Showing posts with label #ChinaInfluence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #ChinaInfluence. Show all posts

China's Global Pressure Campaign to Isolate Taiwan

At the end of April, Taiwan’s President, Lai Ching-te ( 賴清德 ) was forced to cancel a diplomatic visit to Eswatini after multiple countries denied overflight access — an unusual and highly coordinated move.

Days later, RightsCon 2026 in Zambia was abruptly cancelled, reportedly due to the planned participation of Taiwanese civil society groups.

What connects these two events?

In this episode, we examine how the Chinese Communist Party exerts pressure on governments and international organizations to marginalize Taiwan. From diplomatic restrictions to event cancellations, we break down the tactics Beijing uses to expand its global influence and limit Taiwan’s visibility on the world stage.

🔎 Topics covered:

  • CCP’s weaponization of aviation safety

  • CCP pressure in Africa

  • Human rights and tech conference censorship

  • What you need to know ahead of the forthcoming Trump - Xi summit

If you’re interested in China–Taiwan relations, global politics, or international pressure campaigns, this episode unpacks some important recent events.

Date of Recording: May 6th, 2026




President of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te ( 賴清德 ) and his delegation arrives in Eswatini on May 2nd, 2026 for a state visit.
President of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te ( 賴清德 ) and his delegation arrives in Eswatini on May 2nd, 2026 for a state visit.

Photo courtesy of the Office of the President, Republic of China, Taiwan.



DIVE DEEPER

Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:

President Lai's cancelled trip to Eswatini:



RightsCon 2026 cancellation:


Trump Xi Summit:


Support Taiwan:


Podcasts you might also like


Music Chime: Sound Soul (This Logo Reveal) by Diamond_Tunes via Pixabay 

The Anaconda in the Irish Chandelier

There’s a metaphor often used in diplomatic circles when talking about China’s influence — the idea of an anaconda in the chandelier. Everyone can see it, everyone knows it’s there, but no one wants to acknowledge it, because doing so would mean having to act.

A US professor, by the name of Perry Link coined the term - "the anaconda in the chandelier" -  in a 2002 essay in the New York Review of Books. He's recognized as one of the world’s foremost scholars of Chinese language, literature, and political expression and he used this metaphor to describe what he called the pervasive, silent, yet deadly threat of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control, forcing self-censorship across society, literature, and even diplomacy, where individuals police their own speech and actions to avoid unpredictable and sometimes violent repercussions. 

He says that the Chinese government’s censorial authority resembles not so much a man-eating tiger or a fire-snorting dragon but rather a giant anaconda coiled in an overhead chandelier. Normally the great snake doesn’t move. It doesn’t have to. It feels no need to be clear about its prohibitions. Its constant silent message is “You yourself decide,” after which, more often than not, everyone in its shadow makes his or her large and small adjustments—all quite “naturally". 


The fear they experience is not a clear and present sense of panic. It's more of a dull, well-entrenched leeriness that people who deal with the Chinese Communist Party system usually get used to, and eventually accept as part of their natural landscape. The controlling psychological power of the fear is what prevails.


Legend has it that Saint Patrick banished all the snakes from Ireland. But by the early 1990s, it would appear that one very large snake had quietly found its way back into the Oireachtas  — not as a myth, but as a political reality!


In this special episode of Perspectives with Neilo, we examine how fear of offending the Chinese government has quietly shaped Irish political behavior. For decades, Irish governments have tiptoed around Beijing muting criticism on Tibet, China’s human rights abuses, and support for democracies like Taiwan. We examine how this quiet self-censorship has influenced policy, distorted transparency, and raised troubling questions about economic leverage, political openness, and the resilience of Ireland’s democratic values.


Date of Recording: December 19th, 2025.



The picture shows a giant anaconda - red with gold stars - coiled in a chandelier and in the background, the Irish Parliament or Dail is in session as the anaconda quietly observes proceedings.
"The Chinese government’s censorial authority resembles not so much a man-eating tiger or a fire-snorting dragon but rather a giant anaconda coiled in an overhead chandelier".



