Around 3.7 million people have registered for the tests on Saturday and Sunday, which will be the first since the government increased the age limit for certain positions. The age limit for general candidates has increased from 35 to 38, while the age limit for those with postgraduate degrees has been raised from 40 to 43. The millions of applicants will be competing for 38,100 civil service vacancies across the country, the equivalent of an average of 97 people per job.
fredag 28. november 2025
Millions in China cram for civil service exam and the hope of a job for life
A record number of people are set to take China’s notoriously gruelling national civil service exam this weekend, reflecting the increasing desire of Chinese workers to find employment in the public rather than private sector.
Around 3.7 million people have registered for the tests on Saturday and Sunday, which will be the first since the government increased the age limit for certain positions. The age limit for general candidates has increased from 35 to 38, while the age limit for those with postgraduate degrees has been raised from 40 to 43. The millions of applicants will be competing for 38,100 civil service vacancies across the country, the equivalent of an average of 97 people per job.
Around 3.7 million people have registered for the tests on Saturday and Sunday, which will be the first since the government increased the age limit for certain positions. The age limit for general candidates has increased from 35 to 38, while the age limit for those with postgraduate degrees has been raised from 40 to 43. The millions of applicants will be competing for 38,100 civil service vacancies across the country, the equivalent of an average of 97 people per job.
The global AI race is supercharging Taiwan’s economy. But many don’t feel better off
For proof that an economy can thrive even under constant military threats from a powerful neighbor and amid US President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, look no further than Taiwan.
The self-ruled democracy has logged roughly 8% economic growth for two consecutive quarters, a rare achievement for a developed economy and one that is projected to push its 2025 GDP growth close to 7.4%, even surpassing China’s.
“Taiwan’s economy has clearly been one of the best performing economies in the world, particularly over recent quarters,” said Jason Tuvey, an economist at Capital Economics. “Many people expected Taiwan’s economy to benefit from the sort of AI boom, but maybe many underestimated to what extent it would do.”
How China Is Using Brazil to Reshape Power in the Americas
China’s increasing economic footprint in Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, is redefining the region’s balance of power. Once primarily a trading partner, China is now entrenching itself in the Brazilian industrial base and consumer economy, turning the South American colossus into a gateway for Chinese influence across the continent. This shift challenges Washington’s traditional sphere of influence while carrying indirect consequences for Taiwan, whose diplomatic survival relies on a shrinking circle of allies in Latin America that have been progressively drawn into Beijing’s orbit.
China has been Brazil’s largest trading partner since 2009, but its economic presence was primarily confined to commodity trade. Now that boundary has disintegrated.
China has been Brazil’s largest trading partner since 2009, but its economic presence was primarily confined to commodity trade. Now that boundary has disintegrated.
Never Say Never: The Coming Rapprochement of Taiwan and Elon Musk?
In my article “Influencing the Influencer: China and Elon Musk” for The Diplomat back in October 2022, I posited that American tech mogul Elon Musk and his SpaceX will not provide Starlink services in Taiwan. I based my prediction on Musk’s admission that, in his interactions with senior Chinese officials, “Beijing sought assurances that he would not sell Starlink in China.” Because the comment was made by Chinese officials, their definition of “China” must include Taiwan.
So far, that prediction has largely hold true. Starlink is still not officially available in Taiwan. Starlink blames the gap on Taiwanese regulatory requirements that satellite operators must be majority-owned by local interests or investors.
Starlink is available in pretty much all of East and Southeast Asia, with the notable exceptions of China and Myanmar. Even for Hong Kong, part of China’s territory, Starlink’s website does not publish any local service plans and prices.
So far, that prediction has largely hold true. Starlink is still not officially available in Taiwan. Starlink blames the gap on Taiwanese regulatory requirements that satellite operators must be majority-owned by local interests or investors.
Starlink is available in pretty much all of East and Southeast Asia, with the notable exceptions of China and Myanmar. Even for Hong Kong, part of China’s territory, Starlink’s website does not publish any local service plans and prices.
Trump–Xi: The phone call and implications for the Indo-Pacific
The November 24 phone call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping signals more than a temporary pause in bilateral tensions. Amid heightened pressures over Taiwan, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and fragile global supply chains, both powers appear to be testing a new rhythm of strategic competition: one that prioritizes tempo control over confrontation.
For middle powers and regional actors in the Indo-Pacific, including Vietnam, the conversation offers a window into both risk and opportunity — provided these countries possess the institutional capacity and strategic foresight to respond effectively.
