De Chinese Wouden, vrijdag 21 augustus: MediaMarkt, Duitsland, Zwitserland

Fijn weekend.

Doneer via ‘Buy Me A Coffee’

Verhoudingen tussen Brussel en Beijing verder op scherp: Chinees JD.com 京东网 mag niet meewerken aan EU-onderzoek naar overname MediaMarkt – NRC 🇪🇺
China’s justice ministry blocks firms from aiding EU foreign subsidies probe into JD.com 京东网’s proposed Ceconomy [MediaMarkt] takeover as regulatory clash deepens – SCMP: ‘This is the second time Beijing has used a blocking order to ensure entities do not comply with such a probe, having issued a similar decree with regard to a case centred on airport scanner maker Nuctech in May.’ 🇪🇺
China’s justice ministry says EU’s probe into e-commerce giant JD.com 京东网 unlawful – Xinhua: ‘the ministry said the conclusion followed an investigation conducted under China’s rules on countering foreign states’ unlawful extraterritorial jurisdiction measures, which were issued in April this year.’ 🇪🇺

German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD/S&D) accused China of flouting global trade rules at campaign stop and said the government in Berlin is likely to adopt a ‘firmer stance’ in its engagement – Bloomberg: ‘Klingbeil called for making industrial sectors such as steel and automotive more resilient’ 🇩🇪

Switzerland and China agreed on a new trade accord that almost entirely removes tariffs on Swiss exports, as Beijing tries to increase ties in Europe amid its ongoing rivalry with the US for global influence – Bloomberg 🇨🇭

Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 congratulates Andras Baka on assuming Hungarian presidency – Xinhua 🇭🇺

German spy agency BfV opens helpline for those exiled from Russia and China – Reuters 🇩🇪

Rabo: goedkope Chinese chemie maakt Nederlandse economie kwetsbaarder – FD 🇳🇱

CDU-Außenpolitieker Johannes Volkmann warnt Regierung: Alarm! China macht deutsche Wirtschaft platt – BILD: „Er warnt vor einer Wiederholung des Russland-Fehlers, der Deutschland in eine tiefe Abhängigkeit geführt hat, die unsere Wirtschaft und Bevölkerung bis heute teuer zu stehen kommt.“ 🇩🇪
Wie wirkt der China-Schock 2.0 auf die deutsche Industrie, und wie sollen wir reagieren?’ – Jürgen Matthes in Wirtschaftsdienst vol. 106, no. 9 (2026): „Um ein faires Wettbewerbsumfeld herzustellen, sollte die Europäische Union sektorweite Ausgleichszölle erheben – am besten mit gleichgesinnten Staaten in einem Ausgleichszollklub.“ 🇩🇪

New Geely 吉利 chairman has revealed the company’s plans to build fancy models at Volvo’s European plants – Electrifying: ‘That would make it most likely that Zeekr or Lynk & Co models will made in Europe, chiefly in order to avoid punitive tariffs that are being levied on Chinese cars by the EU.’ 🇪🇺
Dit was deels de bedoeling van de Europese heffingen.
New Geely 吉利 chairman vows to double exports, target Europe, as China’s home market struggles – Automotive News 🇪🇺
China’s Chery Automobile 奇瑞汽车 to set up UK research centre – Reuters 🇬🇧

China drove global electric truck and bus sales above half a million in 2025 – Reuters
E-Lkw: China legt im Wettlauf der Systeme vor – Table Briefings

Škoda CEO says VW aims to finalise India partner this year to share risk, drive growth – Reuters 🇮🇳

US steps in to fund African rare earths shunned by private money, sources say – Reuters 🇺🇸
Exclusive: China slows exports of key optical and aerospace metals to Taiwan – Nikkei Asia: ‘prolonged customs checks since last year’ 🇹🇼

Bussenbouwer Ebusco krijgt investering van €6 miljoen – NRC 🇳🇱

China eases limits on Nvidia H200 chips as AI race escalates – FT: ‘Small batches of Nvidia’s H200 chips have been allowed to enter mainland China, as Beijing tries to aid its leading AI companies in the race to catch up with US rivals.’ 🇺🇸

Germany’s VDMA lobby calls on Europe to step up on humanoid robotics as Unitree 宇树 surges – Reuters: ‘The VDMA said a global race for leadership in humanoid robotics has begun, and the topic of humanoid ​robotics and ​physical AI ⁠must be placed at the top of the political ​agenda.’ 🇩🇪🇪🇺

Who is really buying China’s humanoid robots? – FT: ‘China’s humanoid robot makers are generating much of their revenue from selling machines to government-backed training centres — which then collect and sell training data back to the robot makers, raising concerns about actual demand in an industry Beijing is keen to promote.’
China robot makers seek to turn humanoid hype into useful work – Reuters

China says it recovered a rocket booster on land for the first time, a major step toward catching up with US firms like SpaceX – Bloomberg

China’s commerce ministry urges US to immediately repeal Section 232 tariffs on drones, parts – Xinhua 🇺🇸

Finbarr Bermingham: Pourquoi Xi Jinping ne craint plus l’Europe – Le Grand Continent : « L’image que l’Europe renvoie depuis 18 mois n’est pas celle d’un acteur prêt à agir et à prendre des mesures. Le gouvernement chinois lui accorde probablement peu de crédibilité, notamment depuis la signature de l’accord de Turnberry avec les États-Unis. » 🇪🇺

A New World Disorder? – Mark Leonard for China Books Review

After the loans, the contracts remain: China’s new Balkan model – Stefan Vladisavljev for CHOICE: ‘The pattern now appears across the Western Balkans on a smaller scale. An EBRD-financed Chinese consortium reconstructed Sarajevo’s tram track’

NATO’s nightmare: The US and Europe have no clear plan for a joint attack from Russia and China – Simon Shuster for The Atlantic

Commentary: The real flaw in China’s AI strategy – Hou Hong for Caixin Global: ‘As the financial realities set in, Chinese AI firms will inevitably erect higher commercial barriers, gradually eroding the broad ecosystem benefits they initially championed. For policymakers in Beijing, the immediate challenge is not restricting the outflow of open-weight models but ensuring that the domestic open-source ecosystem does not quietly collapse under commercial pressures.’

