China Travel - Red Flags and Exit Bans

 With the promise of a new year comes the anticipation of new horizons, and for many, this is the time to plan travel for the year ahead.

In 2024, the Chinese Government unilaterally extended visa-free entry to citizens of 38 countries and has broadened a policy of offering visa-free entry for transit travelers who plan visits of 10 days or less. That currently applies to 54 nations.

In a number of past episodes we've talked with experts about how China differs from Western liberal democracies (see below) and in this episode of Perspectives with Neilo we take a closer look at what you should know if you are thinking of travelling to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the year ahead. 

Topics covered in this episode include:

  • ChinaTravel - brief introduction,
  • The one-party authoritarian state (listen to China 101),
  • Freedom, Media, Surveillance,
  • Exit bans and the case of Irishman, Richard O'Halloran,
  • Phone inspections, mobile payments and the Great Firewall,
  • Propaganda awareness,
  • How successful is China's visa-free entry so far?
  • Flights and transiting in Hong Kong.
Be sure to check your government's Travel Advice website for the latest information specific to citizens of your country.


Date of Recording; January 12th, 2025




Picture shows Chinese flags on flag poles flying in the breeze and in the foreground are a bunch of surveillance cameras. Listen to our latest podcast on China Travel advice at www.pwneilo.com
China Travel - Red Flags and Exit Bans




DIVE DEEPER:

Additional information on the topics discussed in this episode.

  • U.S. Embassy China - Security Alert: Exercise increased caution regarding attacks in public areas


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Music Credits:
Beyond - rhythm by SamuelFJohanns via Pixabay
Suspense Dramatic by leberchmus via Pixabay
Thriller Movie Background by leberchmus via Pixabay
Mystery Suspense Secret by leberchmus via Pixabay
Sound Soul by Diamond_Tunes via Pixabay

#ChinaTravel, #Beijing, #BeijingTravel, #ExitBan, #TravelAdvisory, #TravelAdvice, #RichardOHalloran, #Ireland, #China, #HongKong, #GreatWall, #GreatFirewall, #Visafree #Podcast

2024 PwNeilo Wrapped!

 In this special holiday episode, we're taking a look back at a sample of the 25 Perspectives with Neilo episodes we released in 2024!

Our goal has always been to raise awareness and spotlight underreported issues. In 2024, we continued this mission.

We covered elections on the front lines of democracy and also in places where perhaps voters have become a little more complacent. We've reported on the Indo Pacific where the gray zone tactics of an authoritarian regime are a daily occurrence, to the Baltic Sea where hybrid warfare is increasing in frequency. 

We've talked to experts, academics and people on the street to hear their perspectives on how authoritarian regimes are using disinformation campaigns to sow discord and erode trust, how they are using economic coercion to apply pressure, and how they are flouting international norms and undermining democratic institutions to reshape the global landscape in their favor.

And no country is immune!


Date of Recording: December 21st, 2024.


In this 2024 Perspectives with Neilo Wrapped!, we rewind and revisit four episodes from earlier in the year, exploring a recurring theme that connects them. 

In our first podcast back in January, we chatted with acclaimed journalist on contemporary China, Bethany Allen. We talked to her about her book "Beijing Rules" in which she discusses China's Authoritarian Economic Statecraft. In this revisit, we hear how the Chinese Communist Party has highly politicized the area of sister city twinning and the role of Confucius Institutes.

The topic of Confucius Institutes also came up in our second interview with Alexander Dukalskis, Associate Professor in the School of Politics and International Relations at University College Dublin (UCD). Professor Dukalskis is the author of "Making the World Safe for Dictatorship" and he shared his thoughts on why he thinks Ireland needs to invest in "serious independent expertise" on China. We called this episode, Ireland's Knowledge Deficit on China. We also talked about Ireland's position on Taiwan and Leo Varadkar's controversial comments after the Chinese Premier's visit to Ireland last January.

Taoiseach Varadkar's comments on Taiwan back in January not only caught the attention of academics and the media, they also raised concern among Irish people living in Taiwan. Fr Sean O'Leary is an Irish missionary priest who has been living in Taiwan for two decades and I talked to him about his letter to the Irish Times in the podcast episode, The Shepherd of Dongshih.  

