China

Chinese social media continues to buzz with calls for the removal of the monk, who is accused of scandals. But the temple's accounts remain covered by ‘state secrecy’. The unauthorised meeting with Pope Francis was only the ‘red line’ that was crossed in a clash that had been going on for twenty years over the economic activities of the Shaolin monks. With private vices that emerge only when political support is lost.

Of the five countries, only Turkmenistan is not a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in keeping with its traditional international neutrality, but President Serdar Berdymukhamedov was nevertheless present at the parade in Beijing. Trade between the region and China grew by 5% last year and will soon exceed $100 billion. Russia is now forced to play a secondary role.

In a chat picked up by a hot mic, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping talk about the possibility of organ transplants allowing people to live up to 150 years. China has never adopted a clear and transparent system for organ donation. Despite new regulations, forced organ harvesting reportedly continues, especially from members of minorities.

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, China refers to the general as the “acting president of Myanmar”, enhancing the military junta’s credentials. For its part, India plans to send a delegation to monitor Myanmar’s December elections, after signing several new economic agreements with its neighbour. Xi Jinping promised to admit Myanmar as a full SCO member, consolidating Myanmar's integration into Chinese-led regional platforms.

Tomorrow's celebration marking the 80th anniversary of the “Victory over Japan”, featuring a display of China's arsenal, is the other side of Beijing's “multilateralism”. In 2024, China spent US$ 314 billion on new weapons, second-highest military spending in the world after the United States. Japan too is also rearming in a dangerous race for the entire Asia-Pacific region.

Gazprom's CEO announced a “legally binding agreement" with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). The pipeline, which Russia has been pushing for years, could supply up to 50 billion cubic metres of gas per year to China over 30 years. For Russia, it would be vital to offset lost markets in Europe. Chinese media have been silent on the details that have blocked the agreement so far.

The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation condemns last April’s attack in Kashmir that sparked border fighting between India and Pakistan, but also terrorist attacks in Balochistan, which Islamabad blames on New Delhi. Modi, unlike his Pakistani counterpart Shahbaz Sharif, avoided expressing support for the Belt and Road Initiative. For China, despite tensions in South Asia, multilateralism remains the best option for building an anti-US bloc.

In Jiangxi, where Matteo Ricci carried out his apostolate, Bishop Li Xuguang presided over the rite in the local cathedral before a large crowd of faithful. These ordinations join the 16 other performed in China since the start of the year, with two more scheduled in Beijing. These signs of hope come amid a drastic drop in vocations in recent years.

Some 22 heads of state and government will attend the "expanded" summit of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation in Tianjin opening tomorrow. Vietnam’s Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính will attend as China's “invited guest”. The meeting will focus on growing economic co-operation but also competition in the South China Sea.

China continues to violate the rights and abuse Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the western region. Victims' families are silenced and threatened. Those waiting for the return of a relative from detention centres tell their stories. For Brooks, Amnesty’s China Director, “lives have been destroyed, families separated, and communities dismantled by the Chinese authorities’ continuing cruelty.”

Thanks to climate change, the race to uphold local beauty standards that require fair skin is taking on new forms in China, such as the ever-increasing popularity of clothing and accessories that allow full-body coverage (including the face) without the need for sunscreen, both on the beach and in the city.

Cyberbullying is growing among young people in China, through the dissemination of personal information to harm victims. Lonely and vengeful minors under 16 act without consequences finding a false sense of power, due to a legislative gap. The government is fighting back, while some stories show the possibility of redemption from online abuse.