A similar campaign is stated to be continuing in the Tibetan areas outside TAR, namely in Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan provinces, although on smaller scales of deployment. Under the campaign, which began in 2011, teams of cadres are required to live, eat and work full-time in the villages in TAR for one-yearly rotations.
fredag 12. juni 2026
China’s program for cadres to ‘form pairs, make friends’ in Tibetan villages continuing for 15th year
China is continuing into the 15th year a campaign to embed its cadres in each village of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) in a long-running campaign to strengthen political control and accelerate forced assimilation policies, said Washington-based Tibet advocacy group International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) Jun 2. The campaign is stated to involve over 22,000 cadres being deployed on a yearly rotational basis to villages across the TAR at an average of four cadres per village.
A similar campaign is stated to be continuing in the Tibetan areas outside TAR, namely in Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan provinces, although on smaller scales of deployment. Under the campaign, which began in 2011, teams of cadres are required to live, eat and work full-time in the villages in TAR for one-yearly rotations.
A similar campaign is stated to be continuing in the Tibetan areas outside TAR, namely in Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan provinces, although on smaller scales of deployment. Under the campaign, which began in 2011, teams of cadres are required to live, eat and work full-time in the villages in TAR for one-yearly rotations.
Free Tibet’s Classrooms: End Patriotic Drills, Restore Native Language Learning
The future of Tibet’s cultural identity is increasingly being shaped not in monasteries or family homes, but inside classrooms where political indoctrination is steadily replacing native language education.
The policy framework driving this shift is no longer merely administrative. China’s Patriotic Education Law, passed on 24 October 2023 and signed by President Xi Jinping, came into effect on 1 January 2024. It requires that “all levels and types of school shall have patriotic education permeate the entire course of school education” and that patriotic content be “integrated into all subjects.”
A 2025 Preschool Education Law extended this requirement down to kindergarten level. For Tibetan communities, this nationwide mandate carries a sharper edge: it accelerates the displacement of Tibetan language instruction by making political content a non-negotiable feature of every classroom hour.
The policy framework driving this shift is no longer merely administrative. China’s Patriotic Education Law, passed on 24 October 2023 and signed by President Xi Jinping, came into effect on 1 January 2024. It requires that “all levels and types of school shall have patriotic education permeate the entire course of school education” and that patriotic content be “integrated into all subjects.”
A 2025 Preschool Education Law extended this requirement down to kindergarten level. For Tibetan communities, this nationwide mandate carries a sharper edge: it accelerates the displacement of Tibetan language instruction by making political content a non-negotiable feature of every classroom hour.
China training brainwashed Tibetan child soldiers?
A Tibet advocacy group in Washington, DC, has on Jun 10 called “deeply disturbing” a Chinese media report that show Tibetan kindergarten children dressed in camouflage uniforms marching under the Chinese flag and participating in simulated combat exercise near the border with India.
Analyzing images released recently by the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) from the southern Tibetan town of Tsona (Chinese: Cuona), the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said the photographs also depict deeply troubling scenes of indoctrination.
The group said the children carry imitation rifles for the activities described by Chinese state media as “immersive and distinctive national defense and ethnic unity-themed educational activities.”
Analyzing images released recently by the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) from the southern Tibetan town of Tsona (Chinese: Cuona), the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said the photographs also depict deeply troubling scenes of indoctrination.
The group said the children carry imitation rifles for the activities described by Chinese state media as “immersive and distinctive national defense and ethnic unity-themed educational activities.”
Censorship Is Not Deterring Global Adoption of Chinese AI
In 2023, Chinese tech giant Baidu debuted a large language model called Ernie Bot. It was a flop.
Baidu began as a search engine company. It now provides a long list of services and is a leader in self-driving technology. It has also “aggressively” invested in AI since 2012, making it an early player, one which also boasts decades of data from its many online services it can use to train its models.
But Ernie’s launch event—hosted by the company’s CEO Robin Li, dressed in a crisp dress shirt, dark slacks, and white sneakers—only showed pre-recorded sessions of the model answering questions and undertaking tasks. Commentators surmised Baidu lacked full confidence in Ernie’s ability to perform. Li even admitted on stage that the model was “not perfect” and that his company was releasing it so soon because “the market demanded it.”
