Death sentences in China are usually reserved for murderers and drug offenders. That is why it attracts attention when two former defence ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, receive the harshest punishment the law allows. Party newspapers are giving the verdicts extensive coverage and urging “all Chinese without exception” to “respect the law and serve socialism.”
The sentences were handed down by a military court and announced on Thursday.
Wei served as defence minister from 2018 to 2023, while Li, his successor, remained in office for only eight months. Both have been given a two-year reprieve. In practice, this means that their sentences will be commuted to life imprisonment.
The court found them guilty of serious corruption, both for accepting bribes and for bribing others.
søndag 10. mai 2026
A China move now on Taiwan would be an enormous gamble
“The Iran war weakens deterrence in Asia, undercuts confidence of US allies and partners, and makes conflict with China more likely.”
That’s become an article of faith among those opposing the US fight with Iran. The US military – the navy in particular – is indeed smaller than it should be, and much American combat power is deployed to the Middle East. There is no deployable aircraft carrier in the Western Pacific, and the sole forward-based Marine amphibious unit, the 31st MEU, is deployed to Iran.
As troubling, the Iran war is draining war stocks – especially long-range precision missiles and air-defense ordnance. It’s unclear exactly how alarming the situation is, but it is likely that the US hasn’t got what it would like to have to fight China. The USINDOPACOM commander, Admiral Samuel Paparo, suggested as much in recent comments.
That’s become an article of faith among those opposing the US fight with Iran. The US military – the navy in particular – is indeed smaller than it should be, and much American combat power is deployed to the Middle East. There is no deployable aircraft carrier in the Western Pacific, and the sole forward-based Marine amphibious unit, the 31st MEU, is deployed to Iran.
As troubling, the Iran war is draining war stocks – especially long-range precision missiles and air-defense ordnance. It’s unclear exactly how alarming the situation is, but it is likely that the US hasn’t got what it would like to have to fight China. The USINDOPACOM commander, Admiral Samuel Paparo, suggested as much in recent comments.
US experience fighting Iran offers lessons for China, experts say
As the war in Iran enters its third month, it’s providing a window for China into how US military capabilities work under fire, and a useful reminder that, on any battlefield, the adversary always has a big say in the outcome.
CNN spoke with a range of experts in China, Taiwan and elsewhere about how the last two months of fighting in and around the Persian Gulf can inform what might happen in any possible conflict that would pit Beijing against Washington. They warned of China misreading its own strengths, lack of experience and holding on to a too-narrow view of the conflict and its consequences.
CNN spoke with a range of experts in China, Taiwan and elsewhere about how the last two months of fighting in and around the Persian Gulf can inform what might happen in any possible conflict that would pit Beijing against Washington. They warned of China misreading its own strengths, lack of experience and holding on to a too-narrow view of the conflict and its consequences.
Ahead of US-China summit, Taiwan’s opposition leader says island can embrace both powers
As Washington pressures Taiwan to spend big on defenses against a potential Chinese attack, one of the island’s most outspoken politicians is arguing the opposite approach: less confrontation and more dialogue. Fresh from holding talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, and days before US President Donald Trump will do the same, the head of Taiwan’s largest opposition party told CNN that weapons alone will not keep Taiwan safe.
“Taiwan does not want to become the next Ukraine,” warned Cheng Li-wun, chair of the Kuomintang, or KMT.
Her comments came in an interview just hours before Taiwan’s opposition-controlled legislature passed a watered-down version of President Lai Ching-te’s proposed defense package, slashing the roughly $40 billion plan by about a third after months of political deadlock.
“Taiwan does not want to become the next Ukraine,” warned Cheng Li-wun, chair of the Kuomintang, or KMT.
Her comments came in an interview just hours before Taiwan’s opposition-controlled legislature passed a watered-down version of President Lai Ching-te’s proposed defense package, slashing the roughly $40 billion plan by about a third after months of political deadlock.
