Month: March 2023

Advertisement A Chinese hacking group that is likely state-sponsored and has been linked previously to attacks on U.S. state government computers is still “highly active” and is focusing on a broad range of targets that may be of strategic interest to China’s government and security services, a private American cybersecurity firm said in a new report Thursday. The hacking group, which the report calls RedGolf, shares such close overlap with groups tracked by other security companies under the names APT41 and BARIUM that it is thought they are either the…

Advertisement While China has not given up the possibility of using military operations to resolve the conflict between Taipei and Beijing, it also acknowledges the potential interference from the United States and the high cost of military operations. Instead, Beijing’s preferred policy is to seek unification by hollowing out resistance within Taiwan.  When the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee was setting up its Taiwan Work Office (TWO) in the early 1980s, it chose officials with expertise in united front work and intelligence gathering. Many of them had personal connections or…

At the start of a three-day visit to Moscow on March 20th, China’s president, Xi Jinping, was welcomed by his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, with a feast featuring quail, venison and pavlova. At home, the thoughts of some Chinese nationalists were focused on another Russian city—one famous for its sea cucumbers, a popular Chinese delicacy. In China, the far-eastern Russian city of Vladivostok has been known traditionally as Haishenwai, meaning “sea-cucumber bay”. More to the point, as these patriots point out, it was once ruled by China. Listen to this…

Jack ma, founder of Alibaba, an e-commerce giant, is a symbol of how the ruling Communist Party has humbled the rich. In 2020 he dared publicly to criticise financial regulators. Soon afterwards they spiked the $37bn initial public offering of Ant Group, Alibaba’s fintech affiliate, and investigated Alibaba itself for monopolistic behaviour. A chastened Mr Ma largely vanished from public life. In late 2021 he left China and spent time learning about farming and sustainable food production. Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. Your…

To buddhist pilgrims, the Tiger Pagoda of Tanzhe Temple is a monument to a miracle. They believe that this stupa, in Beijing’s pine-clad western hills, marks the tomb of a tiger so touched by a monk’s piety that it abjured killing, moved into the temple grounds and lived on meatless gruel. When Chaguan saw the tomb on a recent hike, it struck him as a sadly useful metaphor. That vegetarian tiger could serve as a symbol for the strong-but-unthreatening China that America once sought as a partner, but which now…

Travels abroad by Taiwan’s political leaders are always a diplomatic minefield. But especially prudent steps are required in the coming days, as the current president and a predecessor make unofficial visits to the two superpowers that may determine the island’s future. Listen to this story.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android. Your browser does not support the <audio> element. Taiwan’s sitting president, Tsai Ing-wen (pictured), is passing through the United States en route to and from Central America. She is expected to meet the speaker of America’s House…

Advertisement By December 5, two days before the December 7 release of the “10-point plan” that ended China’s zero COVID policy, 76.6 percent of seniors over 80 years old had received at least one dose of vaccine, and 65.8 percent had received two shots. Only 40 percent of seniors over 80 had received the booster shot. In comparison, 95 percent of seniors over 75 years old in the United States had received at least one shot, and 91 percent had received two shots. In addition, 76.1 percent of seniors over…