Sepia

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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.

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.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41774061

Archived link

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Nexperia is owned by Wingtech Technology, a Chinese group partly controlled by state-linked entities. In 2024, the US placed Wingtech on the Entity List due to the efforts of China to develop their semiconductor industry, which is important for military programs. Washington’s warnings followed soon after: Unless Nexperia changed its leadership structure, it too risked sanctions.

Officials of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs explained they were acting because of “serious governance shortcomings” that could have “far-reaching consequences for the Dutch and European economies.”

But while the public debate has focused on China, the Russian dimension of this story is even more urgent. According to Ukraine’s military-intelligence database War and Sanctions, Nexperia-made microchips have repeatedly been found in Russian weapons systems. In 2024 and 2025, these components appeared in Kh-101 cruise missiles, Shahed-136 and Mohajer-6 drones, and Russian battlefield communication systems.

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By invoking the Goods Availability Act, the Netherlands joined a broader Western effort to tighten control over strategic technologies. Now that the Dutch state has access to the company’s internal data, it might be able to audit Nexperia’s client-screening and export-control procedures.

The EU legislation adopted in 2024 requires all producers of dual-use technologies to apply “best-efforts” due diligence standards, including know-your-customer and end-user verification procedures. The European Commission has clarified that “best efforts” encompass all actions that are necessary and feasible to prevent the circumvention of sanctions. It has even issued a six-step guidance for companies on developing a Sanctions Compliance Programme – a direct response to the growing problem of sanctions evasion through third countries, which had severely undermined the effectiveness of restrictive measures.

While the EU provides the overarching policy framework, the enforcement of sanctions remains the responsibility of member states. In 2025, for instance, German prosecutors accused the machine-building company Spinner of exporting 20 machines to Russia for munitions production. This has become one of the largest sanctions-evasion investigations in the EU.

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The Dutch government now has a unique opportunity to investigate potential supply chains of Nexperia products reaching Russia, particularly through Chinese trade routes, and to assess how effectively the EU’s “best-efforts” and Sanctions Compliance Programme recommendations operate in practice.

For Ukraine and its allies, this is not an abstract governance story. Every Western-made technology that ends up in Russian weapons strengthens the machinery of war. This case reflects a new phase in Europe’s tech-security awakening. There are other companies within the EU that were established with Chinese capital, and their products – such as aviation engines manufactured by Austrian company Diamond Aircraft – have also been traced to Russian military systems.

The Dutch intervention demonstrates that European governments have the capacity to apply exceptional instruments to protect strategic sectors from external risks – whether by Beijing or Moscow.

Archived link

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Nexperia is owned by Wingtech Technology, a Chinese group partly controlled by state-linked entities. In 2024, the US placed Wingtech on the Entity List due to the efforts of China to develop their semiconductor industry, which is important for military programs. Washington’s warnings followed soon after: Unless Nexperia changed its leadership structure, it too risked sanctions.

Officials of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs explained they were acting because of “serious governance shortcomings” that could have “far-reaching consequences for the Dutch and European economies.”

But while the public debate has focused on China, the Russian dimension of this story is even more urgent. According to Ukraine’s military-intelligence database War and Sanctions, Nexperia-made microchips have repeatedly been found in Russian weapons systems. In 2024 and 2025, these components appeared in Kh-101 cruise missiles, Shahed-136 and Mohajer-6 drones, and Russian battlefield communication systems.

...

By invoking the Goods Availability Act, the Netherlands joined a broader Western effort to tighten control over strategic technologies. Now that the Dutch state has access to the company’s internal data, it might be able to audit Nexperia’s client-screening and export-control procedures.

The EU legislation adopted in 2024 requires all producers of dual-use technologies to apply “best-efforts” due diligence standards, including know-your-customer and end-user verification procedures. The European Commission has clarified that “best efforts” encompass all actions that are necessary and feasible to prevent the circumvention of sanctions. It has even issued a six-step guidance for companies on developing a Sanctions Compliance Programme – a direct response to the growing problem of sanctions evasion through third countries, which had severely undermined the effectiveness of restrictive measures.

While the EU provides the overarching policy framework, the enforcement of sanctions remains the responsibility of member states. In 2025, for instance, German prosecutors accused the machine-building company Spinner of exporting 20 machines to Russia for munitions production. This has become one of the largest sanctions-evasion investigations in the EU.

...

The Dutch government now has a unique opportunity to investigate potential supply chains of Nexperia products reaching Russia, particularly through Chinese trade routes, and to assess how effectively the EU’s “best-efforts” and Sanctions Compliance Programme recommendations operate in practice.

For Ukraine and its allies, this is not an abstract governance story. Every Western-made technology that ends up in Russian weapons strengthens the machinery of war. This case reflects a new phase in Europe’s tech-security awakening. There are other companies within the EU that were established with Chinese capital, and their products – such as aviation engines manufactured by Austrian company Diamond Aircraft – have also been traced to Russian military systems.

The Dutch intervention demonstrates that European governments have the capacity to apply exceptional instruments to protect strategic sectors from external risks – whether by Beijing or Moscow.

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41773892

Archived link

European finance ministers agreed on Thursday to bring forward to next year customs duties on low-value parcels arriving in the bloc to crack down on cheap Chinese e-commerce imports, in a move set to hit Chinese online retailers Shein and Temu.

The agreement to introduce duties as soon as possible in 2026 by finance ministers meeting in Brussels sets up negotiations with the European Parliament, whose approval is also required.

The European Union is trying to act faster as concern grows over Chinese goods being dumped in Europe.

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The agreement was welcomed across Europe.

