"While he was awaiting sentencing, he and his wife attended Mr. Trump’s inauguration in January." -- The president of the United State right now is the biggest national security threat to the country. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...

This administration is an utter disgrace. So many of us came to this country precisely because in the United States of America, anyone can "hide behind the First Amendment," aka, enjoy the right to free speech.

Huge respect to @lauratmurphy.bsky.social for her tenacious fight for academic freedom, labor rights and minority rights all at once. Let Sheffield Hallam be a lesson: appeasing the CCP doesn't save you; it backfires spectacularly, because there are people who care and will fight.

The China threat is real, but that shouldn’t be a reason for anti-Chinese racism. Anti-Chinese racism is real, but that shouldn’t be a reason for avoiding discussing the China threat.

Throughout my career, I have never been in the business of advocating Xi’s CCP to reform, nor am I now going to urge the Trump admin to “do the right thing,” such as pressing China on human rights issues. Rotten leaders like these two only deserve accountability, not “please, please, do better.”

Now is the time to look forward. Those who care about independent journalism - who care about telling the stories of human rights abuses and the struggle for freedom and dignity - must step up and support this vital work. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/u...

Sigh. I know the situation is very difficult for Canada and for Europe, but please, the way out is not to run into Beijing's arms. Don't sell the CCP the rope with which it will hang you.

Sure, Chinese tech looks impressive these days, but from what I know, many people in China who are supposedly part of this “great rejuvenation” don’t actually feel they’re living happy or fulfilling lives. What’s there to envy?

A reminder to anyone who thinks this madness will burn itself out just because it's too crazy to last. The Great Leap Forward went on for 3 years and killed roughly 40 million people. The Cultural Revolution raged for a full decade. Insanity can go on and on if people don't stand up and stop it!

The CCP will one day face justice for the absolute cruelty it inflicted on the country’s most courageous and justice-minded people. I hope that day comes soon.

I keep encountering rank-and-file US government employees who decline the tiniest "gift," citing ethics rules, while the US president and other top leaders engage in corruption on an astronomical scale. Sooner or later, the American people will have had enough.

Sanae Takaichi has been formally elected as Japan's first female Prime Minister. Whatever one thinks of her politics, those of us who grew up in East Asia’s patriarchal societies should take a moment to celebrate this breakthrough.

Some grim statistics. The stupidest thing America can do -- and is doing -- is to drive Chinese talent back into the arms of the CCP. Yes, Chinese espionage is a serious problem that must be addressed, but throwing the baby out with the bathwater is even worse. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/o...

Columbia accepted 15 million from Li Lu, Tiananmen student leader turned investor. Yet the university refused to display a bust of Liu Xiaobo—the Nobel Peace laureate, a Tiananmen leader who was also at Columbia at the time. It's clear what Columbia values more. www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive...

Thank you to whoever is holding this sign on the Upper West Side of New York. Yes, we make America great by bringing you delicious food, rich cultures, deep expertise, and so much more! And thank you for welcoming us to stay, whether for a while or forever!

The convergence of pro-CCP operatives with the corrupt wing of American politics is astonishing. The competition is no longer US VS China, but the crooked VS the principled. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/n...

In which I commented on the unfortunate convergence between the US and Chinese info environments: high-quality information is increasingly becoming a luxury consumed by the educated and well-resourced, while the rest of us are left to swim in the same trash. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

The leader of a prominent independent Christian church in China have been detained. Amid the headlines about AI, clean energy, and other “impressive” things attributed to the CCP, events like this should serve as a reminder of the Party’s true nature. apnews.com/article/chin...

I told someone in China who doesn't usually follow politics that this is happening in America. She was like, "What? Can't be!" The cruelty of this stuff is so beyond the pale that even the Chinese - who are accustomed to government unaccountability and abuses - are in disbelief.

China has never experienced democracy, American democracy is being shaken from within, and Europe’s democracies have long suffered from complacency and stagnation. We can all draw inspiration from Machado’s win—and be reminded that the struggle for democracy is both universal and unending.

The Trump administration’s betrayal of those who believed in America’s commitment to freedom—and in its power to protect those who fight for it—has been profoundly shocking and painful. The US must correct course before the damage becomes irreversible. foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/08/t...

The CCP can certainly prevent people from expressing hopelessness and advocating for the "lying flat" approach to life, but it cannot control people’s inner despair—or their decision to disengage from a system that offers them little hope. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/w...

Totally understand but I can’t help but feel disappointed. What will save American democracy is not elites’ smarts but your courage. SPEAK ON THE RECORD, folks. Yes, you have a lot to lose, but you also have a lot. You will be fine. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/m...

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to all the political prisoners in China and Hong Kong who cannot celebrate the festival with their families because they want to build a society where all families can live with dignity and freedom. 中秋节快乐！

Great piece and grim read by @nateschenkkan.bsky.social. The expanding practice of transnational repression has made the world increasingly dangerous for anyone who dares to speak their mind, anywhere. www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the...

