The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long sought to influence the media and information space in other countries, and the effort has intensified over the . Much of the activity is overt — diplomats publishing op-eds or state-run news outlets generating propaganda. While some covert tactics were also documented, for many years there was no significant evidence that Chinese actors were engaging in aggressive disinformation campaigns like the one pursued by Russia on global social media platforms ahead of the 2016 U.S. elections. That has now changed.Over the past month alone, a series of...…The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long sought to influence the media and information space in other countries, and the effort has intensified over the . Much of the activity is overt — diplomats publishing op-eds or state-run news outlets generating propaganda. While some covert tactics were also documented, for many years there was no significant evidence that Chinese actors were engaging in aggressive disinformation campaigns like the one pursued by Russia on global social media platforms ahead of the 2016 U.S. elections. That has now changed.Over the past month alone, a series of...WW…

Since Facebook announced its new digital currency project “Libra,” it has faced fierce pushback from global regulators and financial sectors. Libra, designed with an associated global payment system, has the ambition to make monetary transactions as convenient as messaging for billions of people worldwide. Libra is joining a global online payment revolution led by China, where nearly half of the world’s digital payments are made. QR codes have conquered China’s stores, restaurants, and public transportation for instant payments; using cash and credit cards is obsolete. Mobile payment...…Since Facebook announced its new digital currency project “Libra,” it has faced fierce pushback from global regulators and financial sectors. Libra, designed with an associated global payment system, has the ambition to make monetary transactions as convenient as messaging for billions of people worldwide. Libra is joining a global online payment revolution led by China, where nearly half of the world’s digital payments are made. QR codes have conquered China’s stores, restaurants, and public transportation for instant payments; using cash and credit cards is obsolete. Mobile payment...WW…

Just how notable is the Indonesian government’s recent submission at the United Nations citing the July 2016 ruling by the Hague-based arbitral tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the South China Sea in Philippines v. China? Last week, Jakarta’s UN mission submitted a “note verbale” (an official diplomatic communication) to the office of the UN Secretary-General opposing as “a series of circular notes filed by Being in relation to Malaysia’s application to define the limits of its extended continent shelf.”The Malaysian application was a late-2019 surprise and may have had...…Just how notable is the Indonesian government’s recent submission at the United Nations citing the July 2016 ruling by the Hague-based arbitral tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the South China Sea in Philippines v. China? Last week, Jakarta’s UN mission submitted a “note verbale” (an official diplomatic communication) to the office of the UN Secretary-General opposing as “a series of circular notes filed by Being in relation to Malaysia’s application to define the limits of its extended continent shelf.”The Malaysian application was a late-2019 surprise and may have had...WW…

This week the ASEAN Joint Task Force on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) will meet via video conference, with the COVID-19 pandemic escalating just as some countries in the disaster-prone Indo-Asia Pacific enter their cyclone, drought, heatwave, or monsoon seasons. The overlaying of the pandemic with existing complex challenges is a timely reminder that planning for HADR capacities – and regional security – needs to be attuned to the increasing likelihood of multiple, overlapping hazards and converging security risks, especially in a future where climate change alters the...…This week the ASEAN Joint Task Force on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) will meet via video conference, with the COVID-19 pandemic escalating just as some countries in the disaster-prone Indo-Asia Pacific enter their cyclone, drought, heatwave, or monsoon seasons. The overlaying of the pandemic with existing complex challenges is a timely reminder that planning for HADR capacities – and regional security – needs to be attuned to the increasing likelihood of multiple, overlapping hazards and converging security risks, especially in a future where climate change alters the...WW…

On Monday, the government of India to ban 59 Chinese mobile applications within its borders. In a statement from the country’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, governing authorities from India accuse these Chinese mobile applications, including TikTok, WeChat, and Weibo, of mining user data and transferring data to servers outside of the country.The ban on Chinese mobile applications was not appreciated by the Chinese government. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the decisions and urged India to “uphold the legitimate rights of international investors.”Despite...…On Monday, the government of India to ban 59 Chinese mobile applications within its borders. In a statement from the country’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, governing authorities from India accuse these Chinese mobile applications, including TikTok, WeChat, and Weibo, of mining user data and transferring data to servers outside of the country.The ban on Chinese mobile applications was not appreciated by the Chinese government. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the decisions and urged India to “uphold the legitimate rights of international investors.”Despite...WW…

