Mapping Tariff Risk: Which Chinese Cities Are Most Exposed to Foreign Trade? (April 25, 2025, China Briefing)
China’s trade exposure is unevenly distributed, with coastal and border Chinese cities most vulnerable to tariff risks, while inland provinces are emerging as resilient trade nodes. Proactive national and local policies have been released to diversify markets, strengthen logistics, and enhance long-term economic resilience.
Norway and China in full confrontation: The dawn of a Third World War? (April 18, 2025, MSN)
In the Arctic, the last private plot is up for sale. Something to interest China and greatly worry the Norwegian authorities. As tensions intensify between the West and Russia and the ‘ice sheet retreats’, this Arctic region continues to increase in value.
Power plays: China’s changing energy financing in Africa (March 31, 2025, Dialogue Earth)
Loans to Africa have been driven by China’s policy banks in support for coal and hydropower, but a more diverse cast of creditors could steer support towards greener ventures
Hong Kong set to lead global education as U.S. visa issues shift student choices (April 26, 2025, Dimsum Daily)
Hong Kong is rapidly transforming into a premier global education destination as international students seek alternatives to increasingly unpredictable Western academic environments. It was recently highlighted how the city’s universities are benefiting from growing concerns about U.S. visa policies, attracting both top-tier students and faculty members looking for stability and academic excellence.
Beyond textbooks: A service-learning model inspiring others (April 24, 2025, University World News)
A university in Hong Kong has, over a decade, fine-tuned an ‘outside the textbook’ model of service learning that is inspiring universities in Asia and Africa to follow suit.
'I Don’t Want to Take the Risk': International Students Stay Grounded (April 26, 2025, Skift) (Subscription required)
Some international students in the U.S. are now thinking twice before leaving – they’re worried they won’t be let back in. Among the concerns: Reports that the Trump administration is considering a travel ban for citizens from dozens of countries and highly publicized incidents of students and scholars who have been sent back to their home countries by immigration and customs officials.
Video: China’s Earliest Christians: Who Were They and What Can We Learn From Them? (ChinaSource, via YouTube)
In 1625, a great stone stele was discovered near modern-day Xi’an that told the story of a Christian presence in Tang Dynasty China during the 700s. The name given to their religion in this stele is Jingjiao (Luminous Teaching). Who were they and what did they believe? In this lecture, Dr. Thompson will introduce us to these early Christians and how their story can inform and inspire the work of the modern church in China. Dr. Glen Thompson is a Professor Emeritus at Asia Lutheran Seminary (Hong Kong). He is the author of “Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China,” (2024), which was given an Award of Merit from Christianity Today as one of the top books of Christian history in 2024. (Recorded on March 20, 2025)
Ink That Binds (April 22, 2025, ChinaSource)
It began with a simple idea—one chapter per person. The initial goal was modest: to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Chinese Union Version of the Bible, the most beloved and widely used translation among Chinese Christians. Organizers envisioned 1,189 participants, each handcopying a single chapter, to create one complete Bible by hand. But what followed was far more than anyone anticipated.
Shenzhen: Working Migrants (April 21, 2025, China Partnership)
Shenzhen is known for people living in clusters with those having a similar background. [There are two main areas]: “within the border” and “outside the border.” People “within the border” are mainly well-paid white-collar workers; people “outside of the border” are mainly workers with less education and lower pay. I pastor mostly people living “outside of the border,” Shenzhen’s lower class.
How the Global Church Remembers (April 18, 2025, Chinese Christian Voices)
In many Protestant communities in China, traditional Holy Week liturgies have not been a central part of church life. Yet in recent years, some believers have begun exploring the beauty and depth of older Christian practices—not out of nostalgia, but from a longing to enter more fully into the story of Christ’s Passion. The following article, originally published in Chinese by the devotional platform 祷读365 on WeChat, takes us on a journey through Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Holy Week traditions.
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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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