Kinaforum

tirsdag 4. august 2026

Coming Together Against Silence: Reflections on the 3rd International Uyghur Forum, Ten Years After the Camps

Ten years have passed since the Chinese government launched one of the most extensive campaigns of mass repression in the twenty-first century. At the beginning in 2016, millions of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples in East Turkistan were arbitrarily detained in a vast network of internment camps. While some of these facilities have since been closed or rebranded, the policies that gave rise to them have not disappeared. Instead, they have evolved into a more sophisticated system of surveillance, forced labor, family separation, cultural destruction, and forced assimilation.

Despite the gravity of these crimes, the Uyghur genocide is gradually fading from the international spotlight. The world’s attention has shifted to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, escalating conflicts across the Middle East. Although these crises rightfully demand urgent attention, the suffering of the Uyghur people has not ended simply because global headlines have moved elsewhere.

Against this backdrop, the 3rd International Uyghur Forum was convened in Berlin from June 11 to 13, 2026.

'I've finally spoken to my mum after seven years'

Millions of tourists just visited China's stunning Xinjiang region. There's a side they didn't see

What’s China’s new ethnic unity law, and what does it mean for minorities?

US companies are stepping up to cut reliance on China for critical minerals used in key weapons

Tucked inside a New Hampshire office park, a small refinery zaps mining waste with electricity to tease out critical minerals needed for key U.S. weapons systems, including missiles used in the Iran war.

It can play a part in helping America break the chokehold China has on processing critical minerals, but it will take up to a year and a half to build a new factory as the Trump administration pushes to expand domestic production. The company, Phoenix Tailings, recently got a $500 million loan from the Pentagon to ramp up its work, after starting out eight years ago as a backyard lab seeking a cleaner metal-refining method. It’s just the latest critical minerals company the government has backed.

The task that workers carry out in heat-resistant suits and sealed face masks has become more urgent as the Iran conflict draws down key munitions such as Tomahawk cruise missiles and THAAD interceptors.

Japan says combat drones key to adapting to new warfare as tension rises in the region

Japan needs to adapt to the new methods of warfare like drones and artificial intelligence used in Ukraine and the Middle East and strengthen its defense industry, the government said Tuesday.

Japan has bolstered its military capability and spending in recent years and has started deploying long-range cruise missiles as a deterrence to China’s military activity. The 598-page defense paper adopted by the Cabinet on Tuesday reiterated that China is Japan’s biggest strategic challenge. Japan is alarmed by the growing presence and frequency of Chinese warships in the Pacific Ocean.

The annual white paper outlines Japan’s military activity and priorities and analysis of military trends in specific countries. As Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government needs public support for further military buildup and spending and to attract service members, the report has features to appeal to readers including a cartoon on the cover and links to video clips in Japanese, English and Chinese.

Why India’s Cockroach Movement Might Not Collapse Like the Others

When Indian Supreme Court Justice Surya Kant compared certain unemployed youth and activists to cockroaches and parasites in May, he gave a generation searching for a shared identity the charge required to build one. Within days that slur became a rallying cry. Millions of young Indians declared “Main Bhi Cockroach” (‘I too am a cockroach’), turned the insult into memes, and launched a political party in the same breath.

Some framed this as Prime Minister Narendra Modi misreading the political environment – after all, his own government gave India’s marginalized and unemployed youth the spark they needed to organize. But that top-down classic political framing overlooks emerging leadership theories, the mechanics of peer-to-peer digital communication, and global trends already underway. Gen Z uprisings had toppled or shaken governments in Nepal, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Madagascar over the previous two years. And each one built from the same digital scaffolding comprised of user digital trace creation, reproduction, and platform scalability.

In Mexico City, Young Chinese Women Are Becoming Their Own Bosses

At around noon, as she wraps up a meeting over the phone, Jiale Zhao steps out of an Uber onto Avenida Presidente Masaryk, sometimes called Mexico City’s Fifth Avenue, a high-end shopping area located in the Polanco district with numerous fine dining restaurants and flagships of luxury brands such as Hermès and Cartier. With long, wavy black hair and wearing a sleeveless light beige blouse, Zhao squeezes through a backdoor into a storefront under renovation, a chain-strap bag with a faint silver sheen hanging from her shoulder. Inside, rows of wires, metal pipes, and bags of construction materials line the floor. Five workers in neon orange vests and helmets are working. A speaker on the ground is playing salsa.

It’s a crisp day. Zhao’s mission in Mexico City is to launch the first and flagship restaurant in the country for a global Chinese chain of hot pot restaurants.

What Are Elon Musk’s Business Interests in China?

