![]() ![]() “We are living in a new world,” said a person from a Five Eyes country who has traveled extensively to other capitals over the past year to discuss China’s foreign activities. Talks have taken place between diplomats, intelligence officials and heads of government, they said. The officials who spoke with Reuters described a “flurry of consultations” in recent months, with Washington driving coordination on the investment side and Canberra taking a lead role in raising awareness about political interference. officials raised security concerns that Berlin had overlooked. Two years ago, the German government approved a Chinese investment fund’s acquisition of Aixtron, only to reverse course a month later when U.S. official said the foiled takeover of German semiconductor firm Aixtron in 2016 had underscored the need to build a broader coalition of countries to share information and coordinate responses to China. Government sources say that analysis is broadly complete and new policy measures could follow, although they say far-reaching steps like those taken by Australia are unlikely. ![]() ![]() Last year, Berlin quietly launched an inter-ministerial drive to assess the broad range of Chinese activities in the country. The German government, which tightened its rules on foreign investments last year only to determine months later, after a fresh wave of Chinese acquisitions, that they were still inadequate, is poised to lower the threshold at which it can intervene. Vice President Mike Pence accused Beijing of interfering in the domestic arena by “rewarding or coercing American businesses, movie studios, universities, think tanks, scholars, journalists and local, state and federal officials.” Beijing has denied the charges. The text of that legislation mandates Trump to conduct a “more robust international outreach effort” to convince allies to adopt similar protections.Įarlier this month, in a scathing attack on China’s foreign activities, U.S. The United States has pushed through a law, known as FIRRMA, which gives Washington new powers to block certain types of foreign investments. Last December, citing concerns about Chinese influence, the Australian government unveiled a package of new laws that tightened rules on foreign lobbying and political donations, while broadening the definition of treason and espionage. International coordination has accelerated in parallel with a wave of national measures to limit Chinese investments in sensitive technology companies and counter what some governments view as a growing campaign, under President Xi Jinping, to sway foreign governments and societies in China’s favor through a mix of pressure and inducements. It said the group would use “global partnerships” and accelerate the sharing of information on foreign interference activities. None suggested that Germany, Japan or other nations outside the Five Eyes network had been invited to meetings of the intelligence alliance, which was set up after World War Two to counter Soviet influence.īut a statement issued after a Five Eyes meeting on the Gold Coast of Australia in late August hinted at closer coordination. “What might have started as ad hoc discussions are now leading to more detailed consultations on best practices and further opportunities for cooperation.”Īll the governments involved, including Germany and Japan, declined to comment. “Consultations with our allies, with like-minded partners, on how to respond to China’s assertive international strategy have been frequent and are gathering momentum,” a U.S. ![]() While China has been the main focus, discussions have also touched on Russia, several said. Some of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said the enhanced cooperation amounted to an informal expansion of the Five Eyes group on the specific issue of foreign interference. The increased cooperation by the Five Eyes alliance - grouping Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States - with countries such as Germany and Japan is a sign of a broadening international front against Chinese influence operations and investments. President Donald Trump delivers his speech as he and China's President Xi Jinping meet business leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, November 9, 2017. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |