Tsering Phuntsok watched news of the Nepal-Tibet flood unfold from thousands of miles away in southern India. The 46-year-old Tibetan in exile has missing family members on both sides of the border; those in Nepal are named in official government lists, but in Tibet he has received no information. “I have started praying for the lost ones now. I have to accept they will not return [because] … I’m not getting any information.” The flooding disaster is an example of the increasing use by Chinese authorities of “Clean Internet 2026”,…
Day: September 7, 2026
In Gyirong Port, small items speak of the human cost of the China-Nepal disaster
“I do not want to stop [searching]. If I pause, I start thinking about my brothers and sisters and all the moments of my life here.” Gui Xinwei, deputy chief of the Gyirong Border Inspection Station, was speaking to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV from the ruins of his workplace, seven days after the devastating mudslide erased the port crossing where China and Nepal meet. “I just don’t want to stop.” Gui was away on holiday on August 26 when a glacier collapsed in Nepal, triggering a massive mudflow and floods…
Should Chinese schools demote English as a core subject? Discuss
Calls to reduce English’s status as a core subject in China’s education system have resurfaced after an internet-famous maths teacher urged the country to end “worshipping foreign things”. The controversy has revived a long-running debate over the role of English in Chinese schools. The argument came to life again after Tang Jiafeng, a maths teacher known for coaching students through the national postgraduate entrance exam, said on social media that children, parents and schools had devoted disproportionate amounts of time and resources to English, a subject he argued had little…
How Tokyo is widening regional defence ties to complicate Beijing’s Taiwan calculus
The risk of a conflict over Taiwan is shaping Japanese defence planning, with Tokyo shoring up security at home and abroad for a potentially prolonged fight. But there are economic, demographic and political constraints on how far its military transformation can go. In the first of a three-part series, Gabriel Dominguez examines how Japan is building a network of partnerships to strengthen its strategic endurance. Japan is rapidly building a web of defence partnerships spanning the Indo-Pacific and beyond, a move that may bolster its ability to withstand a prolonged…
China confirms 43 dead in mudslide, Tibetan resident says 26 dead in just one village
Read a version of this story in Tibetan As Chinese officials raised the official death toll from the Nepal-Tibet mudslide to 43 on Saturday, a Tibetan resident told RFA on Sunday that 26 people died in Risur village, Kyirong county, alone, where the Kyirong (Gyirong in Chinese) border post is located. Because entry into the immediate disaster zone was restricted, the Tibetan resident told RFA that he had to trek around the mountain for about three hours to search for relatives, but could not find them. “Many people have gone…
As clock counts down to Trump summit, Xi boosts global clout with diplomatic blitz
His summit with Donald Trump is just over two weeks away, but already this month Xi Jinping has had one of his busiest stretches of diplomatic travel in recent years. First he wrapped up the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and then he made a state visit to Egypt. Xi is expected to head off again later this week to visit New Delhi for the Brics summit before he travels to Washington. Beijing has not yet confirmed those two trips, in line with its practice of making…
PLA Rocket Force highlights ‘major danger signal’ from Japan in nuclear terror study
Chinese cities must brace for a potential nuclear attack, a new study has warned, singling out Japan for “sending a major danger signal” to the world. The report, from a People’s Liberation Army medical team, said the likelihood of a large-scale global nuclear war was relatively low. “However, the possibility cannot be ruled out that small or medium-sized nuclear-armed or potentially nuclear-armed states, driven by geopolitical or religious conflicts, could carry out a single nuclear-weapon terrorist attack on neighbouring countries or on key cities of major powers,” they wrote. The…
Rare drone film of suspected dumping spurs Chinese agencies into investigation
Authorities in central China have joined forces to investigate suspected industrial dumping on the Yangtze River following the release of rare drone footage of the activity. The environment bureau in the Hubei city of Wuhan said on Monday that it had launched the inquiry in association with police and transport authorities. The announcement comes less than two weeks after Beijing revised performance assessment rules for officials, holding them accountable for life for serious environmental… South China Morning Post
China vows deeper cooperation with Qatar in energy, AI and Middle East de-escalation
Chinese Premier Li Qiang pledged to deepen cooperation with Qatar in energy, investment, AI and diplomatic efforts to de-escalate Middle East tensions. Li delivered the remarks during a meeting on Monday in Beijing with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is on an official two-day visit to China aimed at bolstering bilateral ties. His visit came as Beijing and Doha sought to navigate an increasingly volatile regional security environment and ensure international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for China’s energy…
China and Russia launch first sea ice survey aboard Xuelong 2 as Arctic tensions swell
China and Russia have conducted their first joint on-site sea ice survey in the Arctic Ocean aboard the Xuelong 2 research icebreaker, as tensions continue to rise over economic opportunities in the rapidly warming northern region. Two researchers from Russia’s Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute boarded Xuelong 2 as part of China’s 16th Arctic Ocean Expedition, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday. According to Lin Long, captain of the Xuelong 2 sea ice team, this joint observation has been more “practical” than previous Chinese Arctic voyages.…