East Asia

A new system is now in operation in the People's Republic that allows users to authenticate themselves to online services with a single code provided by the Ministry of Public Security. Although currently optional, it is being encouraged by several websites. The Beijing authorities describe it as a tool “to protect privacy” and combat identity theft. However, many suspect that it will make it even easier to monitor all online activity.

Scientists at the Institute for High Energy Physics (HIHP) have announced that they have obtained sharp 150 GHz images of the Moon and Jupiter, the first step in the quest for "primordial gravitational waves." This project on the "roof of the world" is part of a network with similar observatories in Chile and Antarctica that seeks to gain insights into the earliest moments of the universe as we know it.

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 first ever, a training course organised in collaboration with a company in the sector explored not so much the ethical implications but the opportunities for the practical use of these tools in pastoral care. Participants said: ‘It can become an essential aid in improving preaching and pastoral care.’

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.

On the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the Japanese emperor visited Ulan Bator for the first time to pay homage to the Japanese soldiers who died in Soviet POW camps. However, the atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperial Army continue to cast a long shadow on Japan’s relations with Asian countries, which Tokyo is trying to woo in opposition to Beijing.

Under the pretext of security, the Hong Kong government presented lawmakers with a bill aimed at tightening the rules for meetings with doctors, lawyers, and religious leaders. According to its backers, violations and abuses have characterised prison visits in the past. According to the authorities, human and civil rights, including those of prisoners, should be “limited by the need to maintain national security, discipline and order.”

The South Korean president met with the cardinal, prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy. He is hoping to meet Leo XIV soon and that the pope’s 2027 visit for WYD will be an historic step towards thaw and peace in the Peninsula. Speaking to reporters, the cardinal said that the WYD is “a great opportunity to make the spirit of martyrdom known to young people”. During the weeks of chaos over the attempted imposition of martial law, Pope Francis prayed for South Korea.

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.

In January, Japan will try to mine the seabed in its Exclusive Economic Zone. Like the United States, India and Australia, Japan wants to compete with China for leadership in this sector. The test to recover sediments at a depth of 5,500 metres is the first in the world. The aim is to “test the function of all mining equipment.”