The subject of Taiwan and in particular, why Ireland does not have a trade office in Taiwan, unlike many of our EU counterparts, also came up in an interview with Ireland South MEP Billy Kelleher when we spoke to him during his EU re-election campaign back in May. Billy shared his thoughts and insights with us.

I hope you enjoy this brief look back at some of the topics we covered in 2024. A big thank you to all my guests - MEP Billy Kelleher, Fr. Sean O'Leary, Professor Alexander Dukalskis and Bethany Allen. Indeed, a big thank you to all the guests who appeared on Perspectives with Neilo throughout 2024 - it would not have been possible without you!

Many thanks also to all our listeners - especially those of you who have subscribed or followed us on any of the podcast platforms!  Your support is what keeps us going. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Very Happy and Peaceful Christmas. We look forward to chatting with you again in the new year.

Picture of our 4 guests on the holiday episode of Perspectives with Neilo - namely Bethany Allen, author and journalist, Fr Sean O'Leary, Parish Priest, Holy Family Church, Dongshih, Taichung, Billy Kelleher, MEP and Professor Alexander Dukalskis, UCD. You can listen to the podcast at www.pwneilo.com
Our guests on 2024 PwNeilo Wrapped! (from top left, clockwise): Bethany Allen author and journalist, Fr Sean O'Leary, Holy Family Church, Dongshih, Taichung, Billy Kelleher MEP, Professor Alexander Dukalskis, UCD.


DIVE DEEPER:

Hear the full-length versions of all four episodes and dive deeper into the background of each interview on the following blog pages:



Outro Music: Christmas Holidays_Medium by Grand_Project via Pixabay

#Taiwan, #Taichung, #TaiwaneseIdentity, #Ireland, #DefendingDemocracy, #OneChina, #LeoVaradkar, #Vatican, #CatholicChurch, #ShepherdofDongshih #TaiwanIreland, #TaipeiIreland, #FiannaFail, #MEP, #EU2024, #EUElection, #EEAS, #CCP, #China, #ConfuciusInstitutes, #DefendDemocracy, #HumanRights, #Huawei, #Tiktok, #Zoom, #Prague, #Shanghai, #SisterCity, #SisterCityTwinning, #CPAFFC, #UnitedFront, #UnitedFrontWorkDepartment 

Cable Sabotage in the Baltic

 Two subsea cables, one linking Finland and Germany and the other connecting Sweden and Lithuania were damaged in less then 24 hours on November 17th and 18th, prompting German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius to say he assumed it was sabotage!

The suspected culprit is a Chinese registered bulk carrier - the Yi Peng 3 - which was traveling through the area after departing the Russian port of Ust Liga, West of St. Petersburg on November 15th. 

Reuters news agency have quoted Western intelligence officials from multiple countries as saying that they are confident the Chinese ship caused the cuts to both cables, but they have expressed different views on whether these were accidents or could have been deliberate.

This is not the first time a Chinese vessel has been suspected of damaging subsea infrastructure in this region and it raises concerns of a wider pattern of hybrid warfare. 

My guest in this episode is Eoin McNamara (@McNamara_Eoin) who is a Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki. I spoke to him about recent events, the reactions in the region and the implications for countries like Ireland and the broader EU.



Date of Recording: December 3rd, 2024.


Main picture shows the Chinese ship accused of cutting cables in the Baltic Sea. Insets show (1) alleged patents for anchor like cable cutting devices and (2)map of the 2 cables that were cut in the Baltic. Listen to the podcast at www.pwneilo.com
Chinese bulk carrier Yi Peng 3, suspected of involvement in cable severing in the Baltic,
Insert top: Alleged Chinese patents for anchor like cable cutting devices.
Insert bottom: Map showing the two cut cables in the Baltic Sea.


DIVE DEEPER:

Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:


You might also like:


Image Credits:
Podcast thumbnail: stablediffusionweb.com
Main image (above): Mikkel Berg Pedersen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP

#China, #YiPeng3, #Baltic, #BalticSea, #Cablesabotage, #EU, #Ireland, #Russia, #Greyzone, #Grayzone, #FIIA, #newnewpolarbear

2024 Data Centres Ireland Report

Data Centres contribute significantly to Ireland's GDP. The Irish data centre market amounted to over 3 Billion Euros of investment in 2023 with key opportunities to capitalize on future growth being driven by the AI revolution. However, its a competitive industry and while Ireland may have once been the EU pioneer of data centres, planning hurdles and electricity supply issues are forcing global technology companies to reconsider Ireland's role as a data centre hub.

