Speaking via video link from military headquarters in a building in the heart of Beijing this week, Xi sent his greetings to troops around the country for the new year that begins next week, calling the past year "very unusual, very extraordinary" and saying it was a year marked by "political rectification," a Communist Party term for enforcing ideological discipline and for purges.
lørdag 14. februar 2026
China’s Xi Celebrates Recent Military Purges
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has appeared to celebrate a series of political purges that he ordered that have roiled the People's Liberation Army, as China's military media heaped him with high accolades in messages marking the imminent start of China's new year.
Speaking via video link from military headquarters in a building in the heart of Beijing this week, Xi sent his greetings to troops around the country for the new year that begins next week, calling the past year "very unusual, very extraordinary" and saying it was a year marked by "political rectification," a Communist Party term for enforcing ideological discipline and for purges.
Speaking via video link from military headquarters in a building in the heart of Beijing this week, Xi sent his greetings to troops around the country for the new year that begins next week, calling the past year "very unusual, very extraordinary" and saying it was a year marked by "political rectification," a Communist Party term for enforcing ideological discipline and for purges.
India, China and the regret of Gyalo Thondup
Gyalo Thondup, who died on February 8, 2026, at 97 at the Indian hill station Kalimpong, carried with him secrets of a vanished era — and a warning for the present one. As the elder brother of the 14th Dalai Lama and a principal architect of the Tibetan resistance, Thondup stood at the intersection of Tibet’s tragedy and Asia’s great-power rivalries.
His memoir, The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong, pulls back the curtain on a shadow war that entangled Tibet, India, China and the United States. It also offers a sobering lesson for New Delhi today.Thondup’s greatest regret, he wrote, was trusting the CIA.
He wrote, “in all my life, I have only one regret: my involvement with the CIA. Initially, I genuinely believed that the Americans wanted to help us fight for our independence. Eventually, I realized that was not true. It was misguided and wishful thinking on my part. The CIA’s goal was never independence for Tibet. In fact, I do not think that the Americans ever really even wanted to help. They just wanted to stir up trouble, using the Tibetans to create misunderstandings and discord between China and India. Eventually they were successful in that. The 1962 Sino-Indian border war was one tragic result.”
His memoir, The Noodle Maker of Kalimpong, pulls back the curtain on a shadow war that entangled Tibet, India, China and the United States. It also offers a sobering lesson for New Delhi today.Thondup’s greatest regret, he wrote, was trusting the CIA.
He wrote, “in all my life, I have only one regret: my involvement with the CIA. Initially, I genuinely believed that the Americans wanted to help us fight for our independence. Eventually, I realized that was not true. It was misguided and wishful thinking on my part. The CIA’s goal was never independence for Tibet. In fact, I do not think that the Americans ever really even wanted to help. They just wanted to stir up trouble, using the Tibetans to create misunderstandings and discord between China and India. Eventually they were successful in that. The 1962 Sino-Indian border war was one tragic result.”
his holiday is the world’s biggest homecoming. But how do you celebrate in the midst of grief?
Every morning, 68-year-old Yip Ka-kui sends his wife a voice note that will never be heard. Sometimes he tells her about things he’s seen, or something that would make her laugh. Recently he shared that their granddaughter scored the second-highest grade in her class on end-of-year exams.
This would typically be a cause for celebration for the tight-knit family. But last November, Yip’s wife Pak Shui-lin was among the 168 people killed in a fire that tore through seven high-rise residential blocks in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district.
Now more than two months on, the city is preparing to ring in the Lunar New Year, which begins on Tuesday. It’s the most important festival on the Chinese calendar – a time for families to reunite. Known as the world’s largest annual homecoming, each year hundreds of millions of people across China return home to visit loved ones. Most apartments in Hong Kong are already festooned with red lanterns and banners inviting happiness and good fortune.
This would typically be a cause for celebration for the tight-knit family. But last November, Yip’s wife Pak Shui-lin was among the 168 people killed in a fire that tore through seven high-rise residential blocks in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district.
