tirsdag 1. april 2025
‘I Love Him’: A Suicide, a Student’s Diary, and a School’s Reckoning
Taiwanese author Lin Yi-han turned her pain into a groundbreaking novel about a teenage girl groomed by her tutor. Not long after its release in 2017, she died by suicide. Years later, a student surnamed Fu read the book and saw her own life in its pages. In her diary, she wrote: “I became guilty, only able to repeatedly tell myself, I love him.” This past January, she, too, took her own life.
Young, Tired, and Still Trying: China’s Next Generation Rethinks Success
Is your life better than that of your parents’ generation?
For all the frustrations young Chinese face in the workplace and at home, many would still answer in the affirmative, says Peter Hessler, the well-known author of “River Town” and “Oracle Bones.” Hessler, who has spent most of the past three decades chronicling the changing lives of Chinese across the world, still sees the younger generation as fundamentally optimistic about the future.
But for Xiang Biao, a popular anthropologist and the director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany, whose analyses of societal phenomena like “involution” and “lying flat” have been read by millions, the answer is less revealing than the thought process: He sees young Chinese as increasingly self-reflecting and willing to interrogate what words like “better” mean in the context of their lives.
For all the frustrations young Chinese face in the workplace and at home, many would still answer in the affirmative, says Peter Hessler, the well-known author of “River Town” and “Oracle Bones.” Hessler, who has spent most of the past three decades chronicling the changing lives of Chinese across the world, still sees the younger generation as fundamentally optimistic about the future.
But for Xiang Biao, a popular anthropologist and the director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany, whose analyses of societal phenomena like “involution” and “lying flat” have been read by millions, the answer is less revealing than the thought process: He sees young Chinese as increasingly self-reflecting and willing to interrogate what words like “better” mean in the context of their lives.
US, Japan ‘Stand Firmly Together’ in the Face of Aggressive Chinese Actions
While there is wide-spread speculation about what the second administration of U.S. President Donald Trump will do with regard to its massive troop presence in Europe, the administration has made it clear that it intends to maintain and strengthen the U.S. military presence in Japan vis-a-vis an increasingly aggressive China – especially with a Taiwan emergency in mind.
Speaking in Tokyo on March 30, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. and Japan “stand firmly together in the face of aggressive and coercive actions by the Communist Chinese.”
“Japan would be on the front lines of any contingency we might face in the western Pacific and we stand together in support of each other,” Hegseth said during a joint press conference with Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen in Tokyo, after the first U.S.-Japan defense ministers’ meeting to take place since Trump took office in January. “Japan is an indispensable partner in deterring Communist Chinese military aggression,” Hegseth added.
Speaking in Tokyo on March 30, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the U.S. and Japan “stand firmly together in the face of aggressive and coercive actions by the Communist Chinese.”
“Japan would be on the front lines of any contingency we might face in the western Pacific and we stand together in support of each other,” Hegseth said during a joint press conference with Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen in Tokyo, after the first U.S.-Japan defense ministers’ meeting to take place since Trump took office in January. “Japan is an indispensable partner in deterring Communist Chinese military aggression,” Hegseth added.
Myanmar announces week of national mourning as hopes of finding quake survivors fade
More than 2,000 people in Myanmar have been killed following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that affected areas as far as Thailand and China. Myanmar's military government has declared a week of national mourning, with a moment of silence to be held later on Tuesday at 12:51 local, the exact time the quake struck on Friday
In neighbouring Thailand, 20 people are known to have died, and thousands have been evacuated from cracked buildings in Bangkok Rescuers in both countries are still continuing their search for survivors, though hopes are fading as the critical window - the first 72 hours after a quake - has passed. The UN says the earthquake has compounded "an already dire crisis" in Myanmar, which is in the midst of a four-year civil war. Despite the destruction, reports suggest the country's military leaders are still carrying out air strikes against pro-democracy rebel groups.
In neighbouring Thailand, 20 people are known to have died, and thousands have been evacuated from cracked buildings in Bangkok Rescuers in both countries are still continuing their search for survivors, though hopes are fading as the critical window - the first 72 hours after a quake - has passed. The UN says the earthquake has compounded "an already dire crisis" in Myanmar, which is in the midst of a four-year civil war. Despite the destruction, reports suggest the country's military leaders are still carrying out air strikes against pro-democracy rebel groups.
Trump has the world on edge as he mulls fateful tariffs decades in the making
He’s got the world hanging on his every word — and that’s how he loves it. President Donald Trump held court in the Oval Office on Monday evening, ratcheting up suspense over his promised tariff war “Liberation Day” on April 2 and riffing on his 19th-century worldview that threatens to rock the 21st-century economy.
