China

A survey promoted by the Fondazione Intercultura found that 45 per cent of teenagers are interested in a period of study in China. It also gathered the impressions of those who have already done so, suggesting a positive view of relationships and culture, and excellent professional benefits. Yet, there is also a greater awareness of the country as it really is, beyond the myth of its technological prowess.

The leader of the Early Rain Covenant Church is reportedly suffering from liver cancer. His family, who have long been denied prison visits, have received no official news. Despite summits between Trump and Xi, China is intensifying its crackdown on believers and prominent figures within Protestant communities.

Grappling with collapsing real estate revenues, local governments are delaying payments to businesses, which is reverberating along the supply chain to small suppliers. Beijing is trying to contain the problem but, without new resources, there is a risk of simply shifting losses from one entity to another.

Putting aside the rhetoric and panda diplomacy, the only outcome of the visit is the extension of the tariff truce until 10 January. Between now and then, the APEC summit will be held in Shenzhen and the G20 in Miami. Regarding Taiwan, China is asking the United States to oppose independence. Japan is unhappy about references to the wartime anti-Japanese unity.

While Xi Jinping visits Washington (where the issue of human rights remains taboo), Chinese authorities informed the family of Shi Tingfu that he had died in prison from a “heart attack”.  The long-time activist had been detained in 2024 for reporting on protests by a group of farmers. For the CHRD, the denial of medical care constitutes a form of torture in China today.

With the Bothekoshi Valley impassable, the only open trade route with China now runs through the Korala Pass at an altitude of 4,650 metres. Beijing is pushing for major infrastructure projects there as well. Until now, Kathmandu has preserved the environment and identity of the plateau, a region some identify with the mythical Shangri-La.

In 2026 – for the first time – the United States did not admit a single asylum seeker from countries at risk of persecution. From Iran to Myanmar to China, violence against Christians continues: according to Open Doors, 4,849 have been killed, whilst more than 224,000 have been forced to flee their homes.

Qin Weizhong, 55, had led the metropolis, a symbol of China's tech race, since 2021. His surprise departure comes just weeks before the APEC summit in Shenzhen. The expulsion of two high-ranking military officials from the Party has also been confirmed. The Central Committee is set to meet on 26–29 October to discuss strict self-governance.

The American bishop, a pioneer of television preaching who is to be beatified on 24 September, visited China in 1948, where he also met Chiang Kai-shek. He often cited ‘young Li’ as a model of devotion to the Eucharist. Through the magazine *Worldmission*, he recounted the communist persecutions but, even more so, the great faith of Chinese Catholics.

More than the deposits themselves, the expertise acquired in mining institutes has ensured China's control over a large share of global production, a disadvantage the West will need years to overcome. To counter the lucrative wages offered by US companies, Beijing is pre-emptively withholding passports from qualified personnel.

In the Chinese education system, having an independent mind is a disqualifying factor from the outset and is subject to criticism from teachers and parents. It is no coincidence that the teaching method is mnemonic. And – as an AsiaNews source explains in this account – this is the broader context in which the growing bans on minors entering churches must also be understood.

Introduced to the commercial market in 2018, ‘cloning’ represents the most extreme form of humanisation in the country’s pet economy. By 2025, spending on dogs and cats had reached 312.6 billion yuan, whilst Chinese companies are increasingly focusing on developing their own brands and conquering foreign markets.