Trump’s deal making with Xi next week may determine Hong Kong jailed activist Jimmy Lai’s fate
Pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai once hoped U.S. President Donald Trump could help stop the imposition of a controversial national security law. The law not only took effect but was also used to sentence him to 20 years in prison. Ahead of an anticipated trip by Trump to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, Lai’s son said his family is now hoping that Trump can help secure his father’s release.
Lai, a prominent critic of Beijing, founded a pro-democracy newspaper that was shut down during a crackdown following the city’s massive anti-government protests in 2019.
Observers say the former media mogul’s plight symbolizes a decline in freedoms Beijing promised when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. In an interview with The Associated Press, Sebastien Lai said he fears the clock is ticking for his 78-year-old father.
Lai, a prominent critic of Beijing, founded a pro-democracy newspaper that was shut down during a crackdown following the city’s massive anti-government protests in 2019.
Observers say the former media mogul’s plight symbolizes a decline in freedoms Beijing promised when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. In an interview with The Associated Press, Sebastien Lai said he fears the clock is ticking for his 78-year-old father.
Family of imprisoned Chinese journalist pleads for his release over health concerns
Family members and activists have called for the release of imprisoned Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu due to health concerns. Dong, an editor at a major state-owned newspaper, the Guangming Daily, was taken away while meeting a Japanese diplomat for lunch in 2022. He was sentenced to seven years in prison for espionage in 2024.
“Yuyu is now effectively facing a death sentence,” the family said in a statement Thursday.
Dong was hospitalized at a prison-affiliated hospital in the city of Tianjin on April 27, according to his family. Doctors there found heart arrhythmia and a lung tumor his family feared was malignant. He had been working long hours making clothes while in prison, and has not been able to rest properly, his family said.
“Yuyu is now effectively facing a death sentence,” the family said in a statement Thursday.
Dong was hospitalized at a prison-affiliated hospital in the city of Tianjin on April 27, according to his family. Doctors there found heart arrhythmia and a lung tumor his family feared was malignant. He had been working long hours making clothes while in prison, and has not been able to rest properly, his family said.
China says April exports jump 14.1% from a year ago ahead of Trump-Xi summit
China’s exports rose 14.1% in April from a year earlier, the government said Saturday, despite the Iran war and lingering impacts from higher U.S. tariffs. The data were released just days ahead of a planned meeting next week between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.
That beat analysts’ estimates and was a significant improvement from March’s 2.5% year-on-year expansion. Exports to the U.S. rose 11.3% from the year before, up from a 26.5% drop in March. Imports climbed 25.3%, slower than the 27.8% growth in March but still robust. The Trump-Xi summit comes at a time when relations are beset by multiple issues, with efforts to end the war in Iran eclipsing the usual sources of friction.
That beat analysts’ estimates and was a significant improvement from March’s 2.5% year-on-year expansion. Exports to the U.S. rose 11.3% from the year before, up from a 26.5% drop in March. Imports climbed 25.3%, slower than the 27.8% growth in March but still robust. The Trump-Xi summit comes at a time when relations are beset by multiple issues, with efforts to end the war in Iran eclipsing the usual sources of friction.
Iran war could make Trump’s trip to China a bit chillier than his first-term visit
Weeks before his trip to China, President Donald Trump was already predicting on social media that his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, would “give me a big, fat hug when I get there.”
But Beijing’s deep economic ties to Iran, as well as trade tensions over tariff threatsstretching back to Trump’s first term, could crimp the good feelings when Trump flies to Beijing this week — even though the Republican president has for years effusively praised Xi, making it clear he sees China’s leader as a competitor strong enough to warrant his respect and admiration.
Trump isn’t fond of long plane rides or extended stretches away from the White House or his properties in Florida and New Jersey. He is expected to only spend parts of three days on the ground in China.
But Beijing’s deep economic ties to Iran, as well as trade tensions over tariff threatsstretching back to Trump’s first term, could crimp the good feelings when Trump flies to Beijing this week — even though the Republican president has for years effusively praised Xi, making it clear he sees China’s leader as a competitor strong enough to warrant his respect and admiration.
