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ABC News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
As China targets Taiwan's undersea cables, some locals fear 'grey zone' warfare
阅读中文版 At the Port of Anping in Tainan, Taiwan's ancient capital, a large cargo ship named Hong Tai 58 sits decaying and riddled with rust. Once ruled by a pirate warlord named Koxinga, who drove out Dutch colonists in the 1662 siege of Fort Zeelandia, Tainan is now where this crumbling vessel and its captain have been detained since February. One of the ship's anchors is missing, likely left lying on the sea bed about 10 kilometres west. There, it's alleged the captain instructed his sailors to zigzag over the top of Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 communications cable, which connects the 100,000 residents of the outlying Penghu Islands to the rest of Taiwan and the world. There are 24 of these vital arteries which connect Taiwan to the beating heart of the modern world — the internet — and China has been accused of sabotaging several, including two just this year. Despite the fact the Chinese Communist Party has never ruled Taiwan, Beijing has labelled what it calls "reunification" as essential to the full rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Chairman Xi Jinping has been increasingly strident in his statements, refusing to rule out the use of force to seize Taiwan. In 2023, the severing of two cables connecting the Matsu Islands, which sit close to the Chinese coast, saw their 14,000 residents nearly completely disconnected from the internet for more than a month. The vessel and its captain and crew were detained in Tainan in February. ( ABC News: Fletcher Yeung ) Communications weren't impacted in Penghu in February. But the Penghu archipelago sits much nearer to Taiwan's main island, showing how willing Beijing is to encroach closer and closer in its efforts to pressure the self-ruled democracy. It also offers a preview of how Beijing might try to isolate Taiwan in any future blockade or invasion. "I think this is a warning sign," said Sheng I-che, a researcher and activist on Penghu Island who previously served as CEO of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's Penghu chapter. "We've received a very clear signal, this is the prelude to a coming war. "Now that we look back, what happened in Crimea in 2014 is gradually happening around Penghu and the surrounding waters of Taiwan." China's 'grey zone tactics' at sea But many on Penghu don't share Mr Sheng's grave view of the current situation. Everything here revolves around the ocean, the local economy largely driven by fishing and tourism. Speaking to sellers at the largest fish market on the island in the early hours of the morning, few are terribly worried about what happened to the undersea cable — some are even completely unaware. Experts say fishermen on Penghu are very concerned about being detained by China's coast guard. ( ABC News: Fletcher Yeung ) Locals gather to sell fresh catches at the largest fish market on the island. ( ABC News: Fletcher Yeung ) The people of Penghu say their livelihood and safety is at risk when they take to the seas. ( ABC News: Fletcher Yeung ) Penghu's local economy is largely driven by fishing and tourism. ( ABC News: Fletcher Yeung ) They are, however, animated about the impact on local livelihoods. "I didn't feel much pressure [when the cable was cut]," one seller tells the ABC. "What I worry about are the fishing boats going out to sea. I worry that they might be under more pressure." Last year, a fishing vessel from Penghu was captured by the Chinese Coast Guard and towed back to China. The speaker of the local government travelled to Fujian, the province closest to Taiwan, to secure the release of the boat captain. There have also been recent clashes between fishing boats and the coastguard on both sides around other offshore islands Kinmen and Matsu, which sit very close to southern China. The most notable incident was when a Chinese vessel capsized near Kinmen Island early last year while being pursued by the Taiwanese coastguard, resulting in the drowning of the two crew members on board. Beijing seized that moment, announcing it would step up coastguard patrols around Kinmen, which at its closest is only 2km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, clearly visible from multiple places on the island. Then in an unprecedented escalation, six Chinese coastguard officials boarded a Taiwanese tourist boat for about half an hour, checking its papers and planned route, according to Taiwanese officials. Sheng I-che is a researcher and activist on Penghu Island. ( ABC News: Fletcher