This year marks the 75th anniversary of what China calls the “peaceful liberation” of Tibet in 1951, which critics describe as an invasion that has widely curtailed the rights and culture of Tibetans. Foreigners face tight restrictions on traveling to Tibet, a remote, high-altitude region know for its Buddhist faith and snow-capped mountains. The Associated Press last week joined a government-organized trip to the autonomous region, where journalists visited palaces, temples, tourist sites, an eldercare center and local businesses.
Read more
fredag 31. juli 2026
Watching American power tentatively arrive in the Philippines
When American forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011, I watched it happen from Kuwait, where I worked as a contracted security guard. The last convoy crossed the berm that December — roughly 100 vehicles — and with it went the war in which I had served.
Two years later, at a joint Department of Defense intelligence facility in Germany, I watched pieces of the old Cold War-era footprint being dismantled and shipped home. I have spent much of my adult life watching American power leave places abroad. Last week, from a hilltop above Oyster Bay on the Philippine island of Palawan, I watched it arrive. It did not arrive the way it left Iraq. What I looked down on was a Philippine Navy detachment on the western coast of Palawan, facing the South China Sea — one of the places where boats resupplying the Sierra Madre stage their runs.
A Philippine Coast Guard vessel, the BRP Malapascua, sat in the bay — the ship I was told had carried home the men wounded at the shoal last week, when a Chinese coast guardsman struck a Filipino marine in the head with a wooden baton.
Two years later, at a joint Department of Defense intelligence facility in Germany, I watched pieces of the old Cold War-era footprint being dismantled and shipped home. I have spent much of my adult life watching American power leave places abroad. Last week, from a hilltop above Oyster Bay on the Philippine island of Palawan, I watched it arrive. It did not arrive the way it left Iraq. What I looked down on was a Philippine Navy detachment on the western coast of Palawan, facing the South China Sea — one of the places where boats resupplying the Sierra Madre stage their runs.
A Philippine Coast Guard vessel, the BRP Malapascua, sat in the bay — the ship I was told had carried home the men wounded at the shoal last week, when a Chinese coast guardsman struck a Filipino marine in the head with a wooden baton.
Xi’s odyssey through Western confusion
The Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Congress scheduled for autumn 2027 could be one of the most delicate and significant in its history. President Xi Jinping will extend his power for a fourth five-year term and bring up an entire generation of younger cadres. They will be people born in the 1960s, roughly ten years younger than him, who will join the Standing Committee (five to seven people) or the Politburo (21-25 people).
In the three previous Congresses, Xi, who was born in 1953 and rose to power in 2012, had to navigate among officials his own age or older. He succeeded with clearly brilliant results. A Politburo composed of younger people who owe everything to him will further increase his clout in the country.
He has over a year to prepare, with no challengers on the horizon. He has completed an unprecedented purge of the military without any pushback from any party organization. The CPC was practically born out of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and the military had always been the political kingmaker.
Read more
In the three previous Congresses, Xi, who was born in 1953 and rose to power in 2012, had to navigate among officials his own age or older. He succeeded with clearly brilliant results. A Politburo composed of younger people who owe everything to him will further increase his clout in the country.
He has over a year to prepare, with no challengers on the horizon. He has completed an unprecedented purge of the military without any pushback from any party organization. The CPC was practically born out of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and the military had always been the political kingmaker.
Read more
Taiwan’s path to victory is unclear
Like few other countries, Taiwan faces a legitimate existential crisis. Beijing’s position that Taiwan must submit to absorption by the People’s Republic of China, even by force if necessary, is insistent and uncompromising.
There is zero doubt this would result in the destruction of Taiwan’s democratic political system and liberal political culture. The Chinese government has already signaled that it would “re-educate” Taiwan and severely punish alleged “separatists” if it got its hands on the island. Even knowing that Taiwan’s people were watching, Beijing dismantled civil liberties and imposed harsh penalties for minor acts of dissent in Hong Kong.
There is zero doubt this would result in the destruction of Taiwan’s democratic political system and liberal political culture. The Chinese government has already signaled that it would “re-educate” Taiwan and severely punish alleged “separatists” if it got its hands on the island. Even knowing that Taiwan’s people were watching, Beijing dismantled civil liberties and imposed harsh penalties for minor acts of dissent in Hong Kong.
