Red Lanterns

The mountain pass swept away by the flood of water and debris was a symbol of China’s ambitions for the ‘Nepalese corridor’. But it was also the hub of a region where Beijing is providing aid to local mountain communities to strengthen its control over Tibet.

Zijin Gold International has acquired a minority stake in the Canadian company Allied Gold, which aims to commence mining operations in Kurmuk, in an area of Ethiopia close to the border where the RSF has major logistics centres (and, via Dubai, interests in the gold market).

The Sea Legend Shipping Company will inaugurate the first regular container service via the Northern Sea Route. South Korea is following with a trial voyage. The thawing Arctic and the difficulties affecting traditional routes are making the arctic more attractive. But ice, costs, sanctions, and security are limiting commercial ambitions (for now).

After the real estate crisis drained local finances, Beijing is focusing on private wealth to finance the race for artificial intelligence and semiconductors. But new taxes, controls, and steered investments are increasing the risk of passing the cost of this industrial strategy on to households.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, digital psychological and psychotherapeutic support services have grown significantly in the country in response to the lack of adequate countrywide resources, as well as to the stigma surrounding this topic. However, those who exploit this need are also increasingly fuelling collective anxiety.

The first regulations on artificial intelligence services designed to build emotional bonds with users have come into effect. Chinese authorities want to combat emotional dependence and inappropriate content. ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent are eliminating or modifying features dedicated to “virtual companions”.

The latest survey by the Pew Research Center shows a strong polarisation in Asia and Asian societies. While territorial disputes are a major source of fear, Beijing is seen more positively among middle- and low-income countries.

He was arrested a year ago under the local national security law imposed by Beijing, modelled on Hong Kong’s, on charges of “subversion”. The former primary school teacher was a member of the Legislative Assembly since the times of Portuguese rule and has called for free elections for the post of chief executive, judicial independence, and administrative transparency.

The aim is to serve national strategies and train talent for the labour market. Humanities courses are being cut back whilst STEM subjects are being strengthened. The case of Sichuan University: over the last seven years, it has abolished 39 three-year degree courses. But online, doubts and criticism regarding the value of the reform – described as a “superficial adjustment” – are multiplying.

The ‘Yesterday’ observatory monitored 50 such incidents in a single month. These are fragmented initiatives, most often linked to unpaid wages. They are also fuelled by the obstacles placed in the way of the petition system, with local officials paying teams of men to discourage the submission of complaints to the relevant office in Beijing, which would cast them in a bad light. A reality that the Party prefers to hide and ignore.

The Philippines depends almost entirely on the Persian Gulf for its oil needs. Today's severe crisis is forcing Manila to seek an agreement with Beijing for relief on fuel and fertiliser supplies. Yet both countries are loggerheads over the sovereignty of an area of ​​the South China Sea rich in untapped oil and natural gas.

The Fujian Police Department has patented an artificial intelligence-based system that seeks to detect “potential mass incidents” at an early stage, based on cross-referencing data from acoustic sensors, surveillance cameras, and official reports. For the China Digital Project, this is the latest technological frontier of the "Fengqiao Experience”, the Maoist model for managing social order.