While official summaries emphasized trade disputes, Taiwan, and Ukraine, the subtext is critical. Trump is focused on stabilizing markets, preserving leverage, and calibrating a strategic stance without provoking escalation. Xi, meanwhile, seeks to buy time for industrial and military reorganization while mitigating external pressures.
For middle powers and regional actors in the Indo-Pacific, including Vietnam, the conversation offers a window into both risk and opportunity — provided these countries possess the institutional capacity and strategic foresight to respond effectively.
While official summaries emphasized trade disputes, Taiwan, and Ukraine, the subtext is critical. Trump is focused on stabilizing markets, preserving leverage, and calibrating a strategic stance without provoking escalation. Xi, meanwhile, seeks to buy time for industrial and military reorganization while mitigating external pressures.
Photos of Buddhist monks in Laos praying in region littered with unexploded bombs
The day begins in darkness, lit only by street lamps. As dawn breaks, a pale blue light reveals a quiet line of monks in orange robes moving through the streets of the Lao city of Luang Prabang.
The city, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of the capital, Vientiane, sits on a narrow peninsula between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. It was once the seat of the Lan Xang kingdom and now is a UNESCO World Heritage city.Morning in Luang Prabang brings the soft sound of bare feet touching stone during tak bat, the daily almsgiving ritual that remains central to life here.
Despite sharing borders with Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, Laos maintains a distinct cultural atmosphere. A soft greeting of “sabaidee,” often accompanied by palms pressed together, comes with a small smile, offered naturally to strangers and neighbors alike.
At the morning market, stalls overflow with fresh vegetables, herbs and local meat and fish.
The city, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of the capital, Vientiane, sits on a narrow peninsula between the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. It was once the seat of the Lan Xang kingdom and now is a UNESCO World Heritage city.Morning in Luang Prabang brings the soft sound of bare feet touching stone during tak bat, the daily almsgiving ritual that remains central to life here.
Despite sharing borders with Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, Laos maintains a distinct cultural atmosphere. A soft greeting of “sabaidee,” often accompanied by palms pressed together, comes with a small smile, offered naturally to strangers and neighbors alike.
At the morning market, stalls overflow with fresh vegetables, herbs and local meat and fish.
China’s cultural advantage in the AI Age
As artificial intelligence (AI) surpasses human capability, the societies best positioned to steer superintelligence will not be the most technologically advanced but the most culturally prepared. China, with its Confucian-Daoist substrate, meets this criterion better than most.
Scaled up, state-coordinated and informed by a living tradition that values long-term collective flourishing, China, together with Confucian East Asia, is well-placed to drive the development of AI and transform its purpose.
The moment when AI surpasses human performance in nearly every cognitive and physical domain, two epochal shifts will occur almost simultaneously. As SpaceX founder Elon Musk predicted recently, compulsory human labour, both mental and manual, will become optional.
That civilizational pivot from “how” to “why” also implies a symbolic dethroning of science and technology. In their place will be questions about purpose, value and ultimate direction.
Scaled up, state-coordinated and informed by a living tradition that values long-term collective flourishing, China, together with Confucian East Asia, is well-placed to drive the development of AI and transform its purpose.
The moment when AI surpasses human performance in nearly every cognitive and physical domain, two epochal shifts will occur almost simultaneously. As SpaceX founder Elon Musk predicted recently, compulsory human labour, both mental and manual, will become optional.
That civilizational pivot from “how” to “why” also implies a symbolic dethroning of science and technology. In their place will be questions about purpose, value and ultimate direction.
EU wide open to China’s rare earths blackmail
In recent years, rare earth elements have become the focal point of renewed competition between the world’s major powers. These materials are crucial to the manufacture of all manner of products, ranging from weapons to medical products, AI hardware and cars.
In this new panorama, the United States and Europe are at a disadvantage, as China controls as much as 90% of the global trade in rare earths. This is largely because it has been quietly but continuously promoting the extraction and refining of these raw materials for decades. As early as the 1950s China began mining the Bayan Obo deposit in Inner Mongolia, which is now the world’s largest rare earth mine. By the 1990s it had significantly increased its investments to become the world leader in production and refining.
Today, the PRC extracts these raw materials both within its own borders and in other countries, especially in Africa, though much of the refining is still done in China itself.
In this new panorama, the United States and Europe are at a disadvantage, as China controls as much as 90% of the global trade in rare earths. This is largely because it has been quietly but continuously promoting the extraction and refining of these raw materials for decades. As early as the 1950s China began mining the Bayan Obo deposit in Inner Mongolia, which is now the world’s largest rare earth mine. By the 1990s it had significantly increased its investments to become the world leader in production and refining.
Today, the PRC extracts these raw materials both within its own borders and in other countries, especially in Africa, though much of the refining is still done in China itself.
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