Please join me tomorrow at 6pm in DC with @kennethroth.bsky.social to share his experience of being deported from Hong Kong and sanctioned by the Chinese government, and why staying principled is, in fact, the most effective strategy for creating change: www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticket...

Your periodic reminder: Don’t fall into the trap of admiring Chinese authoritarianism simply because American democracy is facing serious challenges.

Ha, we all seem to have stories about how nice Jerry was to us when we were young and inexperienced. I met Jerry for the first time at a party about 10 years ago. He talked to me as if he knew me, as if I was his equal.

Professor Cohen was a true “old friend of the Chinese people.” He was a pioneer in building bridges between China and America. He genuinely cared about human rights defenders, extended a helping hand whenever he can. RIP. I’m sure one day you will be in official Chinese history books, Jerry!

Good to see @hrwchinese.bsky.social's report on Zhang Yadi's case. It is essential that America’s civil society organizations continue spotlighting the cases of human rights defenders in China, especially in light of the US government's abrupt retreat from global human rights promotion.

Trump is doing everything to make Xi look better. Just imagine if America had a one-party system and Trump wielded the kind of unchecked power Xi does — what would he do to his opponents then?

The leaders of both super powers now agree on that one should be punished for speaking out against them. It is time for us little people in both countries to unite in defense of free speech.

Today, the US government forfeited all credibility in criticizing the CCP’s suppression of free speech in China.

It's often not the case. In China, you'd likely end up not being able to find a job ever again. But, my American friends, you must be willing to take the risk of being fired TODAY -- and not landing on your feet -- so that you can have a FUTURE where your views no longer put your livelihood at risk.

In which I said to Americans: “I just can’t emphasize enough to be braver than you think you can. If you don’t pay the middle price now, you’re gonna pay a huge price. People go to jail, people disappear, people die for the right to speak, now you only need to lose your job.” pen.org/what-oversea...

Pleased to see Chinese journalist Dong Yuyu honored with CPJ’s Press Freedom Award. It’s a reminder to the Chinese government that those it brands as criminals are, in fact, recognized as heroes by the rest of the world.

A Chinese man in Hubei got detained for 10 days for mocking the military parade. Americans, if you don't want to be thrown in jail for mocking a certain orange-colored man in the future, you gotta fight TODAY!

Human rights advocates who have long relied on the US to pressure the CCP to end its abuses, need to face the music: "The US is reorienting its foreign policy to protect govts that manipulate and censor info, both inside their own countries and around the world." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

So I just tweeted about a Chinese student being arbitrarily turned away at a US airport. Now, here is a Chinese student being arbitrarily detained at a Chinese airport. I feel so sorry for Chinese students these days. (Disclaimer: I'm not equating the two governments in terms of level of abuses.)

The student liked his exchange experience at Cornell so much that he applied to study philosophy (!) in the US again, only to be turned away at the border for no obvious reason. How many others has this happened to? The US is bankrupting its reputation at lightning speed. apnews.com/article/chin...

The Trump administration moves to fire most of VOA journalists.

Great to hear that this brave man has left China with his family already and is now safe in Europe. Hope he can secure permanent legal residence soon. This incident underscores the importance of resettlement programs for persecuted human rights activists.

This is both inspiring and deeply worrying. May the brave soul(s) who pulled this off manage to get out of China before the authorities catch up.

While Trump is firing and investigating his enemies in front of everyone’s eyes, Xi is quietly making his disfavored deputies disappear en masse. Trump must envy Xi the silence. www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

So, 3 months ago, the US govt said it would "aggressively" revoke visas of Chinese students. Now, Trump wants to "welcome more Chinese students than ever." I feel sorry for the Chinese students, for US visa officials, for anyone who still attempts to make sense of US politics.

The hypocrisy is outrageous. One the one hand, these United Front operatives claim it is "Chinese culture" to bribe journalists; one the other hand, they cry "discrimination" the moment their CCP ties are exposed. (Screenshots from NYT investigations.)

For the umpteenth time, a United Front figure is conflating "the CCP" with "Chinese people," and crying "discrimination" to deflect from their CCP ties. It cheapens the concept of anti-Chinese discrimination, which is increasingly a real problem in America. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/n...

For decades, American experts have flown around the world teaching local activists how to practice democracy. Now it’s time for activists from authoritarian countries to come to American and show Americans how to fight autocrats.

Bribing journalists for positive coverage is NOT a "Chinese culture" practice. It is corruption, fostered by a media system that lacks transparency, independence and is poorly paid. Both the giving and receiving parties know it is wrong. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/n...

So, on one side you have pro-CCP grifters like Winnie Greco & Eric Adams; on the other, you have anti-CCP hustlers like Guo Wengui & Steve Bannon. The worst Chinese fraudsters are teaming up with the worst American fraudsters amid US-China great power competition. What a world we are living in!