Kinaforum

onsdag 7. oktober 2026

How China deploys wartime history against Japan

Beyond all the pageantry, the Chinese leader Xi Jinping had a strategic goal for his Washington visit – to undermine the American relationship with Japan. Xi succeeded, perhaps beyond his expectations.

Japanese policy makers saw this coming. They arranged a brief meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly between Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and Donald Trump ahead of Xi’s arrival.T he meeting was empty of content but seemed reassuring. But the next day, Trump welcomed Xi by fondly recalling “the greatness that we had together fighting in World War Two” without mentioning the postwar alliance with Japan.

Xi followed the next day at the official banquet, making clear who was their common enemy.

“Over 80 years ago, the Chinese and American people stood shoulder to shoulder in the fight against Japanese militarist aggressors,” Xi said, deliberately obscuring the fact that wartime China was led by the Nationalists, not their Communist foes. The official statements issued by both governments echoed the language of their status as wartime allies.

What China's Laos foothold means for the region

China has opened a new military training and logistics facility in Laos, extending Beijing's security presence deeper into mainland Southeast Asia and potentially giving the Chinese air force its first dedicated foothold overseas.

The China-Laos Joint Support and Training Center at Ban Keun Airport, north of the capital Vientiane, formally began operations late last month alongside the new China-Laos Friendship Aviation Academy. Beijing says the center will primarily help train Lao air force pilots and will be jointly maintained and operated by the two countries.

The opening adds to China's still relatively small network of overseas military facilities.

China's Golden Week: Travel surges, but spending stays soft

Ya Xi just returned to Shanghai on a red-eye flight after her Golden Week trip to Southeast Asia. "I can stay up all night for a cheaper ticket," she told DW.

She was among the 31.19 million passengers who traveled during the 13-day holiday period that followed the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 25 and China's National Day on October 1. Many of them spent their budgets more cautiously this year. "I earn less this year, so I'm lowering my budget for this year's Golden Week," said Xi, who is in her mid-20s. "I spent 5,000 yuan (about €660) on my flight, which was the largest expense of my trip."

Golden Week is viewed as a barometer of the Chinese economy with Beijing using it as an opportunity to showcase the world's second-largest economy's spending power. State media, for instance, reported a record-breaking 25.204 million passenger trips on China's railway network on October 1.

Southeast Asia's haze crisis: Have lessons been learned?

Indonesia's worst wildfire season in more than a decade is exposing how much, and how little, Southeast Asia's response to haze has changed since 2015.

Forest and land fires have burned across parts of the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Papua for weeks, sending smoke across large areas of the country and into neighboring Malaysia and Singapore. Indonesia's long 2026 dry season, coupled with this year's El Nino, has worsened what has become an almost annual crisis, exposing millions of people to hazardous smoke containing harmful microscopic particles.

More than 170,000 cases of acute respiratory infection were recorded in haze-affected areas of Indonesia between August and mid-September, according to the country's Health Ministry, including more than 40,000 cases involving young children.

India: Women fear for safety as sexual assaults surge

Reports of the gang rape of a 17-year-old girl in New Delhi earlier this week has thrust the issue of women's safety in India back into the spotlight. Three men who posed as police officers took the girl away at gunpoint to a secluded part of the Aastha Kunj Park, according to local media.

Security around New Delhi's parks has been stepped up since the incident, with a focus on improved lighting, increased security and more frequent patrols. Anita Kunwar, an 18-year-old college student from city's East Delhi district, said a lot has changed after what happened at Aastha Kunj Park.

"Women and girls across the city are incredibly wary, anxious, and deeply concerned about their safety," she told DW. "An incident like this, especially in a public space where people go to relax, shatters your sense of security."

New North Korea bridges build on strong China, Russia ties

A long-delayed bridge linking North Korea and China could finally open in early October, more than a decade after its completion, as Pyongyang simultaneously expands transport links with Russia.

South Korean news outlets have reported that the New Yalu River Bridge, connecting China's northeastern city of Dandong with the trade hub of Sinuiju in northwestern North Korea, could formally open by October 6, which marks the 77th anniversary of North Korea-China diplomatic relations.

Analysis published by the 38 North think tank showed significant progress on customs, immigration and warehouse facilities on the North Korean side, where construction had remained largely unfinished for years. The cable-stayed New Yalu River Bridge is located about 15 kilometers (9 miles) downstream toward the Yellow Sea from the older crossings connecting central Dandong and Sinuiju.

Torbjørn Færøvik: “I was Chairman Mao’s dog. When he told me to bite, I bit!”

Mao’s wife, Jiang Qing, was sitting on the sofa reading when several people slipped into the room. It was late in the evening and dark outside, but Jiang’s reading lamp was still on.

“What do you want?” she asked, starting in surprise.

