Sepia

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41894619

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Wherever possible, only components from our own production – this is the federal government's plan for German telecommunications networks, which Chancellor Friedrich Merz surprisingly announced on Thursday at the congress of the German Retail Association in Berlin.

"We have decided within the government that we will replace components wherever possible – for example in the 5G network – with components that we produce ourselves," according to consistent media reports citing Merz, including the Handelsblatt. "And we will not allow components from China in the 6G network." Merz did not provide a more precise classification, for example, what is considered "self-produced" according to this standard. The statement is said to have been made during a Q&A session and is not to be found in the transcript of his speech.

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The industry should discuss what can be done not only to become more independent from China, but also from the USA and the major technology companies, Merz is further quoted as saying. However, Merz ruled out a complete decoupling from China.

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Just at the beginning of the month, the Federal Network Agency tightened its rules for components of the 5G network. The regulator argues that 5G networks represent the future backbone of digitized economies, connect billions of systems, and process sensitive information in critical infrastructures (Kritis). According to the Handelsblatt, the CDU, CSU, and SPD last week also agreed on new legislation also agreed on new legislative tightening last week to ban equipment from German telecommunications networks deemed insecure.

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According to the legally anchored "Huawei Clause", the federal government can prohibit the use of "critical components" in cases of "potential threats to public safety and order." The federal government and the mobile network operators reached a fundamental agreement last year to no longer use technology from Huawei or ZTE for critical components of the radio networks by 2029.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41894619

Archived link

Wherever possible, only components from our own production – this is the federal government's plan for German telecommunications networks, which Chancellor Friedrich Merz surprisingly announced on Thursday at the congress of the German Retail Association in Berlin.

"We have decided within the government that we will replace components wherever possible – for example in the 5G network – with components that we produce ourselves," according to consistent media reports citing Merz, including the Handelsblatt. "And we will not allow components from China in the 6G network." Merz did not provide a more precise classification, for example, what is considered "self-produced" according to this standard. The statement is said to have been made during a Q&A session and is not to be found in the transcript of his speech.

...

The industry should discuss what can be done not only to become more independent from China, but also from the USA and the major technology companies, Merz is further quoted as saying. However, Merz ruled out a complete decoupling from China.

...

Just at the beginning of the month, the Federal Network Agency tightened its rules for components of the 5G network. The regulator argues that 5G networks represent the future backbone of digitized economies, connect billions of systems, and process sensitive information in critical infrastructures (Kritis). According to the Handelsblatt, the CDU, CSU, and SPD last week also agreed on new legislation also agreed on new legislative tightening last week to ban equipment from German telecommunications networks deemed insecure.

...

According to the legally anchored "Huawei Clause", the federal government can prohibit the use of "critical components" in cases of "potential threats to public safety and order." The federal government and the mobile network operators reached a fundamental agreement last year to no longer use technology from Huawei or ZTE for critical components of the radio networks by 2029.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41894619

Archived link

Wherever possible, only components from our own production – this is the federal government's plan for German telecommunications networks, which Chancellor Friedrich Merz surprisingly announced on Thursday at the congress of the German Retail Association in Berlin.

"We have decided within the government that we will replace components wherever possible – for example in the 5G network – with components that we produce ourselves," according to consistent media reports citing Merz, including the Handelsblatt. "And we will not allow components from China in the 6G network." Merz did not provide a more precise classification, for example, what is considered "self-produced" according to this standard. The statement is said to have been made during a Q&A session and is not to be found in the transcript of his speech.

...

The industry should discuss what can be done not only to become more independent from China, but also from the USA and the major technology companies, Merz is further quoted as saying. However, Merz ruled out a complete decoupling from China.

...

Just at the beginning of the month, the Federal Network Agency tightened its rules for components of the 5G network. The regulator argues that 5G networks represent the future backbone of digitized economies, connect billions of systems, and process sensitive information in critical infrastructures (Kritis). According to the Handelsblatt, the CDU, CSU, and SPD last week also agreed on new legislation also agreed on new legislative tightening last week to ban equipment from German telecommunications networks deemed insecure.

...

According to the legally anchored "Huawei Clause", the federal government can prohibit the use of "critical components" in cases of "potential threats to public safety and order." The federal government and the mobile network operators reached a fundamental agreement last year to no longer use technology from Huawei or ZTE for critical components of the radio networks by 2029.

Archived link

Wherever possible, only components from our own production – this is the federal government's plan for German telecommunications networks, which Chancellor Friedrich Merz surprisingly announced on Thursday at the congress of the German Retail Association in Berlin.

"We have decided within the government that we will replace components wherever possible – for example in the 5G network – with components that we produce ourselves," according to consistent media reports citing Merz, including the Handelsblatt. "And we will not allow components from China in the 6G network." Merz did not provide a more precise classification, for example, what is considered "self-produced" according to this standard. The statement is said to have been made during a Q&A session and is not to be found in the transcript of his speech.

...

The industry should discuss what can be done not only to become more independent from China, but also from the USA and the major technology companies, Merz is further quoted as saying. However, Merz ruled out a complete decoupling from China.

...

Just at the beginning of the month, the Federal Network Agency tightened its rules for components of the 5G network. The regulator argues that 5G networks represent the future backbone of digitized economies, connect billions of systems, and process sensitive information in critical infrastructures (Kritis). According to the Handelsblatt, the CDU, CSU, and SPD last week also agreed on new legislation also agreed on new legislative tightening last week to ban equipment from German telecommunications networks deemed insecure.

...

