This is their worldview: America is their hemisphere, Europe is Russia's hemisphere, Asia is China's hemisphere. Scary stuff.

The popular idea in China is that Northerners are more keen on government careers, and Southerners are more interested in going into business. This map might seem to confirm it, but then what about Zhejiang and Fujian? (Image created by @BaronDC20005 on Twitter)

This post remains a great example of toxic apologia for the CCP. In one swoop Andy displays his complete misunderstanding of how authoritarianism works, while confirming misconceptions about foreigners in China being above the law or "not respecting China".

I think it's a serious (and concerning) point that Russia and China will "respect" the US's "sphere of influence" in the Americas, as long as the US also respects what they see as their own spheres of influence.

@scholarsstage.bsky.social is probably right about this. Even in here in Southeast Asia, with its history of Japanese occupation in WWII, no one seriously thinks modern Japan is militaristic or expansionistic.

Bilibili video shows Italian living in Nanjing being interviewed after watching 南京照相馆, the new historical epic about the Nanjing Massacre. Speaking in Italian with a strong southern accent, the man warns the Chinese against the current "Japanese cultural invasion", and other such nonsense.

The Economist's choice of "country of the year" will raise eyebrows. Basically it was a contest between Argentina, due to great economic improvements under Milei, and Syria, due to great political improvements under Sharaa. The title went to Syria. www.economist.com/leaders/2025...

A report on the humble life of one of the delivery riders who make the great "convenience" of modern China possible. www.pekingnology.com/p/life-as-a-...

Taiwan had already established strong relations with Somaliland, in spite of Somalia and China's strong protests. It seems unrecognised nations and regional pariahs are starting to band together. www.reuters.com/world/middle...

Member of Hong Kong's legislative council Dominic Lee, known for his anti-refugee and anti-immigrant stances, puts out this tweet. The only thing breathtaking here is his logic: Xinjiang has beautiful mountains and valleys, how can the Western media claim people are repressed there?

Iranian women are quietly, collectively, refusing to comply with the mandatory wearing of the hijab, which dates back to the revolution in 1979, and the regime feels unable to push back. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

This is such a typical scenario: 20-something European just arrived in China, taking the HSK, feels on top of the world, thinks he's cracked the code and understood China, unlike all those deluded Sinophobes back in the West, and wants you to know about his amazing insights. We've all been there.

This article repeats the spurious claim that Chongqing has the world's biggest population ("Its population is already bigger than that of Peru or Iraq"), based on confusing the municipality with the city itself. And journalists are still doing this today. Sensationalism over accuracy, as always.

Clips of Wang Leehom's recent Chengdu concert featuring dancing robots doing backflips have wowed viewers around the world, including Elon Musk. Few have noted that during the viral clips he's singing a song with nationalistic lyrics closely reflecting China's state propaganda.

Blaming digital nomads for rising rents is the "anti-imperialist" equivalent of blaming immigrants for falling wages. As is mentioned, a Mexican study found that fault lies with the fact almost no new housing has been built in Mexico City for the last 7 years. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

The fact this could appear in a Thai outlet, albeit in English, is testament to the relative freedom still enjoyed by the Thai media as compared to some other countries in the region. www.khaosodenglish.com/opinion/2025...

CGTN reporter Li Jingjing pushing the line that the "socialist forces" of the USSR and China saved the world from fascism, because they lost the most people in WWII. Never mind that the Chinese forces were mostly led by the Guomindang in that war, so they weren't even "socialist".

I didn't realise Jakarta had overtaken Tokyo as the world's most populous city. I still thought its metropolitan area had around 30 million people, but it now has 42! Even more surprised to learn that Dhaka now comes second with 37 million. www.economist.com/asia/2025/12...

I think @michaelpettis.bsky.social might have a thing or two to say about this article. www.economist.com/leaders/2025...

The Nobel Prize committee should announce the World Cup winner tomorrow

The community note isn't really accurate, with the partial exception of Hebrew, which was revived recently as a spoken language, and Icelandic, which has changed very little over the centuries due to Iceland's isolation.

This insistent campaign to discredit Japanese sovereignty over the Ryukyu islands is definitely going to get Japan to back down. That's always how countries react when a neighbour starts threatening their territorial integrity.

A good interview about the Indian economy with a profound thinker. frontline.thehindu.com/interviews/i...

It's been going in the same "weird hyper nationalist direction" for years and years. This is a shocking incident, but at the same time it's really nothing new. Every now and again, something insane at this level will occur.

Counterpoint: short trips to China actually have negative value in terms of understanding the place. A lot of what you see is quite impressive, but the problems are much less visible to the casual visitor.

The upcoming film was met by a backlash from Han nationalists, protesting the glorification of the "foreign" Manchu dynasty defeating the Ming dynasty's last bastion of resistance in Taiwan. bitterwinter.org/the-battle-o...