Yeung ) "When it comes to issues involving fishermen, local residents in Penghu react more strongly," Mr Sheng said. "Because most of these fishermen are people they know or they're connected to the community in some way, so naturally the threat feels much more personal. "But what's worth noting is that China has been constantly using so-called grey-zone tactics in this process, a tactic they often use is mixing military and civilian operations." The ships lurking in Taiwanese waters The Hong Tai 58 was flying under a flag of convenience, registered to the nearly landlocked African nation of Togo. Its crew and captain are Chinese, and the Taiwanese coastguard alleges it is Chinese funded. Prosecutors say the ship's movements were erratic in the days before the cable was cut, and tracking data shows it had been hanging around the area for some time. Hsu Geng-rui says he's noticed ships drifting around the area "for one or two months". ( ABC News: Fletcher Yeung ) Former navy radar specialist Hsu Geng-rui also noticed its strange journey. "I keep an eye on the traffic near the submarine cable zones," he said. "What makes them suspicious is how could there be a ship hanging around this area drifting here for one or two months, we've even observed some have stayed for over half a year. "For a ship to keep a crew drifting offshore like that, just the crew's salary alone would cost at least several million New Taiwan Dollars (roughly $150,000) per month. "So unless there's some government force backing it, normal ship owners wouldn't allow their vessel to just aimlessly drift out at sea." Hsu Geng-rui keeps an eye on the traffic near the submarine cable zones. ( ABC News: Fletcher Yeung ) Mr Hsu has been monitoring military planes and vessels around Taiwan for three decades, in which time he's noticed Chinese military activity increase as well as the incidences of cable cutting like in February. The interior of his car is full of radios and tablets with various tracking programs installed. Usually at night, he holes up in his car for hours, a red light illuminating the cab's interior as he watches and listens. It's a utilitarian, but powerful set-up. "Right now, because today's telecom transmission signals are very good, the current range we can receive here covers from just north of Hong Kong all the way to around Fuzhou," he said. "The last Chinese military drill was called 'Strait Thunder'. There were military activities all around Taiwan. "In the south, south-east, and south-west areas, there were several warships and even an aircraft carrier." The psychological burden of grey zone warfare The cutting of Penghu's telecommunications cable was the second act of alleged Chinese sabotage just this year. In January, the Trans-Pacific Express Cable System north of Taiwan was cut in another set of suspicious circumstances. Authorities alleged a Cameroon-registered, Hong Kong-owned freighter named the Shunxing 39 was responsible, and requests were made for help from South Korea as the vessel was headed towards Busan. The ship's owner at the time denied the ship had cut the cable, calling it a "normal trip". Weeks later, Taiwan's digital affairs ministry declared that 10 of its undersea cables would be classified as "critical infrastructure", which comes with extra security and increased government oversight. Prosecutors have also charged the captain of the Hong Tai 58 with violating the Telecommunications Management Act by destroying submarine cable infrastructure, in the first criminal case of its kind in Taiwan. The other seven crew members have been deported to China. But there's concern Beijing is exporting these tactics to Europe as well, to help its ally Russia, as Moscow wages war on Ukraine and tries to pressure other nearby countries. In mid-November, two major subsea cables were damaged within 24 hours of each other, and a Chinese cargo vessel, Yipeng 3, was discovered operating in the area. One of the cables linked Finland and Germany, while the other connected Sweden and Lithuania. Investigations by Danish, German and Swedish authorities found evidence of sabotage. The ultimate aim of acts like this — grey zone warfare — is to exhaust both military and civilian resources, and at least for Taiwan, wear down the public psychologically. "I think the danger is that, because here in Taiwan, if you ask people whether they want to fight if the war happened tomorrow, it's always 50 to 60 per cent of people want to fight," said Puma Shen, a legislator from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and criminology professor at the National Taipei University. Puma Shen believes China wants to get half the Taiwanese population