In this episode, we report from the Data Centres Ireland Conference which took place at the RDS in Dublin in mid November. This was the 14th year of the event and it featured over 70 leaders and experts as well as 120 exhibitors showcasing the latest in data centre technology products, services and information.

The Data Centres Ireland Conference is the seminal meeting point for the industry each year and this year's topics included - the challenges facing the future of the data centre industry in Ireland, the role of renewables and energy storage, infrastructure technology trends and the impact of new EU sustainability regulations.

I am grateful to the following industry leaders and experts who graciously shared their insights with us.


Listen here or by searching for Perspectives with Neilo wherever you get your podcasts.



Date of Recording: November 20th & 21st, 2024



Main picture of panel discussion (moderator and 4 guests) on stage at the Data Centres Ireland Conference in Dublin in November, 2024. Inset picture of exhibition floor at the RDS. Listen to our podcast at www.pwneilo.com
Panel Discussion on The Evolving PR Image of Data Centres at the Data Centres Ireland Conference, RDS, Dublin, November 20 - 21, 2024.
Inset picture, exhibition floor. 




DIVE DEEPER:

Additional information on the topics discussed in this episode:



#Ireland, #datacenter, #datacenters, #AI, #renewables, #windpower, #solar, #netzero, #EUgreendeal, #energystorage, #energystorageireland, #datacentresireland, #EU, #EED, #CSRD, #IDA, #sustainability

Election 2024 - The Other Important Issues

Ireland's General Election will take place on Friday November 29th, 2024. Overall, 685 candidates are running across 43 constituencies for 174 seats in the next Dail or Parliament. 

Much of the focus and discussion so far has been on what the mainstream media have dubbed 'Auction Politics' as politicians and their parties try to better each other with promises of various benefits if elected. Examples include, free university fees, child care benefits, dropping the USC charge, reducing the VAT rate on hospitality and so on. 

While many of these areas are genuinely important, the relentless competition for votes between the different party candidates means that the conversation around a few core issues (cost of living, housing, healthcare) tends to dominate the media coverage at the expense of other topics.

In this episode, we take a closer look at the three main party's manifestos to see what they have to say about some of the other important issues. Specifically, defending Ireland's democracy, our values and our freedoms, the role of the Media and Press freedom, as well as the party's positions on Foreign Policy, supporting Ukraine, plus their positions on Defense and Security.


Date of Recording: November 26th, 2024.


Portrait pictures of the leaders of Ireland's main political parties (L to R) Micheal Martin, Fianna Fail, Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein, Simon Harris, Fine Gael
The leaders of Ireland's main political parties (L to R) Micheal Martin, Fianna Fail, Mary Lou McDonald, Sinn Fein, Simon Harris, Fine Gael

DIVE DEEPER:

Additional information on the topics discussed in this episode:

  • All of the manifestos referred to in this podcast are available on the party's websites


Audio transition: Sound Soul by Diamond_Tunes, Pixabay

#GE24, #FiannaFail, #FineGael, #SinnFein, #Defenddemocracy, #AuctionPolitics, #CriticalThinking, #ETNC, #MERICS, #RSF, #Russia, #China, #Taiwan, #Vote, #Ukraine, #ForeignPolicy, #PressFreedom, #Security, #Defence, #Defense

Shining a Light on China's Gray Zone

Earlier in August, we reported on China's Maritime Aggression against the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea and also on how China's aggression was uniting nations in the region. In the intervening months, this aggression has increased in frequency and severity and expanded further afield to include Vietnam and Japan.

In late October, I had the pleasure of meeting Ray Powell (@GordianKnotRay) who is the Director of SeaLight, a project of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University in California. We spoke about the background to the current tensions in the Indo Pacific, the origins and validity of China's so-called 'Nine Dash Line', the role of China's maritime militia and deep sea research ships, why what happens in the region matters to the rest of the world and much more.