Nostalgia hinders Takaichi’s vision for Japan
Two themes dominate Japan’s elite thinking at present: a blend of awe and fear about the ambitions of Japan’s powerful prime minister, Sanae Takaichi; and concerns about the US-Japan security alliance.
Takaichi became prime minister last October through winning a party leadership election, then won her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a huge majority in general elections for the Lower House of the Diet (parliament) in February this year. This was attributed largely to Takaichi’s novelty as the country’s first female prime minister and one who does not come from a political dynasty, but also to her robust stance in the face of a row with Japan’s biggest security threat, China, over remarks she had made in the Diet about Taiwan.
That landslide victory did not make her impregnable – the LDP lacks a majority in the weaker Upper House of the Diet, which it cannot change until elections to that house in 2028 – but it opened up a big opportunity to bring about change.
Takaichi became prime minister last October through winning a party leadership election, then won her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a huge majority in general elections for the Lower House of the Diet (parliament) in February this year. This was attributed largely to Takaichi’s novelty as the country’s first female prime minister and one who does not come from a political dynasty, but also to her robust stance in the face of a row with Japan’s biggest security threat, China, over remarks she had made in the Diet about Taiwan.
That landslide victory did not make her impregnable – the LDP lacks a majority in the weaker Upper House of the Diet, which it cannot change until elections to that house in 2028 – but it opened up a big opportunity to bring about change.
Myanmar court sentences activists to 37 years over election protest
Myanmar courts have sentenced nine activists to up to 37 years in prison for participating in a protest that urged the public to boycott last December’s elections.
Eight protesters against the military government, including prominent activist Htet Myat Aung, were sentenced to 37 years on Tuesday by two courts in Mandalay, an activist group said on Wednesday. The sentences were imposed following the demonstrators’ convictions under the electoral law and counterterrorism law, according to May Hnin, a spokesperson for the Anti-Junta Forces Coordination Committee-Mandalay.
A ninth activist was sentenced to 27 years after being convicted under the counterterrorism law, she added. The activists were arrested on December 4, a day after they staged a flash protest in downtown Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city.
Eight protesters against the military government, including prominent activist Htet Myat Aung, were sentenced to 37 years on Tuesday by two courts in Mandalay, an activist group said on Wednesday. The sentences were imposed following the demonstrators’ convictions under the electoral law and counterterrorism law, according to May Hnin, a spokesperson for the Anti-Junta Forces Coordination Committee-Mandalay.
A ninth activist was sentenced to 27 years after being convicted under the counterterrorism law, she added. The activists were arrested on December 4, a day after they staged a flash protest in downtown Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city.
Taiwan: Ministry seeks to dissolve a political party
The Ministry of the Interior’s Political Party Review Committee yesterday said it would file a petition to dissolve the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) following a year-and-a-half investigation, calling it organized crime dressed as a political party, and saying that incidents of violence involving the party and its promotion of China’s “united front” rhetoric severely undermine Taiwan’s free and liberal democracy.
The committee in January last year passed a resolution to investigate the CUPP and has spent the past year and a half gathering information about the party’s activities to submit to the Constitutional Court, a source familiar with the committee said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The committee in January last year passed a resolution to investigate the CUPP and has spent the past year and a half gathering information about the party’s activities to submit to the Constitutional Court, a source familiar with the committee said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
China puts the ‘squeeze’ on Taiwan with new maritime patrols
China’s coastguard and civilian fleet are expanding their presence in the waters east of Taiwan, raising fears that Beijing may be rehearsing a containment strategy that would cut off the self-ruled island from outside trade and assistance.
Through June and July, China’s Maritime Safety Administration and coastguard staged multiple patrols and “special maritime law enforcement operations”, according to official government announcements.While China regularly patrols the Taiwan Strait – the waterway with an average width of about 180km (112 miles) separating coastal China from the main island of Taiwan – this marks the first time the patrols have moved east of Taiwan in such quick succession, according to analysts.
K Tristan Tang, a nonresident fellow at the United States-based National Bureau of Asian Research, said the shift carries both strategic and symbolic weight for Taiwan.
Through June and July, China’s Maritime Safety Administration and coastguard staged multiple patrols and “special maritime law enforcement operations”, according to official government announcements.While China regularly patrols the Taiwan Strait – the waterway with an average width of about 180km (112 miles) separating coastal China from the main island of Taiwan – this marks the first time the patrols have moved east of Taiwan in such quick succession, according to analysts.
