SIGNAL Group

In his New Year's Eve speech, Chinese President #XiJinping addressed two issues the non-Chinese world finds concerning—the rise of Chinese nationalism and the Chinese concept of a new world order. In line with his three global initiatives (development, security, civilization), President Xi connected the two issues and demonstrated the ways in which the "Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation" is a crucial part of #China's effort to reshape the global order. President Xi often focuses on particular issues in his speeches, depending on context and timing. In this brief speech, he ranges far and wide. He connects China's technological developments ("quality productive forces") to its unlimited geographical reach—from the moon to the Arctic through the deepest ocean. He then goes on to describe in detail his journeys throughout China (and not the world), describing China as a "complete package"—history, values, aesthetics, and an internal coherence that is unrivaled. Of course, he then describes what is still missing—#Taiwan —and commits to reunification as a "trend of the times." “Triumph” is a major value for #Xi, extending from sports to natural disasters. Xi’s China aspires to excellence (as demonstrated at the Paris Olympics). It is resilient in the face of adversity. Chinese from all walks of life contribute to the nation’s triumphant approach, from athletes to soldiers and ultimately to the leadership, always on hand to assist in a crisis. China’s development and the improvement of Chinese lives—improved grain production, raising pensions, cutting mortgages (among others)—are no less important than Olympic medals. China knows where it wants to go, but it will not arrive there solely on the merit of “being Chinese.” Or rather, being Chinese necessitates a propensity for change and reform alongside inspiration from ancient traditions. According to Xi, China must not only innovate, but it must also pursue continuous reform. This reform, which includes “opening up,” is planned and led by the #CPC and is an integral part of China’s “rejuvenation.” Xi explains that China is, simultaneously, a 5000-year-old civilization, a country intent on achieving the best of all possible futures, and a state of mind actively inspiring every Chinese individual. Full article: https://bit.ly/3BTy3WE #ChinaWorldOrder #ChinaTaiwan #GreatPowerCompetition

Happy New Year from all of us at SIGNAL Group! Wishing you a wonderful 2025.

The #Chinese and #Japanese foreign ministers took a step toward supporting President Xi Jinping’s Global Civilization Initiative (#GCI) when Wang Yi and Takeshi Iwaya (respectively) discussed "culture" last week. The two recently concluded the 2nd meeting of the High-Level Consultation Mechanism on People-to-People and Cultural Exchange between China and Japan—the first in five years. The GCI, according to President Xi, is one of three initiatives designed to reshape global governance in ways that better suit China and its interests. This reshaping was a feature of President Xi’s contribution to the 22nd Doha Forum in early December, where the SCMP headline read, "China’s ties with Global South show a different world order is possible." The article by Wang Huiyao, founder of the successful Beijing-based think tank Center for China and Globalization, focuses more on the economic side of the story. However, the civilizational side maybe even more significant. This is an area where China may feel it has a historic edge, as Japanese and other Eastern civilizations emerged from Chinese history and culture. The cultural meeting between the Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers ended with an agreement to expand joint activities across ten different venues for exchange and cooperation. While it is difficult to advance exchanges on advanced tech, cultural exchanges involving youth, study trips, tourism, sports, and arts—as well as increasing the number of twin cities and think-tank collaborations—are more feasible. This speaks to China’s promise to open up. These cultural exchanges indicate a future flow of ideas. According to the cultural agreement, these ideas can even be shared on "new media," as China has committed to improving relations with Japan in this arena. The agreement references the Chinese leadership's relationship with social media influencers who support official Chinese policy on such platforms. On a cultural and civilizational level, China appears committed to improving its relationship with Japan, and the sentiment appears mutual. Without officially being part of the GCI, this agreement seems to support the crucial role of "civilizational" exchange and cooperation in forging a stable and secure global environment. From the perspective of the GCI, foreign relations depend on such cooperation, which leads to mutual respect for each other's interests and agendas. Cultural relations are an integral part of Chinese foreign policy and should be considered reflective of broader and more comprehensive Chinese goals. #Japan #China #GlobalCivilizationInitiative #GCI #WangYi #XiJinping #TakeshiIwaya #SinoJapaneseRelations 

