East Asia

June in China is the month of the Gaokao (the university entrance exam) and the Zhongkao (the secondary school entrance exam), with the usual mobilisation of families anxious about their children’s future. But the structural limitations of China’s current economic system, with 320 million ‘flexible’ workers, are turning yesterday’s dreams into a mere struggle for survival.

Thanks to massive investments in solar, wind, and nuclear power, China has topped four billion kilowatts of installed capacity, 1.7 times that of the United States and the European Union combined. And it is working to have a system operational by 2030 that will allow millions of idled electric vehicles to return energy to the grid to meet peak demand.

Eva Air will launch its first nonstop flight between Taiwan and the US capital tomorrow. Beyond the diplomatic significance of the new route, the decision reflects the growing importance of economic relations between Taiwan and the United States, while doubts remain over Washington's military support for the island.

As much as FIFA and social media may celebrate Japanese fans who pick up trash after World Cup matches, the act is divisive in Japan. The slogan "Japan Pride" has also been criticised, while some Japanese women who say they do not see the same behaviour from men at home.

In Wuhan, a call for teachers to turn up at dawn to inspect vegetables for school canteens sparked a protest. But among the non-teaching tasks assigned to teachers is also the requirement to ‘like’ posts from public accounts on social media. Meanwhile, an increasing number of schools are turning to the ready-meal market, which the Party has identified as one of the key sectors to be promoted in the economy.

Pope Leo XIV yesterday spoke about the great Italian patron saint of migrants, who dreamt of going on a mission to the East like Saint Francis Xavier. After her death, her fellow sisters fulfilled this dream in Zhejiang and Henan until its forced closure under Mao. Nevertheless, it still continues through the Scalabrinian family who chose her as their patron in Asia.

With the People's Republic of China missing from the tournament for 24 years, the "card master" has become a celebrity among fans. He is the only Chinese tasked with refereeing a World Cup match, but also an ambassador for giants like Lenovo and Hinsense. Tomorrow evening, he will referee the Ecuador-Curaçao match, with two Chinese assistants.

In a speech to the foreign press, the Taiwanese leader hailed 30 years of democracy on the island, starting with the 1996 elections. He urged the US to unfreeze the US$ 14 billion arms sale, which has already been approved by Congress. Opposition leader Cheng Li-wun, just back from a visit to the United States, said that Trump’s position on his return from Beijing is “fairly consistent” with that of her party.

While Leo XIV raises the question of freedom in the age of data science, China's National Religious Affairs Administration publishes an article about a new computing centre at Southeast University tasked with using generative artificial intelligence to uncover (and ban) any ideas that diverge from what the Party wants religions to say.

The Middle Corridor is reshaping the region’s geopolitical landscape, offering participating countries a historic opportunity to free themselves once and for all from their role as ‘transit appendages’ to Moscow and become independent players.

Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed his Myanmar counterpart, Min Aung Hlaing, to whom he has reiterated China’s support. The visit coincides with the recent arrest of a leading scholar of China-Myanmar relations and the release by an ethnic militia of 200 POWs captured during fighting along the border.

The pontiff received the South Korean president in audience this morning. Yesterday, in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Lee spoke at the Mass for Peace promoted by the Korean community. For the South Korean leader, despite the difficulties, “the ember of hope” for an agreement with Pyongyang “is still alive.” Cardinal You laments that “The Korean Peninsula still bears the wounds of division,” but adds: “We can never give up on peace”.