Tesla's operations in China are back in the spotlight after CEO Elon Musk dismissed a report the company may end operations in the country ahead of a possible merger with Musk's other flagship company, SpaceX. In an X post, Musk called The Wall Street Journal article "absurdly fake news" and said the departure of Tesla—the only one of his companies with a presence in China—had "not even come up in a discussion ever."

Any sale, closure, separation or spinoff of its China business, which The Wall Street Journal said Tesla advisers were weighing, would have major implications for both the company and one of its most important markets. The world's second-largest economy is also Tesla's second-largest market, despite fierce competition from Chinese electric vehicle makers such as BYD and XPeng, which have rapidly expanded by offering lower-priced models and introducing new features at a faster pace.

Japan outlines its military build-up plan, citing threats from China, Russia and North Korea

Japan’s government is portraying its accelerating military buildup not only as a way to protect the country but as a route to greater prosperity, arguing in ‌its latest defence white paper that arms production can support economic growth.

The annual assessment of threats posed by neighbouring China, Russia and North Korea calls for Japan, constrained for decades by postwar restrictions on military activity, to harness technology, to fund startups and use more commercial components in weapons production.

The white paper “stresses that investment in defence benefits the wider economy and people’s lives,” according to a Defence Ministry presentation document. That message aligns ⁠with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s broader use of strategic state spending in an effort to drive economic growth.

Extreme heat costs poorest workers their health and wages

Brijpal Singh spends long hours working construction under the blazing sun in Noida, a sprawling industrial satellite city in India's National Capital Region. Even as temperatures soar past 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit), work on the building site rarely stops.

By the end of each shift, the 51-year-old says his heart is pounding, and he's usually dizzy, dehydrated and physically drained from hours in the heat. Yet taking a day off is a luxury he cannot afford. Missing work would mean losing his daily wage of 500 to 600 rupees ($6 to $7, €5.20 to €6.10). The money supports his wife and three children living in a village in Uttar Pradesh, a two-day journey away .

"There are days when I don't feel like working," said Singh. "But if I miss a day, who will take care of my children and pay for their expenses?"

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and the Global Chip Supply Chain

The modern digital economy runs on semiconductors, but few consumers realize how dependent it is on a single company. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, has become the cornerstone of the global semiconductor industry. Its manufacturing facilities produce many of the world’s most advanced logic chips, powering everything from artificial intelligence systems and smartphones to fighter aircraft, cloud computing infrastructure, medical devices, and autonomous vehicles.

Unlike consumer technology companies whose products are visible to the public, TSMC operates largely behind the scenes. It does not sell smartphones, laptops, or graphics cards under its own brand. Instead, it manufactures chips designed by hundreds of customers around the world, making it the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry. This business model has transformed the technology industry and elevated Taiwan into one of the most strategically significant economies in the world.

Exclusive Interview: Zhou Fengsuo on Tiananmen, AI Surveillance, and China’s Democratic Future

The Tiananmen Movement changed the course of my life. Like millions of Chinese students at the time, I believed China could become a freer and more just society through peaceful reform. We were not seeking chaos or revolution. We wanted dialogue, accountability, and dignity. For a brief moment in the spring of 1989, freedom seemed within reach.

The June 4 massacre shattered the hope for immediate change, but it also gave me a lifelong mission. After surviving prison and eventually rebuilding my life in the United States, I came to understand that freedom is never guaranteed. It survives only when ordinary people are willing to defend it, often at tremendous personal cost.

The courage of the Tiananmen protesters, the unknown Tank Man, the Tiananmen Mothers, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, and countless others has taught the world two enduring lessons. First, the Chinese people deeply value freedom, democracy, and human dignity, and many are willing to sacrifice everything to defend those ideals. Second, acts of conscience have a power that transcends both time and borders.

Growing like ‘gangbusters’: Can Taiwan maintain its economic momentum?

Taiwan has witnessed a dramatic boom in recent months driven by the mania for artificial intelligence (AI). Earlier this year, its stock exchange soared to become the fifth largest in the world based on market capitalisation, the value of its publicly traded shares, overtaking the United Kingdom, Canada and India.Much of that upward momentum has been driven by AI and other technology exports highly sought after by the United States.

Last year, the US imported $201bn worth of goods from Taiwan, nearly double its rate from 2024, when it acquired $116bn in imports. In May, Taiwan eclipsed China to become the third-largest source of US imports, after Mexico and Canada.

Experts have described Taiwan’s market acceleration as a return to its status as a “tiger economy” — a term used to capture surging growth in East Asia. Much of the credit, they say, falls to its flourishing technology sector.

