UPDATED at 9:10 A.M. EDT on 03-29-2023 During a congressional hearing Tuesday on China’s growing repression in Tibet, U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn likened Beijing’s policy to an idea from an ancient Chinese essay about political strategy – sacrificing the plum tree to preserve the peach tree. “What they mean by this is that you can sacrifice in the short-term those who are the most vulnerable for the strength of those who are in power,” said Nunn, a Republican from Iowa, referring to a phrase from Wang Jingze’s 6th-century essay, The…
Day: March 28, 2023
Activist sentenced to 6 years for giving interviews to U.S.-based program
A land rights activist accused of giving interviews to foreign media and storing illegally printed books was sentenced to six years in prison for “conducting anti-state propaganda.” Only Truong Van Dung’s wife was allowed to attend the half-day trial as a witness. Many activists in Hanoi told Radio Free Asia that they had been forced to stay at home or were prevented from getting near the court. According to his indictment, Dung gave interviews to U.S.-based Saigon Dallas Radio between 2015 and 2022 that distorted and smeared Vietnam’s government, propagated…
The Taiwan Emergency Debate … in Taiwan
Advertisement In February, the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) announced the latest results of an opinion poll that asked “If the Chinese Communist Party invades Taiwan by force, do you believe the United States will send troops to defend Taiwan?” Compared to the previous poll in August 2022, the number of respondents answering “don’t know” were up by more than 2 points [2020: 8.4 percent, 2023: 10.7 percent], while “believe” accounted for 42.8 percent [2022: 44.1 percent] and “do not believe” 46.5 percent [2022: 47.5 percent] of responses, almost unchanged…
North Korean robbers kill two women as crime wave intensifies
Residents in a northern province of North Korea are reporting an increase in violent crime, seemingly driven by a worsening economy, hunger and a lack of affordable food, sources told Radio Free Asia. The recent killing of two young women during a botched robbery in Hyesan, a city on the Chinese border, has put people in Ryanggang province on edge, they said. “On the 20th, at around 5:00 pm, there was a shocking incident in which two men rushed into a house in the Hyesong neighborhood and they murdered two…
Opposition activist released after apologizing for comments about king
An opposition activist who was jailed after posting comments on Facebook about the government and Cambodia’s constitutional monarch was released on Tuesday after he apologized to Prime Minister Hun Sen and King Norodom Sihamoni. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court released Yim Sinorn after he posted a video and a statement from prison apologizing for last week’s messages about the king. The messages drew a lot of attention from online commentators, which prompted the court to charge Yim Sinorn with incitement and with insulting the king. He posted a comment on…
Ma Ying-jeou’s Trip to China Sparks Pushback – From Taiwanese and Chinese Alike
Advertisement Ma Ying-jeou made history when he met with Xi Jinping on November 7, 2015, in Singapore. This was the first face-to-face meeting between presidents of the Republic of China and People’s Republic of China, respectively, in six decades. Navigating the complicated cross-strait relationship, Xi and Ma agreed to shake hands but addressed one another as “Mr.” instead of “President.” Not surprisingly, the meeting became headline news in the world media and was globally billed as “symbolic,” “landmark,” and “historic.” It was the highlight of the warm cross-strait relationship that…
Honduras’ China Switch and the Aftershocks
Advertisement On March 26, the authorities of Honduras announced that the Central American state had cut off diplomatic ties with Taipei and recognized Beijing as the sole government representing China. Shortly after, Chinese official media declared the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Honduras. Honduras is the ninth diplomatic ally Taiwan has lost since Tsai Ing-wen assumed office in 2016. Taiwan now only has 13 diplomatic allies left. Compared with Nicaragua’s sudden shift in 2021, Honduras’ decision seemed to be well-planned, as the incumbent President Xiomara Castro put a…