Trump isn’t fond of long plane rides or extended stretches away from the White House or his properties in Florida and New Jersey. He is expected to only spend parts of three days on the ground in China.
fredag 8. mai 2026
As Tibet’s Veteran Freedom Fighters Pass the Torch, Britain and the World Must Keep the Cause Alive
From London, Dharamsala can seem very far away. But for Tibetans in exile, it is never just a hill town in northern India. It is the political and spiritual headquarters of a displaced nation, where memory, grief, resistance and hope continue to meet.
The recent Tenshug, or long-life prayer offering, for His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the occasion of his 90th birthday, made by veteran Tibetan freedom fighters, was one such moment. It was an act of deep devotion; but it was also a reminder that Tibet remains an unresolved international issue.
I arrived in the United Kingdom from Lodrik Jampaling Tibetan Refugee Camp in 1996 on a scholarship programme and, to the best of my knowledge, was the first child of Lodrik veterans to do so. Thirty years later, I still carry the stories of those resistance fighters into conversations with politicians, officials, diplomats, lawyers, journalists and human rights advocates. I do so through meetings, writing and public engagement, because Tibet’s plight must remain visible. The recent gathering in Dharamsala brought home, once again, that Tibet’s struggle is not over, and that the responsibility of remembrance now rests heavily on those of us in exile.
The recent Tenshug, or long-life prayer offering, for His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the occasion of his 90th birthday, made by veteran Tibetan freedom fighters, was one such moment. It was an act of deep devotion; but it was also a reminder that Tibet remains an unresolved international issue.
I arrived in the United Kingdom from Lodrik Jampaling Tibetan Refugee Camp in 1996 on a scholarship programme and, to the best of my knowledge, was the first child of Lodrik veterans to do so. Thirty years later, I still carry the stories of those resistance fighters into conversations with politicians, officials, diplomats, lawyers, journalists and human rights advocates. I do so through meetings, writing and public engagement, because Tibet’s plight must remain visible. The recent gathering in Dharamsala brought home, once again, that Tibet’s struggle is not over, and that the responsibility of remembrance now rests heavily on those of us in exile.
Language, Lineage and the Survival of Tibetan Buddhism Under China’s Assimilationist Policies
There’s a quiet philosophical tension at the heart of all this. Tibetan Buddhism, as far as I could understand, has always understood that truth isn’t something abstract or fixed in ink—it lives in the fragile, ongoing conversation between teacher and student, in the precise words that point beyond words and in the unbroken human thread stretching back more than a thousand years. Language here isn’t just a tool; it’s the very medium through which the mind learns to see its own nature. When that medium is steadily squeezed, when transmission itself is politicized, you’re not merely changing education policy. You’re pulling at the conditions that allow insight to arise at all.
The new Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, passed on March 12 and due to take full effect on July 1, brings this tension into sharper focus. Beijing presents it as a step toward national cohesion and “Chinese-style modernization.” For those who live inside the tradition, it feels heavier—like another formal step in the slow thinning of something essential.
The new Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, passed on March 12 and due to take full effect on July 1, brings this tension into sharper focus. Beijing presents it as a step toward national cohesion and “Chinese-style modernization.” For those who live inside the tradition, it feels heavier—like another formal step in the slow thinning of something essential.
US highlights China’s atrocities on Tibetans ahead of President Trump’s visit
As the US is reportedly expected to raise human rights concerns and Hong Kong’s jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai during President Donald Trump’s upcoming visit to China in the coming days, its House Appropriations Committee has, in its fiscal year 2027 report, called for a stepped-up engagement with the Nepalese government to ensure the protection of Tibetan refugees. Tibetan refugees in Nepal suffer largely due to pressure on Kathmandu from Beijing.
Last month, US Assistant Secretary of State Samir Paul Kapur raised the plight of Tibetan refugees languishing in Nepal without any documentation during his three-day visit to the country which began on Apr 20. Now the committee has also highlighted the need for stronger diplomatic efforts to secure the rights and safety of these communities living in Nepal.
