Welcome to the July 10th Wednesday edition of “News Insight.” In this episode, our guest analysts were Professor Song Guocheng, Senior Researcher at the Center for International Relations at Political University, and Associate Professor Zheng Qinmo from the Department of Diplomacy and International Relations at Tamkang University. The show was hosted by Zhang Dongxu.
Today’s highlights focused on the “lying flat” phenomenon in Chinese society: unable to stop the river’s flow, but can stop the people’s voice! Why is the Chinese Communist Party actively engaging in international multilateral organizations? Can the new British Prime Minister solve the three major crises post-Brexit? A new Cold War as global polarization emerges!
The NATO summit kicked off on the 9th, with strategic attention shifting towards China. US President Biden called for establishing an alliance of countries worldwide to address challenges posed by China, Russia, and others.
Speaker of the US House of Representatives pledged to push legislation to confront China comprehensively; former officials from both parties are cooperating to expedite accountability for China’s role in the pandemic.
Why did China suddenly send troops to Belarus for military exercises near NATO’s borders in Poland? What challenges and opportunities may Europe face post the elections in the UK and France?
Does China’s Third Plenum really aim to revive the economy? Why are flood victims at the Dongting Lake breach appealing not to donate funds?
The NATO’s 75th-anniversary summit, which kicked off on Tuesday the 9th in Washington D.C., with 32 member countries and 4 Asia-Pacific partners (Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand), focused on supporting Ukraine, providing dozens of defense systems, and addressing the threats posed by China in the summit’s communiqué.
US President Biden in his opening speech stated, “Ensuring that we can build an alliance of countries around the world to confront China (the CCP), Russia, and everything happening in the world.”
The 2022 edition of NATO’s Strategic Concept identifies Communist China for the first time as a “strategic challenge” to the alliance. The Secretary-General of NATO emphasized recently that security is not just a regional but a global issue. The US Ambassador to NATO proposed the concept of a “single global theater.” Experts believe China poses a “long-term threat” to NATO.
What is Associate Professor Zheng Qinmo’s observation on this?
The NATO summit underscores the unity among the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific partners to uphold the international order. With the UK and France’s parliamentary elections ending before the summit, the UK elected a new Prime Minister, while France’s National Assembly had a three-way split without any party garnering a majority. Europe has been consolidating against China’s challenges in recent years. There is high concern about the UK’s and France’s post-election foreign and China policy strategies.
How does Professor Song Guocheng view this situation?
Before the NATO summit, the US, Europe, and 29 countries in Asia held large-scale military exercises across the Indo-Pacific. Japan and the Philippines signed a mutual access agreement, and the South Korean President visited the US Indo-Pacific Command. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization holds its summit with China and Russia in Kazakhstan, indicating efforts to expand partnerships akin to reviving the Warsaw Pact organization from the Soviet era. Additionally, China’s sudden military maneuvers in Belarus towards Poland and the appearance of the Shandong-class carrier in the Western Pacific have raised eyebrows.
Associate Professor Zheng Qinmo, what is your perspective on this?
The focus is on how NATO will counter China post the summit. Following the summit, China’s Third Plenum is scheduled to begin on the 15th, with authorities gradually disclosing some supposed reform measures. Rumors of setting up so-called “Joint Tax and Police Operations Centers” nationwide, along with leaked internal discussions within the Chinese Communist Party, hint at preparations for internal conflict, violent tax collection methods, wartime economy, to address economic and political crises lest the Party and government go bankrupt.
How does Professor Song Guocheng view the Third Plenum?
US House Speaker Mike Johnson, in a recent speech at a think tank, emphasized that China poses the biggest threat to global peace. He pledged to push more bills before the November House elections, urging Congress to utilize all available tools to fight China so that the government can combat China on the first day of the new term. The Chairman of the House Committee on countering China echoed, “A united America is what China fears the most.”
Recently, the Bipartisan Foundation, a think tank, released a report by former officials from both parties, highlighting over $18 trillion of economic losses caused by the pandemic in the US. They demand holding China accountable for negligence, lack of transparency, and covering up the outbreak. Calls for congressional amendments and prioritizing investigations into the origins of the pandemic are on the rise.
What is Associate Professor Zheng Qinmo’s take on this bipartisan wave?
Widespread flooding across multiple regions in mainland China has prompted citizens to question the authorities’ role in these disasters. Recently, breaches in the Dongting Lake’s second levee led to criticism of the officials. Reports suggest casualties of around two thousand people in Huarong County and over thirty thousand missing in Pingjiang County. Flood victims are urging the public not to donate funds to the Chinese authorities, with reports of businesses facing public backlash after making donations.
How does Professor Song Guocheng observe this situation?
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New Tang Dynasty Asia-Pacific Television, “News Insight” production team