War has made the Kremlin try harder to envelop Russians in a parallel information universe, in which Ukraine is run by Nazis and Russian soldiers are liberators. China’s government is doing something similar. Whereas its propaganda for foreign ears stresses China’s desire for global harmony, at home it not only allows but even encourages the expression of caustically nationalist views online, especially on topics such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, covid-19 and Ukraine. Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. Your browser does not support the…
Month: May 2022
Chinese Hackers Tried to Steal Russian Defense Data, Report Says
Under China’s authoritarian leader, Xi Jinping, Beijing has refined its approach to cyberspying, transforming over the past decade into a far more sophisticated actor. China’s premier spy agency, borrowing a page from Russia, has recruited beyond its ranks, pulling from the country’s growing pool of tech workers. The strategy has made its attacks more scattershot and unpredictable, but analysts say it has also helped strengthen the country’s efforts, enabling spies to run stealthy attacks that target intellectual property as well as political and military intelligence around the world. Mr. Xi…
Photographer Luo Yang captures rare glimpse of China’s ‘brave and free’ youth
Neon hair, heavy black lipstick, friends gathered around a table in leopard print and lace. Luo Yang’s portraits of young people offer a rare glimpse into modern culture in China. The Shanghai-based photographer says she was drawn to taking pictures as a way of recording emotions that rise up during adolescence. She has been documenting Chinese youth for more than a decade. “They live bravely and authentically under the limits of traditional culture,” she said in an email interview. Luo Yang was born in Liaoning, China and is based in…
US stock markets fall sharply as investors worry about recession
The wild ride on the US stock markets continued on Wednesday with the Dow Jones Industrial Average sinking more than 1,100 points as investors worried about a looming recession. All of the major US markets fell sharply, with the S&P closing down 4%, its largest fall since June 2020, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq losing 4.7%. On Tuesday markets had rallied following positive news about consumer spending and signs that China was relaxing its strict Covid-19 lockdowns. Just a day later concerns about an economic slowdown triggered a wide-ranging sell-off. The…
Your Thursday Briefing: Turkey’s NATO Block
Good morning. We’re covering Turkey’s move to stall NATO’s expansion, North Korea’s effort to follow China’s pandemic restrictions and China’s new tactic to censor online speech. Will Turkey block NATO’s expansion? Finland and Sweden formally asked to join NATO on Wednesday, heralding what could be the alliance’s biggest expansion in decades, and one that would increase its presence on Russia’s doorstep. But later in the day, Turkey, a NATO member, blocked an initial effort to move ahead quickly with the applications. Analysts said it was an attempt to squeeze out…
China Maritime Report No. 21: Civilian Shipping and Maritime Militia: The Logistics Backbone of a Taiwan Invasion
Most analysts looking at the Chinese military threat to Taiwan conclude that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is incapable of invading the island because it lacks the landing ships to transport adequate quantities of troops and equipment across the Taiwan Strait. This report challenges that conventional wisdom, arguing that the PLA intends to meet these requirements by requisitioning civilian vessels operated by members of China’s maritime militia (海上民兵). Since the early 2000s, the Chinese government and military have taken steps to strengthen the national defense mobilization system to ensure the…
Economic Headwinds Mount as Leaders Weigh Costs of Confronting Russia
The interruption of wheat exports from Ukraine and Russia, which together account for 28 percent of global exports, along with supply chain disruptions, a severe drought in India that has caused it to ban shipments of grain and Covid-related lockdowns in China, are also causing food prices to spiral and increasing global hunger, particularly in Africa and the Middle East. The question for both American and European policymakers is how to corral leaping prices without sending their economies into recession. The Federal Reserve has begun raising interest rates to tame…
Taiwan’s Quest to Attend the World Health Assembly
Advertisement Efforts by Taiwan to seek admittance to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s governing body, the World Health Assembly (WHA), have continued this year. The WHA meets annually in Geneva and this year’s meeting is scheduled to take place from May 22 to 28. However, compared to previous years, the Tsai administration’s efforts at seeking admittance have perhaps been more muted, with the attention of the international community focused on the invasion of Ukraine and other issues, and many nations relaxing COVID-19 measures. Taiwan took part in the WHA as…
Flight MU5735 crash: bereaved relative demands answers from airline over US report of deliberate dive
On March 24, rescuers search for the black boxes at the plane crash site in Tengxian County, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 22, 2022. The plane carrying 132 people crashed in Tengxian County in the city of Wuzhou. Photo: Xinhua South China Morning Post
China seeks to reset relationship with Australia after election
China will seek talks with whichever party wins Saturday’s Australian federal election, with diplomatic sources declaring that they see “a good opportunity” to ease tensions in the period after the vote. A Chinese diplomatic source, who did not wish to be named, said China was “genuine in our wish to improve the relationship” with Australia, although to date it has not publicly detailed any specific actions it is willing to take. The source also pushed back at a description by the defence minister, Peter Dutton, that a Chinese intelligence gathering…