DIVE DEEPER


Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:


Podcasts you might also like

  • The Transparency Trap - China's Closed-Door Diplomacy and the Uyghur Crisis - Interview with Dr David O'Brien (November 2025)



Music Credits:

Cinematic Piano Ambient Trailer Soundtrack by Open-Music-for-Videos via Pixabay
Sound Soul (This Logo Reveal) by Diamond_Tunes via Pixabay
Slow immersion by SamuelFJohanns via Pixabay
Tibet by AdvGold via Pixabay
Shining Bright Dusk by FreeSoundServer via Pixabay
Enter the realm - no Piano by SamuelFJohanns via Pixabay 


Speeches:

Excerpt from Closing statement by Josep Borrell Fonelles, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission on Sept 13th, 2022, provided courtesy of the European Parliament Multimedia Centre. © European Union, 2022 – Source: EP.

Excerpts from Senator Michael McDowell's speech at Seanad Eireann, Human Rights in China: Motion, Dec 1st, 2021 provided courtesy of the Houses of the Oireachtas. © Houses of the Oireachtas, 2021.


#podcast, #AnacondaInTheChandelier, #IrishPolitics, #ChinaInfluence, #CCP, #Democracy, #HumanRights, #Tibet, #Transparency, #PoliticalInfluence, #Geopolitics, #Coercion, #Ireland, #EU2026, #CCPInfluence, #Uyghurs, #Taiwan, #Taiwanindependence



The FIMI Iceberg - Decoding Foreign Interference Threats

According to data gathered by the European External Action Service (EEAS), last year over eighty countries and over two hundred organizations were targets of attacks from Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference - or FIMI. These attacks targeted everything from major international events like the Paris Olympics, to national elections, regional conflicts and local protests.

The main instigators of these influence operations were China and Russia and they use FIMI to manipulate public opinion, fuel polarization and interfere with democratic processes within the EU and worldwide. They employ a multi-layered strategy using both state and non-state actors to exert long term influence.

According to the EEAS report, "their aim is to destabilize societies, damage democracies, drive wedges between different groups and undermine the EU's global standing". The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas says "FIMI is not merely a tool for disseminating deceptive narratives. It is an integral part of military operations used by foreign states to lay the way for kinetic action on the ground," and "is a major security threat to the EU."

And it would appear that no country is immune. Even a small neutral country like Ireland was mentioned thousands of times by Russian and Chinese influence networks during a monitoring period from September 2023 to September 2024 according to an in-depth study carried out by Norway's Defense Research Strategy.

In this episode of Perspectives with Neilo, we chat with Eoin McNamara (X: @McNamara_Eoin  BSky: @mcnamara-eoin.bsky.social), Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki to unpack some of the key findings in these reports. We discuss what motives lie behind these manipulation and interference campaigns as well as some examples of recent case studies and their impact. In addition we talk about the vulnerability of western society to such interference and what democracies can do to protect their citizens from such nefarious interference in the future.

Date of Recording: March 31st, 2025.



The thumbnail is entitled the FIMI Iceberg and shows Russia President Putin and Chinese President Xi - one on either side of an iceberg. They are surrounded by symbols of their state organizations and state controlled media outlets that appear around the iceberg above the water line. Below the waterline are symbols of China's and Russia's covert state linked channels and state aligned channels.
The FIMI Iceberg showing Russia's and China's Overt threats such as official state agencies and state controlled outlets (media organizations) as well as Covert threats (below the water line) such as state linked channels and state aligned channels. See the 3rd EEAS Report on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Threats linked below for full details.


DIVE DEEPER:

Additional information on the topics covered in this episode:



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Music Credits:
Title music: Uplifting by Plastic3 used under Tribe of Noise license
Break: Shining Bright Dusk by FreeSoundServer via Pixabay

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