Now more than two months on, the city is preparing to ring in the Lunar New Year, which begins on Tuesday. It’s the most important festival on the Chinese calendar – a time for families to reunite. Known as the world’s largest annual homecoming, each year hundreds of millions of people across China return home to visit loved ones. Most apartments in Hong Kong are already festooned with red lanterns and banners inviting happiness and good fortune.
China has another solution to its shrinking population: robots
China’s birth rate has hit a historic low – deepening fears of a major economic shock in the decades to come as the country’s massive labor force dwindles and its population of pension-drawing retirees swells. A flurry of policies from Chinese authorities to spur procreation – from cash handouts and tax breaks to new rules making marriage easier – has so far failed to stop the downward slide, data released last month shows.
But the country is also eyeing another potential fix: robots and automation.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has for years overseen a push to upgrade and automate the country’s manufacturing sector, part of Beijing’s goal to transform China into a self-sufficient high-tech powerhouse.
China’s demographic crisis has moved from theory to fact
China’s demographic crisis is no longer a distant projection buried in academic journals or UN forecasts. It has become an observable fact, confirmed by official statistics and increasingly felt across Chinese society.
In January 2026, China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported that the country recorded its lowest birth rate since 1949. Fewer than eight million babies were born in 2025, a figure once unimaginable for a nation long associated with demographic abundance.The decline is not marginal. With roughly 5.6 births per 1,000 people, China now ranks among the world’s lowest-fertility societies, closer to aging European economies than to the image of a rising Asian power.
More striking still, this marked the fourth consecutive year in which China’s total population shrank. What was once framed as a looming challenge has solidified into a structural reality.
In January 2026, China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported that the country recorded its lowest birth rate since 1949. Fewer than eight million babies were born in 2025, a figure once unimaginable for a nation long associated with demographic abundance.The decline is not marginal. With roughly 5.6 births per 1,000 people, China now ranks among the world’s lowest-fertility societies, closer to aging European economies than to the image of a rising Asian power.
More striking still, this marked the fourth consecutive year in which China’s total population shrank. What was once framed as a looming challenge has solidified into a structural reality.
Lyle Goldstein: China is the bright spot in Trump’s foreign policy
After one year in office, the Trump administration’s foreign policy has drawn mostly negative reviews.
Major efforts to bring peace to both Eastern Europe and the Middle East—both admittedly tall orders—have resulted in meager progress. That is to say nothing of the intense nervousness neighbors and allies feel over Washington’s unique new vision for hemispheric defense.Amid that bleak overall picture, China stands out as a possible bright spot. While many pundits have forecast an intensifying great-power rivalry in the Asia-Pacific, it has not yet meaningfully materialized.
The second Trump administration has rejected the ideologically charged anti-China position that hawkish figures like Mike Pompeo and John Bolton brought to Trump’s first term. Trump’s new approach in the Asia-Pacific considers deterring China as a secondary priority to the primary objective of securing the homeland.
Major efforts to bring peace to both Eastern Europe and the Middle East—both admittedly tall orders—have resulted in meager progress. That is to say nothing of the intense nervousness neighbors and allies feel over Washington’s unique new vision for hemispheric defense.Amid that bleak overall picture, China stands out as a possible bright spot. While many pundits have forecast an intensifying great-power rivalry in the Asia-Pacific, it has not yet meaningfully materialized.
The second Trump administration has rejected the ideologically charged anti-China position that hawkish figures like Mike Pompeo and John Bolton brought to Trump’s first term. Trump’s new approach in the Asia-Pacific considers deterring China as a secondary priority to the primary objective of securing the homeland.
fredag 13. februar 2026
Torbjørn Færøvik: China’s New Year of Reunion and Separation
China’s annual great migration is underway. Millions of people are on their way home to celebrate the transition to a new year. When the country enters the Year of the Horse on the night of February 17, glasses will be raised in villages and cities alike, and the celebrations will last until dawn.
For most, the journey home is a welcome occasion. Yet it also has a darker side, marked by sorrow, longing, and tears. Migrant workers are about to reunite with their own children—children they have not seen for a long time. Newspapers refer to them as “left-behind.” In the parents’ absence, grandparents or others have taken care of them.