"Ending the exemption will close long-standing loopholes that have been systematically been exploited to avoid customs duties," Denmark's economy minister Stephanie Lose told a news conference.

German online retailer Zalando, among those pushing the EU to act, said in a statement that the removal of the exemption should be fast-tracked.

Sweden's retail industry association and Germany's e-commerce association separately said the finance ministers' agreement was a first step towards making competition more fair.

Luca Sburlati, chairman of Italy's fashion lobby Confindustria Moda, said the taxation of parcels under €150 is "essential for the survival of our textile and clothing sector".

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Shein declined to comment, while Temu, AliExpress, and Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Shein is facing legal proceedings in France over the sale of child-like sex dolls on its platform.

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cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41773892

Archived link

European finance ministers agreed on Thursday to bring forward to next year customs duties on low-value parcels arriving in the bloc to crack down on cheap Chinese e-commerce imports, in a move set to hit Chinese online retailers Shein and Temu.

The agreement to introduce duties as soon as possible in 2026 by finance ministers meeting in Brussels sets up negotiations with the European Parliament, whose approval is also required.

The European Union is trying to act faster as concern grows over Chinese goods being dumped in Europe.

...

The agreement was welcomed across Europe.

"Ending the exemption will close long-standing loopholes that have been systematically been exploited to avoid customs duties," Denmark's economy minister Stephanie Lose told a news conference.

German online retailer Zalando, among those pushing the EU to act, said in a statement that the removal of the exemption should be fast-tracked.

Sweden's retail industry association and Germany's e-commerce association separately said the finance ministers' agreement was a first step towards making competition more fair.

Luca Sburlati, chairman of Italy's fashion lobby Confindustria Moda, said the taxation of parcels under €150 is "essential for the survival of our textile and clothing sector".

...

Shein declined to comment, while Temu, AliExpress, and Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Shein is facing legal proceedings in France over the sale of child-like sex dolls on its platform.

...

Archived link

European finance ministers agreed on Thursday to bring forward to next year customs duties on low-value parcels arriving in the bloc to crack down on cheap Chinese e-commerce imports, in a move set to hit Chinese online retailers Shein and Temu.

The agreement to introduce duties as soon as possible in 2026 by finance ministers meeting in Brussels sets up negotiations with the European Parliament, whose approval is also required.

The European Union is trying to act faster as concern grows over Chinese goods being dumped in Europe.

...

The agreement was welcomed across Europe.

"Ending the exemption will close long-standing loopholes that have been systematically been exploited to avoid customs duties," Denmark's economy minister Stephanie Lose told a news conference.

German online retailer Zalando, among those pushing the EU to act, said in a statement that the removal of the exemption should be fast-tracked.

Sweden's retail industry association and Germany's e-commerce association separately said the finance ministers' agreement was a first step towards making competition more fair.

Luca Sburlati, chairman of Italy's fashion lobby Confindustria Moda, said the taxation of parcels under €150 is "essential for the survival of our textile and clothing sector".

...

Shein declined to comment, while Temu, AliExpress, and Amazon did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Shein is facing legal proceedings in France over the sale of child-like sex dolls on its platform.

...

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/41772815

Archived link

Russia unleashed a massive combined attack on Kyiv early Friday, sparking fires and scattering debris across many districts of the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. At least 11 people were injured as emergency crews responded to multiple strikes, he said in a statement.

Five people were hospitalized, including one man in critical condition and a pregnant woman, after a series of powerful explosions sounded in the city and airs defenses were activated.

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In the Darnytskyi district, debris landed in the yard of a residential building and on the grounds of an educational facility. A car caught fire after being hit by falling fragments.

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In the Podilskyi district, five residential buildings and a nonresidential structure were damaged.

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In the Shevchenkivskyi district, falling debris sparked a fire in an open area near a medical facility and inside a nonresidential building.

In the Holosiivskyi district, debris ignited a fire at a medical facility and damaged another nonresidential building.

In the Desnianskyi district, fires were recorded in two residential buildings.

In the Solomianskyi district, a fire broke out on the roof of a residential building.

In the Sviatoshynskyi district, debris caused a fire in a private home.

In the Kyiv region, Russian strikes damaged critical infrastructure and private homes, injuring at least one civilian, regional head Mykola Kalashnyk said. A 55-year-old man in Bila Tserkva suffered thermal burns and was hospitalized, he said. Fires broke out in private houses in the capital’s suburbs.

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Archived link

Russia unleashed a massive combined attack on Kyiv early Friday, sparking fires and scattering debris across many districts of the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. At least 11 people were injured as emergency crews responded to multiple strikes, he said in a statement.

Five people were hospitalized, including one man in critical condition and a pregnant woman, after a series of powerful explosions sounded in the city and airs defenses were activated.

...

In the Darnytskyi district, debris landed in the yard of a residential building and on the grounds of an educational facility. A car caught fire after being hit by falling fragments.

...

In the Podilskyi district, five residential buildings and a nonresidential structure were damaged.

...

In the Shevchenkivskyi district, falling debris sparked a fire in an open area near a medical facility and inside a nonresidential building.

In the Holosiivskyi district, debris ignited a fire at a medical facility and damaged another nonresidential building.

In the Desnianskyi district, fires were recorded in two residential buildings.

In the Solomianskyi district, a fire broke out on the roof of a residential building.

In the Sviatoshynskyi district, debris caused a fire in a private home.

In the Kyiv region, Russian strikes damaged critical infrastructure and private homes, injuring at least one civilian, regional head Mykola Kalashnyk said. A 55-year-old man in Bila Tserkva suffered thermal burns and was hospitalized, he said. Fires broke out in private houses in the capital’s suburbs.

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