Sara Van Hoeymissen
@sara-van-hoey.bsky.social
Lecturer in World Politics, Royal Military Academy (🇧🇪)
PhD in Chinese Studies
Guest Lecturer, KULeuven
Curious by nature and by profession
🇪🇺 🌏 🌍
Amai maTwins
PhD in Chinese Studies
Guest Lecturer, KULeuven
Curious by nature and by profession
🇪🇺 🌏 🌍
Amai maTwins
"Some people said the lack of US support was ironic given that Elbridge Colby, the under-secretary of defence for policy, had pushed Japan to make clear what role it would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan."
Japan frustrated at Trump administration’s silence over row with China
Tokyo asks US to be more vocal in its support after Beijing reacted furiously to prime minister’s comments about Taiwan
www.ft.com
December 7, 2025 at 1:18 PM
"Some people said the lack of US support was ironic given that Elbridge Colby, the under-secretary of defence for policy, had pushed Japan to make clear what role it would play if the US and China went to war over Taiwan."
"By 2029, Germany is expected to spend €153 billion a year on defense. That’s about 3.5 percent of GDP, the country’s most ambitious military expansion since reunification. France, by comparison, plans to reach about €80 billion by 2030."
Germany’s rearmament upends Europe’s power balance
As Berlin again becomes Europe’s leading military power, Paris and Warsaw face a massive political shift.
www.politico.eu
November 15, 2025 at 7:09 AM
"By 2029, Germany is expected to spend €153 billion a year on defense. That’s about 3.5 percent of GDP, the country’s most ambitious military expansion since reunification. France, by comparison, plans to reach about €80 billion by 2030."
"Dat er vanuit de oppositie vragen gesteld worden die gebreken blootleggen, maakt deel uit van de normale werking van het parlement. Het zijn de veelheid en de mate van detail die voor onrust zorgen."
AfD stelt in Duitse parlementen de vragen waarop Moskou graag een antwoord wil
Laten politici van de extreemrechtse AfD zich gebruiken als pionnen voor Moskou? De vraag dringt zich opnieuw op na opvallende uitspraken van partijvoorzitter Tino Chrupalla en een resem gedetailleerde parlementaire vragen over gevoelige militaire dossiers.
www.standaard.be
November 14, 2025 at 1:48 PM
"Dat er vanuit de oppositie vragen gesteld worden die gebreken blootleggen, maakt deel uit van de normale werking van het parlement. Het zijn de veelheid en de mate van detail die voor onrust zorgen."
Four of the "seven sons of national defence" are banned from the PLA's procurement process on account of “bid-rigging”, with Beijing Institute of Technology also accused of “transferring benefits during the bidding process”.
PLA bans 4 Chinese universities from procurement process for bid-rigging
Three of China’s ‘seven sons of national defence’ receive bans ranging from two years to ‘permanent’ amid Beijing’s anti-corruption drive.
www.scmp.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Four of the "seven sons of national defence" are banned from the PLA's procurement process on account of “bid-rigging”, with Beijing Institute of Technology also accused of “transferring benefits during the bidding process”.
"Building a shiny new carrier is nice, but ... the Chinese ‘don’t know what they don’t know’ about carrier ops."
China’s newest aircraft carrier not as capable as 50-year-old US ship in one key respect, former US officers say | CNN
China’s newest aircraft carrier may only be able to conduct air operations at about 60% the rate of a 50-year-old US Navy carrier, two former US carrier officers say, a substantial combat limitation f...
www.cnn.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:55 PM
"Building a shiny new carrier is nice, but ... the Chinese ‘don’t know what they don’t know’ about carrier ops."
"The intelligence prompted a fierce debate in the administration about US relations with the UAE and whether it should co-operate more with the Gulf state on AI on condition that it agreed to stop working with China."
China upgraded missiles using UAE technology, Biden spies said
Intelligence sparked intense debate in Washington about its relationship with Gulf state
on.ft.com
October 26, 2025 at 8:30 AM
"The intelligence prompted a fierce debate in the administration about US relations with the UAE and whether it should co-operate more with the Gulf state on AI on condition that it agreed to stop working with China."
