Beijing is trying to use national hero Sun Yat-sen – who is also revered in Taiwan – to frame “reunification” with the democratic island as the fulfillment of a common national destiny, analysts told Radio Free Asia. Ahead of the 160th anniversary of Sun’s birth on Nov. 12, the mainland has planned official commemorations, and Taiwan’s government warned that Beijing was using the revolutionary leader’s legacy to further an “anti-independence, pro-reunification” strategy. Taiwan considers Sun to be the “father of the country.” He helped lead the revolution that ended China’s…
Author: Media Library
Lula’s Election Win in Brazil Is a Relief for China
On October 4, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva finished the first round of Brazil’s presidential election behind his main rival, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro and an open ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. Flavio Bolsonaro had taken 47 percent of valid votes against Lula’s 45 percent. Because no one topped 50 percent of votes, however, the race went to a second-round runoff. The first post-election poll gave Bolsonaro a six-point lead in the head-to-head contest. Three weeks later, Lula won with 51.76 percent,…
China Wants Its AI to Go Global, on Its Own Terms
China wants its artificial intelligence (AI) to go global. But Beijing also wants tailored control over what leaves, who acquires it, and what remains in the hands of the Chinese government. That’s the tension behind proposed revisions to technology export measures, announced on October 16. Spurring international adoption while retaining authority over strategic technology creates room for China to exert leverage over those who use or build on Chinese AI abroad. Announcement No. 48 from the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) proposed adding 23 AI technologies to its Catalogue of Technologies…
Kylian Mbappé’s China crisis shows how sensitive Mao’s legacy remains
It’s been a bad start to the week for the France forward Kylian Mbappé. He missed out on joining the elite roster of Ballon d’Or winners, and instead became the latest high-profile addition to a far less illustrious list – that of foreign brands and individuals charged with “hurting the feelings of the Chinese people”. The saga began when a video of the Real Madrid player making light of a meme involving him and China’s former leader Mao Zedong began spreading. Within hours Mbappé found himself condemned online, before being…
Sea of crimson: vivid ‘red beach’ transforms China’s wetlands and marshes – in pictures
A striking transformation takes place along the coast of Qinqdao in autumn, when a native seepweed turns a brilliant shade of red. The ‘red beach’ phenemon can be seen in the salt marshes and wetlands on the coast of China’s Shandong province, where the Suaeda glauca plant matures and absorbs water, changing it from green to crimson between September and November The Guardian
India and China were easing tensions – then a border official spoke out
Experts say Kapur’s remarks offer a rare glimpse into what they describe as China’s increasingly assertive military posture along the disputed frontier. “This pattern of Chinese probing at various points of the Arunachal Pradesh border has been happening for some time,” Shyam Saran, a former Indian foreign secretary who led several rounds of border talks with China in the mid-2000s, told the BBC. He said such actions were “not enough to result in an immediate war, but enough to sort of create new facts on the ground”. Indian opposition parties…
China’s families are now supporting more old people than kids
Families in China are for the first time supporting more elderly people than children, the country’s government has said. Official data released in the last week, external show the ratio of China’s dependent elderly people compared to the working age population rose to 23% last year, overtaking the figure for children, which stood at 22%. The numbers are closely watched for signs of how China’s shrinking workforce will impact both the world’s second largest economy and global growth as a whole. The latest figures mark a significant milestone as China…
Mbappé sorry for ‘ill-judged’ Mao remark after backlash in China
Kylian Mbappé has apologised for “ill-judged” comments he made about late Chinese leader Mao Zedong which led to him being dropped by several Chinese brands. Mbappé had reportedly told French talk show The Bridge the meme “that makes me laugh the most, it’s the one where there’s a video of a guy, I think it’s a Chinese dictator…” He then laughs as the clip cuts to a meme showing his face superimposed on an image resembling Mao. The meme is part of a running joke about the Real Madrid forward…
Togo’s China Pivot: Building a Strategic Gateway to the Sahel
As Togo’s President of the Council of Ministers Faure Gnassingbé concluded his eight-day visit to China on October 16, much of the geopolitical attention surrounding the deepening relationship between Lomé and Beijing naturally centered on China’s expanding commercial and strategic influence in West Africa. Yet an equally important question deserves attention: What does Togo stand to gain from its growing partnership with China? For Togo – a relatively small coastal country with significant maritime assets and ambitions to become a regional economic hub – China offers opportunities that extend beyond…
Kylian Mbappé apologises after being dropped by Chinese brands for Mao Zedong comment
Kylian Mbappé has apologised after the Real Madrid forward was dropped by major Chinese brands for apparently joking about Mao Zedong in a video that has gone viral. There were also signs of broader repercussions, with the state-run Chinese digital newspaper The Paper reporting that public television was suspending broadcasts of matches from La Liga. The offending video shows Mbappé saying that the funniest internet meme he had seen involving him was of his face photoshopped on to that of “some guy – I think he’s a Chinese dictator”. This…