The intensification of geopolitical contradictions between the United States and China in Myanmar. China's response to allegations of spy and political interference in New Zealand. Plus, Russia's secret trade channel with India raises concerns. Stay informed about the evolving dynamics in international politics with Simply Politics.
Sources:
https://www.voachinese.com/a/china-us-at-odds-over-war-torn-myanmar-s-future-as-geopolitical-tensions-rise-20240905/7773149.html
https://www.rfi.fr/cn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20240905-%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E5%9B%9E%E5%BA%94%E6%96%B0%E8%A5%BF%E5%85%B0%E9%97%B4%E8%B0%8D%E4%B8%8E%E6%94%BF%E6%B2%BB%E5%B9%B2%E6%B6%89%E6%8C%87%E6%8E%A7-%E7%A7%B0%E4%B8%8D%E6%98%AF%E5%A8%81%E8%83%81
https://theinitium.com/zh-Hans/article/20240906-opinion-interview-china-sovereign-funds
https://chinese.aljazeera.net/news/political/2024/9/4/%e4%bf%84%e7%bd%97%e6%96%af%e6%ad%a3%e5%9c%a8%e4%b8%8e%e5%8d%b0%e5%ba%a6%e5%bb%ba%e7%ab%8b%e4%b8%80%e6%9d%a1%e7%a7%98%e5%af%86%e8%b4%b8%e6%98%93%e9%80%9a%e9%81%93
Outline:
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:00:49) With the intensification of geopolitical contradictions, the future position of the United States and China to Myanmar is different
(00:02:48) China's response to New Zealand spy and political interference allegations that are not threats
(00:04:53) Interview with political economist Liu Zongyuan: What role does China trillions of sovereignty funds play each? ｜ Duan Media Initium Media
(00:07:33) Russia is establishing a secret trade channel with India
Simply Politics, from China
Geopolitical Competition in Myanmar, China’s Response to New Zealand Allegations
The intensification of geopolitical contradictions between the United States and China in Myanmar. China's response to allegations of spy and political interference in New Zealand. Plus, Russia's secret trade channel with India raises concerns. Stay informed about the evolving dynamics in international politics with Simply Politics.Sources:https://www.voachinese.com/a/china-us-at-odds-over-war-torn-myanmar-s-future-as-geopolitical-tensions-rise-20240905/7773149.htmlhttps://www.rfi.fr/cn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20240905-%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E5%9B%9E%E5%BA%94%E6%96%B0%E8%A5%BF%E5%85%B0%E9%97%B4%E8%B0%8D%E4%B8%8E%E6%94%BF%E6%B2%BB%E5%B9%B2%E6%B6%89%E6%8C%87%E6%8E%A7-%E7%A7%B0%E4%B8%8D%E6%98%AF%E5%A8%81%E8%83%81https://theinitium.com/zh-Hans/article/20240906-opinion-interview-china-sovereign-fundshttps://chinese.aljazeera.net/news/political/2024/9/4/%e4%bf%84%e7%bd%97%e6%96%af%e6%ad%a3%e5%9c%a8%e4%b8%8e%e5%8d%b0%e5%ba%a6%e5%bb%ba%e7%ab%8b%e4%b8%80%e6%9d%a1%e7%a7%98%e5%af%86%e8%b4%b8%e6%98%93%e9%80%9a%e9%81%93Outline:(00:00:00) Introduction(00:00:49) With the intensification of geopolitical contradictions, the future position of the United States and China to Myanmar is different(00:02:48) China's response to New Zealand spy and political interference allegations that are not threats(00:04:53) Interview with political economist Liu Zongyuan: What role does China trillions of sovereignty funds play each? ｜ Duan Media Initium Media(00:07:33) Russia is establishing a secret trade channel with India
- Duration:
- 9m
- Broadcast on:
- 06 Sep 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
Good morning, and welcome to Simply Politics from China. It's Friday, September 6th. On today's show, with the intensification of geopolitical contradictions, the future position of the United States and China towards Myanmar differs. China responds to New Zealand's spy and political interference allegations that are not threats, plus an interview with political economist Liu Zongyuan on the role of China's trillions of sovereignty funds. This coverage and more up next. I'm David, and you're listening to Simply Politics from China. We start off with China's recent warning against what it terms as interference by extraterritorial forces in Myanmar. This comes at a time when Myanmar finds itself increasingly caught in the escalating geopolitical competition between Beijing and Washington. Here to discuss this further is our correspondent James. Could you elaborate on the context of this warning? Certainly, David. The warning from China comes as the United States deepens its engagement with Myanmar's democratic forces, which has raised concerns in Beijing. It suggests that Beijing is deeply suspicious of Washington's intentions in Myanmar. And how has China expressed these concerns? Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi voiced these concerns during an informal meeting with his counterparts from Laos, Thailand and Myanmar in Chiang Mai, Thailand on August 16th, 2024. Wang emphasized that Myanmar's internal affairs should not be subject to arbitrary infiltration and intervention by external forces, particularly opposing extraterritorial forces interfering in Myanmar's internal affairs. The Chinese embassy in Myanmar and official media quickly echoed this stance, stressing that no party should cross the line of intervention by extraterritorial forces. What has been the response from the United States? The meeting coincided with a virtual talk between U.S. officials and Myanmar's opposition, where Washington reiterated its support for Myanmar's transition to a civilian government. However, it's worth noting that the U.S. has not directly responded to China's warning. So, what does this mean for the future of Myanmar's political landscape? It's difficult to predict with certainty, but it's clear that Myanmar is increasingly becoming a focal point of geopolitical competition between Beijing and Washington. This could potentially complicate Myanmar's political transition and its relations with these two major powers. Thanks for that report, James. Staying on the topic of China, the country has responded to New Zealand's accusations of espionage and political interference, asserting that it does not pose a threat. This comes in response to a report by New Zealand's intelligence agency expressing concerns about Beijing's complex and deceptive interference operations. Here to discuss this further is our correspondent, Bella. Could you tell