It was an extraordinary spectacle — an all-powerful president, surrounded by his gaudy golden trinkets, flags and ornaments, seemingly improvising in real time about a still-mysterious plan that could deliver untold economic consequences to billions of people worldwide.
One minute, Trump was flinging threats at trading partners he accuses of ripping off America. The next, he doused his fire with promises to be “kind,” in the latest in a string of contradictory signals that have sent global markets on a wild ride. “This is going to be an amazing — I call it a lot of different names — but it really in a sense is a rebirth of a country,” Trump declared of a policy that economists fear will hike already high-prices and could push the US toward a recession.
It was an extraordinary spectacle — an all-powerful president, surrounded by his gaudy golden trinkets, flags and ornaments, seemingly improvising in real time about a still-mysterious plan that could deliver untold economic consequences to billions of people worldwide.
One minute, Trump was flinging threats at trading partners he accuses of ripping off America. The next, he doused his fire with promises to be “kind,” in the latest in a string of contradictory signals that have sent global markets on a wild ride. “This is going to be an amazing — I call it a lot of different names — but it really in a sense is a rebirth of a country,” Trump declared of a policy that economists fear will hike already high-prices and could push the US toward a recession.
mandag 31. mars 2025
Why China Is Wary of a Trump-Xi Summit
In Washington, President Trump has said he is willing to meet with Xi Jinping, China’s top leader. In Beijing, Chinese officials and experts agree that a meeting between the heads of state must precede any broad reset of relations with the United States amid Mr. Trump’s aggressive approach to trade and foreign policy. But arranging a meeting is already proving slow and difficult.
Senator Steve Daines, Republican of Montana, who came to Beijing this month as an informal representative of Mr. Trump, said one of the main goals for his trip was to lay the groundwork for a presidential summit. After meeting China’s vice premier for economic policy, He Lifeng, Mr. Daines said in an interview that he believed a summit would be held by the end of the year — a slower pace than many in Washington had expected.
Senator Steve Daines, Republican of Montana, who came to Beijing this month as an informal representative of Mr. Trump, said one of the main goals for his trip was to lay the groundwork for a presidential summit. After meeting China’s vice premier for economic policy, He Lifeng, Mr. Daines said in an interview that he believed a summit would be held by the end of the year — a slower pace than many in Washington had expected.
Trump’s tariffs threaten to escalate a trade war. China wants to talk, but it’s ready to fight
As Donald Trump’s April 2 “Liberation Day” for announcing “reciprocal” tariffs on America’s trading partners approaches, the question in Beijing is whether this will be the moment when its nascent trade war with the US really escalates.
Mixed messages have kept Chinese officials guessing. The US president has long railed against the gaping trade deficit between the world’s two largest economies – and on the campaign trail threatened upwards of 60% duties on all Chinese goods coming into the US. That’s potentially putting Beijing prominently in line for Wednesday’s expected measures.
And yet, in recent days, Trump has suggested he could reduce tariffs on Chinese imports as part of a wider bargain on the sale of Chinese-social social media platform TikTok. Speaking on Air Force One on Sunday, he vowed again to complete a deal on the platform ahead of a Saturday deadline. Trump has also touted a “a great relationship” with Chinese leader Xi Jinping even as his government slapped tough controls on China’s access to US tech and called for tighter investment controls.
Mixed messages have kept Chinese officials guessing. The US president has long railed against the gaping trade deficit between the world’s two largest economies – and on the campaign trail threatened upwards of 60% duties on all Chinese goods coming into the US. That’s potentially putting Beijing prominently in line for Wednesday’s expected measures.
And yet, in recent days, Trump has suggested he could reduce tariffs on Chinese imports as part of a wider bargain on the sale of Chinese-social social media platform TikTok. Speaking on Air Force One on Sunday, he vowed again to complete a deal on the platform ahead of a Saturday deadline. Trump has also touted a “a great relationship” with Chinese leader Xi Jinping even as his government slapped tough controls on China’s access to US tech and called for tighter investment controls.
Trump wants India to buy US corn - but here's why it probably won't
Why won't India buy even a single bushel of American corn? That's the question US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick raised recently while criticising India's trade policies, taking a swipe at its market restrictions. In another interview, Lutnick accused India of blocking US farmers and urged it to open its agricultural market - suggesting quotas or limits as a possible approach.
Agriculture is a key battleground in US President Donald Trump's escalating trade war, with tit-for-tat or reciprocal tariffs set to kick in on 2 April. Tariffs are taxes charged on goods imported from other countries.Trump has repeatedly branded India a "tariff king" and a "big abuser" of trade ties. For years, Washington has pushed for greater access to India's farm sector, seeing it as a major untapped market. But India has fiercely protected it, citing food security, livelihoods and interests of millions of small farmers.