The officer leading the operation stood stiffly in front of her and said:

“Jiang Qing! You have ignored the warnings of the Central Committee. You have continued to form cliques and factions. You have engaged in activities aimed at splitting the Party and plotted to seize power. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has decided to place you under isolated investigation. The decision is to be carried out immediately.”

An era was over. Jiang Qing had met Mao in 1938, when he was still living as a guerrilla leader in the country’s barren northwest, far from the centre of power.

The marriage they entered into two years later was not a happy one, and in time they came to live apart. But Mao never completely cast Jiang aside, and when he launched his frenzied Cultural Revolution in 1966, he needed her more than ever. Jiang was more than willing to act as Mao’s spearhead and urge the Red Guards into battle.

Torbjørn Færøvik: "Jeg var formann Maos hund. Når han sa bit, da bet jeg!"

Maos kone, Jiang Qing, satt i sofaen og leste da noen snek seg inn i rommet. Det var sent på kvelden og mørkt ute, men Jiangs leselampe lyste fremdeles.

«Hva vil dere?» spurte hun og skvatt opp.

Offiseren som ledet operasjonen, stilte seg stram foran henne og sa:

«Jiang Qing! Du har ikke lyttet til sentralkomiteens advarsler. Du har fortsatt å danne klikker og fraksjoner. Du har drevet virksomhet som splitter partiet og lagt planer om å tilrane deg makten. Kinas kommunistpartis sentralkomité har besluttet å sette deg under isolert granskning. Beslutningen skal gjennomføres straks.»

I dag er det femti år siden Jiang Qing ble arrestert. Hun hadde møtt Mao i 1938 mens han levde som geriljaleder i landets skrinne nordvestlige del, langt fra maktens sentrum. Ekteskapet de inngikk to år senere, ble ikke vellykket, og etter hvert bodde de hver for seg. Men Mao kvittet seg aldri helt med Jiang, og da han startet sin elleville Kulturrevolusjon i 1966, trengte han henne mer enn noensinne. For Jiang var mer enn villig til å opptre som Maos spydspiss og egge rødegardistene til kamp.

50 years ago: How the Gang of Four Was Arrested, by Wu Jianhua

Fifty years have passed since the “Gang of Four” was arrested in China. The four senior Party leaders accused of leading the revolution astray were Jiang Qing (Chairman Mao’s widow), Wang Hongwen, Zhang Chunqiao and Yao Wenyuan. The arrests took place less than a month after Mao’s death on 9 September 1976.

This text was written by Wu Jianhua, who at the time was deputy director of the Central Committee Security Bureau and political commissar of Unit 8341, the elite force responsible for security in Zhongnanhai, the residential and working compound of China’s top leadership in Beijing. Wu was not merely an eyewitness to the drama, but also a central participant who personally took part in planning and carrying out the arrests. The text was published on Renmin Wang, the official website of the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily, on 24 January 2007.

'Unwelcome and unsafe’: Why Japanese companies are retreating from China at a historic rate

Japanese companies are leaving China in record numbers, as a slowing Chinese economy and a diplomatic freeze force businesses to reassess their presence in the world’s second-largest economy.

The number of Japanese companies operating in China fell to a historic low, standing at 10,118 as of June, according to Teikoku Databank, a corporate credit research firm in Japan. That’s down 22% from the previous survey held in June 2024 and about 30% below the 2012 peak, and the lowest since Teikoku began tracking the data in 2010. Japanese firms, which were already planning to reduce their footprint in China, are considering withdrawing from the market with greater urgency since China-Japan ties went into a tailspin, said Jeremy Chan, an analyst at political consultancy firm Eurasia Group.

China shuts hundreds of banks as Beijing moves to shore up its financial system

China is accelerating its consolidation of smaller, mostly rural banks in a bid to shore up its financial system, amid ongoing concerns over an economic slowdown in the country. Beijing’s policy-led consolidation saw a record 670 lenders closed in 2025 — about one-quarter of banks in the country — as authorities ramped up mergers and dissolutions to create fewer, larger and better-capitalized institutions, according to Fitch Ratings analysis.

For 50 år siden: Slik ble "Firerbanden" arrestert, av Wu Jianhua

Femti år er gått siden "Firerbanden" ble arrestert i Kina. De fire høytstående partilederne som ble anklaget for å føre revolusjonen på villspor, var Jiang Qing (formann Maos enke), Wang Hongwen, Zhang Chunqiao og Yao Wenyuan. Arrestasjonene fant sted mindre enn en måned etter Maos død 9. september 1976.