"Communication between the US and China remains precarious and insufficient, consisting of occasional phone calls between top government or military officials. This fragile framework cannot be counted on to quickly defuse potential accidents and it remains vulnerable to rupture in tense times."
Opinion | The U.S. and China Are One Misstep Away From War
www.nytimes.com
October 24, 2025 at 7:25 PM
"Communication between the US and China remains precarious and insufficient, consisting of occasional phone calls between top government or military officials. This fragile framework cannot be counted on to quickly defuse potential accidents and it remains vulnerable to rupture in tense times."
"Het aanwakkeren van vriend- of vijandbeelden leidt tot minder autonomie, in plaats van méér. Het is van belang dat Nederland de negatieve en positieve kanten van China niet overdrijft, en dat het beperkte maar realistische doelen stelt in de relatie."
Opinie | Vriendschap met China is niet nodig, nodeloze escalatie nog minder
Geopolitiek: Nederland moet nadenken hoe het zich kan verhouden tot China, nu we klem dreigen te raken tussen twee grootmachten, schrijven Vincent Chang en Frans-Paul van der Putten.
www.nrc.nl
October 16, 2025 at 7:06 AM
"Het aanwakkeren van vriend- of vijandbeelden leidt tot minder autonomie, in plaats van méér. Het is van belang dat Nederland de negatieve en positieve kanten van China niet overdrijft, en dat het beperkte maar realistische doelen stelt in de relatie."
"China routinely accessed low and medium level classification information on UK government servers for at least the last 10 years, including information marked “official-sensitive” and “secret,” as well as some material on the government’s secure IT networks."
China Accessed Classified UK Systems for a Decade, Officials Say
Chinese state actors systemically and successfully compromised classified UK government computer systems for more than a decade, according to two former senior security officials and other government ...
www.bloomberg.com
October 16, 2025 at 4:13 AM
"China routinely accessed low and medium level classification information on UK government servers for at least the last 10 years, including information marked “official-sensitive” and “secret,” as well as some material on the government’s secure IT networks."
" China has multiple mechanisms to mediate between Islamabad and Kabul, including trilateral foreign ministers’ meetings, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which has consistently focused on counterterrorism in Afghanistan, and the platform of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor."
China urges calm as deadly Pakistan-Afghanistan border clashes risk spillover
Beijing ‘deeply concerned’ as renewed attacks may jeopardise Chinese personnel and projects in the region.
www.scmp.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:20 PM
" China has multiple mechanisms to mediate between Islamabad and Kabul, including trilateral foreign ministers’ meetings, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which has consistently focused on counterterrorism in Afghanistan, and the platform of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor."
Reposted by Sara Van Hoeymissen
Communities in Zambia have filed lawsuits seeking $80B in damages from Sino Metals after a February mining spill. Chinese social media is now openly debating the case.
October 3, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Communities in Zambia have filed lawsuits seeking $80B in damages from Sino Metals after a February mining spill. Chinese social media is now openly debating the case.
"Moscow’s challenges create a fresh opening for Western powers to regain the access and influence in the Sahel they had lost after the military coups."
www.wsj.com/world/africa...
www.wsj.com/world/africa...
Russia’s Ambitious Plans in Africa Are Unraveling
Not long ago a rising military force in Africa, Russia is now struggling to maintain its footprint on the continent.
www.wsj.com
October 3, 2025 at 8:28 PM
"Moscow’s challenges create a fresh opening for Western powers to regain the access and influence in the Sahel they had lost after the military coups."
www.wsj.com/world/africa...
www.wsj.com/world/africa...
"The papers reflect broad problems in scientific publishing and how research is rewarded. The publishers accepted fees, likely on the order of $1000 each, to publish this junk. And researchers are incentivized to publish more papers, rather than higher quality papers, to advance in their careers.”
Low-quality papers are surging by exploiting public data sets and AI
Paper mills are also likely contributing to “false discoveries”
www.science.org
September 24, 2025 at 7:39 AM
"The papers reflect broad problems in scientific publishing and how research is rewarded. The publishers accepted fees, likely on the order of $1000 each, to publish this junk. And researchers are incentivized to publish more papers, rather than higher quality papers, to advance in their careers.”
