China Reform Monitor No. 1526

FORMER BRITISH AND AUSSIE PILOTS TRAIN THE PLA AIR FORCE
At least thirty former British fighter pilots and an unknown number of Australians are training Chinese pilots to operate warplanes, including Typhoons, Tornados and Harriers, at a flight school in South Africa. Australia's Defense Department has launched an investigation into whether the retired pilots have been teaching the PLA Air Force how to shoot down Western aircraft. For years, China has been offering lucrative contracts to experienced foreign pilots, according to James Heappey, the UK's Armed Forces Minister. One former Australian Air Force pilot said he was offered $1 million a year to work for the PLA. The Flying Academy of South Africa hired the pilots on Beijing's behalf. (Sydney Morning Herald, October 19, 2022)

CHINA DUMPS BAD CHIPS ON RUSSIA: MOSCOW
Since Russia's attack on Ukraine, the failure rate of the semiconductor chips it has imported from China has increased by more than 1900%. Before the invasion, the defect rate among Russia's imported Chinese chips was still suboptimal at 2%, but after the outbreak of the war it jumped to 40%. Chip failures can damage other components, and since problems do not always manifest immediately, they can fail unexpectedly. (Kommersant, October 18, 2022; The Register, October 18, 2022)

CHINA BLOCKS POLISH DEFENSE MINISTER'S FLIGHT TO KOREA
China recently refused to let Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak's aircraft pass through Chinese airspace on its way to Korea. The delegation's flight from Warsaw to Seoul was cancelled at the last minute because Beijing denied the request for overflight just minutes before its departure. Blaszczak was to oversee the transfer of a consignment of Korean weapons to Poland, including dozens of Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers, tanks, howitzers, and fighter jets. Beijing did not provide an explanation, but Poland – a NATO member – is currently seeking to increase supplies of armaments to Ukraine to enable Kyiv to better respond to Russia, a strategic ally of the PRC. (Chosunilbo, October 19, 2022)

RARE PROTEST BANNERS IN BEIJING ATTACK XI
Despite hundreds of billions of RMB spent on security, surveillance and social control, amid the CPC Congress a protester strung two banners across the Sitong Bridge in Beijing. One read: "We want food, not PCR tests. We want freedom, not lockdowns. We want respect, not lies. We want reform, not a Cultural Revolution. We want a vote, not a leader. We want to be citizens, not slaves." The other called on residents to "go on strike at school and work, remove dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping." Footage also showed plumes of smoke billowing from the bridge, which traverses a major thoroughfare in the Haidian district of the capital. Chinese authorities have strictly censored discussion of the rare protest, yet slogans calling for Xi's removal have appeared in at least eight cities including Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou. (The Hill, October 19, 2022)

"RUSSIA IS THE STORM, CHINA IS CLIMATE CHANGE": GERMAN SPY CHIEF
In a parliamentary hearing, the heads of the German foreign and domestic intelligence agencies have both warned against allowing China's shipping company Cosco to invest in the country's Hamburg port. "We are very, very critical of the participation of China in critical infrastructure," said Bruno Kahl, the head of the German foreign intelligence service. "In the case of a political disagreement between China and Germany," Berlin should expect Beijing to use technology, including 5G infrastructure, or economic power to implement its ideas, he said. The head of Germany's domestic intelligence service, Thomas Haldenwang, agreed that stakes in critical infrastructure could also open the door to sabotage and influence on public opinion. "When I speak with foreign partners about China, they always say: Russia is the storm, China is climate change," he said. Meanwhile, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said: "There is increasing realism in the dialogue with China. We are leaving naivety behind," (Reuters, October 17, 2022; Reuters, October 17, 2022)