Agriculture is a key battleground in US President Donald Trump's escalating trade war, with tit-for-tat or reciprocal tariffs set to kick in on 2 April. Tariffs are taxes charged on goods imported from other countries.Trump has repeatedly branded India a "tariff king" and a "big abuser" of trade ties. For years, Washington has pushed for greater access to India's farm sector, seeing it as a major untapped market. But India has fiercely protected it, citing food security, livelihoods and interests of millions of small farmers.
søndag 30. mars 2025
How China Is Training AI to Censor Its Secrets
A newly leaked database shows China is developing a large language model (LLM) system to automatically detect and suppress politically sensitive content, dramatically expanding the country's capacity for digital censorship, TechCrunch reports.
The tool appears to serve the Chinese government's long-standing goals of controlling online narratives, using artificial intelligence to identify dissent far more efficiently than traditional methods. The scale and sophistication of the dataset shows how authoritarian regimes are beginning to deploy AI to tighten grips over online discourse. While China has long censored information through keyword filters and human oversight, the new model leverages the capabilities of generative AI to detect more nuanced or coded expressions of dissent.
The tool appears to serve the Chinese government's long-standing goals of controlling online narratives, using artificial intelligence to identify dissent far more efficiently than traditional methods. The scale and sophistication of the dataset shows how authoritarian regimes are beginning to deploy AI to tighten grips over online discourse. While China has long censored information through keyword filters and human oversight, the new model leverages the capabilities of generative AI to detect more nuanced or coded expressions of dissent.
Economic Expert: China is laughing all the way to the bank on Trump’s tariff policy
Rana Foroohar and Shermichael Singleton debate the merits and the end game of President Trump’s tariffs. Foroohar says she isn’t against tariffs but there needs to be a more cohesive policy with America’s allies to make it successful. Singleton argues Trump is trying to bring manufacturing jobs back to the US and undo damage from the previous administration.
US to send advanced military hardware to Philippines
The United States plans to deploy advanced military equipment to the Philippines to strengthen its deterrence against threats, officials from both countries said, as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made his first official visit to Manila. Hegseth met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Philippine counterpart Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday, reiterating that Washington’s defense commitment to its longtime ally in Southeast Asia would remain strong under the second Trump administration.
“Deterrence is necessary around the world, but specifically in this region, in your country, considering the threats from the communist Chinese, and that friends need to stand shoulder-to-shoulder to deter conflict,” the U.S. defense chief told Marcos, according to an official transcript.
Bhutan’s refers to Tibet as Beijing-preferred ‘Xizang,’ sparking pushback
Bhutan became the latest nation to refer to Tibet as “Xizang,” prompting Tibetan politicians and advocates to urge Bhutan to stop using the term promoted by Beijing that they say contributes to China’s efforts to erase Tibetan identity. In a March 17 statement, Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade used the term “Xizang” to refer to the Tibet Autonomous Region, a Chinese government-designed administrative region that makes up only part of the larger region that Tibetans refer to as “Greater Tibet.”
Bhutan’s statement — which pertained to a two-day cultural performance by Tibetan artists on March 18-19 at the Royal Institute of Management in Bhutan’s capital Thimphu — also referred to the Tibetan performers as a “Chinese cultural troupe” and the performance itself as a “Chinese cultural performance.”
Indian mural that spent decades on Norwegian hospital wall sells for record $13.8m
A forgotten oil-on-canvas masterpiece by Indian painter MF Husain, rediscovered decades later, has rewritten the record books for Indian art. Husain's Untitled (Gram Yatra), a sprawling 14-foot-wide mural, sold for an unprecedented $13.8m (£10.6m) at a Christie's auction in New York last week. It shattered the previous high for Indian art of $7.4m (£5.7m), fetched by Amrita Sher-Gil's The Story Teller in 2023.
Husain, who died in 2011, aged 95, was a pioneer of Indian modernism and remains a lasting inspiration for Indian artists. In 2006, he left India after death threats from Hindu hardline groups over his depictions of deities. For nearly five decades, the record-breaking painting unassumingly adorned the walls of a Norwegian hospital, overlooked and undervalued. Now, it stands as a defining work of modern South Asian art.
Husain, who died in 2011, aged 95, was a pioneer of Indian modernism and remains a lasting inspiration for Indian artists. In 2006, he left India after death threats from Hindu hardline groups over his depictions of deities. For nearly five decades, the record-breaking painting unassumingly adorned the walls of a Norwegian hospital, overlooked and undervalued. Now, it stands as a defining work of modern South Asian art.