"Last year, China settled the final instalment of its $480mn contribution on December 27. Only North Korea paid the last of its roughly $157,000 in dues later, on December 30."
China’s delayed payments fuel UN funding crisis
Beijing’s overdue settlements are getting later every year, FT analysis shows
on.ft.com
September 23, 2025 at 6:20 AM
"Last year, China settled the final instalment of its $480mn contribution on December 27. Only North Korea paid the last of its roughly $157,000 in dues later, on December 30."
"Showcasing China’s standards, tools and practices positions China as the arbiter of what counts as security and who provides it best. China’s bid to rewrite global security governance may displace the US, not by directly confronting it, but by creating alternatives that circumvent and surpass it."
How ‘Safe China’ sells its security strategy to the world
Global leaders — and not just autocrats — are lining up to learn about Beijing’s policing tactics and surveillance state
on.ft.com
September 22, 2025 at 5:52 AM
"Showcasing China’s standards, tools and practices positions China as the arbiter of what counts as security and who provides it best. China’s bid to rewrite global security governance may displace the US, not by directly confronting it, but by creating alternatives that circumvent and surpass it."
"Beijing has chosen to patch up the system with administrative measures, shifting excesses from one sector to another, and relying on exports to cushion the imbalance. But this is a stopgap solution that “works” only by shifting excess capacity across different sectors in the economy."
What’s New about Involution?
“Involution” is a new word for an old problem, and without a very different set of policies to rein it in, it is a problem that is likely to persist.
carnegieendowment.org
September 15, 2025 at 6:09 AM
"Beijing has chosen to patch up the system with administrative measures, shifting excesses from one sector to another, and relying on exports to cushion the imbalance. But this is a stopgap solution that “works” only by shifting excess capacity across different sectors in the economy."
Reposted by Sara Van Hoeymissen
Sinologe Dorien Emmers: ‘Xi Jinping en Poetin? Dat is eerder een open relatie’
Sinologe Dorien Emmers: ‘Xi Jinping en Poetin? Dat is eerder een open relatie’
Ze doceert aan de KU Leuven en is in korte tijd een veelgevraagde China-uitlegger geworden. Maar het allerliefst spendeert Dorien Emmers haar tijd aan veldwerk op het Chinese platteland. Ontbijt met De Tijd.
www.tijd.be
September 13, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Sinologe Dorien Emmers: ‘Xi Jinping en Poetin? Dat is eerder een open relatie’
"During the 2015 event, which took place about 3 years after Xi rose to power, senior officials accompanied him. By 2025, he ushered the rest of the CCP upper echelon to the side. Instead, Xi was flanked by foreign leaders he had invited from Russia, North Korea, Iran and other like-minded states."
WSJ China: The March of a Different China
wsjchina.cmail20.com
September 10, 2025 at 5:34 AM
"During the 2015 event, which took place about 3 years after Xi rose to power, senior officials accompanied him. By 2025, he ushered the rest of the CCP upper echelon to the side. Instead, Xi was flanked by foreign leaders he had invited from Russia, North Korea, Iran and other like-minded states."
Jumia’s race to profitability is complicated by the entrance of Chinese low-cost giants Temu and Shein into Africa. Both offer aggressive discounts to attract price-conscious customers and have steadily cut down their shipping times to improve delivery. Temu in particular offers discounts up to 50%.
Is there a future for the ‘Amazon of Africa’?
Six years after a high-profile listing, Jumia is still trying to prove that it can be a profitable business rather than a relic of the cheap money era
on.ft.com
September 5, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Jumia’s race to profitability is complicated by the entrance of Chinese low-cost giants Temu and Shein into Africa. Both offer aggressive discounts to attract price-conscious customers and have steadily cut down their shipping times to improve delivery. Temu in particular offers discounts up to 50%.
The pigeon gold rush was full of opportunities to get rich.
But pigeon racing was on a crash course with the Chinese government as it began cracking down on conspicuous displays of wealth and illegal gambling. Then stories started emerging about thefts of pigeons from Flemish fanciers.