K Tristan Tang, a nonresident fellow at the United States-based National Bureau of Asian Research, said the shift carries both strategic and symbolic weight for Taiwan.
torsdag 30. juli 2026
People in Many Countries Now View China More Positively Than the U.S.
Global views of the United States worsened last year as President Donald Trump’s second term began, though most people still had a more positive opinion of the U.S. than China. This year, that is no longer the case.Global views of the United States worsened last year as President Donald Trump’s second term began, though most people still had a more positive opinion of the U.S. than China. This year, that is no longer the case.
US looks to boost anti-China spending worldwide by hundreds of millions, documents say
The Trump administration is preparing to ramp up funding by hundreds of millions of dollars for programs designed to counter China’s growing influence around the world, after it had put a halt to many of those initiatives last year during a flurry of budget and personnel cuts.
The administration notified Congress late last week that it intends to spend $175.8 million to replace outdated and aging undersea telecommunications cables in the Caribbean and Central America to prevent China from moving in. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the notification on Monday.
The administration has expressed deep concern about China’s activities in the Americas, pushing back on Chinese ownership of ports at either end of the Panama Canal, infrastructure projects funded by China’s Belt and Road initiative in the region, and Chinese investment in the telecommunications sector.
The administration notified Congress late last week that it intends to spend $175.8 million to replace outdated and aging undersea telecommunications cables in the Caribbean and Central America to prevent China from moving in. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the notification on Monday.
The administration has expressed deep concern about China’s activities in the Americas, pushing back on Chinese ownership of ports at either end of the Panama Canal, infrastructure projects funded by China’s Belt and Road initiative in the region, and Chinese investment in the telecommunications sector.
China Sending Weapons to Iran Despite Trump’s Faith in Xi: Report
A Chinese company is set to supply Iran with hundreds of portable anti-air missile systems as the Islamic Republic seeks to rebuild air defenses devastated by United States and Israeli strikes, according to Reuters. The report comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had assured him Chinese firms would not arm Tehran.
While China is a close political ally of the Iranian government and has repeatedly condemned the U.S.-Israeli strikes since they began on February 28, Beijing has limited its direct involvement in the conflict, instead engaging in behind-the-scenes diplomacy and, according to Reuters and other media reports, providing Iran with satellite imagery of U.S. military targets around the Gulf.
While China is a close political ally of the Iranian government and has repeatedly condemned the U.S.-Israeli strikes since they began on February 28, Beijing has limited its direct involvement in the conflict, instead engaging in behind-the-scenes diplomacy and, according to Reuters and other media reports, providing Iran with satellite imagery of U.S. military targets around the Gulf.
The Great Chinese Oil Mystery
When Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz, experts warned that oil prices could hit $150 or $200 a barrel within a few weeks. The great mystery of the Iran war is why that hasn’t happened—why, nearly five months later, oil prices have scarcely surpassed $100, even as countries around the world have been forced to dip into their oil reserves. Now an explanation seems to be emerging: China.
Before the war, China, by far the world’s largest oil importer, was buying morebarrels than the entire European continent and almost twice as much as the second-largest importer, the United States. Then, weeks after the conflict broke out, the country abruptly slashed its oil purchases, eventually cutting them by half compared with prewar levels.
Before the war, China, by far the world’s largest oil importer, was buying morebarrels than the entire European continent and almost twice as much as the second-largest importer, the United States. Then, weeks after the conflict broke out, the country abruptly slashed its oil purchases, eventually cutting them by half compared with prewar levels.
How India’s Young Faced Down Modi
A botched medical entrance exam, a judge’s slur, and a young Indian student in Boston turning to satire converged to produce something India has not witnessed in over a decade: a youth movement that punctured the hegemony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and forced his education minister to resign.
The sparks that ignited the protests came in May. More than two million students took a punishing examination for admission in medical colleges. Not for the first time, papers were leaked, the examination was scrapped, and the government ordered the students to take the test again. Frustrations mounted.
The sparks that ignited the protests came in May. More than two million students took a punishing examination for admission in medical colleges. Not for the first time, papers were leaked, the examination was scrapped, and the government ordered the students to take the test again. Frustrations mounted.
On May 15, India’s chief justice, Surya Kant, disparaged the unemployed youth of India as "cockroaches" who complain about the system on social media. Abhijeet Dipke, an Indian student in Boston, embraced the slur and created the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), on Instagram, deploying it to forge a new political vocabulary that spoke to India’s youth in a grammar they understood. The CJP page briskly gathered 20 million followers.
