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Photo : South China Morning Post

China Reader Daily Wire | 23 April 2024, Tuesday | Vol.1 No. 63

Nvidia chips found in Chinese firms and institutes after US restriction of sale, finds Reuters

China’s sizeable donation to the World Anti-Doping Agency strengthens its influence, reports AP

HIGHLIGHTS
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Nvidia chips found in Chinese firms and institutes after US restriction of sale, reports Reuters
On 23 April, Reuters reported that Chinese universities and research institutes were able to catch hold of Nvidia chips, the AI chip through resellers, despite the US restrctions imposed. The sanction prohibited and banned the sale of critical technology to China. The Reuters report found that 10 Chinese entities were able to acquire tech from Super Micro Computer, Dell, Taiwan Gigabyte Tech and others. While the ban is imposed it is not illegal to sell these technologies in China. It is not clear if the sellers are selling from the stockpiles from before the US restrictions. Nvidia spokesperson said: “They do not indicate that any of our partners violated the export control rules and are a negligible fraction of the products sold worldwide.” Some of the Chinese institutes that have access to these technologies are the Chinese Academy of Science, the Hubei Earthquake Administration, and a tech firm owned by the Heilongjiang provincial government amongst others. Some believe that the chip could be diverted to China without the manufacturer's knowledge and the lack of transparency in the supply chain. Reuters investigation found that dozens of transactions found that Chinese state entities were able to purchase these techs, though a small fraction showed that China still had access. (Eduardo Baptista, Fanny Potkin and Max A. Cherney, “Exclusive: China acquired recently banned Nvidia chips in Super Micro, Dell servers, tenders show,” Reuters, 23 April 2024)

INTERNATIONAL
China’s sizeable donation to the World Anti-Doping Agency strengthens its influence, reports AP
On 22 April, the Associated Press looked into the China-WADA relationship and their growing closeness. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) cleared 23 Chinese swimmers accused of using performance enhancers. Prior to this, the Chinese government contributed nearly USD 2 million for WADA programs, this included strengthening WADA’s investigating and intelligence capabilities. AP reported that WADA executives listed China’s contributions to be USD 993,000 in 2018 and USD 992,000 in 2019 after which one of the Chinese Olympians was elected as the vice president of WADA. There are allegations that China used the money to clear its name and have more agency in WADA as the money received was publicly informed and notified. WADA director general Olivier Niggli said: “All this was done in total transparency,” and “And frankly, the (question) has absolutely nothing to do with what we are discussing today. So, the optics is a question (I appreciate), but I have absolutely no problem with the relationship we have with China.” This also came at a time when relations between WADA and its largest regular contributor were tense. In 2021, the US was unhappy with the approval of a law to combat doping and with held few payments, stating the “sorry state of affairs,” of WADA. (Eddie Pells, “Chinese generosity in lead-up to cleared doping tests reflects its growing influence on WADA," Associated Press, 22 April 024 )

CHINA READER DAILY WIRE
INTERNAL
110,000 evacuated and 25,800 in shelter after floods in Southeast China
On 22 April, BBC reported on the massive floods in China. The Chinese authorities have evacuated more than 110,000 people from Guangdong. The reason for this catastrophe is said to be the heavy rains in China’s most populated region. It is estimated that four people have died while ten are still missing. The water levels are dangerously high as the rivers burst out of their banks. The region Guangdong is part of the Pearl River delta which is a low-lying river, prone to floods due to storms and rising sea levels. The worst hit was the provincial capital Guangzhou and the city of Shaoguan and Heyuan. Over the weekend over 1.16 million houses lost power while 80 per cent of it was successfully restored. The Xinhua news reported that currently there are 25,800 people in the shelters. The estimated loss after dozens of homes across the region collapsed and damaged is USD 19.8 million. (Kelly Ng“Tens of thousands evacuated from massive China floods,” BBC, 22 April 2024)

CHINA & EAST ASIA
China opposes Japanese PM's offering to a shrine dedicated to Japanese war criminals
On 22 April, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Wang Wenbin opposed the ritual offering by the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Yasukuni Shrine. The Shrine is considered controversial as it symbolizes Japan’s former military aggression. Kishida made a bonsai offering to the shrine. Wang said that the shrine was dedicated to 14 Class-A war criminals, who played a substantial role in the war. The Shrine is seen as a symbol of Japanese war as it is dedicated to leaders who were convicted as war criminals by the Allied Tribunal after the war. Wang said: “The Chinese side firmly opposes Japan’s negative moves about the Yasukuni shrine. The Chinese Foreign Ministry and the Chinese embassy in Japan have made solemn statements to Japan, respectively.” South Korea also protested against Kishida’s actions are expressed disappointment, urging the leader to show repentance of their wartime past. (“China opposes Japan Prime Minister’s offering at Yasukuni shrine,” The Straits Times, 22 April 2024)