But pigeon racing was on a crash course with the Chinese government as it began cracking down on conspicuous displays of wealth and illegal gambling. Then stories started emerging about thefts of pigeons from Flemish fanciers.
The pigeon heist: How racing birds became the target of organized crime
Pigeon races in Chinese cities became opulent symbols of China’s economic boom, with purses over $100 million — exceeding most of the world’s major sports.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 4, 2025 at 8:28 PM
The pigeon gold rush was full of opportunities to get rich.
But pigeon racing was on a crash course with the Chinese government as it began cracking down on conspicuous displays of wealth and illegal gambling. Then stories started emerging about thefts of pigeons from Flemish fanciers.
But pigeon racing was on a crash course with the Chinese government as it began cracking down on conspicuous displays of wealth and illegal gambling. Then stories started emerging about thefts of pigeons from Flemish fanciers.
"The Salt Typhoon attack was a yearslong, coordinated assault that targeted more than 80 countries and infiltrated major telecommunications companies and others, investigators said in a highly unusual joint statement last week. The range of the attack was far greater than originally understood."
‘Unrestrained’ Chinese Cyberattack May Have Stolen Data From Almost Every American
www.nytimes.com
September 4, 2025 at 5:38 AM
"The Salt Typhoon attack was a yearslong, coordinated assault that targeted more than 80 countries and infiltrated major telecommunications companies and others, investigators said in a highly unusual joint statement last week. The range of the attack was far greater than originally understood."
"If AI can't capture the uniqueness of human interaction, it risks reinforcing stereotypes of how people ought to speak, rather than reflecting how they actually do. It may even promote a new procedural ideology of conversation, where talk is merely a functional but impoverished tool of cooperation"
ChatGPT only talks in clichés – here’s why that’s a threat to human creativity
AI doesn’t worry about sounding boring.
theconversation.com
September 2, 2025 at 6:15 AM
"If AI can't capture the uniqueness of human interaction, it risks reinforcing stereotypes of how people ought to speak, rather than reflecting how they actually do. It may even promote a new procedural ideology of conversation, where talk is merely a functional but impoverished tool of cooperation"
"🇨🇳’s industrial policy worked because the state built the deep infrastructure needed to become a resilient technological powerhouse. It created an innovation ecosystem centered on powerful electricity and digital networks and it established a massive workforce with advanced manufacturing knowledge."
The Real China Model
Beijing’s Enduring Formula for Wealth and Power
reader.foreignaffairs.com
August 29, 2025 at 1:50 PM
"🇨🇳’s industrial policy worked because the state built the deep infrastructure needed to become a resilient technological powerhouse. It created an innovation ecosystem centered on powerful electricity and digital networks and it established a massive workforce with advanced manufacturing knowledge."
"Under federal tax law, these nonprofits, which do not pay most taxes, can take positions on policy issues but cannot endorse candidates for office. And yet, in case after case, the hometown groups made endorsements or hosted fund-raisers."
How China Influences Elections in America’s Biggest City
www.nytimes.com
August 25, 2025 at 10:31 AM
"Under federal tax law, these nonprofits, which do not pay most taxes, can take positions on policy issues but cannot endorse candidates for office. And yet, in case after case, the hometown groups made endorsements or hosted fund-raisers."
"Chinese investors increased their holdings of gold by a notable 44 per cent year on year to 115 tonnes, while the People's Bank of China added 19 tonnes in the first half of 2025 as part of a strategic effort to diversify foreign reserves away from the US dollar."
scmp.onelink.me/3586748601/d...
scmp.onelink.me/3586748601/d...
‘Extremely daring’: Chinese miners putting gold over their own lives in Africa
Gold miners from China are also more vulnerable to the wave of killings and kidnappings than their Western counterparts, observers say.
www.scmp.com
August 23, 2025 at 1:50 PM
"Chinese investors increased their holdings of gold by a notable 44 per cent year on year to 115 tonnes, while the People's Bank of China added 19 tonnes in the first half of 2025 as part of a strategic effort to diversify foreign reserves away from the US dollar."
scmp.onelink.me/3586748601/d...
scmp.onelink.me/3586748601/d...