Denne teksten er skrevet av Wu Jianhua, som på den tiden var visedirektør for Sentralkomiteens sikkerhetsbyrå og politisk kommissær for Enhet 8341, eliteenheten som sto for sikkerheten i Zhongnanhai, toppledelsens bolig- og arbeidsområde i Beijing. Wu ikke bare øyenvitne til dramaet, men også en sentral aktør som personlig deltok i planleggingen og gjennomføringen av pågripelsen. Teksten ble publisert på Renmin Wang, det offisielle nettstedet til partiorganet Folkets Dagblad 24. januar 2007.

Starbucks enters Xinjiang in calculated geopolitical risk

Starbucks Corp has taken its green apron to Xinjiang, a region where Western governments accuse Beijing of widespread human-rights abuses and where the U.S. restricts imports over forced-labor concerns. The opening of two stores in Urumqi shows how the Chinese private-equity firm that now controls Starbucks’ business in its second-largest market is willing to weather Washington’s anger.

Starbucks completed the sale of a 60% controlling stake in its China operations to Boyu Capital in April. The venture aims to grow from roughly 8,000 stores to as many as 20,000, and Xinjiang appears to be a bold, if controversial, first stop.

The U.S. House Select Committee on China called the decision “shocking and morally bankrupt” for “a company that prides itself on social responsibility” and demanded the stores close. Its chairman, Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), was blunt in that statement headlined “Starbucks Serves Up Venti-Sized Genocide.”

Trump’s Iran Strategy Has a China Problem

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington was a grand affair, full of pomp and circumstance designed to convey a clear message: America, under President Donald Trump, is seeking a more cooperative relationship with the People's Republic of China.

The symbolism was unmistakable. In an unusual diplomatic gesture, Trump personally greeted Xi on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, and the Chinese leader subsequently received the full treatment at the White House, complete with an elaborate arrival ceremony and a lavish state dinner. The president himself was effusive, describing his meeting with Xi as one of “friendship, strength and success.”

Behind all the pageantry was a clear strategic objective. After nearly two years of a decidedly rocky relationship with Beijing, Washington is now seeking to stabilize—or at least contain—the strategic competition between the two countries.

The environmental cost of a war over Taiwan

Off the coast of Taichung lies the well known Gaomei Wetlands, a popular nature preserve. On weekends, especially in the evenings, the site’s walkways are crowded with sunset watchers, its mudflats filled with people wading and taking pictures of the local wildlife. Birds, amphibious fish, crabs and other organisms flourish.

A few hundred meters to the south Berth number 8 of the Port of Taichung juts inland, surrounded by chemical plants, cement factories, chemical storage sites, warehouses and wind turbines. This infrastructure, critical to the running of a major industrial economy, will be targeted in wartime. Though they do not know it, the nearby creatures of Gaomei and elsewhere are going to be among the first casualties of strikes by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The Reckoning Deferred: Tibet’s Succession Question

For decades, diplomacy toward Tibet has rested on a single unstated premise: that the hardest question could be deferred indefinitely. Governments could criticize religious repression without contesting sovereignty, host the Dalai Lama without endorsing independence, raise cultural rights in Geneva (UN Human Rights Council) while avoiding the sovereignty question in New York (UN General Assembly).

This worked because it was cost-free: a set of positions that never had to resolve into one decision. The succession of the 14th Dalai Lama will end that arrangement, because recognizing a reincarnation is not a statement of values but an act that confers legitimate religious-political authority on one person and delegitimizes any rival.

India issues standard Ladakh placenames that identify incursion spots

After Arunachal Pradesh, India has issued standard, official names of places and geographical features in its Union Territory of Ladakh in a new map to make clear they are parts of its territory, given that they remain under Pakistani or Chinese occupation or claims.

With intend to remove any ambiguity or misplaced perception regarding certain land areas, peaks, mountains, passes, glaciers and water bodies in Ladakh, including those bordering Chinese occupied Tibet, being an integral part of India, the government has, in consultation with the Union Territory, identified 28 places and features in it by standard names on the of-ficial map of the Survey of India, reported timesofindia.com Oct 3.

Among the 28 are stated to be places in Aksai Chin, ceded provisionally by Pakistan to China in a 1963 border agreement, and Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which India treats as part of Ladakh.

Seven Years in Tibet back on Netflix shelves after 20 years

Subscription-based streaming service Netflix has included on Oct 1 the biographical epic Seven Years in Tibet (1997) among many movies it added to its digital shelves, reported uk.news.yahoo.com Oct 1. The film follows the true story of Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian climber and Nazi Party member who escapes a British POW camp in India, finds solace in Tibet’s holy capital Lhasa, and is transformed by his friendship with the young 14th Dalai Lama. Harrer said he joined the party only in order to be able to pursue his mountaineering interests.

The Chinese government objected to the film’s depiction of its occupation of Tibet, particularly its portrayal of Chinese military officials and its positive depiction of the Dalai Lama. Brad Pitt who starred as Harrer, co-star David Thewlis, and director Jean-Jacques Annaud were reportedly banned from entering China as a result.