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Trump’s Election and China Tariffs
On November 5, Donald Trump was elected for a second term as President of the United States, a political comeback that is likely to lead to a more aggressive trade policy towards the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In order to reduce the US’ trade deficit and promote US manufacturing,…
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Mao Zedong’s Personality Cult in Present-day China – From Deng Xiaoping to Xi Jinping
The legacy of Mao Zedong looms large over the People’s Republic of China (PRC). His portrait hangs prominently on Tiananmen Square in the capital Beijing. The national currency, the Renminbi, bears his image. The Communist regime continues to worship Mao as a great leader, hero and founder of the country.…
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“Missiles Loaded with Water” – China’s Military Not Ready for Action Due to Widespread Corruption
On December 29, 2023, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) appointed a new defence minister after leaving the post empty for two months. The man selected for the job was Dong Jun (董军), a former naval commander who led the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy since 2021.¹ Dong’s predecessor,…
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Hong Kong’s Civic Party To Officially Dissolve Within Three Months
The Civic Party (公民黨), a pro-democracy political group in Hong Kong, held its last meeting today (December 23) as part of its voluntary liquidation process. The liquidator appointed by the party presented and explained the liquidation report to the members and announced that the remaining balance of HK$97,494 of the…
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Hong Kong Youth Launch Taiwan Tour, Warn Public Not to Trust China’s Regime
As Taiwan prepares for its general election on January 13, 2024, a group of young activists from Hong Kong and Taiwan are campaigning to raise awareness of the threat posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to the island’s democracy.¹ The group has launched an initiative called “Hong Kong…
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Belgian Far-Right Politician Accused of Taking Bribes from China’s National Security Agency
Belgian far-right politician Frank Creyelman was reportedly paid off by the Ministry of National Security of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for over three years in order to influence European politics in Beijing’s favour. Creyelman, 62, is an honorary Belgian MP and former member of the far-right Flemish nationalist…
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Chinese State Media “TV Confessions” Make Their Appearance in Hong Kong
In recent years, state-run media in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have increasingly used “televised confessions” as a propaganda tool to publicly show prisoners’ alleged repentance on camera. TV confessions have now made their debut on Hong Kong’s local media. Hong Kong-based Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) aired a total…
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“He Always Talks About the West”-Former University President Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison in China
A former member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and president of a prestigious university was sentenced to prison on charges of corruption and bribery. But among the reasons for his downfall are also his interest in the West and his alleged disregard for party discipline. An article in the…
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Hong Kong Activist Agnes Chow Ting Has Fled Hong Kong and Is Now in Self-Exile in Canada
Agnes Chow Ting (周庭), a prominent Hong Kong politician and social activist, announced on Sunday (December 3) that she has left the former British colony and is now in self-exile in Canada. Chow is a former member of the Standing Committee of the pro-democracy party Demosisto and former spokesperson of…
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How China’s Government Uses Foreign Influencers to Spread Propaganda
The government of the People’s Republic China (PRC) keeps a firm grip on its domestic media landscape, but it is also trying to shape public opinion abroad through a network of foreign influencers. These are social media personalities who have millions of followers and endorse pro-PRC narratives on platforms such…
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AI-Generated Images: Who Owns the Copyright? Landmark Ruling From a Chinese Court
The Beijing Internet Court (北京互聯網法院) has issued a ruling on a copyright infringement dispute over images generated by artificial intelligence (AI). It is the first case of its kind in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). On February 24, 2023, the plaintiff, surnamed Li (李), used the open source AI…
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When Engagement Goes Wrong: Man in China Sues Ex Fiancée for 100,000 Yuan After Break-up
An ex-couple in China ended up in court over a bride-price dispute. As Jiupai News reported, in July 2022 a man surnamed Wang (王) met his future fiancée through a matchmaker. Two months later the two parties held an engagement ceremony in accordance with local rural customs. The marriage contract…
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Restaurant in China Fined for Providing Wi-Fi Without Real-name Registration
A small restaurant in Zhenjiang, a city in the Chinese province of Jiangsu, was fined for providing Wi-Fi without requiring real-name registration of users. The Public Security Bureau of Zhenjiang City recently fined a beef soup restaurant for providing customers with open Wi-Fi without requiring real-name registration, according to a…
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TikTok to Launch e-Commerce Platform for Chinese-Made Goods
TikTok plans to launch a new e-commerce platform in early August to sell Chinese-made goods in the United States, the Wall Street Journal reported today (July 25), citing people familiar with the matter. The short-form video hosting app seeks to emulate the success of Chinese fast fashion brand Shein and…