primed to want to surrender. ( ABC News: Fletcher Yeung ) "But only 20 per cent say they want to surrender, so for people who have no opinion, it's probably 30 per cent — that's the target group for China's infiltration and cognitive warfare. "They want to persuade that 30 per cent to move them to the surrender side, and then we will be a 50-50 society that will be the best timing for them to shoot the missile — and 50 per cent of our Taiwanese people will say they want to surrender and want to sign the peace agreement with China." For its part, China denies sabotaging Taiwan's submarine cables, accusing Taipei of hyping up the Hong Tai 58 incident and politicising the courts. "The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have been … blaming the vessel for cutting the cable without investigation — this is clearly a case of 'presuming guilt before investigation,'" Beijing's Taiwan Affairs office stated in April. "Taiwan's judiciary has already become a political tool for the DPP's 'anti-China' agenda and has lost all credibility." Why Ukraine's war terrified some Taiwanese While many members of the public don't seem outwardly panicked about Taiwan's security situation, those in charge of the island's defences do seem to be feeling the urgency. Between 2019 and 2023, Taiwan's undersea cables were damaged 36 times by external forces or collisions, according to the National Audit Office, although it's unclear how many were accidental versus acts of sabotage. Then in March, Beijing unveiled a powerful new cable cutter, which it claims can slice through lines at depths of up to 4,000m. Taipei has started work on reducing its reliance on undersea cables –Taiwan's main telecom company Chunghwa has signed a partnership with UK-European satellite company Eutelsat OneWeb and the government plans to build its own satellite network, although that will take years. The Ministry of Digital Affairs is also reportedly in talks with other international satellite companies but negotiations with Starlink, which has been a vital lifeline in Ukraine, failed amid concerns about owner Elon Musk's business connections to China and previous statements about Taiwan. US intelligence suggests that while no deadline has been set for an actual invasion or blockade of Taiwan, Mr Xi has instructed his country's military to be prepared by 2027. Poll after poll of the Taiwanese public indicates the majority wants to maintain the current status quo. Experts fear the targeting of cables is psychological warfare, designed to wear Taiwanese people down. ( ABC News: Fletcher Yeung ) On the backdrop of an unpredictable second Trump administration, Taiwan is looking increasingly insecure and wondering whether the US would have its back in a war with China. "We have Trump 1.0 not fighting an overseas war, we have Biden who clearly stated he would not send troops into Ukraine, and even now it's even more unlikely Donald Trump would get involved in a Taiwan contingency," said Alexander Huang, the international director of the main opposition party the Kuomintang. "It can be interpreted that the lessons we learned from Ukraine is we need to defend our own homeland." Taiwan buys an enormous amount of weapons from the US — the backlog alone is worth more than $US20 billion — and American troops are believed to be in Taiwan training its military. But there is still plenty of work to be done to fortify the island psychologically. "What happened there in Ukraine at the very beginning, Russia didn't really cut their internet connection, because they believed they could actually utilise the internet connection to disseminate fake news, disinformation, to disrupt the society," said Dr Shen. "So here we got two scenarios, one is that China won't cut the cables, but actually using the internet to do war, or they cut the cables to create chaos." Local Penghu business owner Huang Shih-En, has lived on the island most of his life. He too worries that some locals don't take the threat seriously enough. "I believe incidents like this will only increase in the future, and the impact will become deeper and deeper," he told the ABC. "By the time the impact becomes really serious, if we only react then, I think it will already be too late." Read the story in Chinese: 阅读中文版
CNN
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
‘No winners in tariffs wars or trade wars,' Xi Jinping makes first public remarks after tariff rollback
Chinese President Xi Jinping made first public comments since the US and China reached a trade truce. "Bullying or hegemonism only leads to self-isolation," Xi told the audience at a summit with Latin American and Caribbean officials in Beijing on Tuesday.