According to the legally anchored "Huawei Clause", the federal government can prohibit the use of "critical components" in cases of "potential threats to public safety and order." The federal government and the mobile network operators reached a fundamental agreement last year to no longer use technology from Huawei or ZTE for critical components of the radio networks by 2029.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41856118

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41855309

Archived link

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China is increasingly dictating the course of Russia's policy and it could push Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200).

Tsahkna was on an official visit to China last week, the first visit by an Estonian foreign minister in 10 years.

"My main task was to tell the Chinese foreign minister that Russia poses an existential threat to Europe and to Estonia. I reminded him that without China, Russia would not be able to carry out such aggression against Ukraine. The numbers show this is true, and it must be said plainly who holds economic and political control over Russia. If China wants to have good relations with Estonia, these issues must be addressed," Tsahkna [said].

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cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41855309

Archived link

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China is increasingly dictating the course of Russia's policy and it could push Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200).

Tsahkna was on an official visit to China last week, the first visit by an Estonian foreign minister in 10 years.

"My main task was to tell the Chinese foreign minister that Russia poses an existential threat to Europe and to Estonia. I reminded him that without China, Russia would not be able to carry out such aggression against Ukraine. The numbers show this is true, and it must be said plainly who holds economic and political control over Russia. If China wants to have good relations with Estonia, these issues must be addressed," Tsahkna [said].

...

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41855309

Archived link

...

China is increasingly dictating the course of Russia's policy and it could push Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200).

Tsahkna was on an official visit to China last week, the first visit by an Estonian foreign minister in 10 years.

"My main task was to tell the Chinese foreign minister that Russia poses an existential threat to Europe and to Estonia. I reminded him that without China, Russia would not be able to carry out such aggression against Ukraine. The numbers show this is true, and it must be said plainly who holds economic and political control over Russia. If China wants to have good relations with Estonia, these issues must be addressed," Tsahkna [said].

...

Archived link

...

China is increasingly dictating the course of Russia's policy and it could push Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, said Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200).

Tsahkna was on an official visit to China last week, the first visit by an Estonian foreign minister in 10 years.

"My main task was to tell the Chinese foreign minister that Russia poses an existential threat to Europe and to Estonia. I reminded him that without China, Russia would not be able to carry out such aggression against Ukraine. The numbers show this is true, and it must be said plainly who holds economic and political control over Russia. If China wants to have good relations with Estonia, these issues must be addressed," Tsahkna [said].

...

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Chinese nationals have increasingly looked to take advantage of visa-free entry in Serbia and Bosnia to then enter the EU and claim asylum in Western Europe.

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According to data from Frontex – the European Border and Coast Guard Agency – 482 Chinese citizens were caught illegally crossing the “Balkan Route” in the first nine months of 2025.

This number is expected to increase by the end of the year, as four groups of over 50 Chinese nationals have been detained in recent months. Some of these crossings have ended in tragedy.

In October, a case ended with the drowning of a Chinese national after a boat carrying migrants sank while trying to cross the Danube River between Serbia and Croatia. Four other Chinese migrants on board survived.

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More than 1 million Chinese nationals sought asylum abroad between 2012 and 2024, according to data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

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Some try to cross from Serbia to Croatia – where Chinese citizens can stay for up to 30 days without a visa – but more often they try to enter the EU from Bosnia, which allows stays of up to 90 days without a visa and has a much longer border with Croatia.

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The Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirms to Radio Free Europe that the number of Chinese citizens caught during illegal border crossings has increased significantly over the past two years – from just two people in 2023, to 151 in 2024.

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cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41777220

• 10 regimes account for nearly 80 % of all transnational repression cases, including China, Türkiye, Tajikistan, Russia, Egypt, Cambodia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus
• The text highlights that more than 1,200 direct physical incidents have been recorded, in 103 countries, over the past decade.
• EU sanctions and a ban on exports of spyware and dual-use goods to countries engaging in transnational repression are necessary responses

New technologies, in particular artificial intelligence, malicious data communication and spyware, are increasingly important vectors of current transnational repression, say MEPs. They call on member states and the EU to recognise, prevent and tackle digital forms of transnational repression, including disinformation campaigns targeting human rights defenders, and to ensure that private actors in the technology sector are held accountable, by publishing transparency reports, and setting up effective grievance mechanisms.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41777220

• 10 regimes account for nearly 80 % of all transnational repression cases, including China, Türkiye, Tajikistan, Russia, Egypt, Cambodia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus
• The text highlights that more than 1,200 direct physical incidents have been recorded, in 103 countries, over the past decade.
• EU sanctions and a ban on exports of spyware and dual-use goods to countries engaging in transnational repression are necessary responses

New technologies, in particular artificial intelligence, malicious data communication and spyware, are increasingly important vectors of current transnational repression, say MEPs. They call on member states and the EU to recognise, prevent and tackle digital forms of transnational repression, including disinformation campaigns targeting human rights defenders, and to ensure that private actors in the technology sector are held accountable, by publishing transparency reports, and setting up effective grievance mechanisms.

• 10 regimes account for nearly 80 % of all transnational repression cases, including China, Türkiye, Tajikistan, Russia, Egypt, Cambodia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus
• The text highlights that more than 1,200 direct physical incidents have been recorded, in 103 countries, over the past decade.
• EU sanctions and a ban on exports of spyware and dual-use goods to countries engaging in transnational repression are necessary responses

New technologies, in particular artificial intelligence, malicious data communication and spyware, are increasingly important vectors of current transnational repression, say MEPs. They call on member states and the EU to recognise, prevent and tackle digital forms of transnational repression, including disinformation campaigns targeting human rights defenders, and to ensure that private actors in the technology sector are held accountable, by publishing transparency reports, and setting up effective grievance mechanisms.