East Asia

On 9 September 1976, the ‘helmsman’ of China’s path to communism died. Still honoured in Beijing as a talisman, his name means nothing to Generation Z, who are chasing the China of social media. Meanwhile, Xi Jinping has revived his rhetoric on the primacy of the Party and his methods for promoting his nationalist agenda.

Japanese authorities have asked this city in Ibaraki Prefecture to start a preliminary survey into the feasibility of establishing a nuclear waste site in its territory. The local mayor has expressed support, but some residents have already protested. Only four sites have agreed to submit to the selection process, which is said to take 20 years.

At the Oceania Island Leaders' Forum meeting currently underway in Palau, agreement was reached on a text that, while not specifically naming Beijing, criticizes the test conducted in July. The meeting was also marked by Chinese attacks over the invitation to Taiwan's Foreign Minister.

Father Wang Genxian, aged 55, of the Diocese of Fuzhou, was swept away by the flood whilst on his way to a church on pastoral business. A three-storey building collapsed in Xianyou County. Hundreds of people have died in the long series of natural disasters that have struck China in recent weeks.

According to a study by the Bank of Korea and the OECD, competition for places at the best private schools is driving fertility rates to historic lows (with only a slight recovery in the last two years). Without this factor, the average number of children would rise by 28 per cent. Women are more affected than men.

Due to the economic crisis, some of these establishments have become temporary shelters for the homeless and gig workers. In a small town in Guizhou, the owner has turned his café into a trendy place with live online broadcasts during which he raises funds to make up for the shortcomings of social services.  

The appeal lodged by the Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong and the other four trustees of the Fund in Defence of Protesters – who in 2022 (after being briefly detained by the police) were fined for breaching company regulations – has been dismissed. Margaret Ng announces a further appeal: “Freedom of association is at stake”.

The leader of the “Umbrella Movement” – who was due to be released from prison in January 2027 following his first trial for pro-democracy activities – has found himself in the dock facing new charges of “collusion with foreign forces”. He hopes this will at least enable him to avoid a life sentence for a crime of opinion.

On a three-day visit to Egypt, the Chinese president wants to strengthen the partnership between the two countries as well as undermine US hegemony by revitalising China's presence in the Middle East. The Suez Canal is strategically important to bypass the blockaded strait.

As victims are counted and efforts are underway to save hydroelectric plant workers in Nepal, questions are mounting about the sustainability of the development model adopted in recent years in the shadow of the Himalayas. For its part, the Nepali government is demanding “climate compensation”.

Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja was sentenced today for making donations to former first lady Kim Keon Hee. Yun Young-ho, former head of the Unification Church’s global headquarters, was also given six months. Critics slam the political nature of the sentence and call for religious freedom.

The episcopal ordination of Fr Paul Liu Honggang, 56, took place today, the first in over 20 years for this diocese in Shanxi. The appointment was made under the China-Vatican agreement. After the expulsion of the missionaries, a local priest, Father Guo Yingong, kept the faith alive even during the Cultural Revolution.