I posted this elsewhere already, but it also fits here goven many of the posts in this thread: It is not just about data/privacy concerns (which are underestimated imo, as China pursues an own agenda with collecting your data through Chinese tech) and ‘unfair’ subsidies, but about gross human rights violations.

In short, some parts of the cheap Chinese cars are made in concentration camps where people are forced to work under catastrophic conditions.

The EU Council approved a ban on June 24 on access within the bloc to four key Russian state-run or controlled media outlets effective the next day (June 25):

1. Rossiyskaya Gazeta
2. Voice of Europe
3. RIA Novosti
4. Izvestiya.

The EU already banned other Russian propaganda outlets before, such as RT and Sputnik.

And one detail here is that mainstream media don’t report on this. They do as if it didn’t happen.

@zecg

What a garbage! This comment doesn’t make sense for a lot of reasons, but the most obvious one at first sight is the ‘useful idiots’ argument. These ‘useful idiots’ are exactly the far right-wing officials who get repoortedly bribed by China and Russia, and are criticized by their own party members for their incompetence.

Criminals have already been using alternative ways to exchange data for a lo.g time, especially those who are exchanging images and videos (such as CSAM) as everyday messengers are completely inapt for transmitting such large volumes of data. And these algorithms will yield a lot of false positives too.

And it is the wrong signal to authoritarian countries as it makes people and companies extremely vulnerable. As Markus Hartmann, Chief Public Prosecutor in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, said not long ago on chat control:

“From the point of view of information security there is to assume an increased risk [of hacking]. There is no special expertise [demonstrated by politicians] in this area with regard to the signal effect for authoritarian states.”

[Original link in German, translation my own.]

Chinese orgs love signing MOUs

The CCP - or, better, the China Scholarship Council (CSC) under the rule of the CCP - forces Chinese students and researchers to sign ‘loyalty pleadges’ before giong abroad saying they “shall consciously safeguard the honor of the motherland, (and) obey the guidance and management of embassies (consulates) abroad.” The restrictive scholarship contract requires them to report back to the Chinese embassy on a regular basis, and anyone who violates these conditions is subject to disciplinary action.

In one investigation,

Mareike Ohlberg, a senior fellow working on China at the German Marshall Fund, sees the CSC contract as a demonstration of the Chinese Communist Party’s “mania for control.”

“People are actively encouraged to intervene if anything happens that might not be in the country’s interest,” Ohlberg said.

Harming China’s interests is in fact considered the worst possible breach of the contract.

“It’s even listed ahead of possible involvement in crimes, so effectively even ahead of murder,” she noted. “China is making its priorities very clear here.”

[…] Kai Gehring, the chair of German parliament’s Committee for Education and Research, says the CSC contracts are “not compatible” with Germany’s Basic Law, which guarantees academic freedom.

In Sweden, for example, universities have already cancelled the collaboration with the CSC over this practice.

There is ample evidence that China uses scientific collaboration with private companies as well as universities and research organizations for spying. You’ll find many independent reports on that as well as of the CCP’s intimidation practices of Chinese students who don’t comply with the party line, e.g., in Australia and elsewhere. It’s easy to find reliable sources on the (Western) web.

Done, thanks.

This is not about EV cars, but it is a perfect real-life example what happens if and when you pursue an economic policy like China’s:

China solar panel manufacturers seek government action to halt freefall in prices

Chinese solar panel manufacturers said they are seeking immediate government intervention to curb investment and industry collaboration to arrest a plunge in prices of solar cells and modules, as the industry faces overcapacity.

Financial incentives and a government push have helped China become the solar panel factory of the world, accounting for about 80% of global module capacity. Analysts expect Chinese manufacturers to add up to 600 gigawatts (GW) this year, enough to meet global demand through 2032.

However, with no end in sight for the plunge in prices, industry officials and analysts said intense competition was threatening to drive smaller producers into bankruptcy. Rapid capacity additions drove down prices of China’s finished solar panels by 42% last year.

[Edit typo.]

Shenzhen and Hong Kong and many other Chinese cities are really great, I have been there too. The point is that what we see and what you describe is the surface. China is a deeply autocratic regime. It’s a shame what the CCP is doing to the Chinese people and their culture.