Revolt of the Cockroaches: How India’s Gen Z Humbled Modi

In the final segment of Creepshow, the horror anthology series written by Stephen King, Upson Pratt, a ruthless old businessman, lives alone in a penthouse fitted with surveillance screens, control panels, and alarm systems. He has a pathological phobia of germs and contamination, is obsessed with exercising complete control over his environment, and regards every competitor as little more than a bug to be squashed.

One night, a cockroach breaches his citadel, and Pratt swiftly dispatches it. But the cockroaches keep appearing in ever-greater swarms, creeping out from air vents, drains, cupboards, and electrical panels until they are everywhere. Despite his manic efforts to smash and spray them out of existence, the ever-multiplying cockroaches eventually overwhelm him.

Can PM Modi reconnect with India's Gen Z?

China wants Tibetan, Falun Gong media out from New Delhi BRICS summit expected to be attended by President Xi

China is reported to have called for curtains on media access to groups such as the Falun Gong and Tibetans during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s possible visit to India for the BRICS summit in September. It is not clear whether this is just a request or a condition for Xi’s possible attendance.

Senior embassy officials raised concerns about media access for news organisations linked to these groups and the potential for them to question the Chinese delegation attending the leaders’ summit scheduled for Sep 12 and 13 in New Delhi, reported theprint.in Aug 3.

The embassy request followed the launch last week of the media accreditation process for the summit by India’s Ministry of External Affairs. As chair of the BRICS summit, media accreditation and access to media spaces at the summit venue is under control of the Indian government, the report noted.

Top US admiral warns against coercion, says no nation will dominate Indo-Pacific

The head of U.S. Pacific Command said Monday that coercive actions by China and other actors are challenging regional stability, warning the United States will not allow any nation to dominate the Indo-Pacific. Admiral Samuel Paparo said some actors were using “false claims of legitimacy” to justify intimidation and coercion.

“That’s not the rule of law. That’s the rule by law. That distinction between law as a tool of order versus law as a weapon of raw power, is the defining fault line of our time,” he said via video link at a regional security conference in Malaysia organized by the U.S. Pacific Command. Paparo’s remarks come as tensions remain high in the South China Sea, where China’s expansive maritime claims overlap with those of several Southeast Asian nations.

Prime minister visits quake-hit southern Japan as cleanup begins in intense heat

Residents in Japan’s quake-hit southwestern prefecture of Kumamotoput out heaps of debris for collection as the region baked under intense heat. The heat and a lack of water supplies have added to the challenges in the severely damaged areas where Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi briefly visited for the first time since a magnitude 7.1 quake hit Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday.

Thirty-eight people died during the quake, including one who died of apparent heat stroke while taking shelter in a car in hot weather and one other whose cause of death is still being investigated, prefectural officials said Monday.

Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has rare meeting with International Red Cross

Myanmar’s detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi met with the International Committee of the Red Cross’ representative in the capital on Monday, the military-backed government said, a rare moment of contact with the outside world for the Nobel laureate who has been held out of public view since the military seized power in 2021.

Two photographs published with the announcement showed Suu Kyi shaking hands with Arnaud de Baecque, the ICRC’s representative to Myanmar, and meeting with him in a wood-paneled room. The Presidential Press and Information Bureau, which released the photographs, said the meeting was held Monday morning but did not disclose the location of the meeting or provide details about what was discussed.

China loves historic sites. Tourists don’t mind if they’re not the originals

China is proud of its history. The only problem? Much of it has been lost to fires, wars, looting and revolutions. Enter fanggu, “historical imitation” attractions. Across the country, entire faux-ancient villages have been built from scratch. From glistening palaces to majestic boulevards, every detail is curated. Vines are transplanted in bulk, and tiles are crumbled mechanically. The result is a grand, albeit sometimes bizarre, fusion of dynastic history, architecture and geography.

Modern consumers are “increasingly willing to pay for emotional value, seeking deeper engagement and cultural meaning through immersive experiences,” Yang Jinsong, director of the International Institute at the China Tourism Academy, told state media outlet People’s Daily in June.

Japan is launching its first centralized intelligence agency since WWII. Here’s why

Japan is launching a new centralized intelligence body for the first time since World War II – a controversial move that some fear deviates from Tokyo’s pacifist ideals, but one others say is much needed in a country so riddled with security weaknesses it has been called a “paradise for spies.”

The National Intelligence Bureau will formally launch on Friday, replacing previous structures criticized as disjointed and ineffective – and laying the foundation, experts say, for broader changes that could include an anti-spy law and a new external foreign intelligence agency similar to the CIA in the US, or MI6 in the UK.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi nodded to these ambitions on Monday, saying: “These measures are merely the first step in intelligence reform.”