tirsdag 21. januar 2025

TikTok could be affecting views of young Taiwanese

Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media.

Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do everything to avoid provoking China into attacking it,” the Financial Times wrote on Friday.

Young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 24 in the past were the group who most strongly espoused a Taiwanese identity, but that is no longer the case, it wrote, adding that this age group had also begun using colloquial terms previously only used in China.

Trump has tossed TikTok a lifeline. But China’s not happy

For many of America’s 170 million TikTok users, US President Donald Trump’s move to delay a legal ban of the popular social media platform was cause for celebration. But in China, where TikTok’s parent company is based, the reception has been less positive, largely because Trump has suggested he could require the company to give up a 50% stake to avert a shutdown and suggested tariffs on Chinese goods could hinge on whether Beijing approves a potential future deal.

When asked about Trump’s vision for the future of TikTok, China’s Foreign Ministry said the “operation and acquisition of companies” should be “decided by companies” and in line with Chinese law. The US should “earnestly listen to the voice of reason” and “provide an open, fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment” for companies from all countries, spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Tuesday.

'Hell on earth': China deportation looms for Uyghurs held in Thailand

Niluper says she has been living in agony. A Uyghur refugee, she has spent the past decade hoping her husband would join her and their three sons in Turkey, where they now live. The family was detained in Thailand in 2014 after fleeing increasing repression in their hometown in China's Xinjiang province. She and the children were allowed to leave Thailand a year later. But her husband remained in detention, along with 47 other Uyghur men.

Niluper – not her real name – now fears she and her children may never see him again. Ten days ago, she learned that Thai officials had tried to persuade the detainees to sign forms consenting to be sent back to China. When they realised what was in the forms, they refused to sign them. The Thai government has denied having any immediate plans to send them back. But human rights groups believe they could be deported at any time.

Read the full transcript of Trump's inauguration speech

President Trump delivered his second inaugural addressMonday, vowing a "revolution of common sense" and announcing "we are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success." In the 30-minute speech in the Capitol Rotunda, he promised a "tide of change" and salvation from what he said was the "decline" brought on by the policies of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.

To that end, he's expected to sign about 200 executive orders, actions and proclamations following his address. "The golden age of America begins right now," Mr. Trump said. "From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world."

Here is the full transcript of Mr. Trump's second inaugural address, provided by the Associated Press.