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China’s Han Dynasty and the Establishment of Imperial Confucianism
The Han dynasty (漢朝/汉朝; pinyin: Hàncháo, 202 BC – 220 AD) was the longest imperial dynasty in Chinese history, ruling for over 400 years. Its impact on Chinese society, culture and political system was so profound that the word “Han” is used to this day as the ethnic designation of…
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Elon Musk Visits China, Criticises “Decoupling”
On May 30, Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrived in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to visit the car manufacturer’s plant in Shanghai and meet government officials on his first trip to the country in over three years. After arriving in Beijing on Tuesday, Musk met with PRC Foreign Minister…
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1989 Tiananmen Square Crackdown “Pillar of Shame” Sculpture on Display in Berlin Following Removal by Hong Kong Government
A sculpture commemorating the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was unveiled in Berlin, Germany, on May 22, on the site of the Wall which divided the city during the Cold War. The “Pillar of Shame“, an 8-metre statue by Danish artist…
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Legalist Philosopher Li Si and the Burning of Books During China’s Qin Dynasty
Disclaimer: this article contains descriptions of torture. Readers’ discretion is advised. In the year 221 BC, Ying Zheng (嬴政), ruler of the kingdom of Qin (秦), completed the conquest of his rival states, established a unified empire, and gave himself the title of First Emperor (始皇帝, Shi Huangdi). Qin had…
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Legalist Philosopher Han Feizi at the Court of China’s First Emperor
Han Feizi (韓非子, pinyin: Hán Fēizǐ, “Master Han Fei”, c. 280-233 BC), was an influential Legalist philosopher from the ancient Chinese kingdom of Han who lived during the latter part of the Eastern Zhou period (771–256 BC). During that era, various philosophies developed and vied with one another in the…
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The Qin Dynasty and the Founding of China’s Bureaucratic Empire in 221 BC
In 221 BC, Ying Zheng (嬴政), King of the powerful state of Qin (秦), completed the conquest of its rivals and created a unified empire in the central and northern part of present-day China. With the aid of his advisors, King Zheng set about consolidating and centralizing his power. He…
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Apple Daily – The Rise and Fall of Hong Kong’s Sensationalist, Pro-Democracy Tabloid
On June 24, 2021, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers lined up in front of newspaper stands and stores to buy the last print edition of Apple Daily, the controversial pro-democracy tabloid that had been founded 26 years earlier, when the city was still under British rule. The paper published 1…
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China’s Government Orders Removal of Douban and 105 Other Apps From App Stores
The government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has ordered the removal from app stores of social media company Douban (豆瓣) and 105 other apps. On Thursday (December 9) the PRC Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said that it had launched an investigation on November 3rd and…
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China Threatens to ‘Wipe Out’ US Troops and ‘Liberate’ Taiwan Over False Tweet by Senator John Cornyn
China will “destroy and expel US troops in Taiwan by military means, and at the same time realize reunification by force,” an editorial published by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece Global Times warned on August 17. The editorial was a response to a tweet put out by United States…
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China’s Government ‘Respects the Wishes and Choices of the Afghan People’, Chinese Foreign Ministry Says as Taliban Take Over Afghanistan
On August 15 Taliban forces entered Afghanistan’s capital Kabul and occupied the abandoned presidential palace, ending a military campaign that had begun in early May. The US-backed Afghan authorities collapsed as President Ashraf Ghani and other senior government figures fled the country. The Taliban are expected to announce the restoration…
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Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang Says Arrests of People Who Violate National Security Law “Will Never Stop”
Hong Kong’s Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung (鄧炳強) said that the arrests of people who violate the National Security Law (NSL) “will never stop”. Tang made the remarks at a symposium on the first anniversary since the introduction of the NSL, local media reported on Saturday, August 14. Among…
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Hong Kong Has Lost 1.2% of Its Population Since the National Security Law Was Enacted in 2020
Hong Kong has lost 1.2% of its population since the enactment of the National Security Law (NSL) in June of last year. According to figures released by the Hong Kong government’s Census and Statistics Department on August 12, the provisional estimate of the Hong Kong population was 7 394 700…
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64% of Taiwanese Willing to Fight if China Attacked, Poll Shows
The majority of Taiwanese are willing to fight if the People’s Republic of China (PRC) attacks Taiwan, according to a poll released on August 10 by the Taiwan New Constitution Foundation (台灣制憲基金會). The poll found that over 64% of respondents are willing to go to war if the PRC attacks…
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Hong Kong Democratic Party Vice-Chairman Lee Wing-tat Has Fled to the U.K. Amid Government Crackdown
The vice-chairman of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party Lee Wing-tat (李永達) has reportedly left Hong Kong for London amid an ongoing government crackdown on the city’s freedoms, local media report. Yesterday (August 6), Lee Wing-tat was seen with his wife Josephine Chan Shu-ying (陳樹英) at Hong Kong airport. He later boarded…
The Greater China Journal 