Diplomat Risk Intelligence, The Diplomat’s consulting and analysis division. The strategy of “infrastructure-led growth” (growth, not economic and social development) seems to be showing its limits in Africa, where China has largely been instrumental in promoting it.This strategy is based on the Keynesian multiplier theory whereby any increase in aggregate demand would result in a more than proportional increase in GDP. In other words, any investment in infrastructure would induce growth, regardless of its true economic and social profitability. The implementation of this theory greatly...…Diplomat Risk Intelligence, The Diplomat’s consulting and analysis division. The strategy of “infrastructure-led growth” (growth, not economic and social development) seems to be showing its limits in Africa, where China has largely been instrumental in promoting it.This strategy is based on the Keynesian multiplier theory whereby any increase in aggregate demand would result in a more than proportional increase in GDP. In other words, any investment in infrastructure would induce growth, regardless of its true economic and social profitability. The implementation of this theory greatly...WW…

On Tuesday the Russian Navy successfully tested its Zircon hypersonic cruise missile against a maritime target in the Barents Sea.Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency that the missile was by the North Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Gorshkov, striking a maritime target 450 kilometers away and reaching a maximum speed of Mach 8. The Zircon was first tested from the Admiral Gorshkov against a land target in January and again in July.The Zircon is a scramjet-propelled anti-ship cruise missile that has been under development since 2011. Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed in 2019 that the...…On Tuesday the Russian Navy successfully tested its Zircon hypersonic cruise missile against a maritime target in the Barents Sea.Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency that the missile was by the North Sea Fleet frigate Admiral Gorshkov, striking a maritime target 450 kilometers away and reaching a maximum speed of Mach 8. The Zircon was first tested from the Admiral Gorshkov against a land target in January and again in July.The Zircon is a scramjet-propelled anti-ship cruise missile that has been under development since 2011. Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed in 2019 that the...WW…

Amid growing fears that the Netherlands is becoming a “,” the unexpected arrest of alleged Chinese synthetic drug kingpin and most-wanted international fugitive Tse Chi Lop in Amsterdam in January has crowned an amphetamine-paced year for Dutch drug enforcement.After dismantling a 32 methamphetamine labs last year, according to the Dutch National Police’s 2020 Synthetic Drugs Overview, Dutch narcs saw the reputed “El Chapo of Asia” mosey right into their clutches.Tse, a 57-year-old Canadian citizen and the presumed “dragonhead” of the Sam Gor “super” syndicate – an alliance of five Chinese...…Amid growing fears that the Netherlands is becoming a “,” the unexpected arrest of alleged Chinese synthetic drug kingpin and most-wanted international fugitive Tse Chi Lop in Amsterdam in January has crowned an amphetamine-paced year for Dutch drug enforcement.After dismantling a 32 methamphetamine labs last year, according to the Dutch National Police’s 2020 Synthetic Drugs Overview, Dutch narcs saw the reputed “El Chapo of Asia” mosey right into their clutches.Tse, a 57-year-old Canadian citizen and the presumed “dragonhead” of the Sam Gor “super” syndicate – an alliance of five Chinese...WW…

China’s achievements in the arena of outer space continue to make headlines across the globe. The nation’s most recent successes include their Chang’e lunar mission series, which saw the in 2019, and at the end of 2020. In February of this year, China’s first Mars mission, Tianwen-1, , and in March an agreement to construct was officially announced. Alongside these large-scale national undertakings, , seeing hundreds of commercial space enterprises established over the last five years.With all eyes on the development of China’s space technologies, one vital area that has been overlooked is...…China’s achievements in the arena of outer space continue to make headlines across the globe. The nation’s most recent successes include their Chang’e lunar mission series, which saw the in 2019, and at the end of 2020. In February of this year, China’s first Mars mission, Tianwen-1, , and in March an agreement to construct was officially announced. Alongside these large-scale national undertakings, , seeing hundreds of commercial space enterprises established over the last five years.With all eyes on the development of China’s space technologies, one vital area that has been overlooked is...WW…

The Diplomat has removed paywall restrictions on our coverage of the crisis.We often ascribe a basic level of humanity to even the cruelest leaders, but People’s Republic of China leader Xi Jinping’s actions have forced us to rethink this assumption. Although the emergence of the novel coronavirus now known as SARS-CoV-2 was , the emphasis that its authoritarian system places on likely gave the disease a sizable head start . But most ominously, China’s obsession with image and Machtpolitik raises serious questions about its lack of moral limits.At some point the Chinese Communist Party...…The Diplomat has removed paywall restrictions on our coverage of the crisis.We often ascribe a basic level of humanity to even the cruelest leaders, but People’s Republic of China leader Xi Jinping’s actions have forced us to rethink this assumption. Although the emergence of the novel coronavirus now known as SARS-CoV-2 was , the emphasis that its authoritarian system places on likely gave the disease a sizable head start . But most ominously, China’s obsession with image and Machtpolitik raises serious questions about its lack of moral limits.At some point the Chinese Communist Party...WW…