Baidu began as a search engine company. It now provides a long list of services and is a leader in self-driving technology. It has also “aggressively” invested in AI since 2012, making it an early player, one which also boasts decades of data from its many online services it can use to train its models.
But Ernie’s launch event—hosted by the company’s CEO Robin Li, dressed in a crisp dress shirt, dark slacks, and white sneakers—only showed pre-recorded sessions of the model answering questions and undertaking tasks. Commentators surmised Baidu lacked full confidence in Ernie’s ability to perform. Li even admitted on stage that the model was “not perfect” and that his company was releasing it so soon because “the market demanded it.”
Leaked Documents Show the Success of China’s VPN Crackdown
As long as Beijing has been censoring content online, people in China have been finding ways around that censorship. Such “wall-jumpers” used to have a relatively easy time getting their hands on the necessary digital tools. Often, this was in the form of a VPN, or virtual private network, which disguises a user’s ultimate online destination to any censor who might be snooping in. In recent years, however, Beijing has cracked down on VPNs, making them less readily accessible to average internet users.
State-approved VPNs, which are relatively easy for authorities to surveil, are still permitted. At the same time, it’s become harder for outside observers to estimate the number of wall-jumpers in the country. Given how much effort Beijing expends on identifying and blocking unsanctioned VPN traffic, we suspect that China’s internet bureaucracy has a reasonable estimate but it does not share this information with the public.
State-approved VPNs, which are relatively easy for authorities to surveil, are still permitted. At the same time, it’s become harder for outside observers to estimate the number of wall-jumpers in the country. Given how much effort Beijing expends on identifying and blocking unsanctioned VPN traffic, we suspect that China’s internet bureaucracy has a reasonable estimate but it does not share this information with the public.
China bars Philippines defence chief as South China Sea spat sails onwards
China has sanctioned the Philippines’ defence minister, barring him and his family from entering the country, citing comments he made about Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea.
Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued on Thursday that Manila’s Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, as well as his wife and children, are now banned from entering the country, including Hong Kong and Macau.It said Teodoro had “repeatedly made erroneous remarks concerning China”, which had undermined China’s legitimate interests and bilateral ties. It added that “organisations and individuals in China” will not be permitted to “engage in any transaction, cooperation or other activities with him and his spouse and child”.
The ban marks another escalation in long-running tensions between the two countries over the South China Sea. Half a dozen countries, including the Philippines, lay claim to different parts of the sea, but Beijing insists that it holds sovereignty over almost all of its waters.
Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement issued on Thursday that Manila’s Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, as well as his wife and children, are now banned from entering the country, including Hong Kong and Macau.It said Teodoro had “repeatedly made erroneous remarks concerning China”, which had undermined China’s legitimate interests and bilateral ties. It added that “organisations and individuals in China” will not be permitted to “engage in any transaction, cooperation or other activities with him and his spouse and child”.
The ban marks another escalation in long-running tensions between the two countries over the South China Sea. Half a dozen countries, including the Philippines, lay claim to different parts of the sea, but Beijing insists that it holds sovereignty over almost all of its waters.
Kim Jong Un Is Gaining Major Ground in the Great Power Game
With the United States' attention locked on Iran, another supreme leader thousands of miles away is leveraging his nuclear-backed geopolitical position to great success.
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un's summit earlier this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang marked not only an affirmation of the two nations' 65-year mutual defense treaty but an opportunity for the ruler to showcase his status on the world stage.
Just weeks earlier, Xi had received U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in separate summits in China. Xi's meeting with Kim, his second since hosting the North Korean leader last September, illustrated the degree to which Beijing views Pyongyang as a relevant player at the highest levels.
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un's summit earlier this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang marked not only an affirmation of the two nations' 65-year mutual defense treaty but an opportunity for the ruler to showcase his status on the world stage.
Just weeks earlier, Xi had received U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in separate summits in China. Xi's meeting with Kim, his second since hosting the North Korean leader last September, illustrated the degree to which Beijing views Pyongyang as a relevant player at the highest levels.