Last month, US Assistant Secretary of State Samir Paul Kapur raised the plight of Tibetan refugees languishing in Nepal without any documentation during his three-day visit to the country which began on Apr 20. Now the committee has also highlighted the need for stronger diplomatic efforts to secure the rights and safety of these communities living in Nepal.
Report criticizes China’s linguistic ‘harmonizing’ of Tibetan children
China is giving the word “harmony” a bad name, using it as as means to obliterate the civilizational identity of Tibet, starting by Sincizing the upbringing of the territory’s pre-school children, according to a 72-page report published May 4 by the international rights organizaton Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Titled as “Start with the Youngest Children: China Uses Preschools to ‘Integrate’ Tibetans”, the New York headquartered rights body notes that a 2021 Ministry of Education directive – the Children’s Speech Harmonisation plan – mandates the use of standard Mandarin Chinese for all preschool instruction in ethnic minority areas.
The report notes that although in theory kindergartens can still offer supplementary sessions for minority children in their own language, minorities no longer have the legal authority to organise them independently.
Titled as “Start with the Youngest Children: China Uses Preschools to ‘Integrate’ Tibetans”, the New York headquartered rights body notes that a 2021 Ministry of Education directive – the Children’s Speech Harmonisation plan – mandates the use of standard Mandarin Chinese for all preschool instruction in ethnic minority areas.
The report notes that although in theory kindergartens can still offer supplementary sessions for minority children in their own language, minorities no longer have the legal authority to organise them independently.
What oil crisis? China’s EVs are ready to dominate the 21st century
A sleek SUV offers mechanical foot massages, a luxury minivan has rotating seats to help passengers hop into its third row – and a surprising proportion of models offer in-car karaoke with professional-grade speakers. Others have headlights that can project movies onto a wall to make anywhere a drive-in cinema. Here, intelligent driving features are ubiquitous, even in affordable models.
To many consumers peering in from the outside, the options in China – on display in Beijing this week at the world’s largest auto show – seem like a dream. But to some automakers and politicians around the world, they’re an existential threat.
Chinese carmakers are cranking out their offerings at a large scale and a comparatively low price. And there’s another major sell: while oil and gas costs skyrocket due to the Iran war, the vast majority of these cars are electric or hybrid.
To many consumers peering in from the outside, the options in China – on display in Beijing this week at the world’s largest auto show – seem like a dream. But to some automakers and politicians around the world, they’re an existential threat.
Chinese carmakers are cranking out their offerings at a large scale and a comparatively low price. And there’s another major sell: while oil and gas costs skyrocket due to the Iran war, the vast majority of these cars are electric or hybrid.
China gives suspended death sentences to two former defense ministers
In a stunning move amid a continued purge of its military, China on Thursday gave two former defense ministers suspended death sentences for corruption.
Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were both convicted of bribery and given the death penalty with a two-year reprieve by the country’s military court, according to state media. The court announced that the two former generals’ sentences will be commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole after two years.
Wei, 72, served as defense minister from 2018 to 2023. Li, 68, succeeded Wei and held the position for less than eight months in 2023. Both men were placed under investigation by the military’s anti-graft arm in 2023.
Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu were both convicted of bribery and given the death penalty with a two-year reprieve by the country’s military court, according to state media. The court announced that the two former generals’ sentences will be commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole after two years.
Wei, 72, served as defense minister from 2018 to 2023. Li, 68, succeeded Wei and held the position for less than eight months in 2023. Both men were placed under investigation by the military’s anti-graft arm in 2023.
Why Trump’s China Trip Is Set Up to Fail
This is how things will go down. U.S. President Donald Trump will arrive in Beijing next Thursday to be serenaded with gushing pageantry. There’s the obligatory photo op at the Great Hall of the People before closed-door talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. Both leaders will emerge to a fanfare of superficial deals that each can claim as a win: the sale of American soybeans and perhaps jet engines that China desperately needs. They release statements pledging cooperation. Wheels up.