For most, the journey home is a welcome occasion. Yet it also has a darker side, marked by sorrow, longing, and tears. Migrant workers are about to reunite with their own children—children they have not seen for a long time. Newspapers refer to them as “left-behind.” In the parents’ absence, grandparents or others have taken care of them.
Xi Jinping Is Losing Control of China’s Military
“The fact that Xi Jinping has been able to cashier so many [People's Liberation Army] elites since he assumed power...is a clear sign his position in the regime is unassailable,” James Char of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore told CNN last month, just after Xi’s removal of two senior generals from important command posts. The news outlet summarized the almost unanimous view of analysts: “Xi Has Absolute Control Over China’s Military.”
But the narrative that Xi controls the military is almost certainly wrong. The purges, taken by almost all as proof of Xi’s power, in fact show the opposite. On the 24th of last month, China’s Ministry of National Defense, in a 30-second video, announced that two generals sitting on the Communist Party's Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, were placed under investigation.
But the narrative that Xi controls the military is almost certainly wrong. The purges, taken by almost all as proof of Xi’s power, in fact show the opposite. On the 24th of last month, China’s Ministry of National Defense, in a 30-second video, announced that two generals sitting on the Communist Party's Central Military Commission, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, were placed under investigation.
China's Xi Jinping makes rare reference to recent military purge
Chinese President Xi Jinping has made a rare public reference to a recent crackdown which saw the country's top military general removed.
General Zhang Youxia, who was widely seen as Xi's closest military ally, was removed from his post in January. He was accused of "serious violations of discipline and law" - typically a euphemism for corruption. Speaking in a virtual address on Tuesday, Xi said the past year had been "unusual and extraordinary", adding that the army had "undergone revolutionary tempering in the fight against corruption".
In his remarks on Tuesday, Xi also added that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had effectively addressed "various risks and challenges", adding that many in the army had gone through "in-depth political rectification". He also said that PLA troops had been "loyal to the Party... and proven themselves capable and dependable".Since coming to power, President Xi has launched waves of anti-corruption drives, which critics say have also been used as a tool to purge political rivals.
General Zhang Youxia, who was widely seen as Xi's closest military ally, was removed from his post in January. He was accused of "serious violations of discipline and law" - typically a euphemism for corruption. Speaking in a virtual address on Tuesday, Xi said the past year had been "unusual and extraordinary", adding that the army had "undergone revolutionary tempering in the fight against corruption".
In his remarks on Tuesday, Xi also added that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) had effectively addressed "various risks and challenges", adding that many in the army had gone through "in-depth political rectification". He also said that PLA troops had been "loyal to the Party... and proven themselves capable and dependable".Since coming to power, President Xi has launched waves of anti-corruption drives, which critics say have also been used as a tool to purge political rivals.
Japan says it seized Chinese vessel amid tensions with Beijing
Japanese authorities say they have seized a Chinese fishing vessel that tried to flee when ordered to stop for an inspection, in a move that may further fuel tensions with Beijing. The boat was in Japan's exclusive economic zone off Nagasaki Prefecture in the south-west when it was intercepted and its captain arrested on Thursday, according to the country's fisheries agency. "The vessel's captain was ordered to stop for an inspection by a fisheries inspector, but the vessel failed to comply and fled," the fisheries agency said.
The seizure is the first time since 2022 that the agency has seized a Chinese fishing boat. China has yet to react to Japan's statement.
The seizure is the first time since 2022 that the agency has seized a Chinese fishing boat. China has yet to react to Japan's statement.
Spy agency says Kim Jong Un’s daughter is close to being designated North Korea’s future leader
South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday that it believes the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is close to being designated as the country’s future leader as he moves to extend the family dynasty to a fourth generation.
The assessment by the National Intelligence Service comes as North Korea is preparing to hold its biggest political conference later this month, where Kim is expected to outline his major policy goals for the next five years and take steps to tighten his authoritarian grip.
In a closed-door briefing, NIS officials said they are closely monitoring whether Kim’s daughter — believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and around 13 years old — appears with him before thousands of delegates at the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress, said lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, who attended the meeting.
