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China

Employment Challenges: Starting Salaries for Recent Graduates in Shanghai Drop to 4,000 Yuan

The ongoing economic downturn in China is increasingly affecting the job market. In interviews with Radio Free Asia, several recent graduates and employers in Shanghai revealed that over the past year, the starting salaries for some university graduates seeking employment in the city have fallen fro

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Beijing Sees Growing Ranks of Blood Sellers — 301 Hospital Exposed as a Blood Trade Hub

China

The humanitarian disaster in Henan Province in the 1990s, when the aggressive promotion of the “plasma economy” led to the widespread spread of AIDS, became known as the “blood calamity.” Over the years, the “plasma economy” has continued to develop secretly in China. In the capital city of Beijing, large numbers of unemployed people, trapped in survival crises, are reportedly being forced to sell blood. Even the PLA General Hospital (301 Hospital), long known as a health care base for top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders, has allegedly become one of the hubs of this illegal “plasma econo...

Xi Jinping Offers New Year Greetings to the Troops by Video — What Is He Afraid Of?

China

According to past practice, before the traditional Chinese New Year, Xi Jinping, as Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), would visit a military unit to inspect and extend holiday greetings to officers and soldiers. In January 2025, he visited the Northern Theater Command, accompanied by then–First Vice Chairman of the CMC Zhang Youxia and Northern Theater Command commander Huang Ming. After Zhang Youxia was officially announced under investigation this January, and with only one remaining CMC vice chairman—Zhang Shengmin, who is in charge of discipline inspection and does not enj...

Eliminating Zhang Youxia Has Stirred a Hornet’s Nest — Xi May Be Reaping What He Sowed

China

As the Chinese New Year approaches, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping would in previous years leave Beijing to inspect various provinces and conduct what were described as holiday visits. This year, however, after removing Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli—figures seen as holding real military power—Xi’s subsequent actions have not demonstrated that he has secured control over the military, consolidated Party authority, or stabilized political power. On the contrary, Xi’s reluctance to leave Beijing has fueled speculation that targeting Zhang Youxia ...

Jimmy Lai Sentenced to 20 Years — International Community Criticizes Hong Kong as a Giant Prison

China

On February 9, Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Digital, was convicted of “sedition” and two counts of “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” and sentenced to 20 years in prison. This is the longest sentence handed down since Hong Kong’s National Security Law took effect in 2020, triggering strong condemnation from the international community. Leaders from the United States, Taiwan, Canada, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom publicly criticized the Chinese Communist Party authorities for violating the commitments made under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, turning the judiciary into a to...

Takaichi Won, Party Media Went Crazy, Netizens Burst Out Laughing!

China

Recently, Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi led the Liberal Democratic Party to a historic victory in the election, and the latest opinion poll results have also stunned the international community. A survey of the Japanese public shows that as many as 76% of respondents believe there is “no need to improve” relations with Beijing. At the same time, the intense reaction of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official media to Takaichi’s victory has become a hot topic on social media....

Hard to Get a Ticket Home for the New Year, Yet Trains Run with Empty Seats — CCP Ticketing Platform Accused of Manipulation

China

During the New Year travel rush, train tickets across many regions in China have been extremely difficult to obtain. Numerous passengers report that on the official railway ticketing platform 12306, tickets for many popular routes show as “sold out” the moment they go on sale, while waiting lists continue to grow. Yet when passengers finally board, they find trains running with a surprisingly high number of empty seats. Related videos and complaints have spread widely across social media....

Did Zhang Youxia Escape Once, Only to Be in Peril Again?

China

The political atmosphere inside Zhongnanhai is currently extremely tense. On February 10, Beijing authorities announced that the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) will convene from February 25 to 26. This routine meeting, held on the eve of the “Two Sessions,” includes on its agenda the “review of reports on the qualifications of certain deputies.”...

A Senior Official’s Daughter Willingly Becomes a Tycoon’s Fifth Concubine; Enchants Harvard President in Epstein Scandal

China

Recently, Caixin, a media outlet with official CCP background, disclosed details of a mysterious and extravagant private banquet held in July 2022. On the surface, it appeared to be a gathering of business tycoons for a “shareholder dividend meeting.” In reality, it was the one-month celebration for the child born to Yu Haijun, chairman of luxury car dealer Baolide, and his “Little Fifth,” Jin Keyu....

Inner Mongolia: Multiple Senior Officials Removed; Yellow Lanterns Seen as Ominous Sign of “The End”

China

On February 10, Sun Shaocheng, the former Party Secretary of Inner Mongolia who retired four months ago, was officially announced to have had his status as a deputy to the National People’s Congress terminated. He is the first provincial-level chief (“frontier official”) to fall this year. On the same day, four other officials were also reported to be under investigation....

