Analysis: Chinese politics enters a potentially stormy year (January 16, 2025, Nikkei Asia) (Subscription required)
After a long lull, Chinese politics is entering a turbulent phase, with political, economic and social policy discord deepening between mainstream and nonmainstream party factions. Xi Jinping loyalists reject the silent majority's calls for a new policy direction.
TikTok, RedNote and the Crushed Promise of the Chinese Internet (January 20, 2025, The New York Times)
With access to an online population of one billion and an army of hard-working, resourceful engineers, China’s internet platforms are world-class in their design, functionality and user experience. But why aren’t more people outside China using Chinese apps?
China's frugal young adults accelerate saving, raising economic risks (January 20, 2025, Reuters)
The frugal trend that began in China during the economic disruption of the pandemic and deepened amid the crisis in the property market is intensifying as Gen Z shuns government calls to spend, spend, spend and double down on saving.
Cheap but costly: As Chinese exports enter Southeast Asia, countries pay an uneven price (January 14, 2025, Channel News Asia)
An increase in Chinese exports to Southeast Asia is a growing reality amid Sino-West tensions, say analysts. The question is whether countries can eke out benefits while mitigating the problems - and at what cost.
Chinese New Year 2025: Year of the Snake and Lunar New Year traditions (January 16, 2025, AZ Central)
Lunar New Year marks the start of the new year based on lunar calendars, or monthly cycles of the moon's phases. Here's everything you need to know about Lunar New Year/Chinese New Year 2025.
‘They created a Vegas in 10 years’: photographing the hedonistic gambling mecca of Macau (January 10, 2025, The Guardian)
The former Portuguese colony, now a special administrative region of China, is the world’s gambling mecca. Located on China’s south-east coast, just across the water from Hong Kong, Macau’s gambling revenues often put the US’s “Sin City” in the shade.
China’s FM Calls on Southeast Asia to Tackle Online Scamming Scourge (January 17, 2025, The Diplomat)
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Southeast Asian countries to take strong measures to crack down on online gambling and fraud operations, citing the worrying persistence of criminal operations in many parts of the region.
Solar stations in space, tiny cat fossil found, Cambodia canal risks: 7 science highlights (January 15, 2025, South China Morning Post)
A senior Chinese scientist has revealed an ambitious plan to use super heavy rockets to build solar power stations in space, calling it “another Three Gorges Dam project above the Earth”.
Living to Be Forgotten (January 14, 2025, ChinaSource)
These radical disciples were basically refugees on the run, yet they carried the gospel wherever they went. Here is a gospel movement by God’s people, the unknown, unnamed, uncelebrated, ordinary disciples of Christ. A mission movement without borders was started by these unknown people of the early church. They lived to be forgotten so that Christ will be remembered.
Governing the City Through Prayer: Part 2 (January 13, 2025, China Partnership)
God has given believers authority to govern. From one perspective, prayer is governance. When you pray for a city from God’s perspective – when you pray for God’s righteousness, mercy, and truth to be applied – you are actually governing that city. Non-believers can’t see this, but believers know. Every time we pray for a city like this, God is using his children to govern that city with his truth. This is something I feel very deeply.