No more Uyghurs left in immigration detention center: Thai police
Thailand said Thursday there are no longer any Uyghurs stranded in its immigration facilities following the internationally criticized repatriation of 40 Uyghur men to China in late February, in an apparent move to put an end to the confusion over the total number of detainees. Thailand put the men on a plane to Xinjiang on Feb. 27, saying China had given assurances that they would not be mistreated and no third country had committed to take them. They were part of a larger group who had been held at an immigration detention center in Bangkok since escaping China’s persecution in 2014.
“40 [Uyghurs] had been sent to China, while three had died, one in 2018 and two in 2023, leaving no Uyghurs remaining in immigration detention,” Thailand’s Police Col. Watcharaphon Kanchanakan, told a court hearing, without elaborating.
lørdag 29. mars 2025
Tibet’s remarkable linguistic diversity is in danger of extinction
Three days after he was released from prison in December, a Tibetan village leader named Gonpo Namgyal died. As his body was being prepared for traditional Tibetan funeral rites, marks were found indicating he had been brutally tortured in jail.
His crime? Gonpo Namgyal had been part of a campaign to protect the Tibetan language in China. Gonpo Namgyal is the victim of a slow-moving conflict that has dragged on for nearly 75 years, since China invaded Tibet in the mid-20th century. Language has been central to that conflict.
Tibetans have worked to protect the Tibetan language and resisted efforts to enforce Mandarin Chinese. Yet, Tibetan children are losing their language through enrollment in state boarding schools where they are being educated nearly exclusively in Mandarin Chinese. Tibetan is typically only taught a few times a week – not enough to sustain the language.
His crime? Gonpo Namgyal had been part of a campaign to protect the Tibetan language in China. Gonpo Namgyal is the victim of a slow-moving conflict that has dragged on for nearly 75 years, since China invaded Tibet in the mid-20th century. Language has been central to that conflict.
Tibetans have worked to protect the Tibetan language and resisted efforts to enforce Mandarin Chinese. Yet, Tibetan children are losing their language through enrollment in state boarding schools where they are being educated nearly exclusively in Mandarin Chinese. Tibetan is typically only taught a few times a week – not enough to sustain the language.
Taiwan is under a triple security threat
Taiwan’s national security is increasingly jeopardized – externally, from two different directions, and also from within. The largest and most direct threat, of course, is the People’s Republic of China. Beijing’s long-standing position is that Taiwan must not formally politically separate itself from China. The red line for military action by the PRC has never been crystal clear. Taiwan presidents from Chen Shiu-bian (2000—2008) to current president Lai Ching-te have publicly said “Taiwan is an independent, sovereign country.”
Until recently it was reasonable to believe Beijing might be content to kick the can down the road indefinitely as long as the governments in Taipei did not attempt a gesture that would seem to codify juridical separation from China, such as altering the Republic of China constitution.
That has become doubtful, however, under paramount leader Xi Jinping. Xi has expressed impatience with the lack of progress toward unification, saying Taiwan’s de facto independence “should not be passed down generation after generation.”
Until recently it was reasonable to believe Beijing might be content to kick the can down the road indefinitely as long as the governments in Taipei did not attempt a gesture that would seem to codify juridical separation from China, such as altering the Republic of China constitution.
That has become doubtful, however, under paramount leader Xi Jinping. Xi has expressed impatience with the lack of progress toward unification, saying Taiwan’s de facto independence “should not be passed down generation after generation.”
Hegseth says US to boost ties with Philippines as deterrence against China: 'Peace through strength'
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Friday that the Trump administration intends to boost military ties with the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea. The assurance came during a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Philippines, part of Hegseth’s trip to Asia to reaffirm Washington's "ironclad" commitment to the region under the administration of President Donald Trump.
Myanmar earthquake death toll soars past 1,000 as Thailand scrambles to rescue trapped Bangkok workers
At least 1,000 people are dead after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay in Myanmar and rocked neighboring Thailand. The quake was the largest to hit Myanmar in more than a century. The US Geological Survey estimated that the death toll could top 10,000.
•Myanmar’s giant neighbors China and India have sent teams to help with rescue efforts. A Chinese team was the first international rescue group to arrive in the country Saturday morning, according to state media, while India’s external affairs minister said New Delhi has sent a rescue and medical team along with urgent humanitarian aid.
The quake triggered the collapse of buildings hundreds of miles away. At least 10 people have died in the Thai capital, with authorities racing to free more than 100 others believed to be trapped under the rubble of an under-construction high-rise.
•Myanmar’s giant neighbors China and India have sent teams to help with rescue efforts. A Chinese team was the first international rescue group to arrive in the country Saturday morning, according to state media, while India’s external affairs minister said New Delhi has sent a rescue and medical team along with urgent humanitarian aid.
The quake triggered the collapse of buildings hundreds of miles away. At least 10 people have died in the Thai capital, with authorities racing to free more than 100 others believed to be trapped under the rubble of an under-construction high-rise.
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