In the face of bans, ByteDance tightens grip over US TikTok operations
"Ten current and former employees said the number of Chinese staff had been increasing inside TikTok over the past two years, with ByteDance transferring workers from China to other global offices, including in the US.
[...] Internal systems—such as for staff to communicate, collaborate, or access employment information—are hosted in China, TikTok insiders said. But they said the software could also track employee locations through their IP addresses and other biometric data."
--- Yeah, TikTok is most definitely an international company, clearly no influence from China visible.
Luckily, just like the CCP (& despite its strangely successful algorithm) TikTok does not really understand US politics: ‘Lost touch with reality’: How TikTok’s vaunted lobbying operation went wrong
Europe’s biggest counterfeit coin factory
"Europe’s biggest counterfeit coin factoryThis facility was part of a network that had circulated nearly 100,000 fake coins across Spain and a staggering 400,000 throughout Europe. The operation, which started in 2018, involved a group consisting mainly of Chinese nationals.
[...] The expertise behind the counterfeit coins was notably sophisticated, featuring high-quality finishes that mimicked legitimate currency almost perfectly.
Those involved in the scheme frequently targeted gaming halls and casinos, utilising the fake coins in coin-operated machines."
--- Interesting. Are Chinese taking over organised crime in Europe, too? In Latin America, they already have great influence.
China's Nuctech raided in EU over foreign subsidies concerns
"An official from China's commerce ministry earlier condemned the raid, saying it interfered with the normal order of fair competition."
--- Unlike China, where there is a totally open, fair & free market.
Germany's China envoy summoned by Beijing over spying claims
"The German ambassador to China said on Thursday that she had been summoned by Chinese authorities to answer questions"
--- 'How dare you arrest our spies?!', was one of them.
""We do not tolerate espionage in Germany, regardless of which country it comes from [and] we protect our democracy and our constitutional state by constitutional means."
She concluded: "The Federal Public Prosecutor General conducts the investigations. In the end, an independent court will decide on the accusations.""
--- Good. Let's hope, Scholz understands that, too.
s.a.: Germany: AfD's Krah faces probe on Russia, China 'payments'
No more facial scans needed at check-in, China tells hotels
"A resident of the eastern city of Nanjing who gave only the surname Wu for fear of reprisals said he suspects the walking back of facial recognition is because ruling Chinese Communist Party officials themselves don't want their every move to be recorded by police.
"It seems a bit out of character for them, and it's probably because they're afraid for their own privacy when traveling,""
--- Well, probably their privacy & that of their mistresses.
Tibetans from Europe find China’s visa-free policy no so freehttps://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/visa-free-policy-04252024155059.html
Blinken raises Chinese trade practices in meetings with officials in the financial hub of Shanghai
China harbors ship tied to North Korea-Russia arms transfers, satellite images show
--- BBC News: "US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits China"
--- Firstpost: Nigeria Shuts Down Chinese Supermarket Over Alleged Racism
--- Spectator: China's spies & Covid lies
--- WION: Tibet Govt in Exile Confirms Back Channel Talks with China
Spionageaffäre: China bestellt deutsche Botschafterin ein
"Patricia Flor, die Botschafterin in Peking, twitterte auf Englisch, sie seit »heute ins Außenministerium vorgeladen« worden. Dies sei »ein durchaus bezeichnender Schritt«, aber immerhin auch »eine gute Gelegenheit, ein paar Dinge zu erklären«.Deutschland dulde keine Spionage, »egal aus welchem Land sie kommt«. Die Bundesrepublik schütze Demokratie und Rechtsstaat mit rechtsstaatlichen Mitteln. »Der Generalbundesanwalt führt die Ermittlungen durch."
--- Ist ja auch unerhört, chinesische Spione zu verhaften. Immerhin hat man sich in China daran gewöhnt, daß Deutschland grundsätzlich wegsieht.
US-Außenminister Blinken in China Russlands Krieg im Fokus https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/asien/blinken-china-reise-100.html
Frachter enttarnt sich selbst - An Waffenschmuggel beteiligtes Schiff ankert in Chinahttps://www.msn.com/de-at/nachrichten/other/frachter-enttarnt-sich-selbst-an-waffenschmuggel-beteiligtes-schiff-ankert-in-china/ar-AA1nCSvz
Gegen China: USA nehmen RISC-V ins Visier
