Mission Implausible
By Wen Qing
Europe’s furor about “Chinese espionage” stems from U.S. pressure
There is an old saying in China, “Do not beat the grass if you want to catch the snake.” It is applicable to spies as well. Like the snake in the grass, secret agents spying in foreign countries should never be alarmed unless there is incontrovertible proof to convict them. Otherwise,they will simply disappear instead of being caught.
In principle, it’s simple to understand.However, in reality, things are not so simple.
以报刊发行为纽带，岭南革命报刊将华侨与祖籍国紧紧连在一起，促进了华侨民族认同与国家认同的发展，也推进了革命思想在华侨中的广泛传播，促进华侨投身革命。
Recently, there has been a furor about“Chinese espionage” in some European countries. According to a report in Germany’s Welt am Sonntag newspaper on February 9, the European External Action Service (EEAS) has warned that there are hundreds of Russian and Chinese intelligence agents operating in Brussels.
故天秉阳，垂日星；地秉阴，窍于山川，播五行于四时，和而后月生也。是以三五而盈，三五而阙。五行之动，迭相竭也，五行、四时，十二月还相为本也。［15］1423
According to analysts, the reason is quite simple. It is just another round of groundless accusations hyping up the “China threat”theory, the objective being to consolidate the EU-U.S. bond against the current China-U.S.tensions. Europe’s fears and suspicions about China’s rapid development have also fanned these flames. However, at a time when their old ally is infatuated with the America First policy, European leaders should consider their long-term interests while making policies.
According to the report, the EEAS estimates there are “about 250 Chinese and 200 Russian spies in the European capital.”Diplomats and military officials have been reportedly advised to avoid certain parts of Brussels’ European quarter, including a popular steakhouse and a cafe near the European Commission’s main building.
Also, a few days ago, Lithuania added China to its list of national threats and warned of “increasingly aggressive Chinese spying” on its soil. In the annual National Threat Assessment 2019 report, Lithuanian intelligence agencies accused China of launching “increasingly aggressive” espionage campaigns, spy recruitments and the use of tech companies as surveillance assets.
“好，我马上把情况向上司汇报。夏国忠，我告诉你记住罗，无论怎样，阵地不能丢。否则，你自己提着脑壳去见师座。”
“The reality behind the spy mania is that European countries are facing more pressure from the United States to unify in order to contain China,” Zhang Jian,a researcher on European studies with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations in Beijing, told Beijing Review. “Beijing is projected as a strategic competitor by Washington.Against the background of Sino-U.S. trade tensions, the United States is further pressuring its European allies to follow its steps to restrain China, especially regarding 5G telecom technology.”
Clearly, European countries are obsessed with spy conspiracies. If the allegations were true, it would have been more logical for the supposedly spied-on countries to directly block the espionage activities to defend national interests.Instead, they have simply chosen to spout off allegations, mostly via the media.
Behind the spy mania
一个月前，向南的儿子做了满月，从此以后，易非就咬着牙没有来过一次，她知道这样做不对，这样做多不大度啊！已经把房子给他们了，为什么就不肯来看看呢？这样不看一眼，不是既放弃了自己辛辛苦苦攒钱买的房子、又失去了妈吗？
“As Chinese economic and political ambitions grow in Lithuania and other NATO and EU countries, activities of the Chinese intelligence and security services become increasingly aggressive,” the State Security Department and the Second Investigation Department said, as per the Baltic News Network.
Since the European debt crisis in 2009, the power of Europe has been waning while China’s national strength has increased. Along with rapid development,many Chinese companies have become more competitive in the international market. This reality is hard to accept by many European countries, Jin Ling, an associate researcher on EU foreign policy with the China Institute of International Studies, told Beijing Review.
4) 民宿发展受很多因素的影响.区域内热门景点越多，区位条件和交通条件越好，客流量就越大.同时良好的区位环境和交通通达性及完善的配套设施有利于吸引投资，促使民宿在此集聚.此外政策环境也是影响民宿发展布局的重要因素之一.
Like the United States, some other countries have also blacklisted Huawei“essentially because of strategic consideration, rather than national security,” Jin said. “Securitization of non-security issues is just for creating more hype.”
For some European countries, the stability of their alliance with the United States is perhaps more crucial to them.“By hyping up the so-called Chinese spy allegations they have catered to the United States, trying to consolidate the alliance with Washington,” Zhang said.
The pressure is blatant. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo undertook a fivenation tour in Europe recently, during which he threatened to scale back certain operations in Europe if those countries continued to do business with Chinese telecom company Huawei. According to Associated Press, Pompeo said in Budapest that nations would have to choose between Huawei and the United States.
This explains why Lithuania placed China, a remote country over 6,000 km away, on its list of threats along with its immediate neighbor Russia, for the first time since its independence in the early 1990s.Due to its feud with Russia, Lithuania has been desperate to make Washington keep its security commitment. In November 2002, when then U.S. President George W. Bush gave a speech in the city hall in Lithuanian capital Vilnius, he famously said,“Anyone who would choose Lithuania as an enemy has also made an enemy of the United States of America.”
China’s presence in Europe has become stronger in recent years. While some interpret this as China’s increasing influence in this region, many mistake influence as espionage, Zhang said. “It is important for European countries to distinguish normal Chinese activities from the so-called prying,” he said.
A visitor holds a work of Chinese calligraphy at a Chinese zodiac exhibition at the China Cultural Center in Brussels on February 4. It reads Dan Ding, which means to calm down
Long term gains
The allegations have cast a shadow on Sino-EU relations. “European countries could have conducted a higher level of cooperation with China,” Zhang said. How should China respond? In his opinion, China should enhance communication with European countries to strengthen mutual understanding and promote objective and fair treatment by them.
European countries, on their part,should adjust their mentality to adapt to the changing China, especially given the fact that China’s giant market offers multiple opportunities. “European countries should adjust their attitude and conduct closer cooperation with China, which will be beneficial to both,” Zhang said.
However, as another Chinese saying goes, the trees prefer calm but the wind will not subside. Jin feels what China can do is limited. As the Sino-U.S. trade negotiation continues, will European countries continue to dance to the U.S. tune calling for suppressing China? In Jin’s opinion, “It depends on how they balance their shortterm and long-term interests.”
In the short term, staying with the United States might be in their interest.Besides their alliance, their similar cultural and historical links have strengthened their bond. “Moreover, some countries might have gained from the Sino-U.S.trade tensions as some trade went to their companies,” she said. “However, they would suffer if there is a trade decoupling between China and the United States and a segmentation of the global value and supply chains.”
由图2可知，鲁氏酵母菌在pH为3时仍能较好存活；在pH为4～6的酸性环境中生长良好，在此期间，随着pH的增加，生长越来越旺盛。故而说明鲁氏酵母菌能够在酸性环境下稳定生长，符合作为发酵剂的标准。
In the long term, the disparity in their strategic considerations might finally drive the EU and the United States apart. “The unilateralism and trade protectionism preached by the United States go against the longterm interests of Europe as the EU pursues an open global market and multilateralism.To attain that goal, EU countries must closely cooperate with China,” Jin said.
Copyedited by Sudeshna Sarkar
Comments to wenqing@bjreview.com
标签：MISSION论文; Implausible论文; EU论文; ZHANG论文;