Recently, China has imposed sanctions on the three major U.S. military companies that eat Chinese food but damage Chinese equipment. At the same time, it has also imposed strict scrutiny on U.S. chip companies. This measure was a bit tricky for Western countries for a while. Well, for these western countries, if they don’t even have the right to eat in China, they will be deeply dissatisfied!
“Banning Micron” detonated on the Internet
Recently, Micron’s failure to pass China’s network security review has become a hot topic in the international community. According to the notice of the State Cyberspace Administration of China, after multiple inspections, Micron’s products have major network security risks. In order to ensure the safety of my country’s key information facilities, relevant operators should suspend the purchase of Micron’s products. The news aroused widespread discussion on social networks, and “banning the purchase of Micron” became a hot topic.
The U.S. media and the State Department reacted most violently to this incident. According to reports, after China announced the “ban on the sale of Micron”, the US media deliberately distorted China’s intentions and widely publicized “China’s ban on the US semiconductor industry”, claiming that this is the peak of Sino-US confrontation. Some American media even said that this is China’s “retaliation” against the United States.
In March this year, the Cybersecurity Review Office announced that Micron would conduct a cybersecurity review of the products sold by Micron in China. This news aroused widespread discussion. Some commentators believe that the United States often uses the so-called “national security” as an excuse to suppress and contain the development of Chinese technology companies. It is reasonable and legal for China to conduct a network security review of Micron based on the principle of reciprocity.
Germany appears to be following in America’s footsteps
You know, the United States used to be the only country that occupied the chip market to make money, but with the upgrading of Chinese products, it has begun to compete with the United States for market share. Today, Germany is also facing the same situation. On the streets of China, more than half of the vehicles are German cars, but the situation is quietly changing. At present, about 80% of the electric vehicles of Chinese automakers are sold locally, so the market share of local brands in the domestic market is rapidly increasing. From less than 40% in 2020 to more than 50% now, the growth momentum is very strong.
European and American automakers are having trouble now as they have lost significant market share in China. This can be seen from the top ten sales of electric vehicles in China in 2022. There is only one Tesla produced by a foreign-funded enterprise.
According to the latest data, in the first quarter of 2023, the number of German exports of cars and auto parts to China has decreased by 23.9%. This may cause some embarrassment to Germany, a world-renowned automobile country. The rapid progress of Chinese companies has made it increasingly difficult to do business in the European auto industry. Moreover, whether in China or in Europe or in Germany, the market share of electric vehicles of Chinese brands has increased fourfold! If this trend continues, the relations between China and Europe/Germany are bound to suffer.
Scholz visits South Korea
At present, although German Chancellor Schulz has a relatively friendly attitude towards China, the German Minister of Economy and Foreign Minister often expresses his stance against China, even saying that China has the risk of threatening Germany’s security, so we cannot rely solely on China. This situation is very similar to the tone of the American political circles!
German Chancellor Scholz came to Seoul after the G7 summit and held talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yue. After the talks, Yin Xiyue announced that the two countries will sign a military confidentiality agreement aimed at promoting defense cooperation. Scholz also mentioned that in order to reduce dependence on China, it is very important for Germany to have clear plans for cooperation with South Korea and Japan.