Rubric Red Lanterns

Red Lanterns
by Silvia Torriti

Trump shows a more aggressive and isolationist approach, Harris is more prudent and inclined to stability. Towards Beijing, a desire to protect national interests prevails on the US side. Over the years, China has softened the tone of ‘wolf-warrior diplomacy’. And it is looking ahead to the 5 November vote without officially exposing itself, although it seems to be betting on the Democratic candidate.

| 24/10/2024
| RED LANTERNS

Using satellite images, a recent report shows 20 new Chinese settlements with about 7,000 residents in Bhutanese territory. For experts, China’s strategy began in the 1990s and is aimed at India, becoming more aggressive in recent years. In the last year alone, seven new villages have been built in strategically important areas at around 4,000 metres above sea level.

| 17/10/2024
| RED LANTERNS

Just as the row over tariffs with the US and the EU intensifies, China is preparing to lift the last retaliatory measure still in place against Australia, Australian Prime Minister Albanese announced. In two years in office, the Australian leader has mended ties, keeping trade with China distinct from geopolitical issues.

| 10/10/2024
| RED LANTERNS
by Silvia Torriti

In villages still dominated by householders, women who marry an ‘outsider’ lose access to local services and compensation for expropriated collective land. With increasing levels of education and greater social connections, more and more of them are taking these kinds of disputes to court. But the road to their protection remains an uphill one.

| 03/10/2024
| RED LANTERNS

Priests from Fujian travelled to the province of repressions against the Uyghurs to ‘educate the patriotic spirit’ and ‘grow in the path of Sinicisation’. They were led by Bishop Vincenzo Zhan Silu, one of the two Chinese bishops who will participate in the Synod. Tourism promoted as the Party's preferred path to cover up the detention of figures like Ilham Tothi and other human rights violations.

| 26/09/2024
| RED LANTERNS

Sultan Ibrahim arrived in Beijing to mark 50 years of bilateral relations. Kuala Lumpur is looking to Chinese investments to build connectivity with neighbouring Singapore. Malaysian oil exploration in the South China Sea is a bone of contention between the two countries.

| 19/09/2024
| RED LANTERNS

A report by the China Labour Bulletin documents 10 years of violations and critical issues in healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and aggravated existing systematic issues and unresolved disputes, such as unpaid wages, violence against staff by patients and family members, excessive workloads, and disparities.

| 12/09/2024
| RED LANTERNS
by Silvia Torriti

A recent study found that almost half of all cancers diagnosed between 2007 and 2021 are linked to being overweight. Due to socio-cultural changes, more and more young people are obese. The Beijing government has launched a strategic plan to avoid exorbitant economic expenditure.

| 05/09/2024
| RED LANTERNS

From 4 to 6 September, Beijing is hosting the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (Focac), the first major post-Covid event in the capital. More and more Chinese companies have developed partnerships and collaborated with governments and businesses on the continent. A response to the protectionist policies of Brussels and Washington, but there is also a ‘dumping’ risk for Africa.

| 29/08/2024
| RED LANTERNS

Ruling on the case of an exasperated family who demanded a stop for a 30-year-old man who had been artificially fed for 11 years as he could no longer afford the costs. Judges: 'It would be death by starvation, not passive euthanasia. But the government should work to provide some form of support for the family." Dr. Carvalho, Indian Catholic bioethics expert: “A compassionate ruling.”

| 23/08/2024
| INDIAIN MANDALA

On social media, Geng He appeals to the US government and the international community for news of her husband, a Christian lawyer and activist. She is not asking for his release, but wants to know about his fate. Five members of the Shengjia Church in Shunde are on trial on spurious charges of "illegal business operations", a generic term used to persecute believers.

| 15/08/2024
| RED LANTERNS

In Shanxi, a court president illegally keeps three Protestant leaders in prison without trial. But the law can also be used to show that religious freedom conforms with the law, this according to Feng Xuewei, a legal expert who worked on China’s entry in the WTO.

| 08/08/2024
| RED LANTERNS
by Gianni Criveller

The editor-in-chief of AsiaNews recounts his trip back to the Chinese capital, which he had to forcibly leave in 2011 when his visa was cancelled in one of the moments of friction between China and the Holy See. The tale of "a great modern metropolis which, like it or not, shares  the uncertainty of a generation struggling to survive with many other cities in the world. A social and existential emergency that transcends the boundaries of political systems and ideologies".

