The search engine Baidu has unveiled its chatbot. After the presentation it lost USD 3 billion in value on the Hong Kong stock exchange. On the other hand, the US company OpenAi is launching GPT-4, which is also capable of artificially interpreting images and no longer just texts. Tech war with Washington threatens Xi Jinping's plans.
Beijing's defence budget reached USD 225 billion. Taiwan responds with a 13.9% year-on-year increase. Japan will double its outlay in five years. Vietnam and Indonesia are not standing idly by. India a danger for China. Australia close to buying nuclear submarines from Washington.
The local church, which is huge, is currently spared. The faithful are asking for prayers to change the mayor's mind. The destroyed house is located in an area of high urban value. The local Catholic community has been without a bishop since 2005. The renewal in October of the Sino-Vatican Agreement on the appointment of bishops has not stopped government repression.
Protests broke out in Wuhan and Dalian. In Guangdong, provincial authorities withdrew cuts after public protests. Local authorities are trying to fill public coffers after spending billions of yuan on COVID-19 containment measures. The model of modernisation extolled by Xi is faltering.
The Chinese company pledges to follow a code of conduct adopted by the European Union. False information on the Ukraine war, often amplified by Chinese government media, is singled out. Twitter is the worst large social media platform in the fight against disinformation in Europe.
Under a 2014 agreement, the US can rotate small military contingents in four more outposts in order to block China’s expansion in the South China Sea and south of Taiwan. However, it will be hard for the Philippines to be openly anti-China.
Authorities destroy Buddhist religious sites in Tibetan autonomous areas, says Free Tibet. Operations reminiscent of the Maoist repressions of 1966-1976. Those protesting against the demolitions were arrested and tortured. Tibetans speak of 'cultural genocide'. Discrimination even in the health sector in the fight against Covid-19.
In Beijing some 40 protesters are still in prison. In late November, anti-lockdown rallies also took place in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Wuhan. In most cases, the place of detention is unknown. China's Generation Z is less "nationalistic" or "apathetic" than previously thought.
The World Health Organisation is sounding the alarm: Infections are bound to rise during Lunar New Year holidays. Although the authorities are not providing data, unofficial indicators point to an unprecedented number of deaths among seniors. Xi Jinping now risks losing face (and power).
The Philippine president ends a three-day state visit to China with 14 bilateral agreements and a direct line between the two countries’ foreign ministries. Philippine nationalists and activists want a tougher stance towards China. Marcos Jr’s flexibility will not solve maritime disputes.
He served in the archdiocese of the Taiwanese capital from 1989 to 2004. The faithful express admiration for his work, which coincided with a period of major political and social change on the island. His successor, Msgr. Joseph Cheng Tsai-fa, passed away last September.
Since the authorities lifted tight restrictions following mass protests, only seven people have reportedly died from the virus; yet, hospitals are full, medicines are running low, and ventilators are in short supply. Chinese authorities appear to be minimising the mortality rate for political reasons. Xi Jinping’s mistake was to focus resources on quarantine rather than hospital care.
Taiwanese Armed Forces invited to major Rimpac naval exercises in 2024. A 0 million per year fund created for ammunition for Taipei in the event of conflict. According to the Pentagon, Beijing could attack by 2024. However, the Ukraine war is delaying arms deliveries to the island.
Slated to open today, the trial has been adjourned until 13 December. The local executive has asked the National People's Congress to prevent Lai from being defended by Timothy Owen. Former associates of the Catholic tycoon prepared to testify against him. The former British colony risks a further blow to its judicial independence.
Despite being shut out of the SWIFT international payments system, Russia did not turn to China’s (CIPS). Putin was betting on the yuan-centred system to replace the one based on the dollar after the attack on Ukraine. Refineries in China have stopped buying crude oil from Russia for December, waiting to see the effect of new Western sanctions on Russia’s oil sector.
For Xi Jinping, the new Pericles, China’s “consultative” democracy is the true one since it involves everyone. Yet, China’s regime forgot to consult everyone, like the people who continue to protest against anti-COVID lockdowns, or dissidents, be they religious or academic, who languish in prison or lose their job for not toeing the party line.
He was the chief aide to former Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang. Both fell from grace for opposing the Tiananmen Square massacre in June 1989. After years in prison and under house arrest, he turned into a prolific pro-democracy advocate. For his daughter, Bao still harboured some hope for China.
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Europe asked to adhere to restrictions on the export of semiconductor technology to China. With the 'Chip Alliance' Biden aims to create a supply chain that excludes Beijing. The example of Huawei's 5G ban.
The Communist Youth League, the Party’s reserve team, has been excluded from the regime’s ruling body for the first time since 1978. Rumours continue to fly about former President Hu Jintao’s removal from the 20th Congress. A new opposition to Xi will emerge sooner or later.
The British authorities have opened an investigation. Consul General Zheng Xiyuan was also allegedly involved in the beating of the Hong Kong citizen. More and more nations in Europe are criticising the diplomacy of the Chinese 'wolf warriors'. European export industries, however, are calling for a pragmatic approach.
The zero-COVID policy has strengthened the police state and social control, especially in Tibet and Xinjiang. Many human rights activists and lawyers remain in prison awaiting trial or sentencing. In China, Xi's "two cornerstones" are a must.
105-year-old Song Ping calls for preserving the reform and greater liberalisation policy launched by Deng Xiaoping. Xi aims at a new centralisation of the economy. Most of the president's critics remain cautious. New purge among executors of Xi's anti-corruption campaign.
There are 1,121 political prisoners in the former British colony. Proceedings against the Catholic media tycoon will open on 1 December. Ongoing trial for Albert Ho and Lee Cheuk-yan. For jurist Benny Tai there is no precise date. Trail of Card. Joseph Zen postponed again.
The two leaders meet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. The Russian leader fully backs China's Taiwan policy, and appreciates Beijing’s “balanced" position on Ukraine. For his part, the Chinese president spreads his wings in Central Asia, the Kremlin’s traditional turf.
The premier wants the country to maintain the policy of "reforms and openness" that underpinned China's economic miracle. With his 'common prosperity', Xi aims to centralise power. National economy in trouble, with a rapidly ageing population. Choice of new prime minister central to future direction.
Chinese authorities offer condolences, but the former Soviet leader is held responsible for the end of a great empire. Many in China believe he made a huge mistake in trusting the West. Deng Xiaoping considered him an 'idiot'. Shortly after his visit to Beijing in May 1989, the regime ordered the Tiananmen massacre.
The trial for the Catholic tycoon, founder of the Apple Daily newspaper - in jail for 20 months - will begin on 1 December. It will be entrusted to a panel of three specially appointed judges, dropping a cornerstone of the local system's legal protections. Lai has announced that he will plead not guilty to charges of "sedition and conspiracy with foreign forces" for which he faces life imprisonment.
In the Hubei city, the "congress" charged with dictating the line and renewing leadership. Vice-minister Cui Maohu praises the "autonomy and independence" of the Chinese Church and calls for "serious study and implementation of Xi Jinping's directives." In the review of the six years since the previous Assembly no mention of the Agreement with the Vatican on the appointment of bishops.
According to analysts, to modernise the Chinese military needs people with specialised skills. Beijing's new White Paper on Taiwan envisages reunification with less autonomy than previously offered to the island.
The launch of Dongfeng missiles as part of China’s military drills is a response to Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. Beijing has added another zone of operation to the exercises. One zone overlaps with Japan's exclusive economic zone, which China does not recognise.
