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China

Beijing denies 3 ‘objects’ downed by US came from China

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Beijing has denied any knowledge of the three “airborne objects” that the U.S. military shot down in North American airspace over the weekend as China prepares to take down an unidentified flying object near one of its main naval bases.

Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters in Beijing on Monday that any suggestion that they came from China is just a “smear.” 

The U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced that “an F-16 fired an AIM9x to successfully shoot down an airborne object flying at approximately 20,000 feet altitude in U.S. airspace over Lake Huron in the State of Michigan” at 2:42 p.m. on Sunday.

This object was first spotted on Saturday over Montana, when it flew near sensitive military sites, U.S. officials told the media.

However, NORAD said it was not assessed “to be a kinetic military threat to anything on the ground,” but a safety flight hazard and “a threat due to its potential surveillance capabilities.”

Before this, a “high-altitude object” was shot down on Saturday over the Yukon territory in Canada and another “flying object” on Friday off the Northern coast of Alaska, both by U.S. F-22 fighters.

Authorities have yet to determine whether the flying objects are linked to China as recovery efforts continue.

Locations of recent UFO and balloon shooting incidents. Credit: Google Maps

On Feb. 4, a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down off the South Carolina coast after having drifted for days over the U.S.

Beijing insisted it was a weather balloon that had veered off course but Washington was adamant the balloon had surveillance capability and had been used to “surveil strategic sites in the continental United States.”

U.S. officials also alleged that China operates a “fleet of balloons” and has similarly violated the sovereignty of “some 40 countries across five continents” by going into their airspaces “with the express point of collecting intelligence.”

‘Shooting mosquito with cannon’

Beijing hit back at the U.S. Monday, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin saying it had flown high altitude surveillance balloons over China more than 10 times over the past year. Wang said it was “not rare” for the U.S. to fly balloons into others’ territorial airspace.

Beijing previously reacted angrily to the shooting of the balloon on Feb. 4, saying that by using force to attack China’s civilian unmanned airship, the U.S. “seriously violated international practices and set a very bad precedent.”

In light of the U.S. side’s “irresponsible and seriously wrong practice” China reserves the right to take necessary measures, it said.

The Chinese defense minister also refused a phone call with his U.S. counterpart.

Balloon down.jpg
A large balloon drifts above the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of South Carolina, with a fighter jet and its contrail seen below it, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023.  Credit: Chad Fish via AP

Chinese newspapers have criticized the U.S. for its alleged heavy handedness. The Global Times, which is affiliated to the Communist Party’s mouthpiece People’s Daily, published an editorial slamming the U.S. “political behavioral art.”

It mocked the U.S. Air Force over the incidents for “shooting a mosquito with cannon” and said F-22 military fighters have now become known as “balloon killers” on the internet.

The Chinese newspaper said that using advanced fighter jets to shoot down UFOs preemptively is “absurd and expensive large-scale political behavioral art” that could only take place because of the environment of high tension with China.

China to take down object

On Sunday, Chinese authorities said that they were preparing to shoot down an unidentified flying object in Shandong province in Eastern China.

Chinese media said the Shandong maritime authority spotted a UFO over the waters near the coastal city of Rizhao and have alerted local fishermen to avoid the area before taking it down.

The coordinates provided by the Jimo District Ocean Development Bureau in Qingdao, the capital of Shandong, show that the location of the UFO is near the Jianggezhuang, one of China’s major naval bases.

The base, which serves as the headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s North Sea Fleet, hosts a number of ballistic and nuclear attack submarines as well as the country’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.

It remains unclear whether the shooting has taken place, despite rampant speculation on Chinese social media.

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Trends and Future Prospects of Bilateral Direct Investment between China and Germany

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China and Germany experienced a decline in direct investment in 2023 due to global economic uncertainty and policy changes. Despite this, China remains an attractive destination for German FDI. Key industries like automotive and advanced manufacturing continue to draw investors, although FDI outflows from Germany to China decreased by 30% in the first three quarters of 2023. Despite this, the actual use of foreign capital from Germany to China increased by 21% in the same period according to MOFCOM. The Deutsche Bundesbank’s FDI data and MOFCOM’s actual use of foreign capital provide different perspectives on the investment trends between the two countries.


Direct investment between China and Germany declined in 2023, due to a range of factors from global economic uncertainty to policy changes. However, China remains an important destination for German foreign direct investment (FDI), and key industries in both countries continue to excite investors. We look at the latest direct investment data between Germany and China to analyze the latest trends and discuss key factors that could shape future business and commercial ties.

Direct investment between China and Germany has undergone profound changes over the past decade. An increasingly complex investment environment for companies in both countries has led to falling two-way FDI figures in the first three quarters of 2023, in stark contrast to positive trends seen in 2022.

At the same time, industries with high growth potential, such as automotive and advanced manufacturing, continue to attract German companies to China, and high levels of reinvested earnings suggest established firms are doubling down on their commitments in the Chinese market. In Germany, the potential for electric vehicle (EV) sales is buoying otherwise low investment among Chinese companies.

