As of June 6th, images taken in the first week of June show that China has removed or relocated the surface-to-air missile systems from Woody Island, a disputed territory in the South China Sea. Beijing-based naval expert, Li Jie, said that the removal was temporary and for the purpose of maintenance. – Ziqing Zhang
On June 7, news of Huawei’s 5G phone models hit the internet, bringing China one step closer to winning the race to implementing a 5G network. United States and China are among a number of countries seeking to build and develop a 5G network, the next generation of mobile internet expected to employ blazing fast network speeds. – Analyst Dillon Billingham
SUMMARY In a report released on June 10, labor rights NGO China Labor Watch and British newspaper, The Observer, criticized Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, for mistreating workers in a factory located in Hengyang, China. Headquartered in Taiwan, Foxconn owns thousands of factories and manufactures products for American tech giants like Apple and Amazon.…
On June 6, Singapore’s Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat asserted that the recent tit-for-tat trade dispute between the US and China likely carries the major risk of miscalculation, potentially spelling possible chaos on the global economy. – Dillon Billingham
June 5, American social media giant Facebook released a statement that it had data-sharing partnerships with four Chinese electronics manufacturers, including Huawei which had been tagged by the US intelligence community as a potential threat to national security. While the partnerships are still active, Facebook representatives said that their relationship with Huawei would…… – Analyst Ziqing Zhang
On June 7, 2018, United States Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced a settlement deal with Chinese smartphone manufacturer ZTE requiring that the Chinese firm pay a $1 billion fine, shuffle top leadership, and deposit $400 million in an escrow account in case ZTE violates the deal. – Analyst Ziqing Zhang
On June 8, the United States State Department issued an alert to American citizens living and traveling to China to seek medical attention if they experienced strange ‘auditory or sensory’ symptoms. The symptoms described in reports are eerily similar to those experienced by the American diplomats evacuated to the United States from Guangzhou in late May 2018 and from Cuba in 2016. – Analyst Ziqing Zhang
As of the end of May 2018, multiple outlets indicated that the United States may soon be lifting its ban on Chinese telecommunications company ZTE after talks of a preliminary $1.4 billion agreement is met. The deal is broken up into $1 billion in fines, $400 million in damage control for intellectual property violations, and over $350 million from amending a 2017 settlement agreement. – Dillon Billingham
On May 25, concerns over the price tag attached to a Myanmar port construction (China’s CITIC Group won the rights 3 years ago) arose as experts questioned why the project would cost so much. In addition, the less than flattering reports of China’s motivation behind the $7.5 billion deep-sea port in Kyaukpyu are being questioned by critics of the One Belt One Road Initiative (OBOR) also known as the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI). – Dillon Billingham
As of May 30, Chinese construction firm, Gezhouba Group, acquired Brazilian water supply company Sistema Productor São Lourenço as part of the expansive the Belt and Road Initiative. The project is expected to help alleviate water shortage problems in Sao Paulo. Some experts are concerned that China is trying to expand its renewable energy influence in international markets by buying up foreign utility firms. – Ziqing Zhang
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