 

| 01/08/2024
| RED LANTERNS

For years, China has been focusing on “minor” sports to get as many gold medals as possible. In Tokyo it won 38 against 39 for the United States. Most successes came in only six sports and mainly by women. This strategy is still pursued today in a highly centralised system with doping casting its long shadow.

| 25/07/2024
| RED LANTERNS

The government plans to raise the retirement age to 65 by 2045. But China’s pension system is already not working. While white collar employees and civil servants benefit from social security coverage, rural migrants in the cities are subjected to various forms of discrimination. Young people are also concerned about high levels of unemployment.

| 18/07/2024
| RED LANTERNS
by Silvia Torriti

After the first forced repatriation by plane, the issue also entered the TV debate between Trump and Biden. The post-Covid economic crisis the main reason. Routes also to Italy via Serbia, with worrying contours of modern slavery.

| 11/07/2024
| RED LANTERNS

The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations and the China Labour Bulletin release a report that highlights the latest trends involving Chinese labour. The China Labour Bulletin has monitored labour actions across the country since 2011. In 2023, protests over non-payment of wages and factory closures jumped tenfold over the previous year. Several factors are at play, like higher labour costs, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the trade wars between China and the West.

| 04/07/2024
| RED LANTERNS
by Silvia Torriti

After Covid-19, the phenomenon of 'counter-urbanisation' is growing in China, with new resources and talents moving from the cities to rural areas to set up businesses. With a positive economic impact, but not without difficulties in relations between the "newcomers" and the native communities in the villages.

| 27/06/2024
| RED LANTERNS

After 12 years in the United States, a young Christian returns home, as many of his peers try to flee to the West. “From a spiritual perspective, China is like a dried-up pond,” he writes, one that “urgently needs your help.”

| 13/06/2024
| RED LANTERNS

According to recent data, free-visa entry for travellers from some European and Southeast Asian countries is beginning to bear fruit with 13.1 million entries in the first quarter of 2024. In order to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2025, the authorities are working to remove bans on foreigners in budget hotels.

| 06/06/2024
| RED LANTERNS

In the “Hong Kong 47” trial, the Court convicts defendants accused of organising primaries in 2020 ahead of elections to the local legislature to win a majority that could vote against then Beijing-appointed Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s budget. Scores of people are in jail for this "crime". Meanwhile, Jimmy Lai’s trial is still underway, but the verdict is a foregone conclusion.

| 30/05/2024
| RED LANTERNS
by Gianni Criveller

AsiaNews’s editorial director looks at the conferences that marked a hundred years since the Council of Shanghai. While acknowledging past mistakes, he insists that most missionaries were committed to the good of the Chinese people. The nationalism of the European powers of that time cannot be used to hide China’s nationalism today. When will a Second Chinese Council, free from political interference, be able to speak about the challenges of evangelisation in this land?

| 23/05/2024
| RED LANTERNS
by Silvia Torriti

Cranes and excavators are back at work after they were halted in June 2020 following local opposition and academic criticism, social media in China report. Ostensibly, the goal is to modernise rural life by merging a fifth of 70,000 villages, forcing people into new neighbourhoods on the outskirts of medium-sized cities. Anyone who fails to comply can expect violence.

| 16/05/2024
| RED LANTERNS

A journey of 10,000 kilometres extolled by Beijing as an opportunity for development (and revenge on Italy's exit from the Belt and Road Initiative). But cotton and tomatoes from Xinjang are at the heart of the ‘policy of poverty alleviation through the transfer of labour’, which according to numerous reports is a form of forced labour.