According to data from Deutsche Bundesbank, Germany’s central bank, total FDI outflows from Germany to China fell in the first three quarters of 2023, declining by 30 percent to a total of EUR 7.98 billion.

This is a marked reversal of trends from 2022, when FDI flows from Germany to China reached a record EUR 11.4 billion, up 14.7 percent year-on-year.

However, according to China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), the actual use of foreign capital from Germany to China increased by 21 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2023. The Deutsche Bundesbank’s FDI data, which follows standards set by the IMF, the OECD, and the European Central Bank (ECB), includes a broader scope of transactions within its direct investment data, including, broadly, direct investment positions, direct investment income flows, and direct investment financial flows.

Meanwhile, the actual use of foreign capital recorded by MOFCOM includes contracted foreign capital that has been concluded, including the registered and working capital paid by foreign investors, as well as the transaction consideration paid for the transferred equity of domestic investors.

This article is republished from China Briefing. Read the rest of the original article.

China Briefing is written and produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The practice assists foreign investors into China and has done since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Please contact the firm for assistance in China at china@dezshira.com.

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Manila blasts China’s ‘unprovoked aggression’ in latest South China Sea incident

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China’s coast guard on Saturday fired a water cannon at a Philippine supply boat in disputed waters in the South China Sea, causing “significant damages to the vessel” and injuring its crew, the Philippine coast guard said.

Manila was attempting to resupply troops stationed on a ship at the Second Thomas Shoal, known locally as Ayungin Shoal, when the Chinese coast guard and maritime militia “harassed, blocked, deployed water cannons, and executed dangerous maneuvers against the routine RoRe (rotation and resupply) mission,” said the Philippine National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea.

The West Philippine Sea is the part of the South China Sea that Manila claims as its jurisdiction.

The Chinese coast guard also set up “a floating barrier” to block access to shoal where Manila ran aground an old warship, BRP Sierra Madre, to serve as a military outpost.

The Philippine task force condemned China’s “unprovoked aggression, coercion, and dangerous maneuvers.”

Philippines’ RoRe missions have been regularly blocked by China’s coast guard, but this is the first time a barrier was set up near the shoal. 

The Philippine coast guard nevertheless claimed that the mission on Saturday was accomplished.

Potential consequences

The Second Thomas Shoal lies within the country’s exclusive economic zone where Manila holds sovereign rights. 

China, however, claims historic rights over most of the South China Sea, including the Spratly archipelago, which the shoal forms a part of.

A Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesperson on Saturday said the Philippine supply vessel “intruded” into the waters near the shoal, called Ren’ai Jiao in Chinese, “without permission from the Chinese government.”

“China coast guard took necessary measures at sea in accordance with law to safeguard China’s rights, firmly obstructed the Philippines’ vessels, and foiled the Philippines’ attempt,” the ministry said.

“If the Philippines insists on going its own way, China will continue to adopt resolute measures,” the spokesperson said, warning that Manila “should be prepared to bear all potential consequences.”

Chinese Maritime Militia vessels near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. (Adrian Portugal/Reuters)

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson wrote on social media platform X that her country “stands with the Philippines” against China’s maneuvers.

Beijing’s “interference with the Philippines’ freedom of navigation violates international law and threatens a free and open Indo-Pacific,” she wrote.

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu also said that Canberra shares the Philippines’ “serious concerns about dangerous conduct by China’s vessels adjacent to Second Thomas Shoal.” 

“This is part of a pattern of deeply concerning behavior,” Yu wrote on X.

Edited by Jim Snyder.

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Foreigners in China: 2024 Living and Working Guidelines

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China’s Ministry of Commerce released updated guidelines for foreign businesspersons living and working in China in 2024. The guidelines cover accommodations, visas, work permits, and emergency protocols. It also outlines responsibilities regarding social security premiums and individual income tax obligations. prompt registration for temporary accommodation is required upon arrival.


The updated 2024 guidelines for foreign businesspersons living and working in China, released by the country’s Ministry of Commerce, outline essential procedures and considerations covering accommodations, visas, work permits, and emergency protocols.

On January 25, 2024, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) released the latest version of the Guidelines for Foreign Businessmen to Live and Work in China (hereinafter referred to as the “guidelines”).

The document is divided into four main sections, labeled as:

Furthermore, the guidelines elucidate the regulatory framework governing foreign businessperson’s responsibilities concerning social security premiums and individual income tax obligations.

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the guidelines, delving into their significance and implications for foreign businesspersons in China.

Upon arrival in China, prompt registration for temporary accommodation is required.

If staying in a hotel, registration can be facilitated by the hotel staff upon presentation of a valid passport or international travel documents.

This article is republished from China Briefing. Read the rest of the original article.

China Briefing is written and produced by Dezan Shira & Associates. The practice assists foreign investors into China and has done since 1992 through offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Please contact the firm for assistance in China at china@dezshira.com.

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