Ep 82: Another grim month for the Chinese economy – The Trivium China Podcast 🍎

China agrees with Russian foreign minister Lavrov’s remarks on Japan, foreign ministry spokesperson says – Xinhua: ‘On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov told the media that Japan was initially designated as an “enemy state” in the UN Charter. Japan joined the UN after having atoned for its militaristic policies and the crimes it committed. By joining the UN, Japan recognized the principles enshrined in the Charter in their entirety.’
‘Japan needs to be reminded that instruments with legal effect under international law, including the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, stipulate Japan’s international obligations as a defeated country and serve as cornerstones of the postwar international order, Lin said. He said fulfilling these obligations is the political and legal prerequisite for Japan to be readmitted to the international community.’ 🇯🇵🇷🇺

China considering summit with Seoul in November, South Korean foreign ministry says – Reuters: ‘at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen’ 🇰🇷
Chinese FM Wáng Yì 王毅 calls for healthy, stable, and sustainable China-South Korea ties – Xinhua: ‘Wang expressed hope that South Korea, based on its fundamental interests, pursues an independent foreign policy and develops relations with other countries in parallel without conflict.’ 🇰🇷

Bessent says US will impose toughest ever sanctions on Iran, urges China to cooperate – Reuters 🇺🇸🇮🇷

Xinhua Commentary: China firmly committed to global drug-control cooperation – Xinhua 🇺🇸
China and the Philippines jointly arrest key member of cross-border gambling syndicate – Xinhua 🇵🇭
China and Australia bust transnational cigarette smuggling case – Xinhua 🇦🇺

China completes first stage of work at disputed Antelope Reef in South China Sea, images show – Reuters: ‘“The northern part of the South China Sea would be particularly important in a Taiwan conflict scenario, so Antelope is ideally placed,” said Ben Lewis’ 🇵🇭🇹🇼
China to build environmental monitoring station near disputed Scarborough Shoal – SCMP: ‘In 2012, China took control of Scarborough Shoal, known as Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal in the Philippines.’ 🇵🇭

Malaysia’s Anwar to visit China next month with an eye on building trade ties – SCMP 🇲🇾
Malaysia PM Anwar backs China’s right to use force on Taiwan, Taipei hits back with trade threat – Malaysiakini 🇲🇾🇹🇼
Anwar vindt MH17 ook maar ongemakkelijk, omdat hij naast China ook Rusland nodigt heeft bij zijn hoop om economisch te profiteren van de BRICS.

CK Hutchison 長江和記實業 seeks US$1.5 billion from Panama in treaty dispute arbitration –Reuters 🇵🇦

Chinese vice premier He meets Chilean FM – Xinhua 🇨🇱

China’s UN envoy calls for comprehensive solution to Libyan issue – Xinhua 🇱🇾

Mongolian official apologises after China raises security concerns about protesters at oil camp – SCMP 🇲🇳

China’s [official urban] youth jobless rate climbs to 17.9% in July – Caixin Global

China revamps US$1.5 trillion housing fund to unlock savings, boost consumption – Caixin Global

Global luxury brands are facing a deepening sales slump in China – Bloomberg: ‘The slump coincides with China’s sweeping efforts to stem capital outflows and reclaim tax revenues’

China adds eight banks to digital yuan network in latest expansion – Caixin Global

China sentenced China Evergrande Group’s founder Hui Ka Yan 许家印 to life imprisonment and fined the group and an affiliate a total of CN¥16 billion [€2bn], cementing the downfall of the property tycoon who exemplified the country’s real estate boom and bust – Bloomberg: ‘The sentence doesn’t bring an end to the numerous legal fights surrounding Evergrande. The company is now in liquidation’

Government ‘respects’ different views in Japan on Yasukuni Shrine visits, Foreign Minister Lin says – Focus Taiwan: ‘but also hopes Tokyo will reflect on its wartime aggression.’ 🇯🇵

First two F-16V fighter jets en route to Taiwan, sources say – Focus Taiwan 🇺🇸

Education ministry reveals cross-Strait exchange oversight tool – Taipei Times: ‘A Control Yuan investigation earlier this month found unequal cross-strait student exchanges and inaccurate reporting by schools.’ 🇨🇳

Cabinet approves 2027 budget proposal, defence spending at 3.01% of GDP – Focus Taiwan: ‘President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) has set a goal of keeping Taiwan's defense budget above 3 percent of GDP while gradually increasing the share to 5 percent by 2030.’
NB: de begroting voor 2026 is pas deze maand door het gespleten Taiwanese parlement gekomen…

Speaker Han and Premier Cho continue to spar over countersign refusal – Taipei Times

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