The U.S. wants Asia to use its AI — but China dominates cheaper models
The artificial intelligence race between the U.S. and China is heating up in the world’s largest continent: Asia.
“The American strategy is to stop China from becoming the leading AI supplier for the rest of Asia ... and frankly the whole world,” said Gary Dvorchak, managing director at The Blueshirt Group. While China’s alternatives are cheaper, he pointed out the U.S. currently offers a more complete solution from chips to AI models. But the U.S. sales challenge was apparent at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation “Digital Weeks” in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu this month.
“The American strategy is to stop China from becoming the leading AI supplier for the rest of Asia ... and frankly the whole world,” said Gary Dvorchak, managing director at The Blueshirt Group. While China’s alternatives are cheaper, he pointed out the U.S. currently offers a more complete solution from chips to AI models. But the U.S. sales challenge was apparent at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation “Digital Weeks” in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu this month.
China threatens retaliation against U.S. humanoid robot ban, says it ‘severely damages’ relations
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has repeatedly ignored Beijing’s restrained stance on product bans, China’s commerce ministry said Thursday, threatening retaliation. The FCC on Tuesday said due to cybersecurity concerns, it added foreign-made advanced robotic devices, including humanoids, to a list restricting imports to the U.S. The statement did not specify a country, and said retailers could still import models the FCC has previously approved.
As the FCC keeps escalating restrictions on Chinese goods, it “severely damages China-U.S. economic and trade stability,” China’s commerce ministry said in an online statement Thursday. That’s according to a CNBC translation of Mandarin.
Translation: “Education for Migrant Workers’ Children Can’t Wait Any Longer”
In late May, China’s State Council announced new guidelines on providing basic services in the place of people’s actual residence, rather than formal registration. Such a shift could substantially alleviate the hardships imposed by the current hukou household registration system, which has effectively kept many tens of millions of migrant workers apart from their parents and children for long periods. This is not the first time changes to the system have been promised.
In 2023, one Chinese expert told Reuters that "Hukou reform is a hard bone to chew, […] it’s not something you can do simply because you want to. Currently, all reforms are difficult." One major obstacle is the question of how local governments in urban areas would pay for sharply increased public-service responsibilities under China’s largely decentralised system. The new guidelines issued in May emphasized gradual progress "in line with local conditions," with local governments "doing their best within their capacity," suggesting that this problem will remain in local hands.
Translation: No Scaling the Great Firewall in the Library
The notice below was issued by the Hunan Library, a provincial institution located in Changsha. It announces the temporary suspension of library Wi-Fi in response to "hazardous" use of censorship circumvention tools. The message is underlined by the inclusion of partly redacted cellphone numbers belonging to three alleged offenders, implicitly reminding library patrons that network use is tied to their real identities.
For more on the alleged dangers of “scaling the wall,” from moral degeneracy to criminal prosecution, see our recent translation of a piece from the National Defense Times which enumerates them in terrifying detail. There is a long history of similar warnings, but some recent signs suggest that pressure on circumvention tools may be escalating.
For more on the alleged dangers of “scaling the wall,” from moral degeneracy to criminal prosecution, see our recent translation of a piece from the National Defense Times which enumerates them in terrifying detail. There is a long history of similar warnings, but some recent signs suggest that pressure on circumvention tools may be escalating.
Amid Hong Kong Book Fair, Police Raid Two More Independent Bookstores, Arrest Five Booksellers
In yet another blow for book lovers and free thinkers in Hong Kong, national security police raided two independent bookstores (Have a Nice Stay and Greenfield, respectively) and arrested five individuals on suspicion of selling allegedly seditious publications, an offence punishable with up to seven years in prisonunder Hong Kong’s homegrown national security law (NSL). Three of those arrested have since been released on bail, while the status of the other two remains unclear.
The raids and arrests took place on Wednesday, against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s annual international book fair. They also produced an iconic image, circulated widely on social media, of a woman with her hands cuffed behind her back, wearing a t-shirt declaring “I am a bookstore clerk,” and holding her head high as she is escorted into a police car.
The raids and arrests took place on Wednesday, against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s annual international book fair. They also produced an iconic image, circulated widely on social media, of a woman with her hands cuffed behind her back, wearing a t-shirt declaring “I am a bookstore clerk,” and holding her head high as she is escorted into a police car.
Abonner på:
Innlegg (Atom)