us more about the allegations made by New Zealand's intelligence agency? Certainly, David. In its annual threat report, New Zealand's intelligence department stated that the People's Republic of China remains a complex source of concern for New Zealand. The report accused Beijing of infiltrating Chinese organizations in New Zealand, giving the impression that the community operates as a whole in a way that benefits the Chinese Communist regime. And how has China responded to these allegations? The Chinese embassy in Wellington responded by stating that these allegations are baseless and imaginary or purely fabricated. The embassy emphasized that there is no competition between the two countries and that China does not pose a threat to New Zealand. The embassy also accused the report of attempting to smear Chinese expatriates and students, describing it as extremely irresponsible, reckless, and extremely unfair to the Chinese community. What has been the recent trend in the relationship between China and New Zealand? After years of strengthening economic ties with China, New Zealand's new center-right government has recently readjusted the country's foreign policy, aligning New Zealand with traditional Western allies, especially the United States. In March of this year, New Zealand publicly accused a Chinese state-backed organization of being behind a malicious cyber attack that penetrated New Zealand government computer systems. Beijing denied these allegations. Despite these tensions, China remains New Zealand's largest economic partner. Thanks for that report on the complex political situation in China, Bella, shifting gears to the economic front. Over the past year, China's stock market has experienced significant volatility with the Shanghai Composite Index recently falling to a new low. Amid this, the operations of a state-owned company Central Huijin have come under scrutiny. Here to discuss this further is our correspondent Celeste. Can you tell us more about Central Huijin and its recent activities? Certainly, David. Central Huijin is a state-owned company that has been actively involved in the financial market. In the fourth quarter of 2023, it's spent nearly five billion yuan to increase its holdings in four major state-owned banks. In the first half of 2024, it's expected to spend $233 billion yuan to purchase four broad-based ETFs. These moves not only highlight the severity of domestic market turmoil, but also reveal the government's efforts to curb it. And what is the role of Central Huijin in the broader context of China's economy? Central Huijin can be classified as China's sovereign wealth fund, and is the earliest sovereign wealth fund established by the Chinese government. It holds trillions of dollars in assets, on the one hand stabilizing the domestic stock market and promoting financial reform, and on the other hand, diversifying the allocation of national foreign exchange, investing in global natural resources and strategic industries, while also helping Chinese companies go global and expand overseas. Can you explain what a sovereign wealth fund is and why the Chinese government established one? A sovereign wealth fund is a state-owned investment fund that invests in real and financial assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate precious metals, or in alternative investments such as private equity fund or hedge funds. China established its sovereign wealth funds as a policy tool with a huge amount of money and influence to stabilize its domestic market, promote financial reform, and diversify its national foreign exchange. What are the new trends and challenges for China's sovereign wealth funds in recent years? The trends and challenges for China's sovereign wealth funds are closely tied to the country's broader economic and political landscape. As China seeks to finance its global ambitions, it needs to navigate the complexities of international relations, economic volatility, and strategic vulnerabilities. This requires a careful balancing act between domestic and international interests and between economic growth and political stability. Thanks for the report, Celeste. Shifting our focus to another geopolitical development, Russia is reportedly establishing a covert trade channel with India according to leaked documents cited by the Financial Times. The documents suggest that Russia plans to use Indian rupees obtained through oil sales to purchase sensitive electronic products for its military industry. Here to discuss this further is our correspondent Michael. Can you tell us more about these leaked documents? Certainly, David. The documents reportedly show that Russia is secretly acquiring sensitive goods in India and has even set up some local facilities to ensure components for its military industry. The media obtained some letters drafted by the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, which is mainly responsible for overseeing defense production supporting the war in Ukraine. These letters contain a secret plan to spend about 82 billion rupees, equivalent to 1 billion US dollars at the time in October 2022 to protect the security of the country's important electronic equipment through hidden channels. And what is the significance of this covert trade channel? This covert trade channel would allow Russia to bypass Western scrutiny while obtaining sensitive electronic products for its military industry. It's a strategic move that could potentially bolster Russia's military capabilities while also strengthening its economic ties with India. What could be the potential implications of this for the international community? The establishment of this covert trade channel could potentially raise concerns among Western countries, particularly given the ongoing tensions between Russia and the West. It could also impact the dynamics of international trade and geopolitics as it highlights Russia's efforts to diversify its economic partnerships and reduce its reliance on Western countries. Thanks for that report, Michael. It's certainly a situation to keep an eye on. And with that, we wrap up our stories for today. Thanks for listening to Simply Politics from China. We'll see you back here tomorrow. [MUSIC] [BLANK_AUDIO]