A Chinese start-up’s unfolding dilemma exposes cracks in Beijing’s tech funding machine
The rush of capital into China’s tech start-up world hit a speed bump this month. Within hours of each other last Friday, a Chinese city government ordered companies to disclose their financial ties to robot vacuum maker Dreame Technology, and China’s State Council issued sweeping rules to tighten oversight of the country’s 23 trillion yuan ($3.4 trillion) private fund industry.
The events, in quick succession, underscored Beijing’s tough balancing act in trying to rival U.S. tech dominance. While the state pours in money to support China’s tech ambitions, there are not always the guardrails and market forces to prevent widespread misallocation. Beijing is reining in a co-investment model that local authorities have embraced in recent years to lure businesses into their regions, said Dan Wang, China director at Eurasia Group.
The events, in quick succession, underscored Beijing’s tough balancing act in trying to rival U.S. tech dominance. While the state pours in money to support China’s tech ambitions, there are not always the guardrails and market forces to prevent widespread misallocation. Beijing is reining in a co-investment model that local authorities have embraced in recent years to lure businesses into their regions, said Dan Wang, China director at Eurasia Group.
Ex-South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to 30 years in jail over Pyongyang drone plot
A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday over charges linked to military drones sent over Pyongyang to help create a pretext for his failed December 2024 martial law declaration, Yonhap reported.
The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy, saying he had conspired in the October 2024 drone incursion from the outset, the news agency said. Yoon denied wrongdoing. His lawyers said he neither ordered nor later approved the operation, which they said was unrelated to martial law and instead a response to months of North Korean launches across the border of balloons stuffed with rubbish.
The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon guilty of abuse of power and aiding the enemy, saying he had conspired in the October 2024 drone incursion from the outset, the news agency said. Yoon denied wrongdoing. His lawyers said he neither ordered nor later approved the operation, which they said was unrelated to martial law and instead a response to months of North Korean launches across the border of balloons stuffed with rubbish.
Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha dies at 47 after three years in coma
Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand, who was in a coma for three years following an illness, has died at the age of 47.
The eldest of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s seven children, the princess died on Thursday evening at a hospital in Bangkok, where she had been cared for since she fell unconscious, said a statement on Friday by the Bureau of the Royal Household.In a televised speech, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the late princess was “a pride of Thailand,” and that her “commitment to building a society of kindness, justice and equality will forever remain as a moral legacy for the nation, a guiding light for generations of Thais”.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha was popular among Thais for her public service and justice reform projects, particularly her Kamlangjai or “Inspire” campaign, which helped rehabilitate imprisoned Thai women before their release.
The eldest of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s seven children, the princess died on Thursday evening at a hospital in Bangkok, where she had been cared for since she fell unconscious, said a statement on Friday by the Bureau of the Royal Household.In a televised speech, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the late princess was “a pride of Thailand,” and that her “commitment to building a society of kindness, justice and equality will forever remain as a moral legacy for the nation, a guiding light for generations of Thais”.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha was popular among Thais for her public service and justice reform projects, particularly her Kamlangjai or “Inspire” campaign, which helped rehabilitate imprisoned Thai women before their release.
mandag 8. juni 2026
Torbjørn Færøvik: Donald Trump - The Unrivaled King of the Night
How long can it go on? Donald Trump appears to be a president in total meltdown, and he still has two and a half years left.
When the lights go out at the White House and Americans tuck themselves into bed, Trump springs to life. It is during these hours, between midnight and dawn, that the nation’s 47th president is in his element, acting as the undisputed king of the night. While others sleep, the world’s most powerful man sits alone with his smartphone, firing off an endless stream of digital missiles.
His cantankerous late-night tirades are unprecedented in history. Where past presidents issued carefully worded press releases through professional chiefs of staff, Trump uses the hours of darkness to air his deepest frustrations, feuds, and conspiracy theories in real time.
How extreme can such a night get? Trump’s absolute record was set in December 2025. Over the course of a chaotic Monday evening and night, he fired off an incredible 160 posts on Truth Social in less than five hours. Between seven in the evening and midnight, the messages flooded out at a pace that shocked both political commentators and health experts. In the final hour before midnight alone, he shared more than 100 posts. That amounts to an average of nearly two posts per minute.
When the lights go out at the White House and Americans tuck themselves into bed, Trump springs to life. It is during these hours, between midnight and dawn, that the nation’s 47th president is in his element, acting as the undisputed king of the night. While others sleep, the world’s most powerful man sits alone with his smartphone, firing off an endless stream of digital missiles.
