China

Another ethnic militia leader, who travelled to China "for medical treatment," was held to get armed groups in northern Myanmar to hand over the city of Lashio to Myanmar’s military junta. In this case, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has been in a long fight with the military for the control of the city of Bhamo, a strategic hub for the rare earth trade. Meanwhile, other militias accuse India of bombing Myanmar territory.

In the Catholic Church of Zhejiang Province, where Bishop Shao is a victim of repression, the priest who administered the “official” diocese is also targeted. Missing since November, he set to go on trial for publishing a book of sacred hymns without permission in another province, while rumours are circulating about his bank accounts. According to some sources, his real crime is insufficient loyalty to the Party.

According to anonymous sources, the dissident who publicly challenged "dictator Xi Jinping" in October 2022 and inspired the "blank paper" protest against the zero-COVID policy has been tried and convicted. Human rights groups are calling on Beijing to disclose his whereabouts and provide details about his trial. The case comes ten years after the crackdown on 9 July 2015 against Chinese civil rights lawyers, which continues to this day.

According to recently released data, China’s visa-free policy for 75 countries is bearing fruit in the first half of 2025, key to revive the local economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. The largest numbers are from South Korea, Japan, the United States, Thailand, and Russia.

In the second quarter of 2025, Vietnam's GDP grew by 7.96 per cent thanks to booming exports. The new trade agreement with the US has improved the climate of confidence, but transhipped goods from China risk affecting the entire regional production chain.

An investigation by Finance Uncovered has revealed that almost US$ 40 million from state development funds from the United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark have been invested in a company that operates digital surveillance infrastructure and technologies in Myanmar. The accusations involve software developed in China used to intercept communications, block VPNs, and monitor users. After the 2021 coup d'état, these systems have allowed the military to expand its control over the Internet.

In the Chinese province of Zhejiang, the authorities have recently detained priests, nuns and ordinary Catholics who made a trip abroad last year; their goal is to induce underground Bishop Shao Zhumin to join a government-controlled Church body. Places of worship and the relatives of underground priests have also been targeted. One priest says, “we want to follow our conscience” without having to submit to the political whims of the Party.

On the eve of his 90th birthday, the Dalai Lama announced that the Gaden Phodrang Trust will recognise his next reincarnation. Religious tradition will thus be respected while China will be excluded from any role. However, Beijing immediately responded by claiming control over the process. This heralds a future with two Dalai Lamas and a major legitimacy crisis that could turn into a wider geopolitical confrontation.

The largest foreign investment in the history of Sri Lanka has been on hold since the start of the year. Differences between the government over local market share have stopped the Sinopec project in Hambantota. The economic recovery plan has raised fears that it will damage the country’s oil sector and energy security.

Gold smuggling is on the rise along the border with China as a means of earning money in one of the poorest areas of the Russian Federation. No licences are required in the People's Republic: any citizen can sell the extracted material to banks in any form, receiving more than double the price quoted in Moscow.

The Czech intelligence service's complaint against agents of the People's Republic of China, which denies the charges and speaks of “interference in internal affairs”. Meanwhile, today is the deadline for Chinese immigrants in Taiwan to prove that they have renounced their registration in the People's Republic. 2,237 have not yet done so, but authorities promise to ascertain their intentions before revoking benefits for residents.

Kazakhstan will sign an agreement with Moscow by the end of the year for the construction of its first nuclear power plant, but it already has plans for a second one to be built together with the Chiona National Nuclear Corporation, which could be completed more quickly. And Tokaert is also leaving the door open to Western consortia for a third plant.