Hong Kong: ‘We don’t know where the red line is’

This Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from UK to Chinese rule. China promised to protect democratic freedoms for 50 years, but new laws introduced in 2020 have effectively silenced all criticism in the territory. BBC Panorama has spent the last year with young journalists and protesters as they live through the most turbulent period in Hong Kong’s recent history, facing arrests and prison sentences. Viewers in the UK can watch BBC Panorama, Hong Kong: Life Under the Crackdown Tuesday 28 June at 8.30pm on…

China’s Non-Leadership in the Taliban’s Afghanistan

Advertisement The majority of opinions on China’s strategy in Afghanistan are marked by thinking in binary patterns. In fact, almost a year after the Taliban’s takeover, the country is by all measurable standards sliding deeper into humanitarian and economic crises. But when it comes to the Chinese calculus, the situation presents a mixed picture and so seems to defy the traditional zero-sum outcome. While China does not act as a global leader and prefers what could be described as a selective engagement, it might well achieve its objectives in Afghanistan…

Alarm in Beijing after announcement zero-Covid policy may last five years

Authorities in Beijing have sparked confusion and alarm after announcing the strict zero-Covid policy could be in place for the next five years, including mass mandatory testing and travel restrictions. The notice, published on Monday afternoon, was attributed to Cai Qi, the Beijing secretary of the Chinese Communist party. The original text said: “In the next five years, Beijing will unremittingly grasp the normalisation of epidemic prevention and control.” The notice was first posted by Beijing Daily and republished by other state media outlets. It spread widely across social media,…