His cantankerous late-night tirades are unprecedented in history. Where past presidents issued carefully worded press releases through professional chiefs of staff, Trump uses the hours of darkness to air his deepest frustrations, feuds, and conspiracy theories in real time.
How extreme can such a night get? Trump’s absolute record was set in December 2025. Over the course of a chaotic Monday evening and night, he fired off an incredible 160 posts on Truth Social in less than five hours. Between seven in the evening and midnight, the messages flooded out at a pace that shocked both political commentators and health experts. In the final hour before midnight alone, he shared more than 100 posts. That amounts to an average of nearly two posts per minute.
Taiwan racing to arm itself as US reliability wanes
With the US increasingly distracted by the Iran war and China becoming more assertive, Taiwan is reshaping its defenses for a more uncertain era.
This month, Reuters reported that Taiwan is executing a major strategic defense shift by dramatically expanding its anti-ship missile arsenal to more than 1,800 weapons by early 2029 to counter the mounting threat of a Chinese blockade or invasion. This massive stockpiling initiative relies heavily on acquiring 400 advanced US-made Harpoon cruise missiles, with full delivery scheduled between 2026 and March 2029, alongside the mass production of roughly 1,000 domestic Hsiung Feng II and III missiles.
This month, Reuters reported that Taiwan is executing a major strategic defense shift by dramatically expanding its anti-ship missile arsenal to more than 1,800 weapons by early 2029 to counter the mounting threat of a Chinese blockade or invasion. This massive stockpiling initiative relies heavily on acquiring 400 advanced US-made Harpoon cruise missiles, with full delivery scheduled between 2026 and March 2029, alongside the mass production of roughly 1,000 domestic Hsiung Feng II and III missiles.
Two nations, two exams, one AI reckoning
This week, while families gathered outside examination halls across China, some in red qipao for luck, 12.9 million students sat for the gaokao, the world’s largest annual standardized test. On the other side of the Pacific, American higher education is moving in the opposite direction. Roughly 90% of ranked four-year US colleges no longer require the SAT or ACT.
Two of the world’s largest education systems are heading in opposite directions on the same question: how do you fairly measure a young mind? Increasingly, artificial intelligence is rewriting the answer.
China has doubled down on the single high-stakes exam. The gaokao remains, in the words of one researcher, a pillar of educational equity and social stability, even as Beijing reframes it from pure exam-based selection toward broader evaluation.
Two of the world’s largest education systems are heading in opposite directions on the same question: how do you fairly measure a young mind? Increasingly, artificial intelligence is rewriting the answer.
China has doubled down on the single high-stakes exam. The gaokao remains, in the words of one researcher, a pillar of educational equity and social stability, even as Beijing reframes it from pure exam-based selection toward broader evaluation.
Why is Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting North Korea now?
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Monday is significant for one reason. It’s not that they are meeting: The two men met in Beijing just a year ago when China held a huge military parade to mark 80 years since Japan surrendered unconditionally to the Allied forces, bringing an end to the second world war.What’s surprising is that Xi has travelled at all.
The Chinese leader has not visited Pyongyang since 2019, having steadily cut down his travel in recent years, and world leaders like United States President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin generally come to him these days.
“We need to remember that Xi Jinping has not really travelled abroad that much,” William Yang, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Northeast Asia, told Al Jazeera. “The growing trend is foreign leaders heading to Beijing to meet with him.
“For Xi Jinping to be the one who decides to travel to Pyongyang, it shows the level of significance that China attaches to this trip.”
The Chinese leader has not visited Pyongyang since 2019, having steadily cut down his travel in recent years, and world leaders like United States President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin generally come to him these days.
“We need to remember that Xi Jinping has not really travelled abroad that much,” William Yang, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for Northeast Asia, told Al Jazeera. “The growing trend is foreign leaders heading to Beijing to meet with him.
“For Xi Jinping to be the one who decides to travel to Pyongyang, it shows the level of significance that China attaches to this trip.”
China’s Xi to visit North Korea for first time in seven years as Beijing tests its influence over Kim
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pyongyang is set to start on Monday, as Beijing tests its influence over a neighbor pulled increasingly into Russia’s orbit.