Of course, with Trump’s fragile cease-fire with Iran already cracking in the Strait of Hormuz, significant uncertainty clouds whether his China trip will happen at all. U.S. commanders-in-chief don’t typically gladhand their chief adversary while ensnared in a costly and floundering war. Trump is, however, no slave to convention, especially considering the ugly optics of postponing the trip a second time. What is much more certain is that nothing substantive will materialize from the summit.
Read more
Of course, with Trump’s fragile cease-fire with Iran already cracking in the Strait of Hormuz, significant uncertainty clouds whether his China trip will happen at all. U.S. commanders-in-chief don’t typically gladhand their chief adversary while ensnared in a costly and floundering war. Trump is, however, no slave to convention, especially considering the ugly optics of postponing the trip a second time. What is much more certain is that nothing substantive will materialize from the summit.
Read more
China’s youth are ditching the rat race, and its spies say foreign countries are to blame
China’s top spy agency has come out of the shadows to warn that its young people are being duped by foreign forces into shirking hard work and prioritizing their individual emotions at the expense of national development. It hasn’t landed well online.
“Young people are China’s future and have also become a primary target for ideological infiltration by hostile anti-China forces abroad,” says a handsome young man wearing military uniform in a video posted by the State Security Ministry’s official account last week.
The post warned young people to stay vigilant against “complex opinion traps” and any “lying flat” narratives that propagate the message that hard work is futile.
“Young people are China’s future and have also become a primary target for ideological infiltration by hostile anti-China forces abroad,” says a handsome young man wearing military uniform in a video posted by the State Security Ministry’s official account last week.
The post warned young people to stay vigilant against “complex opinion traps” and any “lying flat” narratives that propagate the message that hard work is futile.
Alarmed ASEAN leaders discuss crisis plan to mitigate backlash from Middle East war
Southeast Asian leaders met in an annual summit Friday under intense pressure to mitigate the impact on their people and economies from the Iran war, which one top minister said, “should not have occurred in the first place.”
The alarm by the heads of state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is underscored by their decision to focus discussions on a contingency plan to ensure their fast-growing region, which imports most of its oil and gas from the Middle East, will have stable fuel and food supplies.
The Philippines is hosting the summit on the central island province of Cebu. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the summit to be stripped of the traditional pomp and pageantry in keeping with the economic headwinds worldwide.
The alarm by the heads of state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is underscored by their decision to focus discussions on a contingency plan to ensure their fast-growing region, which imports most of its oil and gas from the Middle East, will have stable fuel and food supplies.
The Philippines is hosting the summit on the central island province of Cebu. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the summit to be stripped of the traditional pomp and pageantry in keeping with the economic headwinds worldwide.
Oil tanker arrives in South Korea after passing through the Strait of Hormuz in mid-April
A Malta-flagged tanker carrying 1 million barrels of crude oil arrived off South Korea’s west coast Friday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz in mid-April, a South Korean refinery said.
Like many other Asian nations, South Korea imports much of its crude oil from the Middle East. The latest shipment of 1 million barrels reportedly equals 35-50% of South Korea’s daily crude oil consumption.
With Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz jolting the world economy and causing a spike in fuel prices, the prolonged Iran war has also raised concerns about a looming energy crisis in South Korea’s trade-dependent economy. The country has introduced price caps on gasoline and other petroleum products for the first time in decades to prevent costs from soaring, and instructed refiners to divert naphtha exports for domestic use while scrambling to secure alternative oil supplies and shipping routes.
Like many other Asian nations, South Korea imports much of its crude oil from the Middle East. The latest shipment of 1 million barrels reportedly equals 35-50% of South Korea’s daily crude oil consumption.
With Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz jolting the world economy and causing a spike in fuel prices, the prolonged Iran war has also raised concerns about a looming energy crisis in South Korea’s trade-dependent economy. The country has introduced price caps on gasoline and other petroleum products for the first time in decades to prevent costs from soaring, and instructed refiners to divert naphtha exports for domestic use while scrambling to secure alternative oil supplies and shipping routes.
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