The assessment by the National Intelligence Service comes as North Korea is preparing to hold its biggest political conference later this month, where Kim is expected to outline his major policy goals for the next five years and take steps to tighten his authoritarian grip.
In a closed-door briefing, NIS officials said they are closely monitoring whether Kim’s daughter — believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and around 13 years old — appears with him before thousands of delegates at the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress, said lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, who attended the meeting.
EU leaders ready countermeasures to pressure from Russia, China and Trump
European Union leaders broadly agreed Thursday on a plan to restructure the 27-nation bloc’s economy to make it more competitive as they face antagonism from U.S. President Donald Trump, strong-arm tactics from China and hybrid threats blamed on Russia.
Meeting in a Belgian castle, the EU leaders agreed an “action plan” with a strict timeline for the economic restructuring, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “The pressure and the sense of urgency is enormous, and that can move mountains,” she said.
The plan, to be presented formally in March, would include measures to coordinate upgrading energy grids, deepen financial integration and loosen merger regulations to allow European firms to grow to better compete globally, she said.
“We need European champions,” von der Leyen said.
Meeting in a Belgian castle, the EU leaders agreed an “action plan” with a strict timeline for the economic restructuring, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “The pressure and the sense of urgency is enormous, and that can move mountains,” she said.
The plan, to be presented formally in March, would include measures to coordinate upgrading energy grids, deepen financial integration and loosen merger regulations to allow European firms to grow to better compete globally, she said.
“We need European champions,” von der Leyen said.
People — and robots — are getting ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year in China
It’s not just people — in China, the robots are also getting ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Friday was dress rehearsal day for four cute humanoid robots, each about 95 centimeters (3 feet) tall at a mall in western Beijing. Curious onlookers stopped to watch. Each robot got a colorful lion costume and within minutes the moves started: Bend the knees, up, to the left, to the right, shake the mask, and do it all again!
Ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrated next week, and as part of different “fairs” and activities around Beijing, some venues have been busy setting up their stages and props.
For a second year in a row, one of the fairs will be devoted to technology and — yes, again — robots will take center stage. People will see them dancing and also them stacking blocks on top of others to make a little tower, skewering hawthorn berries onto a stick — coated with a syrup, a popular sweet snack — or playing soccer.
Ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrated next week, and as part of different “fairs” and activities around Beijing, some venues have been busy setting up their stages and props.
For a second year in a row, one of the fairs will be devoted to technology and — yes, again — robots will take center stage. People will see them dancing and also them stacking blocks on top of others to make a little tower, skewering hawthorn berries onto a stick — coated with a syrup, a popular sweet snack — or playing soccer.
Trump is gathering Latin American leaders in Florida in March, ahead of his trip to China
President Donald Trump has invited Latin American leaders to take part in a summit in Florida next month, gathering the officials at a moment when the administration is spotlighting what it sees as concerning Chinese influence in the region.
Plans for the March 7 summit were confirmed on Thursday by a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly about the yet-to-be formally announced gathering of leaders. It will also come just weeks before Trump is expected to travel to Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Trump administration has made it a priority to assert dominance over the Western Hemisphere, where China has long built influence through massive loans and expansive trade.
Plans for the March 7 summit were confirmed on Thursday by a White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly about the yet-to-be formally announced gathering of leaders. It will also come just weeks before Trump is expected to travel to Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Trump administration has made it a priority to assert dominance over the Western Hemisphere, where China has long built influence through massive loans and expansive trade.
US pushes Taiwan to boost defense spending amid China threat
A bipartisan group of 37 US lawmakers urged Taiwan's parliament to approve a proposed multi-billion dollar defense spending package, warning that the threat from China "has never been greater." Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had proposed a $40 billion (€33.72 billion) additional defense spending last year, but the proposal was stalled in the opposition-led parliament.
In the letter released on Thursday and addressed to parliamentary speaker Han Kuo-yu and party leaders, including the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP), the US lawmakers said Beijing was intensifying pressure on the island and called for higher defense outlays in line with President Lai's proposal.
"The threat posed by the People's Republic of China against Taiwan has never been greater. [Chinese President] Xi Jinping is focusing every element of the PRC's national power to control Taiwan," the letter warned, calling for a significant increase in Taiwan's defense spending.
