This is really a sad contradiction for us who work on human rights issues in China: as governments commit to countering CCP influence within their borders (a welcome step), they are concurrently adopting measures that make life harder for those who fled the CCP’s persecution.

Nah, I am not leaving the country, for many reasons, but one is increasing vindictiveness: to spite those who want me out of here. -- Yours, an immigrant

It's December, the time CCP suppresses celebrations of Christmas. This year, however, the scale of police deployment, coupled with the earlier arrests of Zion Church members, signals an especially severe crackdown. A grim winter for the remaining underground churches in China.

"Americans, especially those in positions of power, must find the courage to stand up for what is right, even when doing so carries personal risk." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Bogus convictions based on bogus charges based on a bogus law. The Hong Kong and Beijing authorities will face accountability for their cruelty towards Jimmy Lai — one of the bravest human beings of our time. I hope that day will come soon, and we together will bring it about.

"once you choose to take a stand at personal cost, you may be surprised by how many people reach out to express their admiration and support. That kind of affirmation can be deeply rewarding. And courage is contagious. Your act of conscience nudges others toward their own."

In this piece, I share lessons for Americans who are struggling with whether to protest Trump. Drawing from my years working with courageous Chinese activists, I argue that while acting on one’s moral convictions can be risky, it can also feel profoundly good. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Incredible story, exposing how far the CCP will go to hunt down its perceived enemies and how willingly American tech companies enable that abuse. Here, the pursuit of power, control and profit brought diverging interests together to silence dissent. apnews.com/article/whis...

Today is Human Rights Day. Human rights are eroding across the globe, yet governments, businesses, and the media are talking about them less. History has made one thing clear: sidelining people's desire for freedom, dignity and equality is always a mistake.

Those critics of the CCP who put “tough on China” above laws and norms are finding out how hollow that “toughness” really is. Believe in people grounded in values — not in people who merely share a common enemy with you.

FreeWeChat has provided a window to and kept a record of how exactly the CCP censors the Chinese information space. It’s a total shame that an American company is bending to the CCP’s global censorship demands. Don’t fool yourself: this will come back to bite you. en.greatfire.org/blog/2025/de...

Folks, the US does NOT have a national security strategy. That report does not matter. The actual strategy is whatever Trump says depending on whoever he last met and what he ate last night. (cartoon by @badiucao.bsky.social )

Many Chinese people came—or hope to come—to the US for its freedoms and because it is is a gentler, more humane society where the government respects human rights, unlike in China. The Trump administration is doing the CCP’s best propaganda to ruin America’s reputation.

This is an extraordinary piece of history. I hope today’s Chinese officials will draw inspiration from Xu Qinxian, who in 1989 refused orders to use force against peaceful demonstrators, should such a test occur again.

It’s really hard to watch young people once again being crushed by the Hong Kong government. But we should stay hopeful: activism around livelihood issues—like public disasters—can galvanize much broader public support and usher Hong Kong into a new phase of human rights activism.

The arrests in Hong Kong right now are déjà vu for mainlanders like me who were active in civil society in the 2000s: citizens demanding investigations and accountability after public disasters are met not with answers, but arrests and intimidation. #mainlandization #香港加速内地化

“What really needs to be replaced is never the bamboo scaffolding." - Clever, but makes me sad. Hong Kongers are increasingly adopting the euphemistic language of the mainland, because speaking plainly is risky. In time, people may lose not only the ability to say the truth, but even to think it.

When insecurity runs deep, everything looks like a security threat. This sort of paranoia will only deepen public resentment and distaste towards the Hong Kong government and its Beijing Overlord.

For everyone working in democracy and human rights: if you’re still standing after this year, take a moment to thank yourself. It’s been a lot. But setbacks are temporary and our cause will prevail, because people everywhere want to live in freedom and dignity. Wish you all a hopeful Thanksgiving!

The photos of the Hong Kong fire are heartbreaking. What makes it even worse is knowing that the lack of press freedom and the absence of democratically elected leaders will only hinder a real investigation and meaningful accountability. 香港平安！香港加油！

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the White Paper Protests- the moment a new generation of Chinese people began to wake up. Human rights may be in retreat in China (and globally) right now, but the seed planted by White Paper is still growing- quietly for now, but not forever. x.com/i/status/159...

There have been many articles lately about US–China rivalry. But when the two countries no longer differ meaningfully in the underlying values that once defined that competition, I wonder: what exactly are they competing for now? I feel increasingly detached from these debates.

While citizens use new technologies to resist oppression, authoritarian regimes are even more adept at harnessing those same tools to strengthen it. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/b...

It’s frustrating that the Trump administration goes soft on actual CCP agents, yet is unwelcoming toward ordinary immigrants and asylum seekers, including those from China. www.wsj.com/world/china/...

"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...