China

The top officer’s removal from the Central Military Commission marks a new phase in the anti-corruption campaign launched by Xi Jinping in the Chinese military. Considered a trusted ally of the president, Miao was responsible for political loyalty in the military. The affair is just another in a long list of dismissals that include a couple of defence ministers and officials linked to the country's nuclear arsenal.

On 3 September, China will stage a show of force to mark the anniversary of its victory over Japan. The event has strong symbolic and political significance, reflecting the country's strategic rivalry with Washington and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. From the Japanese city of Okinawa, which in recent days commemorated the battle in which some 200,000 people lost their lives, a message to the contrary has emerged, calling for the past to be remembered in order to build peace, rather than tomorrow's conflicts.

At the second Forum held in Kazakhstan after the one in Xi'an in 2023, China and the five countries in the region signed 58 trade agreements with investments of over $24 billion. Among the priorities are transport routes and energy, but also the processing of rare earths. On the political front, Xi Jinping gained support for his condemnation of all forms of ‘trade wars involving tariffs and sanctions’.

The ‘new generation’ prime minister of the city-state chose the People's Republic of China for his first trip outside Southeast Asia. In his meeting with Xi Jinping, he praised ‘multilateralism and the rules-based global order’. The ambitions of the former marginal colony that has become a major financial hub between East and West. On Taiwan, support for the ‘one China’ policy.

More and more young workers in Chinese cities are taking advantage of the weekend to travel outside the country at least once a month. Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and Russia are the most popular destinations, but some are even venturing overseas on gruelling tours with very tight schedules.

An Iranian blockade of the world's main maritime transit point for oil and gas would have severe repercussions in Asia, especially for China, India, Japan, and South Korea. As crude oil prices rise, many doubt that Iran can carry out its threats because they would harm China, risking further isolating the country.

With Xi Jinping's offer of mediation from Astana falling on deaf ears, China is looking with great concern at a possible direct US intervention in Iran. The crisis is highlighting the fragility of the multilateral bodies promoted by Beijing such as SCO and BRICS. Meanwhile, Chinese nationals are being evacuated.

In Hong Kong, the NGO that reported on spontaneous worker protests and workplace accidents in mainland China has been forced to cease operations. It was founded in 1994 by activist Han Dongfang, who tried to set up an independent trade union in Tiananmen Square in 1989. A few hours after the announcement, the website was already down. Sixty civil society groups have now been dissolved since 2020.

While the eyes of the world are on the negotiations between China and the United States, Chinese-backed ethnic militias control new unregulated rare earth deposits. Beijing's priority is clear: to secure control over strategic resources, including through growing interventionism that is fuelling the country’s civil war and causing serious environmental damage.

The ceremony took place today in Fujian province. Leo XIV, in his first choice regarding the Church in China, formally appointed Lin Yuntuan alongside Ordinary Bishop Cai Bingrui (the last Chinese bishop appointed by Francis in January). The Holy See is satisfied with this “important step" that confirms the “journey of communion" at the basis of the agreement with Beijing. There is hope that things will turn out better than in Mindong.

South Korea’s new president and the Chinese leader spoke on the phone for about 30 minutes. China insists on the importance of “multilateralism” against the backdrop of Trump’s tariffs. South Korea calls on Xi to play a “constructive role” in the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

While the phone call between Trump and Xi Jinping is attracting the world's attention amid the Sino-US trade war, Beijing is moving forward with a project for large free trade zone on its southernmost island. To attract foreign investment, it is also launching a pilot project for direct access to the global Internet for authorised users and under state control.