Humanoid Robots Are Lousy Co-Workers. China Wants to Be First to Change That. (March 29, 2025, The Wall Street Journal) (Subscription required)
For the past few weeks, Chinese engineers have gathered in the factory of a luxury electric-vehicle brand to test a new technology the country’s leadership considers vital to its rivalry with the U.S. Both the U.S. and China are racing to build a truly useful humanoid worker. Whoever wins could gain a huge edge in countless industries.
‘Made in Russia’ goods are the new craze in China (March 15, 2025, CNN)
In China, pop-up stores specializing in Russian-made products have become an increasingly common sight. Their proliferation has left some residents puzzled, with many on Chinese social media questioning why these stores seem to have sprung up overnight.
Hong Kong’s Gen Z prefers Bitcoin over property, survey reveals (March 27, 2025, Coin Market Cap)
A survey by Hong Kong’s brokerage firm Futu reveals that Gen Z is highly optimistic about crypto, seeing three times more potential in Bitcoin than in real estate. A new survey by Hong Kong brokerage firm Futu Securities shows that…
Third successful EVA and deep-space ambitions as China’s space economy surges (March 29, 2025, NASA Space Flight)
The Shenzhou-19 crew recently conducted their third spacewalk this month as the China National Space Administration announced it is open to including international scientific payloads aboard a forthcoming Mars mission. Meanwhile, bold plans for planetary exploration have been revealed and a design has emerged for a new space telescope with a familiar design.
YWCA study highlights public stigma faced by parents of Special Education Needs (SEN) children in Hong Kong (March 16, 2025, Dimsum Daily)
The findings revealed that 46.7% of parents reported experiencing unfriendly treatment due to their children’s behaviour, such as being subjected to stares, ridicule, or verbal criticism.
Bangkok Earthquake: Why did only this China-backed company’s building collapse? Thailand orders probe (March 30, 2025, Mint)
A 33-story building in Bangkok collapsed during a 7.7 magnitude earthquake from Myanmar, resulting in 17 deaths and 32 injuries. An investigation has begun due to the Chinese firm's involvement in construction.
Guilin: There Must Be a Creator (March 24, 2025, China Partnership)
Through the end of March, we’ll continue praying for Guilin. A beautiful Southern China city of mountains and waters, several Guilin pastors told us how to pray for them, their churches and their families. They also shared that they often use Guilin’s beauty to point to the Creator, and to show people that this breathtaking place was designed by God, the ultimate master artist.
The Indigenization and Zhongguohua of Christianity (March 24, 2025, ChinaSource)
In recent years, discussions on the “Zhongguohua (Chinafication) of Christianity” have garnered widespread attention, sparking debates over whether “Zhongguohua” is synonymous with “indigenization.” This article aims to delve into an exploration and comparative analysis of the official discourse concerning the Zhongguohua of religions and the historical backdrop of indigenization within the context of Chinese Christianity.
Faith Under Party Rule (March 24, 2025, ChinaSource)
A key requirement is that religions must be properly patriotic. Translations of basic religious texts, like the Bible, are to be revised “to bring them into line with the official Marxist ideology of the CPC and the ‘new era.’” 5 Patriotic education programs are to be held with special emphasis on the study of Party history and the writings of Xi Jinping. Courses on these subjects are mandatory in institutes for training of religious professionals. Religious art and architecture must conform to Chinese traditional styles.
Webinar – Translingual Catholics: Chinese Catholics Before Vatican II (March 21, 2025, Initiative for the Study of Asian Catholics)
Weaving together archival resources in Chinese, French, and English, Translingual Catholics examines the preconciliar theological contribution of Republican-Era Chinese Catholics to global Catholicism and to the dialogue between Christianity and Chinese spiritual traditions. It sheds light on generations of multilingual Chinese Catholic intellectuals who participated in the elaboration of Catholic theology leading up to the Second Vatican Council.
AsiaBriefs, produced in partnership with ChinaSource, is a place for you to catch up on news items and analysis from around Asia that you might have missed. It is a curated list of links from published online sources. Clicking a link will take you to a website other than Asia Congress or ChinaSource. Neither Asia Congress nor ChinaSource is responsible for the content or other features on that site. Further, an article’s inclusion does not equal an endorsement. Links to China stories are from ZGBriefs, a weekly publication of ChinaSource that highlights important news and analysis from China. You can read the complete, unabbreviated version of ZGBriefs at ChinaSource, and subscribe to receive it by email every Thursday.
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Joann Pittman
Joann Pittman is Vice President of Partnership and China Engagement and editor of ZGBriefs. Prior to joining ChinaSource, Joann spent 28 years working in China, as an English teacher, language student, program director, and cross-cultural trainer for organizations and businesses engaged in China. She has also taught Chinese at the University …View Full Bio
Blessing Asia
In October-2022 more than 500 Christian leaders from across Asia gathered in Thailand for the Asia 2022 Congress, sponsored by the Lausanne Movement and various partnering organizations. I had the opportunity to participate in the Congress virtually and was mightily blessed. From Bible exposition to K-pop worship, and through seminars and workshops, the participants were encouraged by the stories of what God is doing in countries all over Asia. Clearly, God is on the move.
A beautiful vision was portrayed in a video of the popular worship song The Blessing, featuring singers from all over Asia. Here it is:
Many of the sessions have already been posted on their website and to their YouTube channel.
One that I found particularly helpful considering all that is going on in China was a presentation titled Church and State Relationship in Asia Today. You can see the video here.
I encourage you to spend some time on their website; there are fantastic resources for understanding God’s work in Asia today.
Original link: https://www.chinasource.org/resource-library/blog-entries/blessing-asia/
Image credit: Andrea Brucker, via Unsplash
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