Date of Recording: October 23rd, 2024.



Since our interview in late October, Philippine President, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law two new acts on November 8th which outline the waters and territories that fall within Manila's jurisdiction. These acts are entitled the Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act and according to President Marcos, they emphasize the importance of the Philippines maritime and archipelagic identity and align Philippines domestic law with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to uphold the rules based international order.

On November 10th, just two days after the Philippines announcement, Beijing released a new map establishing what it calls its territorial sea baselines adjacent to Huangyan Dao - China's name for Scarborough Shoal - outlining its control over this area which lies within Manila's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). According to Chinese state media outlet, The Global Times, China has also ramped up the presence of its large coastguard vessels in the region which it says are capable of longer patrols and stricter Chinese law enforcement.

China's actions in the South China Sea in the past as well as these recent announcements further demonstrate that the Chinese Communist Party does not adhere to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea or recognize the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration which denied Beijing's claims to this area.


Picture of a region in the West Philippine Sea where a single Philippine Coast Guard Vessel is surrounded by several Chinese ships. An insert map shows the extent of China's massive claim in this region.
[Main] Multiple Chinese Coast Guard and Militia ships surround a Philippines Coast Guard vessel in the West Philippine Sea (pic courtesy PCG). [Insert] Map shows the extent of China claim in this region (Facebook Online Maps Blog).



DIVE DEEPER:

Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:

  • China releases baselines of territorial sea adjacent to Huangyan Dao, 'countermeasure to Philippines' introduction of two laws infringing on China's territorial integrity': analyst - Zhang Han, Global Times (Nov 10th, 2024)


Photo Credit: Courtesy of Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) - link

Image Credit: Facebook Online Maps Blog - link


#Taiwan, #Philippines, #SouthChinaSea, #SecondThomasShoal, #China, #CCP, #ChinaCoastGuard, #SierraMadre, #SCS, #Ninedashline, #BRPSierraMadre, #UNCLOS, #CabbageTactics, #LittleBlueMen, #SouthChinaSeaDispute, #SouthChinaSeaConflict, #Russianspyship, #IrishSea, #scarboroughshoal

Taiwan in NorCal



Date of Recording: November 4th, 2024.

Earlier in May and June of 2024, we reported from Taipei on the massive street protests which became known as the Bluebird Movement. These protests were the largest Taiwan had seen in the decade since the 2014 Sunflower Movement.

The protests voiced the public's concern with the new amendments to the law governing the Legislative Yuan's (Taiwan's parliament) power and in particular, new investigative powers including the power to subject public officials to fines or jail time if they refused to attend hearings or provide information when asked to do so by legislators.

Many feared that these new powers would allow private individuals, government officials, corporate executives, military staff and others to be targeted and persecuted by the Kuomingtang (KMT) and their smaller ally, the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) under the auspices of legislative questioning.

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) subsequently took a case to Taiwan's Constitutional Court contesting these new legislative powers and in late October, the Court struck down most of the expanded powers sought by the KMT.

In this episode of Perspectives with Neilo, we report from a November 4th gathering of the Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California (TAFNC) where we spoke to a number of the attendees as well as to the special guest Wang Yi-chuan (王義川) of the DPP about the recent political events in Taiwan as well as how the outcome of the US presidential election may affect US-Taiwan relations moving forward.

[Special thanks to Cooper Wong for translation during Director Wang's interview, to Leona Chen for organizing the interviews and everyone who helped make this episode possible.]

Since recording the interviews, Donald Trump has secured a second term as U.S. President and has already begun making announcements on cabinet positions.

In addition, Taiwan news media are reporting that consensus has been reached between political parties on the national budget for 2025, but as many of them also point out, this is unlikely to mark an end of contention between the KMT and DPP moving forward.


Picture shows DPP Policy Chair, Wang Yi-chuan giving his speech at the Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California on November 4th, 2024
Wang Yi-chuan (王義川) gives a speech at the Taiwanese American Federation of Northern California on November 4th, 2024

DIVE DEEPER:

Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:


#Taiwan, #DPP, #KMT, #TPP, #CCP, #JointSword, #PLA, #Incursions


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