China

At a global summit on the status of women, 30 years after the Beijing Conference, the Chinese president pledged funding to UN Women and new, pro-women worldwide cooperation. Yet, since 2022, the Politburo has been entirely male. Meanwhile, discrimination is rising again in the workplace in China after the abrupt shift from the one-child policy to a pro-natalist policy.

A local Catholic offers their thoughts about yesterday's ordination of Auxiliary Bishop Wu Jianlin. The unresolved situation of Bishop Ma Daqin, who is still barred from exercising his ministry, is a source of sorrow that encourages “those members of the clergy who seek only to please the government”.

As AsiaNews reported, the ceremony for the prelate chosen by Bishop Shen Bin during the Vatican's Sede Vacante took place this morning. Leo XIV approved the appointment in August in accordance with the Agreement. Although confined to the Sheshan Seminary since 2012, the other auxiliary bishop, Ma Daqin, sent a message of unity to the Church of Shanghai via social media, quoting the great ‘patriarch’ Xu Guangqi.

Scores of members have been arrested in at least six cities in what ChinaAid calls "the most extensive and coordinated wave of persecution” in the last 40 years against underground Evangelical communities. Rev Jin Mingri was also arrested. A former Tiananmen Square protester, he founded the Zion Church, reportedly numbering thousands of members. The accused were charged with illegal use of information networks just days after Xi Jinping stressed the need to “accelerate the sinicisation of religions”.

The diocese has sent official notice for Fr Wu Jianlin’s ordination ceremony, calling on all priests and nuns to be present without exception. Ordinary Bishop Shen Bin reportedly supported the choice, stressing that Wu is a member of the Party Conference, and must be a bishop. In the case of the other auxiliary bishop, Mgr Ma Daqin, he has been unable to exercise his ministry since 2012 after he refused to be part of the Patriotic Association.

Following last year’s historic reconciliation between Palestinian factions in Beijing, "blessed" by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the People's Republic of China did not take part in ceasefire negotiations over Gaza. Even after last night's breakthrough, Beijing appears aloof. Business remains the crux of its involvement in the region.

China is the world's largest producer and consumers of tobacco, with 300 million smokers and over a million deaths per year. Dozens of provincial divisions have already tightened regulations, and the “Healthy China 2030” plan aims to reduce adult smokers to 20%. For months, Shanghai has been experimenting with bans even in outdoor sensitive areas. Meanwhile, civic activism is growing, and students are also pushing for smoke-free campuses.

1 October marked the anniversary of the canonisation desired by John Paul II which gave rise to the most conflictual moment in relations between Beijing and the Holy See. In the context of today's dialogue with the Beijing authorities, marking the feast may be cause for embarassment for some but the Chinese Catholic community has the right to remember and honour its martyrs, just like other churches around the world.

Thailand’s National Security Council laid down the principles to manage the border crisis with Cambodia. Concerns remain over Chinese military support for Phnom Penh, even though Beijing downplays the issue. The murderer of Lim Kimya, a former Cambodian lawmaker who opposed Hun Sen, has been sentenced to life in prison. The reasons for the act are still unknown.

The Taiwanese government was quick to deny that trade negotiations with the United States include moving to the US half of its microprocessor production for the US market. The opposition Kuomintang and the Taiwan People's Party attack the government, warning that an agreement would “hollow out” the country’s tech sector. TMSC’s investments in new 1.4-nanometer chips are also at stake.

China marks the founding of the People's Republic in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, promising to “stand guard” over the atoll. The Philippines has long claimed that China’s presence is illegal. Chinese authorities recently announced plans to turn the area into a nature reserve.

In a speech at an ad hoc session of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo, the president called for ‘doctrines, rules, management systems, rituals and customs, norms of behaviour’ to embody ‘Chinese characteristics’ and adapt ‘to the needs of the times’. He recommended ‘strict enforcement’ of regulations and the strengthening of policy directives.