In the letter released on Thursday and addressed to parliamentary speaker Han Kuo-yu and party leaders, including the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP), the US lawmakers said Beijing was intensifying pressure on the island and called for higher defense outlays in line with President Lai's proposal.
"The threat posed by the People's Republic of China against Taiwan has never been greater. [Chinese President] Xi Jinping is focusing every element of the PRC's national power to control Taiwan," the letter warned, calling for a significant increase in Taiwan's defense spending.
Japan has given Takaichi a landslide win - but can she bring back the economy?
Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, rolled the dice on a snap election - and it paid off. She and her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have the kind of decisive majority - 316 out of 465 seats - that few leaders have enjoyed recently. Rather, Japan has had a revolving door of prime ministers. Now the question is what Takaichi does with it. Can she deliver what has eluded the Japanese economy for decades: faster growth?
Japan has a long list of problems: sluggish growth, public debt that is the largest in the world, and a working population that is both ageing and shrinking. Takaichi, some observers believe, has the chance to change this, reshaping how Japan runs what is the world's fourth-largest economy - and how the markets see it. She will steer Japan in the right direction, says Tomohiko Taniguchi, a policy adviser and former speechwriter for late prime minister Shinzo Abe.
"If successful, it will serve as a premier case study for ageing societies worldwide."
Japan has a long list of problems: sluggish growth, public debt that is the largest in the world, and a working population that is both ageing and shrinking. Takaichi, some observers believe, has the chance to change this, reshaping how Japan runs what is the world's fourth-largest economy - and how the markets see it. She will steer Japan in the right direction, says Tomohiko Taniguchi, a policy adviser and former speechwriter for late prime minister Shinzo Abe.
"If successful, it will serve as a premier case study for ageing societies worldwide."
How China’s ‘unruly’ speculators might be fueling the frenzy in gold market
Gold’s wild price swings in recent weeks are increasingly being linked to speculative trading in China by some analysts, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attributing the heightened volatility to “unruly” Chinese activity.
Gold prices jumped to a record high of $5,594 per ounce on Jan. 29 only to plummet nearly 10% the next day in its sharpest drop in decades. Since then, the yellow metal has struggled to consistently stay above the 5,000 level. While broader factors such as U.S. interest-rate expectations and geopolitical tensions continuing to drive bullion demand, some analysts believe Chinese retail and institutional investors are playing an outsized role in driving volatility.
Gold prices jumped to a record high of $5,594 per ounce on Jan. 29 only to plummet nearly 10% the next day in its sharpest drop in decades. Since then, the yellow metal has struggled to consistently stay above the 5,000 level. While broader factors such as U.S. interest-rate expectations and geopolitical tensions continuing to drive bullion demand, some analysts believe Chinese retail and institutional investors are playing an outsized role in driving volatility.
torsdag 12. februar 2026
China Releases Security Doctrine Hours After Major Critic Jailed
The Chinese government on Tuesday released a white paper outlining its national‑security framework for Hong Kong, less than a day after a court sentenced Beijing-critic and media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 20 years in prison under the city’s National Security Law.
Lai, 78, a British citizen and founder of the now‑defunct Apple Dailynewspaper, received the longest sentence to date under the 2020 National Security Law. His conviction has drawn criticism from the United States, United Kingdom, and other governments, which say the law has sharply curtailed Hong Kong’s civil liberties and breached Beijing’s commitments under the “one country, two systems” framework.
Beijing and its handpicked government in Hong Kong say the measures were necessary to restore order following the monthslong pro-democracy proteststhat convulsed the special administrative region.
Lai, 78, a British citizen and founder of the now‑defunct Apple Dailynewspaper, received the longest sentence to date under the 2020 National Security Law. His conviction has drawn criticism from the United States, United Kingdom, and other governments, which say the law has sharply curtailed Hong Kong’s civil liberties and breached Beijing’s commitments under the “one country, two systems” framework.
Beijing and its handpicked government in Hong Kong say the measures were necessary to restore order following the monthslong pro-democracy proteststhat convulsed the special administrative region.
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