Associated Press
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Global Times: Xi's reply letter to young volunteers in West China highlights their role in boosting education, fostering ethnic unity
05/10/2025, Beijing, China // KISS PR Brand Story PressWire // Chinese people believe that letters are as valuable as gold. For thousands of years, letters, across mountains and oceans, have been delivering the writers' sentiments, and conveying friendship and expectations. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, has managed to find time to reply to some letters from different sectors of the society and different parts of the world despite his busy work schedule. Through his letters, Xi has corresponded with people from all walks of life on numerous occasions, part of a series of excellent stories of China in the new era. Therefore, the Global Times traced and contacted some of the recipients of Xi's letters to hear the inspiring stories behind the letters and their communications with the Chinese President. In this installment, representatives from a volunteer teaching team at a remote primary school in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, who recently received a reply letter from Xi, shared their stories of committing themselves to the western region, serving the border areas while promoting ethnic unity and progress. In the remote areas of vast western China, educational resources are not as developed as those in the eastern coastal regions. However, children in these regions have an equal right to education. To help bridge the gap, many young volunteers have set aside their studies or temporary jobs and left behind comfortable urban lives to travel to these areas, choosing to grow alongside the children and offer them opportunities for a broader and brighter future. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on Chinese youth to dedicate themselves to the country's modernization drive by serving where the nation needs them most, the Xinhua News Agency reported on May 3. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a reply letter to a group of volunteer teachers working in a remote border school in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. On the occasion of China's Youth Day that falls on May 4, Xi extended festive greetings to young people across the country and expressed high expectations for their contributions in the letter. He commended the volunteers who are serving at a primary school in Karajol Township, Artux City, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous Prefecture. The village school is located just 47 kilometers from China's border. 'You have responded to the Party's call by teaching in the western border areas, where your efforts have not only promoted local education and ethnic unity but also contributed to prosperity and stability along the border,' Xi said. According to Xinhua, the volunteers wrote to Xi to share their experiences and reaffirm their commitment to serving in China's border areas. Life-changing deeds Xieyite Primary School, a village-level school made up primarily of Kirgiz ethnic group students, is home to nearly 300 pupils, most of whom are children of border patrol officers. These officers have safeguarded the country's 'western gate' for generations, according to a report by People's Daily. In August 2022, 23 volunteers from across the country participating in the 'Go West' program arrived at Xieyite Primary School, embarking on their journey of teaching local students. Launched in 2003 by the Central Committee of the China Communist Youth League (CCYL), the 'Go West' program is a collaborative endeavor that aims to send university graduates to volunteer in education, health, agriculture, and social management sectors in the country's western region for a period of one to three years. At Xieyite Primary School, after three years of volunteer teaching and with all the efforts of the volunteers, the school has seen a marked improvement in educational quality. The volunteer team, with an average age of just 24, was awarded the China Youth May Fourth Medal - the highest honor for Chinese youths aged 14 to 40 - granted by the CCYL and the All-China Youth Federation this year. In April, the school leadership and all 23 members of the volunteer team wrote a letter to President Xi, reporting on their experiences teaching in the border region and expressing their determination to take root in the west and serve the frontier areas, according to a report released by the local publicity department on its official WeChat account. Soon, the volunteers received this significant reply letter from Xi. This is a holiday memory that will remain unforgettable for youths in Xinjiang and across the country, volunteer Wang Yizhi told the Global Times. 'Every single word in the letter conveys the expectations and trust that the Chinese leader has placed in our generation,' said fellow volunteer Yan Zefeng. 