The #CPC is the heart of the People’s Republic of #China. It is the center from which emanate order and leadership, the most influential organization in the country. While the great majority of China’s organizational and institutional existence is carried out within the CPC, the party considers it its responsibility to also organize and regulate the activities of organizations, sectors and individuals that are autonomous to various extents from the Chinese state. The United Work Front Department has been charged with this task since the formation of the CPC. The lead organization carrying out and coordinating united front work is the CPPCC, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, convening every five years and possessing only a consultative role with regard to the executive leadership of the party. During the war with the Japanese, the #UWFD negotiated joint operations with the Kuomintang and later carried out influence and subversion operations within the Kuomintang to ensure Communist victory during the Civil War. After the war, the department used diverse strategies to train intellectuals and to engage with old society intellectuals in an attempt to “transform” them. Under Mao, the department dealt with economic matters, but it was reformed under Deng Xiaoping and gradually entrusted with additional responsibilities, beginning with monitoring, engagement and influence over Macau, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Following a major reorganization in 2018, the department consists of 12 separate directorates and oversees vastly different elements not wholly or directly under the control of the CPC. The UFWD supervises the work of the eight accepted political parties in China other than the CPC, the officially recognized religious organizations in China and the relationship of the CPC with overseas Chinese communities. The department also contributes to supervising ethnic minorities in China, overseeing activities in #Xinjiang, #Tibet and other regions. In fact, United Front refers to more than a department of the Chinese government. United Front is often defined as a “strategy” with historical roots in the early days of the Soviet Union. The 4th Communist International, held in 1922, provided the following definition: “The united front tactic is simply an initiative whereby the communists propose to join with all workers belonging to other parties and groups and all unaligned workers in a common struggle to defend the immediate, basic interests of the working class against the bourgeoisie.” #PRC #China #XiJinping Read more: https://bit.ly/41J0ocS Photo credit: Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via AP

The China angle on I2U2 and the quadrilateral cooperation among Israel, India, UAE, and the USA was my focus at this excellent session on minilateral connectivity in our region. CUTS Global Affairs put together a truly professional group of experts covering a well-curated range of expertise including strategy, connectivity, business and area expertise. The speakers and the discussion conveyed the clear-cut synergy among these countries, where Israel brings an extensive array of innovative technology. I listed over a dozen fields of expertise including quantum - the direct example of that being the announcement a couple of days ago of Israel's first domestically built 20-qubit quantum computer using superconducting technology, developed by the Israel Innovation Authority, IAI - Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Yissum, The Hebrew University Tech Transfer Company. Considering the many challenges faced by the I2U2 partners, I went into some depth on Israel's advanced air defense systems that are now battle tested such as C-dome, Israel's naval based interceptors. They use the same interceptors as the well-tested Iron Dome and were first put-to-test - with successful results - in early April when Houthi rockets threatened Israel's southern coastal city of Eilat. I also spoke about Israel's Iron Beam. Instead of $50,000 per interceptor, the cost of hitting each target - be it rocket, missile or drone -equals the electricity used - a matter of dollars. This neutralizes the criticism that Israel had to use expensive defense tools against #Iran's low cost attack materiel when it attacked Israel in April and October. Another advantage of Iron Beam is that it hits the target significantly faster than the kinetic interceptor, keeping the threat further from Israel's civilians. #China #defensetech #Israel #UAE #India #supercomuting #superconductors #ironbeam #Houthis

As the world watched the rapid, surprising developments in #Syria, Chinese authorities were focused on a specific component of the rebel coalition that took Damascus. The Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), formerly known as the ETIM (East Turkestan Islamic Movement), a militant #Uyghur group that fought against Chinese authorities in #Xinjiang and across #China for more than 20 years, released clips describing its leaders' desire to leverage their triumph and continue the struggle against China. The group, dedicated to the formation of an Islamic state in Xinjiang to be named "East Turkestan" (The Uyghurs are a Turkic people), fought the Chinese government in Xinjiang and carried out numerous attacks all over China. The fighters who spoke in Syria fled China years ago and received significant combat experience on the battlefields of Afghanistan, Iraq and the Syrian civil war. China has long spoken of the "Three Evils" - Terrorism, Separatism, and Extremism - that it viewed as threats to its own security as well as to global security. Chinese authorities have invested enormous resources and effort not just in repressing TIP activities but also in persuading other countries to consider the TIP a terrorist organization. It is not yet clear if China views the threats made in Damascus as real. The new Syrian authorities have not responded in any way to the Uyghur statements. In fact, it is not clear if the militant group actively intends to renew the fight against China, particularly since the Syrian rebel coalition is led by forces that have renounced the global Jihad. China has expressed an interest in supporting the "choices made by the Syrian people". Still, Chinese authorities consider the threat real and urgent and are undoubtedly monitoring the situation closely. Time will tell how will this affect China's role in the new Middle East. #MiddleEast #Syria #China

היכן סין עומדת ביחס לתמורות המהירות שחלות בימים אלו בסוריה ומסביב לה? העיצוב מחדש של מבנה הכוח בסוריה תרם לשינוי תפיסה בסין בנוגע לשאיפתה להגביר את תפקידה הדיפלומטי במזרח התיכון. עד לפני ארבעה חודשים, רבים בבייג'ינג וברחבי הדרום הגלובלי האמינו שהשפעתה של סין במזרח התיכון מצויה במסלול עלייה בלתי נמנע, מאז שתיווכה בהתקרבות בין איראן וסעודיה במרץ 2023. למעשה, נפילתו של אסד היא קלף נוסף שנשמט מידה של בייג'ינג האוחזת בקלפי המזרח התיכון. לכתבה המלאה : https://bit.ly/4ipSmeO #המזרח_התיכון #סין #סוריה #אסד