The two-day trip will be Xi’s first to North Korea in nearly seven years and he is expected to hold talks with leader Kim Jong Un. In a commentary published in North Korea’s state newspaper ahead of his arrival, Xi pledged “unwavering” friendship and vowed to deepen bilateral cooperation across multiple areas, including the military.
“North Korea has more leverage vis-a-vis China compared to June 2019, when Xi last visited Pyongyang,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, senior fellow at the Stimson Center’s Korea Program, citing deepened military ties with Moscow, advances in its nuclear program, and an improved economy in recent years.
The two-day trip will be Xi’s first to North Korea in nearly seven years and he is expected to hold talks with leader Kim Jong Un. In a commentary published in North Korea’s state newspaper ahead of his arrival, Xi pledged “unwavering” friendship and vowed to deepen bilateral cooperation across multiple areas, including the military.
“North Korea has more leverage vis-a-vis China compared to June 2019, when Xi last visited Pyongyang,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, senior fellow at the Stimson Center’s Korea Program, citing deepened military ties with Moscow, advances in its nuclear program, and an improved economy in recent years.
Foreign investors have dumped billions of dollars of Korean stocks this year despite record rally. Here’s why
Foreign investors have dumped billions of dollars’ worth of South Korean stocks this year, even as the Kospi has emerged as one of the world’s standout performers thus far, with record year-to-date gains.
On Monday, overseas investors had unloaded a net 1.24 trillion won (about $801 million) worth of Kospi-listed shares as of 11am Singapore “Foreign investors continued to sell the Kospi market, driven by outflows for Kospi Tech and Auto,” Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in a June 5 note. The Kospi was down more than 8% at the open. Yet many investors and strategists say foreign selling has less to do with deteriorating fundamentals and more to do with the market’s own success.
On Monday, overseas investors had unloaded a net 1.24 trillion won (about $801 million) worth of Kospi-listed shares as of 11am Singapore “Foreign investors continued to sell the Kospi market, driven by outflows for Kospi Tech and Auto,” Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in a June 5 note. The Kospi was down more than 8% at the open. Yet many investors and strategists say foreign selling has less to do with deteriorating fundamentals and more to do with the market’s own success.
China Targets Trump’s Top Ally in Pacific
Beijing's restrictions on the export of several critical minerals to Japan are part of efforts to pressure the U.S. ally to reverse what China describes as a path toward "remilitarization," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday.
In January, China's commerce ministry moved to tighten controls on exports of items with potential military applications to Japan, barring any party anywhere from transferring such "dual-use" goods for Japanese military end users or military purposes. Beijing cited remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi linking Japan's security to that of Beijing-claimed Taiwan.
China tightened the restrictions twice more in February. While Beijing has not published a comprehensive list of affected items, they include rare earth elements and other critical minerals essential to the manufacture of advanced technologies.
In January, China's commerce ministry moved to tighten controls on exports of items with potential military applications to Japan, barring any party anywhere from transferring such "dual-use" goods for Japanese military end users or military purposes. Beijing cited remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi linking Japan's security to that of Beijing-claimed Taiwan.
China tightened the restrictions twice more in February. While Beijing has not published a comprehensive list of affected items, they include rare earth elements and other critical minerals essential to the manufacture of advanced technologies.
China’s Kids are Getting an Edge With AI
“The new way of learning can make the learning speed like 10 times faster than before,” said Derek Haoyang Li, one of China’s leading AI educationalists and one of the founders of the Squirrel Ai platform.
A cumulative total of more than 43 million students in China and worldwide have enrolled on Squirrel Ai, which is designed to use adaptive learning to teach students exactly what they need at their own pace and to progress much further and faster than they otherwise might.T
A cumulative total of more than 43 million students in China and worldwide have enrolled on Squirrel Ai, which is designed to use adaptive learning to teach students exactly what they need at their own pace and to progress much further and faster than they otherwise might.T
he rapid growth of the company, which also now has its sights set on the United States, underlines how artificial intelligence is playing an increasing role in Chinese education, with a heavy push from a government that is keen not only to get children to use AI to improve their performance, but also to master the technology behind it.
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