| 09/05/2024
| RED LANTERNS

Former Foreign Minister Jeremiah Manele will be the new prime minister. Analysts expect him to adopt a less confrontational approach despite ties to China. Pacific nations are torn between loyalty to their Western partners and agreements (especially on security) with China.

| 02/05/2024
| RED LANTERNS
by John Ai

Four people have been arrested recently in Germany, including a close aide to a leading member of the Alternative für Deutschland party who is running for re-election to the European Parliament. Joint research programmes between German universities and Chinese institutes connected to the country’s military have come in for closer scrutiny. For a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, China is the victim of “defamation”.

| 25/04/2024
| RED LANTERNS
by Mathias Hariyadi

After President-elect Prabowo's visit to Beijing, China’s foreign minister travelled to Jakarta to discuss Chinese involvement in the infrastructure of Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara, a project that follows the building of a high-speed train between Jakarta and Bandung.

| 18/04/2024
| RED LANTERNS

Pictures, images, and activities that undermine national unity or promote a "separatist ideology" are banned. The Chinese government has long sought to control the choice of Tibet’s next spiritual leader. For his part, 88-year-old Tenzin Gyatso says he is in good health and wants to “live for more than 100 years.” Meanwhile, the fate of the Panchen Lama remains an unsolved mystery.

| 11/04/2024
| RED LANTERNS

Municipal authorities in Chongqing have promoted the initiative for the spring festival when Chinese visit the graves of their dearly departed. However, paying homage to the late Li Keqiang has been banned. The former premier, who died suddenly last October, was once seen as a counterweight to Xi Jinping.

| 04/04/2024
| RED LANTERNS

Three Chinese-funded infrastructure projects in Pakistan have been hit in seven days. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharf is set to visit to China next month to boost the economic ties but, for analysts, new projects are not likely to materialise. While the latest suicide bombing has not been claimed, several groups have reasons to go after the Chinese.

| 28/03/2024
| RED LANTERNS
Editor's choices
 
by Alessandra De Poli
New data from the International Labour Organisation and UNICEF indicate a drop of 22 million child workers in four years. However, 138 million children remain trapped in this scourge, particularly in agriculture and the informal economy. Expert Insaf ...
| 11/06/2025
| ASIA
 
by Gregory
The Trump administration’s immigration restrictions have had a devastating impact on people from Myanmar’s, disproportionately affecting refugees and students. Many of them, who have waited years in refugee camps, are now seeing their dreams ...
| 07/06/2025
| MYANMAR
 
by Alessandra De Poli
Jomana Solman, project manager for the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre, told AsiaNews that no remains have been found where the Italian priest was abducted in 2013. The organisation continues to work on mass graves in northeastern Syria, but ...
| 05/06/2025
| SYRIA
 
The prime minister ousted by parliament had promoted a New Recovery Policy to make Mongolia independent from the mining industry interests. Despite economic growth and the reduction of public debt, his government has had to face growing criticism, triggered ...
| 04/06/2025
| MONGOLIA
 
On the eve of the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, Hong Kong authorities have sealed off Victoria Park again, once the venue for a memorial vigil for the victims until 2019. Meanwhile, the CHRD released a list of 32 people detained for refusing ...
| 03/06/2025
| CHINA – HONG KONG
 
About 30 countries have signed the convention establishing the IOMed, a new international organisation promoted by China for conflict mediation in a city on its way to be “normalised”. The new body reflects a version of multilateralism that ...
| 30/05/2025
| CHINA – HONG KONG
 
In Rakhine, the Arakan Army – like the military junta – is forcibly recruiting men and women, exacerbating the civil war and aggravating the humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, Rohingya face continued abuses after fleeing abroad. India is accused ...
| 27/05/2025
| MYANMAR – INDIA
 
by Giorgio Bernardelli
Hong Kong’s Card Stephen Chow said that the pope told him that he “visited China several times and got to know the Chinese culture and reality.” This is unprecedented for a pontiff, linked to his long mandate as prior general of an ...
| 21/05/2025
| CHINA – VATICAN
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”