Over the past weeks, Chinese frigates have docked at Cambodia's Ream naval base. This was not done secretly. When the US sanctioned Cambodia in September 2023 (visa bans, suspension of international aid programs and other sanctions) over what it called a "flawed Cambodian election", Cambodia turned to China for partnerships and assistance. In fact, the Ream naval base itself began construction with American assistance. When Cambodia expanded its relationship with China, all the American structures built during the 2010s were torn down and in 2020 the base began being rebuilt by Chinese State Owned Enterprises with extensive Chinese planning, assistance and supervision regarding the naval base. While the US has more than 750 naval bases all over the world, China has only one outside China, a base built in Djibouti and opened in 2016. American observers fear that China's overt involvement in the construction of the Ream naval base suggests that China plans to expand its naval presence and construct other such bases or convert ports in Asia and other regions. China's frigates being accompanied by a senior Chinese officer, General He Weidong, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission, did not allay American concerns. Cambodia denied that the Ream naval base was Chinese, with the PM and minister of defense stating that providing another country with a base on Cambodian soil violated the Cambodian constitution. The Chinese stated that they had come to train and share knowledge with their Cambodian colleagues, in accordance with China's Global Security Initiative. In May of this year the Chinese and Cambodian militaries held the 6th joint "Golden Dragon" exercise, described by China's military as "further consolidating the iron-clad friendship between the two countries, enhancing the strategic coordination level between the two militaries, and jointly safeguarding regional peace and stability." Whether one sympathizes with American concerns or with the positions of China and Cambodia, this development bears close monitoring. Picture: Blacksky #China #Cambodia #ASEAN #SEA #SCS #jointmilitaryexercises #GoldenDragon

אולי זה נראה מוזר שקערה בת 500 שנה ובעלת כיתוב בסינית התגלתה לאחרונה בירושלים במהלך חפירה ארכיאולוגית. זה לא מוזר. לפני "יוזמת החגורה והדרך" היתה "חגורה אחת ודרך אחת" והסינים הציגו אותה כגרסה המודרנית של דרך המשי העתיקה. אותה רשת של 6400 ק"מ של נתיבי מסחר חיברה את סין למערב אסיה. כשעדיין היתה זו "חגורה אחת ודרך אחת" הוזמנה קבוצת "סיגנל" להשתתף בפורום בייג'ינג 2014 ולדבר הנתיב שחיבר בין דרך המשי העתיקה וישראל. הזכרנו אז שבסוף המאה השמינית לספירה דרך המשי הביאה את האסלאם לסין, וכך יצרה את בני החואי, האוכלוסיה הסינית הילידית שהמירה את דתה לאסלאם והיום היא מוסלמית. הזכרנו גם שכ-200 שנים אחר כך הובילה דרך המשי קבוצה של יהודים בגדדים ואחרים להתיישב בעיר קאיפנג שבמחוז הנאן. הקהילה שרדה כאלף שנים לפני שנטמעה באוכלוסיה המקומית. לכן אין זו הפתעה שכתובת בסינית מן המאה ה-16 על פיסת חרסינה שהיתה חלק מקערה התגלתה בחפירה בהר ציון שבירושלים. ובכל זאת, זה יוצא דופן. הקערה תוארכה בין השנים 1520-1570, בזמן שלטונה של שושלת מינג, והיא נשאה את הכתובת "לעולם נשמור על האביב הנצחי". בתקופה זו היו יחסי מסחר קרובים בין הסולטאנים העותמאנים וקיסרי מינג. כך הגיעה קערה סינית מן המאה ה-16 לירושלים. #סין #סין_ישראל #המזרח_התיכון

A Chinese research institute hosted us recently for another round of our ongoing conversation on issues that impact Israel and China. Even during these difficult times in China-Israel relations, both sides recognize that it is crucially important to keep open the lines of communication and look at the issues from both perspectives. Iran was one of the topics of last week's conversation. Our Chinese interlocutors noted that this was the first time in a discussion with Israelis on Iran that the historical friendship between Iran and Israel and the foundations it may present for a new Middle East was addressed. Dr. Liora Hendelman-Baavur, director of the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University brought her vast expertise to this arena after being hosted in China as a SIGNAL Group Fellow by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Another topic was the potential effects of the incoming Trump administration on the Middle East and China's interests in the region. Together with our Chinese colleagues, we considered policy options regarding the evolving roles of Iran, Israel, the United States, and China. While we differed on many points, one conclusion shared by all the speakers was that we are headed for even more volatile times - noted just days before events in Syria took center stage. We also agreed that there is never a vacuum in the Middle East and that preparations for the day after the Israel-Hamas war require significant mediation and a strategic view that encapsulates the numerous interests involved. We looked at where Israel-China relations are headed following the ceasefire with Lebanon and at China's evolving influence in the region. The Chinese scholars weighed in on China's ability and interest to "step into the fray". We look forward to the next opportunity to continue the discussion.