The Secret Behind Sanna Takashita's Resounding Victory

China

In the House of Representatives election held in Japan on February 8, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Prime Minister Sanna Takashita, not only achieved a landslide victory but also set a record for the highest number of seats won by a single party in post-war elections....

U.S.-Japan Relations Flourish, Xi Jinping Feels Both Anger and Fear

China

In the recent House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Kishi Sanae led the Liberal Democratic Party to a decisive victory, which not only solidified her government's foundation but also successfully surpassed the 'two-thirds' threshold for constitutional amendments....

Everyone’s Saying It: This New Year, There’s No Money and Fewer People”

China

As the Lunar New Year approaches, people across China — rural and urban, northerners and southerners; residents of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou; young and old, men and women — have been posting videos and photos online asking the same question: It’s already the twelfth lunar month, New Year is almost here. Why does everything feel so deserted? Where are the crowds? Does this even feel like the holidays?...

Sharp Drop in Publicly Available Court Judgments in China Raises Legal Community Concerns Over Judicial Transparency

China

The number of court judgments published on China’s online judicial database in recent years has declined significantly, drawing attention from legal professionals who worry that judicial transparency is continuing to shrink. Lawyers who have long relied on the platform say that when searching for cases from 2025, they found a dramatic reduction in publicly available decisions. Many search results consisted only of rulings to withdraw cases or very short judgments, with full reasoning and value for reference in similar cases clearly diminished....

Xi Visits Retired Senior Military Officers — Do Multiple Details Expose an Internal Crisis in the PLA?

China

After the sudden downfall of Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia, political tension at the top levels has continued to simmer. CCP leader Xi Jinping recently attended a Lunar New Year gala performance to慰问 (extend greetings to) retired military officials in Beijing. Observers say several details from the event reveal deep internal problems within China’s armed forces....

Gangster-Style Gun-Waving? PLA Jets Carry Out Extremely Dangerous Provocations Against Taiwan’s F-16 Fighters

China

The situation in the Taiwan Strait is entering an extremely dangerous and unpredictable new phase. According to the Financial Times, citing informed sources and the latest report Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense provided to the United States, during an unannounced PLA exercise encircling Taiwan on December 29 last year, Chinese military aircraft carried out multiple “extremely dangerous” and “unprofessional” provocative maneuvers against Taiwan’s F-16 fighter jets, including the firing of flares and close-range intimidation. On February 9, the U.S. House of Representatives passed what has...

Cai Qi Shakes the Foundations of the CCP State — Xi Jinping May Not Even Make It to 2027

China

The arrest of Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia means that of the six CMC members personally appointed by CCP leader Xi Jinping in 2022, only one now remains. Observers believe this is not merely Zhang Youxia’s personal downfall. It marks a complete rupture between Xi and the families of his closest former allies, and could trigger systemic fractures within the armed forces—the pillar upon which the CCP regime relies—leading to an unprecedented political shockwave, comparable to the upheaval caused by Lin Biao’s defection in 1971....

Zhang Youxia’s Failed Move Against Xi — Liu Yuan and Deng Pufang Preparing a Counterattack at the 21st Party Congress

China

The investigation of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli has not resolved the crisis triggered by the rift between Xi Jinping and senior military commanders. Recently, an insider revealed that “princeling” figures Liu Yuan and Deng Pufang, representing prominent red political families, are planning to propose a motion at the 21st Chinese Communist Party Congress in 2027 to block Xi Jinping from securing another term....

Caught Off Guard! The CCP Takes Two Heavy Blows in Two Days

China

On February 8, Japan’s general election showed that the party of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured three-quarters of the seats in parliament. On February 9, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act by an overwhelming vote of 395 to 2. These two developments delivered two direct heavy blows to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), highlighting consecutive failures of Beijing’s so-called “wolf warrior diplomacy.”...

If Zhang Youxia Followed Zhang Guotao’s Path, Would the Outcome Be the Same?

China

After Xi Jinping removed Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, reporting by military and state media again shifted tone. Xi has once more become the central figure in coverage, and top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials have increased their public expressions of loyalty to him. Mentions of the “collective, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee” have become rare. Amid continuing instability, Xi’s foremost goal is to secure the military’s loyalty. Therefore, reviving the theme of “politically building the military” is unsurprising. Over the past year or more, when Zhang Youxia was effect...

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