With all the attention and justified sympathy Keyu Jin is currently getting due to the Epstein emails affair, it might be a good time to share this review of her book I wrote last year. She's basically a soft apologist for the Party, in my view. gabriel965.substack.com/p/keyu-jin-a...

Breakneck by Dan Wang seems to be the “China book” of the year. I have just read it and it is, I have to say, a very good book. Here's my review: gabriel965.substack.com/p/dan-wangs-...

This person was the Republican nominee in the 2020 senate election in Delaware. It's extremely dangerous how antisemitism has become normalised again. Extremists of all stripes are now proudly and defiantly antisemitic.

I think much of the anger over this headline comes down to the ambiguity of the word "provoke". It has two meanings: to anger or infuriate someone, and to call forth or stimulate a reaction, feeling, or action. It can be used negatively or in a more neutral way, as I think was the intention here.

Chinese "officials, government advisers, academics and entrepreneurs" tell the Economist that Trump represents a historic opportunity for China, since he is "unconstrained by liberal principles" and "weakens America’s standing". I'm shocked! www.economist.com/internationa...

The man who seized power in a coup and presided over the mass murder of half a million people for being suspected communists, then ruled for 30 years and approved the invasion of East Timor that led to awful atrocities, has just been declared a national hero by Prabowo. www.bbc.com/news/article...

I think this sort of one-sided rhetoric stems partly from an instinctive understanding that Western government react well to criticism, while the Chinese leadership reacts well to flattery. Criticising China on the world stage will not have the desired effect. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

"Yes China has censorship, but everyone just uses a VPN!" It's not quite so simple. While private VPN usage is generally tolerated, it's illegal and only tolerated until it isn't, as this translated article from the Ministry of State Security proves. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DK-yLJmgfF...

Not that I necessarily disagree with the general point, but the part about "driving to the mall" shows Noah Smith doesn't live in China.

"In April 2024, Sheffield Hallam’s Beijing office was visited by three state security officers. An employee was questioned for two hours regarding the HKC. (...) “the tone was threatening and [the] message to cease the research activity was made clear”. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Good job the KMT is out of power, and doesn't seem to have much chance of winning again.

Amazing that in 2100 China will have only slightly more people than Pakistan and Nigeria. I do wonder if such projections can be taken seriously. Demographic trends aren’t predictable, all the more so in China, where the state will go to huge lengths to buck the trend. substack.com/home/post/p-...

True. Foreign correspondents tend to become very hawkish while in China, due to the way that the authorities do their best to sabotage them, often in ways that are completely pointless and self-defeating. It's less true for Italian correspondents, probably because they fly under the radar.

It's amazing how much this is blowing up on Twitter. Not just Italian Twitter, but global Twitter. Calenda really hit home, and the pro-Russian trolls are going crazy trying to defend Sachs.

Italian politician Carlo Calenda takes on Jeffrey Sachs over his shameless pro-Kremlin propaganda on the war in Ukraine and calls him a liar to his face. Nice to watch, especially when the Kremlin's misinformation is so widespread and popular in Italy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=28XC...

In spite of China's central government organs officially stating that all hotels should take foreigners "in principle", many continue refusing foreign guests. As long as they aren't heavily fined for this practice, it won't stop. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-0Qz11g66y...

The contrast between the claim "Chinese Muslim languages" are "literally everywhere" in Xinjiang, and the only sign in the photo being exclusively in Chinese, makes the post particularly ridiculous. I wonder if the guy believes what he writes, or if he knows what he's doing.

The "surveys show 90%+ of Chinese citizens support their government" argument has resurfaced again. I've been hearing it trotted out for years and years. Comparing such surveys in China with similar ones in other countries just makes no sense, for a number of reasons.

Another day on Twitter, another large alt-right account with a blue tick spreading ridiculous misinformation about China's "Social Credit System". This stuff is actually incredibly damaging for those who fight to expose China's genuine human rights abuses.

Chinese authorities detain the leaders of the underground Christian "Zion Church", and idiot shills and Chinese ultranationalists on Twitter celebrate China cracking down on Zionism because the church had the word Zion in its name. Couldn't make it up.

I keep seeing content of this sort. This one's by some travel blogger based in Bangkok. Of course he goes on about robotaxis and drone deliveries (never taken a robotaxi or had anything delivered by drone in China, and I last went back in May). Are these people paid, or do they just want attention?

Just spoke to an old Chinese friend. She now works as a school teacher. She said she'd like to take her son to Malaysia over the summer, but she has to see if her school approves her going abroad. Teachers now have to hand their passports in to their schools, since they are "public officials".

🙏 💚

Sad story. Unfortunately young Chinese don't necessarily realise how dangerous dissent can be until something like this happens. Except, that is, if they are Tibetans or Uyghurs, in which case they know full well. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...