Tariffs make us all poorer in the long run. Did we learn nothing in the 20th century?

A bold statement without any economic or political context. It is Tthngs like that which make the foundation of misinformation and disinformation imo, and, in that case, play into the hands of Chinese disinformation campaigns.

Good. But European firms must also stop putting European intellectual property and national security at risk by outsourcing the making of sensitive technology to China or other countries, and Chinese and other foreign companies shouldn’t be allowed to take over European companies (the latter being a corresponding rule in China for foreign companies btw).

This somehow on topic as someone mentioned ‘lobbying’:

Pfizergate: Belgian court postpones case to December taking pressure off von der Leyen — (Archived version)

The latest hearing in the Pfizergate scandal has been postponed until 6 December by a Belgian court to give parties additional time to examine certain aspects of the case, a decision likely to be a relief for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is currently busy on the campaign trail ahead of the June EU elections.

In April 2021, the New York Times broke the ‘Pfizergate’ story, revealing that von der Leyen had negotiated a contract for 1.8 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses during the pandemic with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla through mobile phone texts that remain undisclosed to this day.

In June 2022, the European Ombudsman concluded that the contract negotiation was a case of ‘maladministration’.

Maybe that’s part of Russia’s Doppelganger campaign (for those who may not know: Doppelganger disinformation campaign)

US B-52 Bombers fly close to Russia’s borders escorted by German, Spanish, and Polish fighter jets — (Archived link)

[…] This deployment is a routine yet significant demonstration of NATO’s capability to operate seamlessly and maintain stability in the Baltic Sea region.

During the mission, the bombers flew close to Russian territory in Kaliningrad, circling over Lithuania and traversing Dutch, German, and Polish airspace. […] These sorties serve as a reminder of NATO’s resolve and readiness to respond to potential threats in the region.

The report has two parts:

• The donors behind almost three quarters of political donations in the EU are hidden from the public (https://www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-party-finances-transparancy)

• Quarter of political donations in Europe are going to extremist and populist parties (https://www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-party-finances-populists-are-getting-richer)

You need to register for reading the articles (but don’t need to pay). If you don’t want to register, you can use 12ft.io (the archive doesn’t appear to eliminate the registration).

In addition, you see a list of reports by media outlets from across Europe in multiple languages.

As long as Russia hasn’t left Ukraine, there is no such thing as security for Europe.

China wouldn’t agree with your view I guess.

Bugging equipment found in room where Polish government was to meet

Bugging devices were found in a room where Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was scheduled to meet with his Cabinet on Tuesday, an official said.

The Cabinet ministers were meeting in Katowice, a southwestern Polish city where Tusk was attending an economic conference.

Jacek Dobrzyński, the spokesperson for the head of Poland’s secret services, said a routine security check uncovered equipment that could be used for recording or eavesdropping.

He wrote on social media on Tuesday morning that “the State Protection Service, in cooperation with the Internal Security Agency, detected and dismantled devices that could be used for eavesdropping in the room where the meeting of the Council of Ministers is to be held today in Katowice.”

“The services are conducting further activities in this matter,” he added.

The Cabinet traditionally holds a weekly meeting in Warsaw but exceptionally held it in Katowice due to the European Economic Congress taking place there, at which European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen delivered a speech.

Tusk and the government ministers went to Katowice on Tuesday morning by train.

French lawmakers officially recognise China’s treatment of Uyghurs as ‘genocide’ — (2022)

France’s parliament on Thursday denounced a “genocide” by China against its Uyghur Muslim population […] The non-binding resolution, adopted with 169 votes in favour and just one against […] reads that the National Assembly “officially recognises the violence perpetrated by the People’s Republic of China against the Uyghurs as constituting crimes against humanity and genocide”.

It also calls on the French government to undertake “the necessary measures within the international community and in its foreign policy towards the People’s Republic of China” to protect the minority group in the Xinjiang region.

Yeah, just posted this in another comm as the 7-year old’s father is a construction worker according to the article:

Construction Skills Shortage Threatens Infrastructure Projects in the UK

A dire shortage of construction skills and persistent planning delays pose significant threats to infrastructure projects, despite heightened interest from pension funds to invest in the sector.