'Serving where the nation needs them most - this sentence reaffirmed that our original choice was the right one.' Two years ago, when Gao Chao learned he had been assigned to teach at Xieyite Primary School, he knew almost nothing about it. At the time, Gao Chao had just graduated from the Shanxi Datong University in North China's Shanxi. Upon arriving in Xinjiang region, Gao Chao stood at the front of the classroom for the first time. Before her sat a second-grade class, the students neatly seated at their desks, eyes wide with curiosity. Gao Chao set a simple goal for herself: To teach each lesson well. She noticed that the herders' children struggled to understand common math problems using examples like 'getting on and off the bus.' So she localized the content, turning them into sheep-counting problems: 'There were a certain number of sheep in the pen, some were let out in the morning, and some came back in the evening. How many are there now?' As a new teacher, Gao Chao realized how much she needed to learn. She kept refining his course plans, watching expert teaching videos online, and gradually, she grew into a capable and committed educator. In addition to academic improvement, the arrival of volunteers has also broadened the students' horizons. Gao Shuxian, a young woman also from Shanxi, joined Xieyite Primary School in 2023. At first, she discovered that most students had never traveled farther than Kashi city. Their exposure to the outside world was minimal. From then on, during every school break, Gao Shuxian would take photos and videos on her journey home to share with her students. Moreover, in August 2024, with the help of sponsorship, she and three other teachers took 12 students from the school on a study tour to Beijing. For many of the children, it was their first time leaving the remote region - and their first glimpse of the wider world. Dilizhada's most vivid memory was visiting Peking University, where she saw students radiating with confidence. 'I used to think my life would be like that of my parents - living in the mountains forever. But after this trip, I realized college life is full of experiences. If I study hard now, I will have more choices in the future,' she said. Heart-to-heart experience In the process of rooting themselves in the borderland primary school, these volunteers have also formed deep bonds with the children and their families, embodying the spirit of ethnic unity. Nuerbiye, a native of Korla city in central Xinjiang, came to Xieyite Primary School in 2022 after graduating from the Xinjiang Agricultural University. As a member of the Uygur ethnic group, she understands the importance of mastering Putonghua, China's national language. 'Helping the children learn Putonghua well means they will be able to communicate no matter where they go in the future,' she said. To support the students' language learning, Nuerbiye and other volunteers bought storybooks to encourage reading and used their spare time to teach the children to recite ancient Chinese poems. After nearly three years of effort, the students at Xieyite Primary School can now speak fluent Putonghua. Nuerbiye's dedication has won the appreciation of both students and parents. One parent even gave her a traditional Kirgiz dress during a home visit so I could experience local culture. In return, she gave the family a traditional Uygur Atlas fabric as a gift. 'Since we arrived, teachers and students of different ethnic groups have lived and worked together in harmony.' Yan, another volunteer teacher at the school, is known among the students as their warm-hearted 'big brother.' He carefully observes the children's learning habits and pays regular home visits, always quick to notice their needs. 'It's important to understand what's going on inside their hearts.' One mischievous boy shared that he had once been mocked by classmates because of his parents' divorce. He was in low spirits until Yan noticed he had not spoken all day. Yan quietly organized a themed class meeting on 'how to get along with classmates,' encouraging mutual support and empathy. Yan also asked students to write down their wish lists: Pens, notebooks, dictionaries, gloves… 'Their wishes are so simple,' he said. 'One student even wrote, 'I hope my teacher stays healthy and happy.'' Yan admitted that seeing such pure hopes made it hard for him to ever let them down. The school's nearly 300 students are mostly the children of border patrollers. 'Seeing how hard these families work to guard the border, I always feel like I haven't done enough,' Yan told the Global Times. In his letter, Xi noted that more young people have chosen to serve as volunteers in the country's western regions and rural areas over the years, demonstrating their spirit of dedication and sense of responsibility. He urged the young people to stand firm in their ideals and convictions, cultivate patriotism, develop outstanding skills, and work hard to contribute to Chinese modernization. Since 2003, the 'Go West' program has attracted over 540,000 college graduates and post-graduates engaging in voluntary service at more than 2,000 county-level areas, according to the CYLC, Xinhua reported in July 2024. For Nuerbiye, as she spent more time with her students, she found that the children had grown attached to her - and she to them. She has since renewed her volunteer contract twice. 'This July will mark the end of my three-year maximum term. No matter how hard it is to part, I will have to leave. But more people will come to take my place,' she said. This article first appeared in the Global Times: Company: Global Times Contact Person: Anna Li Email: [email protected] Website: City: Beijing Disclaimer: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies (including product offerings, regulatory plans and business plans) and may change without notice. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.
Bloomberg
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Xi Tells Putin to Reach ‘Fair' Peace Deal to End War on Ukraine
Chinese President Xi Jinping said he hopes to see a 'fair' peace deal on Ukraine, the latest move in his balancing act to mend ties with Europe in the face of a de facto trade embargo from the US. China hopes 'a fair, lasting and binding peace deal that is accepted by all parties involved' could be reached through dialogue, Xi told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during a tea chat in Moscow on Thursday, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
