East Asia

Commentary on the Gospel of the 4th Sunday per year (Mark 1: 21-28).

In one year, the Chinese hi-tech giant goes from first to sixth place in the world market share. Biden Administration: Beijing companies threaten our national security. Apple and Samsung take advantage of Huawei's downfall. Sales of Xiaomi, also in Washington's sights, are growing.

At the inauguration of the Judicial Year of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, Francis urges the judges to carefully evaluate the potentially “disastrous” effects of decisions affecting “abandoned spouses” and their children.

For Vietnamese expert Nguyen Anh Tuan, common standards are needed to prevent abuse and protect privacy and workers. China uses artificial intelligence (AI) to control its population. AI raises concerns about its application to make more lethal weapons. The use of new technologies must be based on respect for democratic values.

Pope releases his message for this year’s World Missionary Day (WMD), which usually falls on the third Sunday of October, titled “We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). “To be ‘in a state of mission’ is a reflection of gratitude” towards the encounter wit Jesus Christ. The first Christians turned “problems, conflicts and difficulties into opportunities for mission.” “In these days of pandemic, [. . .] there is urgent need for the mission of compassion” to overcome “the worst kind of skepticism: ‘Nothing changes, everything stays the same.’” The pope urges the faithful to pray for missionary vocations. “He addresses this call to everyone, and in different ways.”

China denies the "interference" of external forces and the "provocations" of Taiwanese separatists. Chinese military: " To contain China, mission impossible". Pentagon: Ready to cooperate with China, but we have obligations towards Taipei. The doubts of the Taiwanese.

Investigators arrived two weeks ago. Ready to interview infected patients, nurses and laboratory technicians. Request to access the data on the city market where the virus is supposed to have first spread. The government silences citizens who want to speak to the team of experts. Beijing halts travel for the Lunar New Year.

The health crisis and the celebration of the Great Jubilee of the Philippine Church were at the centre of the 121st plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.

The ambassador provides gift packages to homeless people staying near St Peter's, urging people to heed the “invitation in ‘Fratelli Tutti’, the encyclical that encourages greater human brotherhood and solidarity.”

Food insecurity threatens 16 million inhabitants. It is the worst figure in Asia after Yemen and Afghanistan, two war zones. Economy devastated by international sanctions, pandemics and natural disasters. Kim Jong-un is betting on productive self-sufficiency to overcome the crisis.

Human rights lawyers see the ophthalmologist as a role model to follow. He raised the alarm about the coronavirus and was silenced by police and hospital authorities. The epidemic that followed is the price for the silence imposed on Li Wenliang, intellectuals, writers, journalists, and others. The campaign can offer a suggestion to the WHO.

"Remembering is a condition of peace and fraternity. It implies being vigilant, because these things can happen again, starting with ideological proposals that want to save a people and end up destroying that people and humanity". "The Bible is not written for a generic humanity, but for us, men and women in flesh and blood, for me. For men and women who have names and surnames ".