Tag: China

Considering that they made multiple trips to South Korea to film U.S. and Korean airbases it seems to me that Chinese intelligence was hoping to use high school student in an effort to avoid detection. It worked until a local resident finally noticed them and called police:

Two Chinese nationals were sentenced to prison Thursday for illegally filming fighter jets at several South Korean and U.S. military facilities and attempting to intercept traffic control communications.

The Suwon District Court sentenced an 18-year-old Chinese high school student to an indeterminate prison term of 1 1/2 to two years and a 20-year-old Chinese man to two years in prison, both for general treason. An indeterminate sentence is applied to minors under the juvenile law.

It is the first time in South Korea that a foreigner has been found guilty of general treason under the Criminal Act.

The court also ordered the confiscation of their cameras and other items used in the crime.

The two were arrested and indicted for taking hundreds of detailed photos of fighter jets taking off and landing at major air bases nationwide during multiple visits to South Korea between the second half of 2024 and March last year, when both were high school students.

They were found to have visited four South Korean and U.S. military facilities in Suwon, Osan, Pyeongtaek and Cheongju, as well as three major international airports — Incheon, Gimpo and Jeju. They were caught by police in March last year after a resident reported them for illegally filming fighter jets taking off and landing at Suwon Air Base.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.

President Xi is on a diplomatic flurry after first hosting Trump, then Putin, and now he is going to meet with Kim Jong-un:

Chinese President Xi Jinping will likely visit North Korea as early as next week, sources said Wednesday.

“We have obtained intelligence indicating that President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea soon,” a high-ranking government official told Yonhap News Agency.

Another government official also said there is a high possibility of Xi visiting North Korea later this month or early next month, noting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Pyongyang last month and the recent trips by Xi’s security guards and ceremonial staff to the North Korean capital.

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

Here is the big warning Xi has given to Trump. According to the Davidson Window Xi has ordered his military to be ready to invade Taiwan in 2027. With U.S. munitions stocks impacted by the Iran War does this encourage Xi to launch an invasion?:

During Friday’s meeting, the two sides are expected to reiterate the need for Washington and Beijing to cooperate, though it remains uncertain whether there can be visible progress in their discussions on delicate issues, including Taiwan.

During Thursday’s meeting, Xi warned that if the Taiwan question is not handled properly, the two countries may end up having “clashes” and “even conflicts.”

But he reiterated the need for bilateral cooperation, saying the countries should be “partners rather than rivals.”

Yonhap

You can read more at the link.

This news shouldn’t be surprising considering President Lee’s track record of being welcoming to China:

Members of Congress blasted South Korean leadership over a “left-wing government closely aligned with China,” that they accused of “attacking” American companies and showing favoritism to Chinese-led businesses. 

In a letter led by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., more than 50 members of the House of Representatives expressed their concern to Republic of Korea (ROK) Ambassador to the United States Kyung-wha Kang over what they deemed to be “discriminatory” business practices from the ROK.  

“Many American tech companies have faced a range of regulatory actions that seek to punish them while shielding Korean domestic competition,” the letter reads. “Recent research by think tank Competere shows such regulatory actions by the ROK government will cost $1 trillion in combined economic damage to the U.S. and Korean economies over the next 10 years, with the U.S. economy losing $525 billion and American households losing nearly $4,000 each.”

Fox News

You can read more at the link.

When it comes to the Taiwan issue China can be very petty here is another example of this:

China has put Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s planned visit to Korea on hold, raising concerns over recent changes to Korea’s electronic arrival card system, according to local media reports.

Reports said Seoul and Beijing had been coordinating Wang’s visit since earlier this year, but the Chinese side objected after Seoul removed the label “China (Taiwan)” from the departure and destination section of the electronic entry form last month.

The issue emerged after the Korean government announced on March 31 that it would eliminate the departure and destination selection field altogether from the electronic arrival card, following complaints from Taiwan over the wording.

Korea Times

You can read more at the link.