PRC’s Central Military Commission, met Sullivan in Beijing. Zhang expressed that:
去年11月习近平主席同拜登总统在旧金山成功会晤，今年4月两国元首再次通话，为中美关系稳定、健康、可持续发展指明了方向。双方要落实好两国元首共识，推动“旧金山愿景”转为实景。中美保持军事安全领域稳定，符合双方共同利益，也是国际社会的普遍期待，希望美方在相互尊重、和平共处、合作共赢的道路上与中方同向发力。美方应当校正对华战略认知，回归理性务实的对华政策，切实尊重中方核心利益，与中方一道推进两军沟通交流，共同承担大国责任。
Last November, President Xi Jinping successfully met with President Biden in San Francisco, and this April, the two leaders had another phone conversation, which has charted the course for a stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations. Both sides should implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and promote the ‘San Francisco Vision’ into reality. Maintaining stability in the field of military security between China and the United States aligns with the common interests of both parties and is also the general expectation of the international community. We hope that the U.S. side will work with China towards mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. The U.S. should correct its strategic perception of China, return to a rational and pragmatic policy towards China, genuinely respect China’s core interests, and work together with China to promote military communication and exchange, jointly shouldering the responsibilities of major powers.
张又侠强调，台湾问题是中国核心利益中的核心，是中美关系政治基础中的基础，是中美关系第一条不可逾越的红线。中方始终致力于维护台海和平稳定，但“台独”同台海和平稳定水火不容。坚决反“独”促统是中国人民解放军的使命职责所系，对“台独”势力的肆意挑衅，我们必须予以反制。中方要求美方停止美台军事勾连，停止武装台湾，停止散布涉台虚假叙事。
Zhang Youxia emphasised that the Taiwan issue is the nucleus of China’s core interests; the foundation of the political basis of China-US. relations, and the first red line in China-US. relations that must not be crossed. China has always been committed to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, but ‘Taiwan independence’ is as incompatible with peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as water is with fire. Resolutely opposing ‘independence’ and promoting reunification is the mission and responsibility of the People’s Liberation Army. We must counteract the reckless provocations by ‘Taiwan independence’ forces. China demands that the U.S. stop its military collusion with Taiwan, stop arming Taiwan, and cease spreading false narratives about Taiwan.
4.3 On 27th August, Xi replied to a letter written by scholars from 50 African countries ‘encouraging them to continue to provide intellectual support for building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future and safeguarding the common interests of the Global South.’Xi Jinping stressed that:
China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future. In the face of an evolving and turbulent world situation, China and Africa need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation more than ever before. The upcoming Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) will bring together Chinese and African leaders once again to discuss China-Africa cooperation, which will open up even more magnificent prospects for China-Africa relations. Xi Jinping expressed the hope that based on the China-Africa Dar es Salaam Consensus, the African scholars will step up research and exploration on the development path of Global South countries, China-Africa and South-South cooperation, and continue to provide important intellectual support for building a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future and safeguarding the common interests of the Global South.
Gray Sergeant, Research Fellow on the Indo-Pacific at the Council on Geostrategy, writes from Texas:
Oceania has long been an area of competition between Taiwan and the PRC, given that the region is home to a dwindling proportion of Taipei’s few formal diplomatic partners.
Following Taiwan’s election in January this year, Nauru switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing. Five years before, so did Kiribati. In 2019, the Solomon Islands also broke off relations with Taiwan, and this year, it was reported that it would push to have Taiwan stripped of its ‘developmental partner’ status in the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
This did not materialise when the forum’s members met in Tonga last week. However, the line ‘leaders at the forum reaffirmed the 1992 Leaders decision on relations with Taiwan/Republic of China’ originally published in the summit communique was removed. This alteration followed an outburst from Qian Bo, Beijing’s special envoy there.
Nikkei Asia reported a ‘visibly angry’ Bo ‘confront[ing]’ the PIF’s secretary general, calling the statement ‘unacceptable’. Bo then recited to the press Beijing’s ‘One China’ principle, telling them that the clause relating to Taiwan was ‘a surprising mistake’ which ‘must be corrected’.
It is, therefore, not unthinkable to suppose that PRC pressure was at play. Beijing seeks to further isolate Taiwan on the world stage, including regional bodies, to punish the country for successively electing the Democratic Progressive Party. It also hopes to give credence to its belief in ‘One China’ and, through this wider acceptance of its territorial claims, preemptively justify any coercive or forceful measures it takes to enforce unification.
Last year, the Central American parliament, PARLACEN, voted to strip Taiwan of its observer status. Could the PIF be next?
While the forum contains three members who have formal ties with Taiwan (Palau, Tuvalu, and the Marshall Islands), next year, the Solomon Islands will assume the chair and host the grouping Leaders Meeting. So, do not expect this issue to go away.
That’s all for this week everyone, thank you for reading. The next newsletter will be published on Thursday, 12th September, as I am on annual leave next Monday. Please do check back in then!
- Liddy
(reach me at: elizabeth@geostrategy.org.uk)
If you would like to explore any of the Council on Geostrategy’s PRC-focused research papers, click here to visit the China Observatory.