CHINA & SOUTHEAST ASIA
China and Cambodian agree to hurry the finalization of the South China Sea Code of Conduct
On 22 April, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minster Sun Chanthol, Wang echoed the need to protect regional peace in the region. They agreed to speed up the process to finalize the South China Sea Code of Conduct. The plans for the code of conduct can be traced back to the early 2000s when the provision was first introduced. Other than that Wang also informed of cooperation in six fields of politics, agriculture, energy, security, production capacity and humanities. China is Cambodia’s largest trading partner where there was USD 11.6 billion in trade. China owns 37 per cent of foreign loans given to Phnom Penh worth USD 10 billion. Other than the above, Wang also called for a continuous crackdown on cyber scams and investments. (Zhao Ziwen, “South China Sea: China and Cambodia vow to move quickly to conclude code of conduct amid tension in the disputed waterway,” South China Morning Post, 22 April 2024)

CHINA & EUROPE
Germany and the UK probe local nationals as Chinese spies for sharing technology and information
On 22 April, prosecutors from Germany informed that they found three German Nationals shared technologies with Chinese intelligence that could be used for military purposes. Additionally, the UK arrested two medical students on suspicion of sharing “prejudiced” information with China. The Chinese embassy in Germany refuted the allegation and said: “We call on Germany to desist from exploiting the espionage accusation to politically manipulate the image of China and defame China.” The prosecutor found Thomas R. as an agent for China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). The court found Herwing F and Ina F a couple were found guilty of procuring information from researchers. The couple informed us that they were preparing a study for Chinese contractors on machine parts used for marine engines and combat ships. The contractor they informed was the same MSS employee from whom Thomas R. also received the orders. The court found that the suspects bought a special laser from Germany on behalf of the MSS and exported it to China without legal authorization. The UK court also found two British Nationals breaching the Official Secrets Act by providing prejudiced information to China. (“Suspected Chinese spies arrested in Germany, Britain,” Al-Jazeera, 22 April 2024)

CHINA & THE AMERICAS
US Annual Human Rights Report wrote extensively on Chinese exploitation of Uyghur Muslims
On 22 April, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken launched the Annual Human Rights Report by the US State Department. Blinken highlighted the condition of Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region and called the issue “genocidal crimes against humanity.” The report while including atrocities occurring in Myanmar and Sudan wrote extensively on Chinese violations throughout several decades. The report said: “continues to carry out genocide, crimes against humanity, forced labour and other human rights violations against predominantly Muslim Uygurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups.” The report comes ahead of Blinken’s visit to China where he expected to make remarks on unfair economic practices and the human rights issue in China. (Bochen Han, “Antony Blinken highlights China’s Uygurs as victims of ‘genocide’ at US human rights report launch,” South China Morning Post, 23 April 2024)

Chinese media criticize US bill on forceful divestment of TikTok
On 22 April, Chinese media criticized the bill passed by the US House of Representatives, forcing the company to disinvest from TikTok. The US House fast-tracked the legislation and asked the ByteDance company to divest from the ownership of the popular social media app in 12 months. The company is now forced to sell TikTok even though they said that they would fight in court, said TikTok’s head of policy in America Micheal Beckerman. While the Chinese government did not respond or comment on the same, the Chinese media have been voicing concerns over the prejudiced action. CGTN a Chinese state-run English newspaper called the divest of TikTok as “Sinophobia,” and opinion also inferred that the bill exposed the weakness of the US and the lack of confidence they have. The op-ed also said that it is apparent that any non-American entity poses a threat to US dominance in any sector, and that is when the government intervenes and makes it political to rearrange the rules, said David Gosset’s piece in CGTN. (Coco Feng, “Chinese state media hit out at US over TikTok ‘sell-or-ban’ bill as owner ByteDance remains silent,” South China Morning Post, 22 April 2024)

EAST ASIA & THE PACIFIC READER
EAST ASIA
Taiwan affirms to “safeguard peace and freedom,” after US military aid
On 22 April, Taiwanese Premier Chen Chien-jen affirmed that they would work with the US to “safeguard peace and freedom in the region.” This comes after the US approved billions to Taiwan for military aid as they face increased Chinese threat. On 20 April, the US of Representatives passed a bill of USD 95 billion for Ukraine and Israel, while they also allotted USD 8 billion to deter China. The Taiwanese Defence Ministry informed that they have marked USD 1.9 billion in aid by the US to replenish their military and USD 2 billion for “foreign military financing,” of Taiwan. Premier Chen said: “Taiwan will continue to work with like-minded countries, including the United States, and all countries in the free democratic camp... to safeguard peace and freedom in the Indo-Pacific region and make the Taiwan Strait area more stable.” (“Taiwan thanks US for the aid package, says it will ‘safeguard peace’,” The Straits Times, 22 April 2024)

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