Four people, including two Chinese nationals, have been arrested in France on suspicion of spying for China and were brought before an investigative judge. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/05/world/chinese-nationals-france-spying/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #china #france #espionage
Trump, Xi discuss Taiwan and soybeans in call aimed at easing China, U.S. relations https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/05/world/politics/trump-xi-taiwan-soybeans-call-china-us/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #china #xijinping #us #donaldtrump #taiwan
The Panamanian Supreme Court’s ruling invalidating CK Hutchison’s port contracts strengthens the U.S.' hand in the region and weakens China’s influence while undermining its investments. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/04/world/china-loses-more-than-panama-ports/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #panama #us #donaldtrump #china #chinapanamarelations #panamacanal
China's President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin both hailed their ties during a video call held in the run-up to the fourth anniversary of Moscow's war in Ukraine. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/world/xi-putin-ties/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #russia #china #vladimirputin #xijinping
China has denounced a ruling by Panama’s top court to void CK Hutchison’s contract to operate two ports as “extremely absurd,” warning the Central American country would pay a “heavy price” if it fails to change course. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/world/politics/china-panama-court-ruling-ports/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #panama #panamacanal #china #shipping
The new opposition centrist force that was supposed to upend Japan’s political calculus isn’t gaining any ground. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/04/japan/how-unpredictable-is-the-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #cdp #komeito #cra #dpp #sanseito #jip #china #us #indopacific #eastasia #senkakus #xijinping #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection #nipponishinnokai #diet
Japan Airlines says that its passenger revenue on China routes in December was about 20% lower than its projections. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/04/companies/jal-china-revenue-low/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #jal #aviation #china #chinajapanrelations #tourism
The Taiwanese government's nearly $40 billion defense budget request is in jeopardy as the opposition pushes a much smaller proposal that omits key capabilities deemed critical to defending against a Chinese attack. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/asia-pacific/politics/taiwan-defense-budget-analysis/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #taiwan #budgets #defense #pla #china #us #kmt #dpp #donaldtrump #laichingte
During the era of China’s one-child policy, experts estimate that thousands of boys went missing, with trafficking being fueled by parents seeking a son to carry on the family line. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/asia-pacific/society/china-sons-one-child-era/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #society #china #families #population
The European Union will pitch the U.S. on a critical minerals partnership to curb China’s influence, looking to shape the Trump administration’s push to strike global agreements this week. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/world/politics/eu-us-critical-minerals-china/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #eu #us #mining #rareearths #china
wakest ⁂
boosted
With the news that people are moving to Xiaohongshu due to uncertainty about the future of TikTok and the changes to Meta's content policies, and that people are now really interested in learning Mandarin: I would encourage you to check out the active Chinese-language communities right here on the fediverse as well, such as the public forum at https://ovo.st/club/board (@ board @ ovo.st ), and the instance https://m.cmx.im/about. Or, perhaps, you can follow my recent favourite fediverse account, @labor, which collects news about modern Chinese labour issues that you will never find on Chinese social media platforms.
In general I think there is a huge lack of understanding among western users about how much Chinese social media and Chinese tech companies are intertwined with the government, a lack of understanding or engagement with Chinese social issues which are heavily censored on all Chinese social media platforms, and a mistake belief that "well, Chinese social media can't be much worse than the American ones". I had to mute the discourse around TikTok for my own sanity because there was so much complete misunderstanding around privacy, censorship, and the nature of these companies. It's like seeing people say "we don't want to use apps run by (american) fascists, so we will flock to an app that shares all its data with a fascist government, and actively censors all topics unfavourable to that government". It makes no sense.
Of course, I think it is good that people are engaging with Chinese people, finally, as people, and not as just abstractions. I think it is also good that people have an incentive to learn my native language. I just wish people would use that to engage with and listen to the Chinese people who have been posting here, all along.
#china #tiktok #xiaohongshu #rednote #socialmedia #fediverse
A delegation of UK museum leaders accompanied British prime minister Keir Starmer on his visit to China last week.
The museum leaders were among 60 representatives from British business, sport and culture that were on the trip, which included visits to Beijing and Shanghai to meet government representatives and Chinese business leaders and investors
https://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/news/2026/02/uk-museum-leaders-hail-china-visit/ #globalmuseum #museums #China
Xi’s directive establishes a socialist financial architecture where capital serves production rather than speculation. Rejecting Western financialization that concentrates wealth during crises the CPC uses the Eight Upholds to subordinate finance to national goals. China’s ascent to global industrial dominance proves that a socialist command economy is a superior alternative to neoliberal capitalism.
https://dialecticaldispatches.substack.com/p/financial-development-with-chinese
Japan’s Feb. 8 snap election is less about short-term politics than a pivotal choice among competing coalition paths that will determine whether the country can adapt its domestic politics to shifting voter behavior. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/03/japan/where-japan-goes-from-here/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #jip #cdp #komeito #cra #dpp #sanseito #china #unitedstates #indopacific #eastasia #senkakuislands #xijinping #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection
Faced with a fraught geopolitical environment, global consultancies are turning to riskier ways to do business in China that some say test the boundaries of Western sanctions. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/03/consulting-firms-boundaries-china/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #us #donaldtrump #republicans #trade #tariffs #china #russia
Pakistan says it has fielded requests for its JF-17 fighter from five countries in recent months — a surge of interest that could overwhelm its capacity to jointly produce the jet with China. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/03/asia-pacific/politics/pakistan-china-developed-jets/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #pakistan #china #defense #aviation
The expiration of New START ends the last formal limit on U.S. and Russian nuclear arms, ushering in a more dangerous era marked by destabilizing tactical weapons and growing risks of miscalculation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/01/world/hello-nuclear-anarchy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #nuclearweapons #russia #us #newstarttreaty #china #northkorea #defense #wmds
Exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products and food totaled ¥1.7 trillion in 2025, up 12.8% from the preceding year and hitting a record high for the 13th straight year, the agriculture ministry has said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/03/economy/agricultural-forestry-fishery-exports/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #agriculture #forests #fishing #us #tariffs #donaldtrump #maff #hongkong #taiwan #china
Alex, the Hearth Fire
boosted
If you use Notepad++ update it now.
Notepad++ Hijacked by State-Sponsored Hackers
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/hijacked-incident-info-update/
#tech #technology #news #technews #security #privacy #hack #china
jbz
boosted
⚠️ Notepad++ Hijacked by State-Sponsored Hackers
｢ The exact technical mechanism remains under investigation, though the compromise occured at the hosting provider level rather than through vulnerabilities in Notepad++ code itself. Traffic from certain targeted users was selectively redirected to attacker-controlled served malicious update manifests ｣
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/news/hijacked-incident-info-update/